Step 5: Design Campaign Approach
Step 5
- What activities should be included in your campaign?
- Where can you find resources to fund your campaign?
- Step 5 Planning Worksheet and Resources
What activities should be included in your campaign?
Take a look at activities carried out as part of previous idling reduction campaigns for ideas on activities that you can include in your campaign for your specific target audiences and locations. A good place to start is the Idle-Free Zone’s webpage on what other communities are doing.
Many idling reduction campaigns draw on the approaches and tools of Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM). CBSM uses particular tools to overcome identified barriers to behaviour change. This approach contrasts to traditional information-out advertising campaigns which are typically less effective in getting people to change their behaviour (like idling less). Key tools used in CBSM – which you could consider as part of your campaign – include:
CBSM Tool | Description | Use in Idling Reduction Campaigns |
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Prompts/Signs | Reminders for people to engage in sustainable activities. | Vivid “Idle Free” images/messages on:
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Personal Contact | A key lesson from the use of CBSM in idling reduction campaigns is that personal contact is an essential part of eliciting behaviour change – prompts alone are much less effective. |
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Communications | Use of vivid communication tools with engaging messages and images. |
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Commitments | Individuals commit or pledge to engage in a sustainable activity (like idling less), which research shows will increase the chances they will follow through on that commitment. |
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Norms | The development and spread of community norms that a particular behaviour is the right thing to do. |
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The following catalogue is a collection of actions that you may find applicable to include in your campaign. You can use the catalogue to circle actions you would most like to include in your campaign, or download the Step 5 Campaign Design Planning Worksheet to document your own ideas.
Catalogue of Potential Idling reduction Campaign tool/Actions [PDF 32 KB] [DOC 35 KB]
Localized Campaigns (e.g. schools, workplaces, community arena) |
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Fleet Vehicle Campaigns (e.g. workplace fleets, municipal fleets) |
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Widespread Campaigns (e.g. municipal-wide; transit hubs; gas stations) |
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Where can you find resources to fund your campaign?
Identify and approach local, provincial and federal funding agencies with your campaign proposal to seek out funding sources. Think broadly when identifying potential funding agencies, both in terms of type of agency (e.g. government agencies, credit unions, granting foundations, petroleum industry) and agency mandates (e.g. environmental protection, climate change mitigation, improving resource use, health issues, and sustainable development).
Conduct an internet search to identify specific agencies and opportunities in your area, and poll partnering agencies for their advice and experience on obtaining funding.
The following case study from Vancouver illustrates how one municipality designed their idling reduction campaign. This and other case studies in this guide can help generate ideas as you work through Step 5 (Design Campaign Approach) of your campaign.
Idle Free at YVR (Vancouver's International Airport)
Target Audience: Aircrafts (at gate), Fleet Vehicles, Visitor Vehicles (personal, taxis, bus)
Campaign Components: Signs, Commitments, Incentives, Posters & Meetings, Fleet Renewal
With so many vehicles in operation every day, Vancouver Airport Authority recognized an opportunity to reduce its contribution to idling in Metro Vancouver. Under the direction of a working group, the Airport Authority launched Idle-Free at YVR, a campaign to reduce unnecessary vehicle idling at the airport.
Idle-Free YVR focused on the emissions from ground traffic using a community-based social marketing (CBSM) approach. It was recognized that plane emissions are not something that can be changed significantly, but CBSM is an effective approach to influence the amount of emissions coming from aircraft emissions at the gate, from fleet vehicles, and from visitor vehicles. The goal of the program was to educate employees, bus and taxi drivers and the public about idling, and to reduce idling frequency and duration for the Airport Authority's vehicle fleet, which includes YVR buses, trucks and emergency vehicles. The program used the following communication tools to achieve its goal:
- Prompts such as key tags and windshield stickers;
- Commitment strategies for employees;
- No-idling signs at drop-off and pick-up areas;
- Incentives, such as providing discounts for hybrid and fuel efficient taxis on the license they require for accessing the airport;
- Outreach with taxi companies through meetings and posters in the driver waiting area;
- Implementing the Airport Authority's vehicle renewal program, which focused on “right-sizing” vehicles for the task; and
- Purchase of hybrid and electric vehicles.
Some key lessons learned included:
- It is important to know the limits and unique needs in relation to the operational needs of the fleet. For example, for safety reasons the wildlife officers cannot turn off their vehicles since they may need to move around airside quickly and keep their beacons running;
- An internal working group is essential to successfully implement an idling reduction program of a large scale. Having experts, such as mechanics, explain technical issues to the audience provided credibility to the campaign; and,
- Focusing on the health and financial benefits of idling reduction, instead of solely the environment, can be more encouraging to some audiences.
To find out more about the Idle-Free YVR program, visit the YVR website
Step 5 Planning Worksheet and Resources
Step 5 Campaign Design Planning Worksheet [PDF 15 KB] [DOC 31 KB]
Campaign Design Planning Worksheet
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