An Evaluation ofUSAID's GreenCOM Project An Evaluation of USAID's GreenCOM Project Submitted to: The United States Agency for International Development Under GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 Submitted by: Links Media Gaithersburg, MD Evaluation Team David B. Sachsman, Ph.D. West Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 210 Frist Hall, Dept. 3003 615 Mccallie Ave. Chattanooga, TN 37403 David-Sachsman@utc.edu (423) 425-4219, fax (423) 425-2199 Marisabel Sanchez, M.P.H. President and CEO, Links Media 707 Conservation Lane, Suite 300 Gaithen;burg, MD 20878 msanchez@Unksmedia.net (301) 987-5495, fax (301) 987-5498 JoAnn Myer Valenti, Ph.D. Emerita Professor/Independent Scholar 1531 E. Dawn Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84121 valentijm@yahoo.com (801) 942-8516 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The evaluation team wishes to acknowledge the support of the Bureaus for Environment and Natural Resources Office and Education Office (G/ENV and G/HCD) and Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau's Natural Resources Management Office (EGAT/NRM-formed from G/ENV by agency reorganization at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). They helped prepare the team by providing a thoughtful, comprehensive scope of work and voluminous background materials, and they helped guide the team with the briefings, discussions, and review sessions they conducted. It was particularly valuable for the team to have direct access to the most recent cognizant technical officers for GreenCOM, past and future GreenCOM program officers, office and division management, and the involved strategic objectives staff. The current contracting agency, the Academy for Educational Development (AED), provided high-quality briefing materials, helpful program discussion sessions, and unlimited access to staff, facilities, and information. AED' s institutional memory of the 12 years of the Green COM project was invaluable. Essential to the evaluation team's mission were the team's in-depth discussions with domestic and international stakeholders who represented international governmental organizations, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector businesses. Finally, the evaluation would nothave been possible without the thoughtful, comprehensive task management and editorial support of Brian Kubiak of Links Media and the project assistance of Shana Wolstein. We also would like to give special thanks to Roberta Hilbruner, CTO of Green COM; Rick Bossi, Director of the Center for Environment Strategies at AED; Ana Celia Dominguez, former Coordinator of Environmental Education for GreenCOM in El Salvador; and Sylvia Atalla with the Office of Environment at USAID/Egypt. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS An Evaluation of USAID's GreenCOM Project EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 I. INTRODUCTION 10 A. The GreenCOM Project and Evaluation 10 B. The GreenCOM Project Evaluation Methodology 10 Team Composition 10 Methodology 11 Limitations of this Evaluation 13 II. DESCRIPTION OF GREENCOM PROJECTS 15 A. History and Mission 15 B. GreenCOM Projects Overview 16 C. GreenCOM Projects Evaluated in this Report 29 Comprehensive Projects 29 Intermittent or Short-Term Technical Assistance 31 Assessments 31 D. Mid-Term Evaluation of Environmental Education and Communication Project 31 (GreenCOM), Prepared for US AID Under Purchase Order No. PCE-0-00-96- 00004-00 III. FINDINGS 33 A. Implementation 34 Setting the Public Agenda to Build Consensus for Action. 34 Legitimizing Environmental Policies and Programs 38 Increasing Broad Participation in Decision-Making and Programs to Improve 39 the Environment Supporting Change in Individual Behavior and Institutional Practices 41 Required to Improve the Environment B. Project Monitoring and Evaluation 45 C. Sustainability 48 D. Applicability of Approach to Non-Environmental Sectors 53 Communication Methodology 53 Economic Sector 54 Emergency Preparedness 55 IV. RECOMMENDATIONS 56 A. Implementation 56 Regional Demonstration Projects 56 Strategic Recommendations 56 B. Project Monitoring and Evaluation 57 Independent Monitoring and Evaluation 57 Developing Capacity-Building Indicators 57 Establishing Appropriate Time Frames for Evaluation 58 C. Sustainability 58 Virtual Center for Information Dissemination 58 3 Life Span of Materials Supporting the Role of Facilitator Transition Strategies Intermittent Training to Support Sustainability Funding for Future GreenCOM Contracting and Activities D. Applicability of Approach to Non-Environmental Sectors Testing GreenCOM Methodologies in Other Sectors Adopting Communication Processes for Emergency Preparedness ANNEXES A. SOW Response B. The Work Plan C. Documents Consulted D. Exploratory Questions E. Biographies of Team Members F. Individuals Consulted 4 58 59 59 59 60 60 60 61 62 62 77 78 82 91 93 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background From 1993 to 2006, the Environment and Natural Resources Office and Education Office (G/ENV and G/HCD) of USAID's Global Bureau and the USAID Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade Bureau's Natural Resources Management Office (EGATINRM) applied communication, education, and social management techniques to the environment sector in developing countries around the world through an initiative known as GreenCOM. The first phase of the project, GreenCOM I (1993-2000), focused on supporting environmentally sound practices in targeted countries by applying known education and communication methods and creating sustainable environmental education and communication (EE&C) programs in those countries' institutions. The second phase, GreenCOM II (2001-2006), continued the development communication work of GreenCOM I through implementation of EE&C activities in support of USAID strategic objectives. The primary contractor for both phases was the Academy for Educational Development (AED). With GreenCOM II ending, the