The Chesapeake Club Initiative: Bringing New Audiences to Bay Restoration

Chesapeake Club: Bringing New Audiences to Bay Restoration

The Chesapeake Club Initiative:

Bringing New Audiences to Bay Restoration

Christopher ConnerChesapeake Bay Program

February 17, 2005


Why a Chesapeake Club?

Bay restoration is at a critical juncture

• The bay watershed’s population is growing• New nutrient and sediment reduction goals are

extremely ambitious• Suburban & urban nutrient loads are quickly

growing• Long-term sustainability of the bay will require

changes to “business as usual”



Population Growth

• Watershed population is projected to grow from 16 million today to 18 million by 2030

Population in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

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To accommodate this growth, we are clearing forests, paving farm fields and expanding our urban & suburban environment.


Nutrient pollution reduction goals will be incredibly tough to meet

By 2010, we need to nearly double nutrient pollution reductions achieved since 1985.


Estimated Phosphorous Loads Delivered to the Bay

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Estimated Nitrogen Loads Delivered to the Bay

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Where’s the pollution coming from?

We need to look everywhere for potential pollution reductions.

Why a Chesapeake Club?...

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Estimated Sources of Nitrogen Pollution to the Bay

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We’ve asked many stakeholders to do their part

• Wastewater Treatment Plants• Farmers• Waterman• Construction• Government



Now we’re asking average citizens to do their part too.


What is Chesapeake Club?

Chesapeake Club is a new outreach initiative designed to engage a new audience about the Bay… people not necessarily moved by environmental motives.

The Challenge:The environment is not everyone’s primary concern

The Solution:Engage them through other means

Chesapeake Club is about outreach, not in-reach.



It’s different than traditional public awareness campaigns

• Awareness is important, but it’s not enough

Campaign is based on social marketing principles

• Campaign strives to change behavior in exchange for a special benefit to the individual

• Relies on individual self-interest

• Most effective way to achieve what we are looking for… actual behavior change



Chesapeake Club was developed through the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership in cooperation with the Academy for Educational Development

Campaign funding comes from:• Commonwealth of Virginia• District of Columbia• U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program



Chesapeake Club aims to engage people through a love of the “Chesapeake Lifestyle”

• Connects with their desire to use the Bay for recreation

• Promotes the Bay as a “get away” from urban life

• Capitalizes on the love of its seafood

While people may care about the Bay’s environmental health, it is not always the strongest driving factor in their decision making


Why Focus on Lawn Care?

While we regularly promote many different Bay-friendly actions, the initial phase of the campaign focuses on lawn care

• High potential for significant nutrient pollution reduction

• A behavior change we can influence• Provided we offer a good alternative

• Lawn care actions can be part of their existing lifestyle

• Public behavior seen by others• Challenges social norms


Why Focus on the Washington area?

The Washington-metro area will serve as the pilot market for the initiative

• Previous survey work showed activist potential• 2002 Chesapeake Bay Program/Virginia

Tech Survey of Bay Watershed Residents• High level of concern• High interest in getting involved• Uncertainty about how to get involved

• It’s a large media market• Reaches citizens in three Bay Program

partner jurisdictions


A couple of Washington facts…

Washington Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area (PMSA)



• About 1.96 million households

• Estimated “lawn” area of 530,000 acres

• Current estimated annual nitrogen load to local water bodies about 4.7 million pounds

• Current estimated annual phosphorus load to local water bodies about 560,000 pounds



Suburban and urban nutrient management in this area could:• reduce annual nitrogen loads to an estimated 3.9

million pounds• 800,000 pound reduction

• Reduce annual phosphorus loads to an estimated 430,000 pounds

• 120,000 pound reduction


The Washington-area Campaign...

