Community Based Social Marketing Toolkit

The Challenge

To develop, test and disseminate practical information on community-based social marketing tools for promoting environmental citizenship.  At this point in time, few community programs were evaluated for their impact, and the term "community-based social marketing" was still being coined.

Our Approach

CULLBRIDGE™ initiated this project in conjunction with local partners, and obtained funding from Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy (MOEE), and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).  Twenty six case studies were prepared - including ten that we helped plan and evaluate.  Using as a foundation these case studies, and the community - based social marketing framework being developed by Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, step-by-step guides were then developed for planning programs and using specific "Tools of Change".   

Six overlapping issue areas were focussed on: sustainable transportation, active living, waste reduction, energy efficiency, water efficiency, and sustainable landscaping. Early drafts of the workbook were field-tested with Green Communities, case study sites, and with participants at Tools of Change workshops held in five cities across Canada.

Collaborators

Our primary collaborators on this project were McKenzie-Mohr and Associates (co-authors of the resulting workbook), and West End Community Ventures.  We are also appreciative of the assistance provided by Allium Consulting, Emdash Communications, Trillium Learning, and Viridis Environmental.

Impact

The resulting workbook, Tools of Change: Proven Methods for Promoting Environmental Citizenship, has been internationally acclaimed and was re-published by the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE).  This workbook subsequently served as the basis for the Tools of Change Web site.