USAID Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade Bureau's Land Resources Management Team (EGAT/LRM) contracted with Links Media to conduct an evaluation of GreenCOM: to assess its achievements and impact; to synthesize lessons learned and best practices in development communication; and to make recommendations for future activities in this field. The evaluation was conducted by a three-member team between September and December 2005 through a combination of in-depth interviews, site visits (to Egypt and El Salvador), and background document review. In total, more than 80 interviews were conducted either in person or by telephone. Interviewees included relevant members of GreenCOM, USAID, and AED staff both in Washington and in the field; representatives of NGOs, government agencies, and contractors who worked on GreenCOM projects; and other individuals involved in GreenCOM projects, such as local businesspeople or representatives of community groups. GreenCOM Projects and Methodology GreenCOM has implemented EE&C activities in more than 30 countries to address a range of environmental issues, including natural resources management, biodiversity conservation, ecotourism, sustainable agriculture, water and energy efficiency, clean production, and solid waste management. For the purpose of evaluation, the projects have been categorized into three general areas: comprehensive projects (P), intermittent or short-term technical assistance projects (TA), and assessments (A). This report focuses primarily on the following projects: (1) El Salvador: Prioritizing the Environment (P); (2) Egyptian Environmental Policy Program (P); (3) Egypt: Public Awareness on Water Scarcity (P); (4) Panama: Sustainable Watershed Management (P); (5) Guatemala: Communication for the Maya Biosphere (TA); and (6) Bolivia: Achieving USAID Environmental Objectives (A). 5 GreenCOM was tasked with meeting some combination of the following goals in each of the countries in which it worked: (1) setting the public agenda to build consensus for action; (2) legitimizing environmental policies and programs; (3) increasing broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment; (4) supporting change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment; and (5) drawing on field experience to further refine EE&C strategies, methods, and tools to disseminate lessons learned. Over time, the project's approach for broadening development impact evolved into a framework and process known as System￾wide Collaborative Action for Livelihoods and the Environment (SCALE). SCALE is a marriage between a systems and an individual behavior change approach-it combines numerous methods for achieving change, including social mobilization, mass communication, social marketing, and conflict resolution. Findings During the lifetime of the program, GreenCOM has contributed significantly to environmental development in some of the most vulnerable areas in the world. GreenCOM has built mass capacity, modeled participatory behaviors, and raised the awareness of millions about the importance of effective management of natural resources for the viability of a country by promoting policy changes, introducing technology, and attracting multi-sector participation. USAID's return on investment has yielded favorable results in terms of policy change, institutionalization of EE&C programs, capacity building and national awareness of the importance of appropriate management of natural resources and other environmental issues. The proactive use of a strategic, integrated environmental communications plan is a central element of the GreenCOM legacy. Communications assistance to all projects saves years of work and time through a process of establishing collaboration, pretesting messages, and evaluating implementation of agreed-upon objectives. Setting the Public Agenda: Before GreenCOM, advocates for environmental issues in developing nations struggled to find a place for them on the public agenda. GreenCOM has helped set the public agenda to build consensus for action in various developing nations, including Egypt and El Salvador. After GreenCOM, many of these countries now exhibit an understanding of the interrelationship between the quality of their environment and their economic growth, the physical health of their people, and their national stability and security. Furthermore, they understand that by involving stakeholders in decisions about environmental issues, they are practicing democracy and exercising principles of good governance, a process that results in an informed citizenry that acts responsibly on environmental and other public issues. In some cases, the environmental communication process applied by GreenCOM led to the creation of national institutions and legislation. Increasing Broad Participation: GreenCOM consistently used participatory practices in its projects. Broad participation meant involving USAID, various ministries, NGOs, engineers, park rangers, journalists, contractors, community members, business leaders, 6 and other stakeholders in its programs and decision-making processes. In some cases, such as El Salvador, this collaboration among multiple sectors contributed to the ability of a project to continue its activities after the official close of GreenCOM. Furthermore, successful efforts were made to include women in leadership aspects of GreenCOM projects. For example, in El Salvador and Egypt, women are well represented as staff, consultants, and planners at various levels of influence and decision-making. Behavior Change: While the evaluation showed several examples of changes in institutional practices resulting from GreenCOM projects-such as the establishment of a two-way communication mechanism between officials at the Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources (MPWWR) and farmers in Egypt-behavior change in individuals was more difficult to assess. In many cases, the limited time frame and/or budget of projects did not allow sufficient time for behavior changes to be implemented and then