Here’s something you don’t see everyday: a U.S. Senator gleefully dynamiting a dam. We could see more of it, too. A growing number of communities are facing the choice between removing old dams — or having them fail. This episode explores how you can help them make the right choice.

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Here’s a really neat organization that can help you engage and educate your community. It’s not clear to me if EarthWater is a nonprofit educational organization or a for profit retail operation, and they may have competitors, but they sell a neat product and I encourage you to check it out.

Stormdrain stenciling is a good activity because it helps you not just once, but twice.

Giving people a simple and fun but meaningful thing they can do to make a difference is a great way to start making friends and recruiting supporters in your community — and stenciling storm drains fits the bill. As those volunteers go out and play with the spraypaint, they’ll be making an emotional investment in your organization. A lot of them will be receptive when you come back later asking them to take that next step, such as writing or calling some official, or making a donation. Not only that, they will tell their friends and family later about what they did and why. Give ‘em a t-shirt and they’ll wear it with pride. It’s the best kind of marketing and public relations there is.

And of course, the stencils help! A lot of people have no idea what happens to the rainwater that runs into those drains. The stencils set them straight on that and at least give them an inkling that there’s a pollution issue in play, too.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (Disclosure: A client of Beaconfire Consulting, my employer) has teamed up with netCorps to provide nonprofit environmental organizations in the Southeast U.S. with comprehensive technology plans, assistance and funds to implement key technology priorities. Priority items funded in the past include websites, databases, computers, servers and more.

Recent participants in the program include groups like the Alabama Rivers Alliance, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.

Technological trends are putting more opportunity and responsibility for getting your message out into your hands. The news media is a sunset industry, folks. So it’s a good sign that funders are stepping to help nonprofit groups plan ahead for a not-so-distant future when the the bulk of your community interactions will be either digital or face-to-face. This program could be a great opportunity for some of you to move off of those static, unchanging websites and onto a blogs and other dynamic and interactive communications tools.

The money is free, but you do have to convince them you’ll put it to good use. To learn more, click here.

Hat tip to the Green Media Toolshed Blog for bringing this to my attention.

Few people seem to realize that the owners of big hydroelectric dams can control how much water to release at any given moment, but that doesn’t mean that those corporations are off the hook from their environmental responsibilities. Before you dive into the difficult vocabulary like instream flow, peaking, and FERC, paint the big picture for the average well-meaning citizen:

The Whatever Power corporation has a responsibility to work together with local residents to balance their profits from the dam with the health of the Whatever River and Lake Whatever. Whatever Power Corporation is accountable to our nature protection laws, and has a responsibility to share the river with wildlife and families that live there. The corporation should plan ahead and invest wisely to make sure there is enough power, clean water, and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.

Even if the dam in question is publicly owned, you can still reference corporations!

The Dam Owning Agency is accountable to the law and to the public. It should hold itself to a higher standard than a corporation, and find a true balance between providing power and providing enough clean water for wildlife and families.

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