Archive for January, 2008

For months, one of my regular readers and sometime contributor has been nudging me to get the blog rolling again. Sadly, on the day that I finally relaunch, she’s in the hospital getting surgery and facing a long and difficult recovery.

My father-in-law is fighting cancer as we speak, so I have a fresh appreciation for what a long and lonely ordeal that this person will be up against over the next few months. And her battle will be especially challenging, because like many committed conservationists, she makes do on a lower income than she otherwise might.

This conservationist needs your thoughts, your prayers – and your financial support. I’ve set a goal of raising $1500 for her by the end of February. Will you help me reach it? Every contribution will make a big difference for her. And even if you can’t give much, if we work together, it will add up. Your gift will help her worry just a little less about her bills — and feel just a little stronger knowing that the people cares for care back.

Here’s what you can do to help of one our own: Make a contribution today. It’s easy, it takes just a few minutes, and it’s completely safe — just click the “Chip In” button at the top right of this page and you’ll be taken to a PayPal form where you can use your credit card to donate whatever you think is appropriate.

At the end of February, I’ll turn over everything I have collected to a bank account that has been set up for this purpose.

Thank you in advance for anything and everything you can do.

You might be forgiven for believing that I had lost interest in Water Words That Work. After all, this is my first post since November. But in fact, the opposite is true.

The response to the blog was so amazing that I went back to the drawing board and rethought what this project is all about. The outcome is that Water Words the blog is now also Water Words That Work the company. I’ll continue to dispense free, useful advice to all who want it (and a few who might not be expecting it), but I am now also accepting clients who want more hands on assistance to “make a splash with their communications.”

Check out the redesigned blog (got a professional to do it this time around) for signs of things to come.

I’ll start by giving a big shout out to the first batch of clients who opened my eyes to Water Words as a business opportunity:

• Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
• Association of State Wetland Managers
• Biodiversity Project
• Chesapeake Bay Funders Network
• Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
• National Park Service
• New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
• Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts
• Water Resources Education Network

Let me also tip my hat to the partners at Beaconfire Consulting, who have graciously agreed to let me continue as a part-time member of the staff of their fine company. Thanks for helping me avoid a painful either/or choice!

Source: Joe Schlabotnick via Flickr

If you live (or would like to) in Connecticut, there’s an opening for a part-time outreach coordinator.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

providing assistance in the development and in carrying out an outreach program for Connecticut residents on the Long Island Sound Study (LISS); writing fact sheets, newsletter articles, and other publications; working with the LISS Citizens Advisory Committee and the LISS Communication Team; coordinating administrative, technical and logistical support for the program; and preparing reports.

Click here to download the announcement. Good luck!

Source: scottfeldstein via Flickr

“Fair” has a spot on the water words that work list, and it’s such a powerful concept that it even dogs respond to it. According to recent research study summarized in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, dogs won’t “shake” for treats if they perceive other dogs are getting a bigger reward. If the the full scientific writeup is a more than you want to bite off, here’s a easy-reading digest that appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

Most people will think this experiment is about dogs, but I think it’s about words and instincts. My key takeaway here is that “fair” is a universal concept, so deeply wired into our brains, that you should always try to claim it for your own. The next time you are trying to win somebody over to your side of an argument about nature protection and pollution control, I’m pretty sure you’ll get further by making the case for fairness than you will by explaining the definition of a “watershed.”