measured. Sustainable Results: In a number of US AID Missions, the lessons learned from GreenCOM are being applied every day with the eager involvement of relevant in￾country institutions and individuals: • Lasting relationships: In many cases, the sustainability of an activity has been facilitated by the establishment of long-term personal relationships between individuals in different sectors, or between former trainers and trainees. ) • Changes in policy and governmental organization: In El Salvador, USAID • supports an excellent learning facility inside the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), while in Egypt, GreenCOM helped legitimize the concept and the creation of a Water Communication Unit in the MPWWR. In both countries, the relevant education authorities have instituted environmental education as a compulsory element of public school curricula. Establishment of annual events: In Tanzania and elsewhere, GreenCOM helped create a Community Environmental Awards Scheme, resulting in an annual awards competition involving over 400,000 citizens who have taken direct action to improve their environment. Similarly, Egypt now holds an annual World Environment Day. Effects of GreenCOM Approach on Other Sectors: The participatory process of EE&C used in GreenCOM projects sometimes had effects on other sectors, such as (1) economic development with tourism in Egypt's Red Sea region and in El Salvador's national parks, (2) democratization with farmers partaking in governance over water programs in Egypt, and (3) agricultural projects under the Agriculture Partnerships for Productivity and Prosperity. The communication methodologies of building partnerships and coalitions to build communication capacity, refining strategies, methods, and tools, and proactively using a strategic, integrated communication plan for comprehensive projects are all applicable to communication activities in other sectors. 7 Recommendations • Establish a global virtual EE&C center in order to develop and disseminate information and to foster environmental education, communication, and technologies. This would provide networking opportunities and a forum for communities of practice (such as interpretive services and communications professionals), distance￾learning capabilities, exchange, and dissemination of information, and distribution of materials. All materials available on this website should be downloadable and reproducible. In addition, the website should include a mechanism for requesting mentoring or on-the-ground support. • Conduct an assessment of potentially high-impact regional projects in Latin America and other locations. For example, GreenCOM methodology could benefit management issues of shared coastal resources along the Mesoamerican coral reef corridor. • Future country assessments should include training for Mission staff in EE&C processes. This would support the Missions' capacity for implementing future projects. • Project Monitoring and Evaluation: The evaluation team identified several ways in which USAID could improve its monitoring and evaluation of future communications projects: o Conduct annual independent evaluations of all projects and activities assessing the implementation and impact of EE&C methodologies, as well as the specific outcomes of EE&C activities. o Include capacity-building indicators in all comprehensive projects. For example, measure the number of implementing partners adopting and implementing an EE&C strategy. o Allow each project dealing with behavior change sufficient time (3-5 years) to measure impact on study populations. • Sustainability: Future communications projects should include a detailed plan for sustaining the project's activities in-country at the close of the project's funding period by incorporating transition and exit strategies. Following are several examples: o The evaluation demonstrated that successful on-going projects depend on the continued participation of key individuals who have been trained by USAID/GreenCOM staff or who have otherwise been involved in the process. All efforts should be made to keep these individuals involved after the close of a program. o Ensure that any role played by USAID/GreenCOM staff during the course of a project-in particular, as a facilitator among bureaucracies and other 8 ) . ) sectors-can be fulfilled locally within the government or other appropriate institution. o Any materials developed for a project should be affordable for local partners to reproduce. o Offer continued intermittent training to key professional groups involved in communications projects. • Funding: Create a mechanism to provide core funding for assessment and evaluation, as well as for securing substantial financial resources for public-private partnerships, as part of the budget for any future communications projects. • Applying GreenCOM Approach to Non-Environmental Sectors: USAID can leverage GreenCOM strategies to create innovative development communication solutions for economic growth, health, democratization, and other areas. For example, GreenCOM's approach to mass communication could be applied to helping developing countries plan for natural disaster preparedness and management responses. Most importantly, USAID should continue to support ongoing EE&C efforts around the world. Should USAID decide not to continue to fund communication for development, it would lose the opportunity to capitalize its unique knowledge base, the opportunity to be a leader in development communication, and the opportunity to scale up the impact of development activities in many nations and regions around the world, from Central America to Africa and the Middle East, that are poised for economic development. 