Elizabeth Leboe

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Natural Garden Parties
Personalizing the Stewardship Message

• Elizabeth Leboe
• Community Programs Coordinator
• North Shore Recycling Program
• www.nsrp.bc.ca

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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals and Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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North ShoreRecycling Program

• Residential recycling, yard trimmings, garbage
• Waste reduction education
• Pesticide reduction education GardenSmart

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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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GardenSmart Baseline

• North-shore-wide telephone study April 2003
  Benchmark.

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GardenSmart Baseline
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GardenSmart Baseline

• Pesticide users would be willing to make changes
  if provided with alternatives.
• 66 of pesticide users would be likely or very
  likely to change their behaviour if they knew
  potential effects of pesticides, e.g., that
  pesticides and fertilizers run off into creeks
  and can kill fish.

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GardenSmart Goals

• Main Goal
• Reduce cosmetic pesticide use
• Secondary-Goals
• Increase prevention-based, less toxic gardening
  techniques
• Increase organics diversion through on-site
  residential composting
• Reduce water use

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GardenSmart Tools

• www.gardensmart.ca
• 7 Steps brochure series
• Spring gardening workshops
• Fall Natural Gardens Tour
• Classroom workshops
• Ads articles in local newspapers
• Summer Natural Garden Parties

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Outreach Challenges

• Barriers to reaching target market
• Traditional workshops preaching to the
  converted?
• Social norms an inferior lawn or highly
  biodiverse front yard garden is not commonplace.
  
• Brochures contain limited information, not
  specific to an individuals situation.

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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals and Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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What is a NaturalGarden Party?

• A backyard workshop
• Participants all known to the host and often to
  each other
• Fun socialization
• Model used for years by the business community

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Natural GardenParty Recruiting

• Hosts self-select
• Newspaper ads
• Word-of-mouth
• Emails
• Workshop topics chosen
• Gardening basics
• Veggie gardening
• Pest prevention
• Native plants

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Natural GardenParty Preparation

• Host handles RSVPs (registrations) and supplies
  refreshments
• Host receives a gardening-themedgift as a
  thank-you for organizing hosting

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Natural GardenParty Preparation

• Host receives a party package, including
  invitations to hand-deliver to neighbours and
  friends

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Door Prizes Free Resources
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Natural GardenParty The Event
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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals and Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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Results 2005 and 2006

• 22 workshops, 309 participants
• 67 responses to promotions
• Pre-workshop questionnaire results (n226, 69
  responded)
• 48 using pesticides
• One host and 20 participants male
• Resources 30 per participant reached.

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Results Host Feedback

• Some of us have already changed our gardening
  practices
• I most enjoyed learning about ways to get rid
  of the bad bugs without pesticides, and knowing
  my friends and neighbours know how, too.
• I learned to put a dome over carrots to prevent
  pests in the first place.

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Why Natural Garden Parties Work

• Audience barriers overcome
• Information via a trusted source party hosts
• Garden tips are specific to location.
• Social relations among participantsplay role in
  diffusion of information
• Common experience participants more likely to
  discuss and implement techniques
• Neighbourhood social norms change

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Outreach Challenges

• Barriers to reaching target market
• Traditional workshops preaching to the
  converted?
• Social norms an inferior lawn or highly
  biodiverse front yard garden is not commonplace.
  
• Brochures contain limited information, not
  specific to an individuals situation.

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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals and Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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Adapting the Concept

• Party concept lends itself to myriad needs
  product sales, information exchange, technique
  demos.
• Provide a guest expert on topic.
• Encourage hosts to invite people known to them.
• Suggest or provide comfortable or familiar venues
  appropriate to topic.
• Provide materials directly relevant to message
  and specific to local area.

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Conclusion

• Cost less per participant than for traditional
  workshops.
• Non-traditional outreach methods bring in less
  likely participants
• Provide residents with tools to make changes on
  their own.
• Create a neighbourhood where these changes are
  understood and desired.
• The result is lasting behaviour change,
  contributing to environmental protection.

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Talk Outline

• North Shore Recycling Program
• GardenSmart Goals and Tools
• What is a Natural Garden Party?
• Program Results
• Adapting the Concept
• Questions

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North ShoreRecycling Program

• Established 1990
• Three municipalitiesNorth Vancouver City North
  Vancouver District West Vancouver District
• Total population 180,000
• 38,000 single-family homes

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Natural GardenParty The Event

• Instructor gives a talk followed by informal
  discussion, QA, and a hands-on look at the
  hosts garden with suggestions
• Guests are encouraged to ask questions about
  their own yards