title: Education campaigns to reduce stormwater pollution in commercial areas: do they work?
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering (Institute for Sustainable Water Resources), Monash University, Melbourne, Vic., 3800, Australia. andretaylor@iprimus.com.au
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Curnow
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness; D001519:Behavior; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014872:Water Movements