9 I. INTRODUCTION A. The GreenCOM Project and Evaluation In the 1990s, the Environment and Natural Resources Office and Education Office (G/ENV and G/HCD) within the Global Bureau of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) decided to apply communication, education, and social management techniques to the environmental sector through an initiative that would eventually be known as GreenCOM I and II. This 12-year effort contracted to the Academy for Educational Development (AED) has been in operation in more than 30 countries around the world. GreenCOM I (Contract #PCE-5839-Q-3069-00, 1993-2000) was designed to "accelerate awareness and the adoption of practices which promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through environmental education and communication (EE&C)." GreenCOM's purpose was to support environmentally sound practices in developing countries through the application of known education and communication methods and to create sustainable EE&C programs in those countries' institutions. GreenCOM II (Contract #LAG-I-00-01-00005-00, January 3, 2001 through January 3, 2006), an initiative of the USAID Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade Bureau's Natural Resources Management Office (EGAT/NRM), was a follow-on initiative that continued the development communication work of GreenCOM I through implementation of EE&C activities in support of USAID Mission strategic objectives. With GreenCOM II ending, EGAT' s Land Resources Management Team (USAID/EGAT/LRM) contracted with Links Media of Gaithersburg, Mary land to conduct an evaluation of GreenCOM (I and 11) to provide the following: 1) a comprehensive, independent and external assessment of project achievements and impact; 1) a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in development communication; and 1) recommendations for future activities in development communication. USAID/EGAT/LRM will use the assessment and recommendations to design follow-on development communication activities. This document summarizes the methodology and findings of the evaluation and provides recommendations for future actions. A. The GreenCOM Project Evaluation Methodology Team Composition Two experts in environmental communication and environmental education and a third expert in communication were contracted to form the project evaluation team: (1) David B. Sachsman, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, who was the team 10 leader; (2) JoAnn M. Valenti, Ph.D., Emerita Professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; and (3) Marisabel Sanchez, President and CEO of Links Media. Methodology The GreenCOM evaluation was contracted for an effective start date of September 30, 2005 and an estimated completion date of December 31, 2005. The three-member evaluation team conducted background research using qualitative, in-depth interviews and literature reviews, and it then developed a lengthy interview schedule to cover a six￾week period. Interviewees included representatives of many parties involved in GreenCOM projects in approximately one quarter of the more than 30 countries where GreenCOM operated over a 12-year period. Members of the team traveled to Washington, D.C., Egypt, and El Salvador to conduct the in-depth interviews in person; additional interviews were completed by telephone. More than 80 interviews inform this report. Interviews averaged one to three hours in length. Due to the extensive number of individuals, NGOs, government agencies, contractors, and others who participated in GreenCOM efforts over more than a decade of activities, the team prioritized a list of project activities and interviewees based on input from the project's Contract Technical Officer (CTO) and the primary contractor (AED). The eight high-priority projects were generally those involving major programs. The 17 medium-priority projects were those providing intermittent or short-term technical assistance. The 12 low-priority projects were, in many cases, those that offered environmental education assessments (Section II, Exhibit 1). High-priority interviewees were identified as individuals most likely to contribute in areas related to the evaluation of the importance of communication for development, methodology, history, project information, and general knowledge of GreenCOM projects. The initial list of interviewees developed with input from the CTO was supplemented using a snowball method of identifying additional key individuals for targeted interviews. This referral strategy led to valuable added interviews, particularly in host countries. El Salvador and Egypt were selected for the two site visits with input from the CTO because the two sites are comprehensive examples spanning GreenCOM I and II, and they each addressed multiple issues and produced a variety of tools. The El Salvador project is known as "Prioritizing the Environment" and Egypt's two projects were "Public Awareness on Water Scarcity" and the "Egyptian Environmental Policy Program (EEPP)." Together, projects in the two countries addressed strategic environmental issue areas identified in GreenCOM materials: coastal resources, energy and climate, environmental policy, ecotourism, gender, parks and protected areas, solid waste, and water. (For a full listing and description of strategic issue areas, see Section 11.B.) 11 Tools that were developed and implemented in GreenCOM projects in El Salvador and Egypt covered the areas of environmental education, communication, education, public participation, school-based programs, social marketing, and training. It has been more than five years since the GreenCOM El Salvador project was completed, which allows for a review of the lasting impacts of GreenCOM, whereas Egypt is a location of more recent projects, which allows for a review of GreenCOM operations in action and in a transition phase. The site visits to El Salvador and Egypt were each one-week long and were each conducted by a two-person evaluation team. The Egypt site visit was conducted from October 23 through 28, 2005, and the El Salvador visit took place November 6 through 11, 2005. The team leader traveled to Egypt with evaluator JoAnn Valenti and to El Salvador with evaluator Marisabel Sanchez. More than 20 in-person interviews were conducted in each country with former and current USAID and AED GreenCOM staff and