Success stories

Greenaccord’s international forum profiles two media specialists who currently reach millions with their effective, proactive messages

Viterbo, Italy, was the site of the environmental group Greenaccord’s VI International Media Forum in November. It was here that the word “conclave” was coined. In the 13th century popes preferred Viterbo, a place comfortably removed from the pressures of Rome and the plague. On one occasion the process of choosing a new pope dragged on for over two years. Viterbo’s citizens grew tired of the situation. They removed the Papal Palace roof and locked the electors in “with a key” (Latin: cum clave). Shortly thereafter the new pope was elected.

At the Media Forum, however, no one needed to be locked in to achieve results. The international group of journalists meeting in Viterbo was eager to make things happen as quickly as possible to safeguard the environment. Using innovative techniques and tools, they shared the fruits of their efforts to foster awareness and action to protect the planet.
One of the speakers, journalist Maria Zulmira De Sousa, is a pioneer of environmental journalism in Brazil. In 1992, she and others started the Reporter Eco, a newscast devoted exclusively to the environment, in preparation for the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Seventeen years later it is still airs every Sunday afternoon on TV Cultura, the Brazilian public television.

De Sousa’s work has earned her several awards, and she is now devoted to promoting sustainability. She is also working on the production of a reality show that will be aired during prime time. It follows the style of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” except that houses are renovated to become environmentally friendly. This will provide an opportunity to show people ways to be more energy efficient, conserve water and have green homes while helping the planet.

De Sousa attributes her success to the fact that she always tries to touch people’s hearts and minds with the help of humor. She also avoids overloading people with cold facts. Little by little, efforts like hers are making sustainability a way of life for many.

Another environmentally active journalist at the Greenaccord Forum was Jon Dee from Australia. He is best known as the founder of Planet Ark and World Environment News.

According to Dee, the Internet makes it easy to reach many people with environmental news and initiatives. They, in turn, can take action to help the planet. Dee was instrumental in passing the importation ban in Australia of incandescent light bulbs. Starting this year, only energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs will be available for sale. According to Dee, this will also save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars in electricity bills.

He also shared how the government in New South Wales and Victoria will now give households a free solar hot water heater. Customers would only need to pay for its installation, and even this is now facilitated by interest-free loans from local banks. The move could lower electric bills by 30 percent while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Noting that quality programs and clips can be created simply by using video editing software and everyday computers, Dee encouraged the journalists present to take advantage of this to help mobilize society. In fact, he has produced 52 public service announcements with tips on how to help save the planet and save money at the same time. The ads are posted once a week, at no cost, on YouTube, blogs and environmental sites on the Internet. Dee then appears on the Today Show (one of Australia’s morning TV shows) to explain the tip in depth. Even though the ads are produced on a very low budget, they are of high quality.

Encouraged by public interest, Dee also directed and co-produced 163 one-minute clips called Tipping Point. Each clip was aired once every hour, 24 hours a day for six months on the Weather Channel free of charge, reaching millions. Dee did interviews on radio and TV. He also went on a national tour to promote the series.

Jon also writes the environment column in Australia’s most widely read weekly magazine, Sunday, distributed with The Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Herald-Sun to millions of homes. He also has a number of regular environment columns in Australian car magazines. The columns in these help drivers to be more environmentally proactive. Dee was able to talk to the country’s 30 top decision-makers in the auto industry, at their request. They wanted to know more about what they can do to green the auto industry and therefore satisfy customers.

Dee’s goal is to reach as many people as he can and get them to do something to save the planet. “In Australia, people want to know about the problem but are very keen to hear about solutions. We have to show, especially to young people, that solutions are already available,” Dee said. He is also engaged in the campaign to ban plastic bags and stop food waste.