Education campaigns to reduce stormwater pollution in commercial areas: do they work?

J Environ Manage. 2007 Aug;84(3):323-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.06.002. Epub 2006 Aug 4.

Abstract

A monitoring and evaluation program was undertaken, involving six different styles of evaluation to determine whether a low-cost, eight month education campaign that operated within a small commercial district was successful at changing people's behavior and reducing stormwater litter loads. This project also tested newly developed guidelines for monitoring and evaluating all types of non-structural stormwater quality best management practices (BMPs). The project evaluated: the extent and quality of the campaign's implementation; the degree to which it changed the awareness, attitudes, self-reported behavior and actual behavior of merchants and the public; and the nature of changes in stormwater litter loads. Overall, the education campaign produced mixed results, with the net result being modestly positive. Specifically, it was: unsuccessful at significantly influencing the knowledge or attitudes of merchants or the public; modestly successful at influencing the behavior of merchants and the public; and modestly successful at reducing litter loads in stormwater. At a theoretical level, the project highlights how using different 'styles' of BMP evaluation can help to build a more complete picture of a BMP's performance. At a practical level, the project helped to improve the monitoring and evaluation guidelines and produced evidence-based design guidelines for future campaigns that aim to reduce littering in commercial areas.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Awareness
  • Behavior
  • Conservation of Natural Resources
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Environmental Pollution / prevention & control*
  • Water Movements