key professionals and stakeholders (park rangers, teachers, journalists, engineers, government officials, and businesspeople). Secondary sites and landscapes that support education and communication were visited in both countries. In Egypt, the evaluators went to Hurghada to visit the Red Sea Rangers. In El Salvador, the team went to Monte Cristo National Park. The evaluators also reviewed materials, such as books, magazines, newspapers, and video programs that were designed for school instructors, students, and the public. In Egypt, all interviews were conducted in English. In El Salvador, the majority of interviews were conducted in Spanish. Team debriefings were held after each site visit and following key phone interviews conducted by the third team member not traveling. Telephone interviews supplemented the information gathered from interviews conducted in Washington, D.C., El Salvador, and Egypt. These interviews targeted high- and medium-priority sources that had knowledge and experience in GreenCOM project sites, including high-, medium- and low-priority activities. The qualitative, in-depth interviews included responses to a number of key questions. All key questions were asked, although some respondents did not answer all questions for various reasons: they did not know an answer, they were not involved, or they had no recollection. • • • • What have been GreenCOM's most important achievements and/or shortcomings, and what are the lessons learned? Has GreenCOM evolved into something that could contribute to other sectors beyond the environment? Which interventions worked well and why? What was the impact of project activities? 12 • • • • • • • • Were project activities, products, and/or methodologies sustained? Are project education/communication materials and processes still being used, and if there is a need for them, have they been improved or updated? What has been the role of women and minority groups in GreenCOM? Was capacity left behind to continue similar communication activities in countries where GreenCOM was active? Have the program's monitoring and evaluation plan and performance indicators been appropriate to measure planned results and their contribution to USAID's Strategic Objective? Has the GreenCOM program provided adequate performance monitoring, and what could be improved? Has GreenCOM contributed to the field of environmental communication and education or communication for sustainable development? Should USAID play a continuing role in environmental communication and education around the world? What should USAID's future role be in environmental communication and education-and why? Limitations of This Evaluation The interview methodology was limited by a restricted schedule, access to key interviewees, and a budget of approximately $100,000, which allowed for a six-week interview schedule and only two country visits. The budget included 32.5 workdays for the team leader and 23.5 and 18.5 workdays for the other evaluators, respectively. This report consists of two qualitative case studies and a summary of high-priority interviews regarding major programs rather than a comprehensive evaluation of GreenCOM's activities in the more than 30 countries it operated in over the last 12 years. This evaluation does not include a review and analysis of project costs. This evaluation is also the only external evaluation to have been conducted on the GreenCOM project since a 1996 email survey mid-term evaluation ofGreenCOM I, thus limiting the baseline of knowledge. Another limitation related to interviewees' recollections of the GreenCOM project, best practices, lessons learned, and problems. Many of our high-priority interviewees are no 13 longer involved with GreenCOM or EE&C and had limited memory of the projects. Best practices often were recalled more easily than barriers and problems. Lastly, not all project activities, whether high-, medium- or low-priority projects, had interview sources that were identified and available for telephone interviews. For example, no interview sources were identified to provide content on the GreenCOM project in India, and only two interviewees were identified for Indonesia, both of whom were unavailable during the interview period. 14 II. DESCRIPTION OF GREENCOM PROJECTS A. History and Mission GreenCOM was launched by USAID in 1993 as an environmental education and communication project. With the AED as its primary contractor, GreenCOM has implemented activities in more than 30 countries, working with men and women, children and adults, in the public and private sectors to address a range of environmental issues including the following: • • • • • • • Natural resource management Biodiversity conservation Ecotourism Sustainable agriculture Water and energy efficiency Clean production Solid waste management GreenCOM I was tasked with applying and further developing communication and education methods, synthesizing lessons learned, and conducting literature collection, analysis, and dissemination to help host country institutions with the following activities: • • • • Setting the public agenda to build consensus for action; Legitimizing environmental policies and programs; Increasing broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment; and Supporting change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment. GreenCOM II continued the development communication work of GreenCOM I through implementation of EE&C activities in support of USAID Mission strategic objectives, but the contract also required the contractor to "draw on this field experience of GreenCOM I activities to further refine EE&C strategies, methods, and tools to disseminate lessons learned to US AID and its partners worldwide." The contract was organized by three themes: (1) Project Management and Operations, (2) Technical Advisory Services and Field Support, and (3) Synthesis, Refinement and Dissemination of Methods and Tools. In addition to fieldwork through Mission buy-in, a Core Task Order, funded by USAID/W ashington, focused on