The EEON Information-Gathering and Planning Process

The public strategic planning process designed to shape the contents of this plan included three key elements:

1. two planning events, one in the fall of 2002 and the other in spring 2003
2. public input to the planning process via “Strategizing for the Future” workbooks, completed either in hard copy or electronically
3. a national survey, completed by Environics International in 2002, on public perceptions about environmental knowledge and effective means to acquire it

Fall 2002 Planning Event, Mono Cliffs

Over 100 participants attended EEON’s fall 2002 planning weekend. In the course of this event small working groups identified the outcomes, needs, and strategies for specific audiences, and two whole-group exercises were carried out to determine:

1. common E&SE strategies across all audiences
2. priorities among common strategies

Participants were then asked to prioritize these seven common strategies both in terms of feasibility and urgency by rating each on a scale of one to five, with five as high priority ranking, and one as low priority. Approximately fifty percent of the 101 delegates participated in the exercise. Seven strategies important to all audiences emerged from this process. The percentage of participants who rated the strategy a high priority (four or five out of five) in terms of feasibility and urgency, respectively, was calculated. A combined priority rating of each strategy was then determined by averaging the feasibility and urgency priority percentages (see table below).

Table 1: Common strategies prioritized

Common Potential Strategies	Feasibility (%)	Urgency (%)	Mean (%)	Priority Rank
Partner/collaborate to share success,info, etc.	93	79	86	1st
Increase access to info, resources, etc.	94	77	85.5	2nd
Conduct action-oriented, field-based experiences	86	72	79	3rd
Provide mentoring/positive role modeling	86	56	71	4th
Create funding and resource base	56	72	64	5th
Lobby a large variety of public officials	51	69	60	6th
Other rewards/recognition/incentives	56	41	48.5	7th

In terms of feasibility and urgency, the delegates felt that the top three strategies were partnering and collaborating to share success and information (1st), increasing access to information (2nd) and conducting action-oriented, field-based experiences including stories (3rd). The delegates ranked offering rewards, recognition, and incentives (7th) as having the lowest priority in this group.

Spring 2003 Planning Event, Forest Valley

In the spring of 2003, EEON held a second planning event at the Forest Valley Outdoor Education Centre. This one-day conference brought seventy-five participants together. The goal of the second session was to review the draft plan assembled from the public input at the October conference, the contributions via workbooks, and the comments of reviewers for each audience. Participants again worked together in facilitated focus groups to discuss the audience drafts and finalize the plan in terms of the outcomes, needs, and implementation strategies for each audience.

“Strategizing For The Future” EEON Planning Workbooks

To obtain feedback from a broader sample of contributors than those able to attend EEON events in person, a planning workbook was made available by mail or on-line for completion by interested Ontarians. Nearly 300 “Strategizing for the Future” workbooks were received, and their content was integrated into the strategic plan.

2002 National Environics Survey—Learning to Keep the Environment Healthy

In 2002 EEON was invited to participate in the formulation of a national environmental survey conducted by Environics International for the Sustainability Network. EEON contributed two questions focused on public perceptions of environmental knowledge and the means of acquiring it. The results of the survey are based on telephone interviews conducted among a sample of 1,502 adult Canadians between May 29 and June 11, 2002. The data collected suggests a perceived need for improved environmental learning, and supports the development of a strategic plan for E&SE in Ontario.

The two questions were as follows:

1. To what extent do you feel that you know enough about the environment to make decisions in your day-to-day life that maintain a healthy environment?

Figure 1: Percentage of those who feel they know “all” and “most” of what is needed to make sound environmental decisions

Few Ontarians (2%) say that they know all of what is needed to know about the environment to make good decisions. Less than one third (27%) of them say that they know most of what is needed. Overall, Ontarians appear to feel that they lack the full knowledge needed to consistently make sound, environmentally informed decisions.

2. Which one of the following sources of information do you think could best help today’s young people make decisions in their day-to-day lives that will help maintain a healthy environment?

Figure 2: Best source of information to help young people maintain a healthy environment by percentage

A majority of Ontarians (56%) consider schools to be the best source of information, but a large percentage of Ontarians (34%) feel that media is the best source. Significantly fewer people choose government and community information, or parks and nature centres as resources that could best improve environmental literacy in young people.

Figure 3: Best source of information to help young people maintain a healthy environment by age

Only data for Canada was available for the “by age” section. However, since Ontario makes up approximately one third of the sample, and the Ontario data reflected little variation from the national data, we can say that the Ontario results are likely similar to the Canadian results.

While support for formal environmental education in schools is widespread, it is much stronger among the older cohorts (68-69% in the 45-64 age cohort) than among the younger cohorts (36% in the 18-24 age cohort). Youth are more inclined to think of media as a better source of environmental learning (49%) than older adults (16-18%).

(Information adapted from the Environics International Report, Public Opinion on Environmental Education, Urban Sprawl and Water Issues. Prepared for the Sustainabilty Network, July 2002.)

Demographic Data on the EEON Planning Process

The demographic data on planning participation collected from the EEON conferences, workbooks, and reviews is the baseline and benchmark by which all future data will be compared and analyzed for success. The demographic data gathered sorted those involved with the strategic planning process into a number of cohorts.

Regional Cohort Model—All Participants

For the purposes of our demographic analysis, the map of Ontario has been divided into five basic regions. Because the EEON process began as a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) project, it is important to analyze the expanding regional distribution of participants over time: the aim for the project is to achieve the broadest possible regional representation. It is also important to determine how well each region is represented in our project. The following is a list of counties that each Ontario region encompasses:

Figure 4: Percentage of participants by region

Out of all the participants in the EEON process—including both planning event participants and workbook respondents—the highest representation of respondents was tied (37%) between Regions 4 (Toronto) and 5 (West). The North was represented approximately in proportion to its population, with 3%.

Age Cohort Model

Sample data was gathered on the age of EEON participants at the April 2003 event only. The highest representation of respondents was in the 44-57 cohort (44%), followed by the 23-36 (19%), and (19%) groups. Somewhat less well represented were the 18-23 cohort (8%), the 58-70 cohort (6%), and the 70+ cohort (4%).

Figure 5: Percentage of participants by age (April 2003 planning event)

Professional Cohort Model

The highest representation by professions or sectors was from education (45%). Under-represented sectors included agriculture, retail, media, recreation, and religion (2%). The medicine and public health sector increased participation towards the end of the consultation process. Some non-represented professions or sectors included finance, justice, and technology, planning (0%).

Figure 6: Percentage of participants by profession (April 2003 planning event)

Indicators for Success

The indicators of success for EEON’s goal of improving environmental and sustainability education in Ontario through the strategic plan are twofold:

1. an increase in the total number of people who become involved in implementing any part of the plan
2. an increase in the diversity of participants involved in the three demographic cohort groups: age, profession, and region