The Outreach Campaign

How on Earth is designed to target those with the biggest and most immediate stake in restoring natural resources including:

  • Citizens involved in environmental organizations and volunteer work;
  • Private landowners and others who rely directly on natural resources for their livelihood, including farmers, ranchers, foresters, fishermen, and miners;
  • Students via environmental educators and programs inside and outside schools and universities;
  • Government scientists and program managers of resource agencies;
  • Environmentally-oriented families with school-aged children who are concerned about the legacy we leave future generations.

How on Earth will leverage strategic partnerships with organizations such as the Society for Ecological Restoration, The Bay Institute, the Exploratorium, and the National Association of Environmental Educators to design and deliver the outreach products and maximize audience impact. More than twenty organizations with a membership base of over 7 million members have endorsed How On Earth. This effort has also spawned an exciting initiative to have 2008 declared the "Year of Restoration." Through coordinated broadcasts with Year of Restoration activities and an anticipated TV audience of six to eight million viewers, How On Earth will give the public an important vehicle for inquiry and participation in this burgeoning movement.

The outreach campaign features the following components, designed to work together synergistically to meet the project's goals of creating interest, engaging audiences and learners, and supporting research, education and action in environmental restoration.

Companion Guide - Educator's Guide to the How On Earth Television Series
This 20-page manual is tied to the DVDs and is meant for both informal and formal settings. It offers educational activities and inquiries that build on the TV series' content that extend learning opportunities for students and instructional options for educators. Both online and printed versions will be offered. The online guide will be more extensive offering links and video clips. It will be available for downloading from both the PBS and How On Earth websites.

Outreach Toolkit
The toolkit is a comprehensive guide to help public television stations develop local outreach activities. It will contain templates for activities such as screening events, town meetings, teacher and community workshops, and informal education activities for engaging minority and under-served populations. The toolkit will also include lists of suggested partner organizations and strategies for offering joint station-partner community activities. Stations will be able to download the toolkit from the project web site, along with press releases, logos and other promotional material.

Workshops
We will work with environmental educators from our partner organizations to develop a workshop template for communities interested in restoration opportunities. The workshop will also be offered to educators in museums, service learning and after-school programs, which work with young people on environmental projects. The template will include methods for evaluating the local environmental target; identifying relevant science content and technology solutions; input from place-based learning; and strategies for communicating with community groups and the press.

If you would like to be on our contact list for outreach events, email us at