the third theme. Tasks included development of the following: • • • Assessment tools for guiding the application of EE&C methodologies and strategies to serve environmental objectives; Intervention models and supporting tools to increase the impact of EE&C components of environmental programs; Institutionalization strategies and guidelines for establishing sustainable EE&C programs; 15 • Monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools for measuring the impact of EE&C programs; and • Publications and printed materials. Over the 12 years of GreenCOM activity, the project's approach to broadening development impact evolved into a framework and process known as the System-wide Collaborative Action for Livelihoods and the Environment (SCALE). As described in the recent web-published document Going to SCALE (July 2004), SCALE combines the best practices in communication and development gleaned from a number of different disciplines that try to create and support system-wide change. SCALE is described by project staff as a marriage between a systems and an individual behavior change approach. It is a framework, a process, and a set of practical tools and techniques that catalyze system-wide change by initiating and supporting simultaneous and sustainable collaborative action (partnerships, coalitions, joint ventures, and networks) toward a common goal with as many individuals and organizations related to a specific issue as possible. The SCALE process provides a road map to initiate, implement, and evaluate this system-wide approach. In 2005, an introduction to SCALE was integrated into technical outreach and global leadership training workshops in several countries. Currently GreenCOM is implementing two SCALE demonstration sites-Morocco and Kenya-through its Agricultural Partnerships for Productivity and Prosperity (AP3) component. In Morocco, GreenCOM is applying SCALE to improve the quality and marketing of organically grown medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), which will lead to a strengthened sector and increased livelihoods from MAP. The first steps of the SCALE process resulted in short- and long-term implementation plans by 11 important stakeholder groups along the MAP value chain-from international buyers to Moroccan farmers and collectors. GreenCOM is currently implementing a three-pronged strategy that seeks to 1) strengthen MAP collaboration and communication, 2) strengthen microenterprise and business development, and 3) test sustainable MAP wildcrafting policy and technology. In Kenya, GreenCOM is working with ICRAF to focus SCALE on strengthening the livelihoods of small farmers through improved dairy feeding systems. In a parallel activity, GreenCOM is testing a practical monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process and set of tools that can help USAID, project implementers, their partners and the stakeholders they work with to collect quality information that can be used both to shape decision-making and to measure their progress-the outcomes and impact of their activities. Part of this M&E is using social network analysis to evaluate the growth and strength of collaborative relationships and communication over time. B. GreenCOM Projects Overview For discussion in this report, GreenCOM's projects are segmented into three categories (Exhibit 1) that cover the mix of tasks that were accomplished during the task order: (1) Comprehensive Projects, (2) Intermittent or Short-Term Technical Assistance Projects, and (3) Assessments. 16 ) Exhibit 1: List of GreenCOM Projects by Type of Activity Comprehensive Projects Intermittent or Short-Term Technical Assistance Projects . Egypt: Egyptian Environmental Policy Program • Ecuador: Research for the Environment • Egypt: Public Awareness on Water Scarcity • Guatemala: Communication for the Maya Biosphere • El Salvador: Prioritizing the Environment • Haiti & Morocco: Sustainable Cities Initiative • The Gambia: Engagement Through Environmental • Haiti: Building Peace Corps Capability Awards • India: Communicating Climate Change • Indonesia: Building Citizen Advocacy . Jordan: Water Conservation Education . Panama: Sustainable Watershed Management . Kenya AP3 project • Tanzania: Communication, Communities, Conservation • Malawi: National Strategy for EE&C . Morocco AP3 Project . Mali: Environmental Education Expansion • Philippines: Communication for Coastal Management • Mexico: Building Environmental NGO Capacity ( 18 months and a resident advisor with staff). • Middle East Water Conservation • Nepal: Shaping Environmental Policy with Video • Nicaragua: Communication for Protected Areas . Niger: Facilitating Land Reform • Peru: Enhancing Environmental Communication • Russia & Jordan: Strategic Assistance to GLOBE • South Africa: Active Learning About Climate Change Assessments • Africa: Environmental Education Assessment . Namibia: Environmental Education Assessment . Africa: Environmental Education Assessment II • Tanzania: Environmental Education Assessment • Bolivia: Achieving USAID Environmental Objectives • Uganda: Environmental Education Assessment • Guinea: Environmental Education Assessment • Uganda: Increasing Wildlife Club Effectiveness • Lebanon: Participatory Environmental Assessment • Zambia: Education on Hazardous Product Safety • Mada.e:ascar: Environmental Education Assessment • Zambia: Environmental Education Assessment Depending upon the scope of work, projects focused primarily on one or more of the following issues: biodiversity, coastal resources, energy and climate, environmental policy, forests, gender, hazardous materials, parks and protected areas, solid waste, sustainable agriculture, and water. (See a listing of GreenCOM projects in Exhibit 2, sorted by issue areas.) While working in the issue areas, project implementers used a variety of defined strategies and tools to accomplish their goals and objectives, including Assessments, EE Materials, Communication, Education, Public Participation, School-Based Programs, Social Marketing, and Training. All GreenCOM projects are sorted in detail in Exhibit 3, which provides a summary of each project's scope of work, its time frame, and findings in terms of project outputs or impact. The matrix was developed from a review of published case reports on each country available on line at http://www.greencom.org/greencom/casestudies.asp. 17 Exhibit 2: List of GreenCOM Projects Sorted by Issue Area N S ote: ome assessments are not reoresente d' in ex h'b' I It 2 . Issues l:i ~ " ... .fl ~ .; "' £! = ~ " = " 0 ·s:: - ... " ~ I>. .fl ... ~ ~ .fl = '3 ~ 0 £ 0 " w i!:: El "' " " " il! " ~ ~ - ~ ·5 El = "' ~ " 0 " '3 " ~ £> " w ... ;8 "' " ~ 0 - " ... ... 