Primary Goals

• Encourage Washington-area homeowners to skip spring lawn fertilizer and wait until the fall

• Create a greater understanding of how individual actions impact local waters and the Bay

• Attract new audiences to Bay restoration


The Washington-area Campaign…

Four Key Components

• Internet Presence• Restaurant Initiative• Professional Lawn Care Initiative• Paid Advertising


Internet Presence…

www.chesapeakeclub.org

http://www.chesapeakeclub.com/


ChesapeakeClub.org…

• Targeted toward people who have not yet realized a personal interest in the health of the Bay• First step to moving them to our interested

public• It’s probably not “us”

• Provides visitors with information about the “Chesapeake Lifestyle”• Does not preach “Bay health” to them, but

invites them to learn more

• Web content oriented toward primary campaign initiatives



• Content, Tone & Graphic Identity• Very different than other Bay Program sites• Written in a conversational manner• Users do not have to know about the Bay to

engage with the site• Currently geared to Washington-area

residents

• Lifestyle Sections• “What People Care About”

• Home• Food• Life



• Around the Home• Entertaining• Home Improvement• Yard Care• Lawn Services

• Food• Recipes• Restaurants

• Life• Daytrips• Romantic Getaways


The Washington Campaign…

Restaurant Initiative: The Lunch You Save May Be Your

OwnReaching People Through Their Seafood


The Lunch You Save May Be Your Own…

• Connects individual actions to the health and availability of Bay seafood

• Reaches people where they are experiencing an aspect of the Bay

• Several Washington-area restaurants participating in the program at varying levels



• Chesapeake Club bar coasters with the “skip the fertilizer” message will be distributed at participating restaurants

• Waitstaff will be able to answer patron question “What’s this Chesapeake Club thing?”

• Head chefs are invited to take part in the kickoff event



• Capital Grille• McCormick & Schmick’s• Blue Point Grill• Balducci’s Market• Johnny’s Half Shell• J. Paul’s• Kinkead’s

Restaurants involved with Chesapeake Club include:

A complete list of participating partners is

available at chesapeakeclub.org

• DC Coast• Fishmarket• Powtowmack Landing• Gauzuza• Gua Rapo• Russia House



Chesapeake Club Lawn Care Program:A New Brand of Green


A New Brand of Green…

• Professional lawn care providers are key stakeholders in reducing suburban & urban nutrient pollution• Pre-campaign survey shows 16% of

Washington-area homeowners use professional services

• Professionals have the ability to follow more detailed application guidelines

• One properly trained professional can reach many homeowners

• Chesapeake Club promotes a marketable product to professional lawn care providers that minimizes fertilizer’s impact on local waters



To be part of the Chesapeake Club Lawn Care Program, companies must:

• Keep fertilizer off any impervious surfaces

• Meet specific nitrogen and phosphorus application criteria developed by Bay Program partners and industry representatives• Criteria limit the amount and timing of fertilizer

applications throughout the year

• Semi-annually report the area of lawn being serviced under the Chesapeake Club brand

• Leave-behind Chesapeake Club lawn care materials



Leave-behind materials link homeowner actions to the health of local seafood and the Bay



Serving Virginia• Natural Lawns, Inc.• Lawn Doctor• Town and Country

Landscaping• Green Sun, Inc.• Kingstowne Lawn & Landscape• Twin Oaks Landscaping

Serving the District of Columbia

• Natural Lawns, Inc.• Bodkin Landscaping

Serving Maryland• Bay Country Natural Lawns• Complete Plant Health Care

Inc.• Bodkin Landscaping• Paradise Landscaping

Selected lawn care partners include:

A complete list of participating partners is

available at chesapeakeclub.org



Reaching New Audiences Through Mass Media:

The Lunch You Save May Be Your Own


Print Advertising…

• Newspapers• Washington Post, Washington Post

Express



• Outdoor Ads• Union Station• Metro Stations • Metro Cars














Broadcast Advertising…

• Television Spots• “Delicious”• “Sod”• “Appetizer”


Post-Campaign Follow-up

• Post-campaign Evaluation• April/May 2005• Replica of pre-campaign survey

completed in May 2004• Will allow us to assess behavior

change and elevated awareness levels

• Final Report• Possible STAC Workshop• Documentation for Future Work• Assess Future Campaigns


Additional Questions…

Contact:

Christopher ConnerChesapeake Bay Program

Communications [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Documents

The Chesapeake Club Initiative: Bringing New Audiences to Bay Restoration