Recent emissions standards and the requirement of lowering diesel particulate matter have been controversial issues during this economic recession; however, if you are reducing emissions in your community, that’s good news for everyone’s health! And in times like these, a little good news can go a long way.Tell Them About It:
So go ahead and share the good news that your organization is doing something to help reduce your carbon footprint and clean up your community’s air.
Here are a few tips on how to get the word out about your carbon reducing activities:
- Get Some Press. Send out a press release to your local newspapers and call the local news reporters to let them know what your organization is doing to help clean up your community’s air.
- Share Online. Post a new article on your blog or website announcing the details of what you’ve accomplished or what you are planning to accomplish.
- Connect with Your Network. Use Twitter or Facebook to announce your website/blog post or just post a new status update such as “We just retrofitted another truck with a new DPF, doing our part to help us all breathe a little easier.”
- Share with Your Community. If your organization is a municipality or utility, contribute an article/announcement to your local city/county website or newsletter.
Remember whichever methods you choose to spread the word about your diesel-do-good activities be sure to communicate the “newsworthy” aspects of your project. This may vary slightly from community to community, but here are a few ideas for newsworthy angles:
- Talk about the toll diesel exhaust takes and how your actions will reduce them (i.e. help the health of your community).
- Personal stories of how your actions are helping clean the air. (i.e. how much better your drivers feel about running cleaner vehicles around town, etc.)
- Total up the estimated diesel PM reduction to give people a tangible idea of how much cleaner the air is with your retrofitted vehicles. (resources below)
Here are a few resources to help you spread the word:
- Health toll of diesel exhaust/particulate matter information (so you can demonstrate why your retrofit project is so important)
o ARB Summary of Adverse Impacts of Diesel Particulate Matter
o ARB Report on Diesel Health Effects
o NRDC's Report on Diesel
o ARB Diesel fact sheet
o New England Journal of Medicine: Diesel effects on children
- Positive effects of diesel retrofits/Climate change regulations:
o Washington State University Extension Report on Diesel Particulate Filters
o Clean Air Task Force: Benefits of Reducing Emissions Great stats (at bottom of this web page)
- Resources on how to write a press release
o http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Press-Release
Finally here's a great example of a fleet getting some positive press on their efforts: http://www.truckinginfo.com/clean-green/news-detail.asp?news_id=70088&news_category_id=94
Good luck in spreading the word on your diesel emissions project! Let us know how it goes or if you have any questions by leaving a comment below or emailing.
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