0 -~ w "' 13 -2 "' " w - e .Si " 0 " " = ~ - Country ~ 0 "' " " 0 " " " 0 = = u r-1 r-1 r-1 ~ " = I>. "' "' Africa: Environmental Education Cf! ~ Assessment Africa: Environmental Education Cf' Cf) Assessment II Bolivia: Achieving USAID Cf' Cf' Environmental Obiectives Ecuador: Research for the Cf' ~ \j) \j) \j') \j) Environment Egypt: Egyptian Envfronmental ~ Cf! ~ Cf! ~ Cf! ~ Policy Program ) Egypt: Public Awareness on Water \j) \j) \j) Scarcitv El Salvador: Prioritizing the Cf) ~ ~ ~ Environment Gambia: Engagement Through ~ Cf) Cf) Environmental Awards Guatemala: Communication for the Mava Biosnhere ~ Cf' Haiti & Morocco: Sustainable Cities Initiative ~ ~ ~ Haiti: Building Peace Corps ~ Caoabilitv India: Communicating Climate Change ~ Indonesia: Building Citizen Cf) Advocacy Jordan: Water Conservation Education ~ ~ Kenya AP3 project ~ Lebanon: Participatory Cf! ~ Environmental Assessment Madagascar: Environmental \j) Education Assessment Malawi: National Strategy for Cf) Cf) EE&C Middle East Water Conservation Cf) ) Morocco AP3 Project ~ 18 Issues ;i .. ~ e >. ~ .. ... = w "' - - = .. :3 " Q .. - ... ~ ~ $ ... ~ ... $ a u ~ ~ 0 t 0 " w i!:: "' $ .£ ~ El .. w ~ " El "' w ~ ·5 " 0 ~ " ~ £il " :i ... 'E :a " ~ Q .. -2 w 0 Ii ·~ w "' ~ - "' .. Country .Si " 0 .. ... " = w - " Q ... " " Q .. " 0 = u r.i r.i r.i ~ al ~ " ~ "' Nepal: Shaping Environmental ~ ~ Policy with Video Nicaragua: Communicotion for ~ Cf) Cf' Cf) Cf) Protected Areas Niger: Facilitating Land Reform ~ Panama: Sustainable Watershed \1' \1' \1' \1' Manal!ement Peru: Enhancing Environmental ~ Communication · Philippines: Communication for ~ Cf) Cf) ~ Coastal Management Russia & Jordan: Strategic ~ ) Assistance to GLOBE South Africa: Active Leaming ~ \1' ~ Cf) ~ About Climate Chan•e Tanzania: Communication, \1' \1' \1' \1' \1' Communities. Conservation Uganda: Increasing Wildlife Club \jj ~ \1' Effectiveness Zambia: Education on Hazardous \jj Product Safetv 19 Exhibit 3: Summary of GreenCOM Projects Sort Code Le end: P=Comprehens1ve Pro ect, TA=lnternuttent or Short-Term TechrucaJ Assistance, A=Assessment Country Activity Sort Sommary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame Africa Environmental A GreenCOM conducted a rapid assessment of existing 1994 Yielded 10 specific observations on issues that warranted Education environmental education efforts in 5 African countries: The further attention; concluded that the groundwork for EE Assessment I Gambia, Guinea, Mada2asca.r, Namibia, and U2anda. pro!!rams was established. Africa Environmental A GreenCOM assessed selected environmental education 1999 Developed an explanation of the factors of success in these Education programs in school-based programs in three countries: Mali, programs: linking schools and communities, emphasis on Assessment II Tanzania, and Zambia experiential learning, ability to increase community knowledge and awareness of particular environmental issues; impact on environmental issues. Bolivia Achieving A GreenCOM assessed the role that environmental 2001 Developed recommendations based on 4 key findings and US AID communication could play in helping the Bolivia Mission a concrete model, which was shared with partners during a Environmental achieve its Environmental Strategic Objective to manage forest, workshop. Objectives Water, and biodiversity resources for sustained economic growth. Ecuador Research for the· TA GreenCOM provided technical assistance to support 1995- Conducted fonnative research and provided technical Environment USAID/Ecuador's Environmental Strategic Objective: 1996 assistance to a participatory process that led to the "Promote the sustainable use of natural resources, the development of the Galapagos Quarantine System. As a consenration of biological diversity, and the control of result, the Charles Darwin Foundation and Research pollution." This assistance went to 5 USAID-funded projects, Station created a communication department. The staff of and GreenCOM's primary role was to conduct formative the Sustainable Use of Biological Resources (SUBIR) research to help these projects develop comprehensive project published a book on participatory evaluation communication strategies. methodology. Corporaci6n OIKOS implemented a mass media campaign. Worked with the municipality of Machala to conduct market research and develop a marketing strategy and promotion plan for the launch of a new municipal solid waste enterprise and community-based tricycle trash collection businesses. Worked with USAID SUBIR project to develop and implement a participatory community-based methodology to define indicators and evaluate impact of a sustainable land use project in the buffer zone of the Cotacachi￾Cayape Ecological Reserve. The publication Starting with Behavio?