The Communications, Public Relations & Marketing Tips Series   

Picture this: you are sitting at in a hotel ballroom at a conservation-related conference waiting for the guest speakers to arrive. As they come in, you notice that one of them is carrying a disposable coffee cup and one is using a reusable mug. What is your first impression of each?

The purpose of this article is not to debate the merits of paper cups versus reusable mugs when you take in to account energy, water use and landfill waste. The purpose is to remind you that when you are representing your organization, your actions will be noticed consciously or even sub-consciously by others.

From the public's perception, the reusable mug is the more environmentally-conscious choice. You add credibility to what you are saying by following up with what you are actually doing. If you don't already, try to remember to use reusable mugs and water bottles when you are out and about representing your organization. To help with this effort, reusable aluminum water bottles featuring the PACD Conservation Principles (pictured) were given to participants at the PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference last week.

I remember a speaker from an environmental organization using a disposable cup during a meeting on environmental planning and conservation three years ago. The use of that cup left quite an impression.

Shannon & Brandi

Hill Street illegal dump site identified as a part of survey. Photo courtesy of LCCD.

The Lehigh County Conservation District (LCCD) completed an Illegal Dump Survey in Lehigh County this May. Made possible by funding from Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, the goal of the survey was to identify and map every visible illegal dumpsite from the public right-of-way within the county. Local municipalities assisted the district with site identification. 

District Manager Bill McFadden, Watershed Specialist/Agricultural Resource Conservationist Laura Hopek, and Mary Ellen Snyder, Chair of LCCD's Board of Directors, surveyed 22 illegal dump sites in the county. Data has been submitted to Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and a report will be made available later this year. 

Constitution Drive illegal dump site. Photo courtesy of LCCD.

"Now that these sites have been identified, it is our hope that additional funding will become available for the district to partner with municipalities to clean them up," said Hopek. "We can then encourage positive behaviors toward community improvement."