(available online, htrn://www .......... ,."com.oro) that 20 ~ Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame describes the methodology and case study has been one of GreenCOM's most sought-after products. Conducted marketing research to assist the municipality of Quito in developing a communication strategy that would increase compliance with their recycling program. Supported Corporaci6n OIKOS in the design of a creative strategy for the "We Protect What We Value" campaign. The goal of that campaign was to promote the debate and passage of a new environmental law by the Ecuadorian le2islature in a oeriod of 1-5 vears. Egypt Egyptian p GreenCOM's role in USAID EEPP was to provide strategic 1999- Red Sea Conservation: The comprehensive, multi-level Environmental communication support to promote the program's policy 2004 communication strategy trained Red Sea Rangers in Policy Program objectives on Red Sea conservation, energy efficiency, and communication and networking skills, created partnerships (EEPP) solid waste management. The support included training, for sustainable business development. developed EE materials development for schools, media development. and an curriculum and materials, helped producers regularly insert environmental awards program. Red Sea messages within the country's most popular program, developed interpretive materials, and supported the implementation of the first Egyptian International Conference on Protected Areas and Sustainable Development. This created an environment of support that led to the establishment of the Wadi El Gama! national park. Energy Efficiency: Green.COM assisted the newly established Energy Efficiency Council develop a communication strategy that would position it as a reputable organization and thus gain credibility in the business community. The strategy included the development of Energy Council promotional materials, educational materials on energy efficiency forboth adults and children, roundtable discussions, media briefings, a comorate awards nroor.:nn. Egypt Public p GreenCOM assisted USAID & Egypt's Ministry of Public 1995- Form~tion and training of the 1-iPWWR's Water Awareness on Works and Water Resources (1-!PWWR) in initiating a 1998 Communication Unit that developed and implemented a Water Scarcity participatory communication program to educate different multi-media bottom-up, top-down national public segments of the public about water conservation and water awareness campaign on water scarcity. This experience nnllution orevention. hel""'d the 1-iPWWR reshaoe their relationshio with the 21 Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame major water user group-farmers. An evaluation at the end of the project found that engineers' knowledge of water￾saving techniques for farmers increased by more than 100 percent; the percentage of engineers who could define a water user association jumped from 53 to 100 percent; and the percentage of engineers who could cite at least 2 reasons why a farmer would join a water user association increased from 51 to 76 percent. Most importantly, the engineers began to hold community meetings with farmers to discuss water scarcity issues (representing an almost 200 percent increase in the number of meetings held) and built a framework for creating water user associations in the future. a long-term goal of the MPWWR. El Salvador Prioritizing the p Green COM provided technical assistance to support US AID' s 1994- Phase I: Established natioiial EE in school curricula; Environment environmental program in El Salvador in 2 phases. During the 1999 organized 6 national conferences for environmental first phase (1994-1997) of the program, the project's task was to journalists; developed environmental interpretation mobilize educational institutions and environmental capacity in national parks through training the trainers and organizations to collaborate in developing a unified EE policy established interpretive trails and facilities; developed and to train journalists, NGO representatives, and other capacity across NGOs; trained the trainers in agriculture; stakeholders to use environmental communication tools to supported development of a mass media communication enhance their programs. The second phase (1997-1999) of the strategy with El Salvador's Executive Secretariat of the program focused on rural community mobilization around water Environment (SEMA). Used a participatory process that conservation and quality. involved more than 1,500 people to develop the national Environmental Education Policy that led to the establishment of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. Phase II: Supported a regional communication campaign on water; offered community training to solve local problems; supported the building of local action networks in 18 priority municipalities to strengthen rural water and sewage organizations. This strategy led to 12 environmental municipal ordinances, the proper identification and acquisition of 2 sites for new municipal garbage dumps, and the investment by 8 municipalities of half a million colones (more than US $57,000) for the improvement and protection of their water supplies. 22 Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame The Engagement p GreenCOM collaborated with the NEA in designing and 1994- Developed and implemented 2 years of awards aimed at Gambia Through implementing an.environmental awards program to support the 1995 increasing public awareness of the environment and Environmental national environmental action plan. transitioned the program into an annual event held on Awards World Environment Dav. Guatemala Communication TA GreenCOM assessed operating EE&C programs in the Mayan 2002- Part I: Conducted a rapid assessment and made for the Maya Biosphere Reserve to provide guidance for future funding and 2004 recommendations. Part II: Conducted workshops and Biosphere provided short-term technical assistance in the development of a fonnative research and developed national communication strategic participatory communication strategy aimed at strategy; implemented strategy by developing materials, national, regional, and local opinion leaders. training ambassadors to promote the protection of the Biosnhere, and trainino iournalists. Guinea Environmental A Green.COM conducted a rapid assessment of existing EE efforts 1994 Yielded 10 specific recommendations on issues that Education in 5 African countries: The Gambia, Guinea, Madagascar, warranted further attention; concluded that the groundwork Assessment I Namibia, and U2anda. for EE mo~r.uns was established Haiti and Sustainable TA GreenCOM collaborated with USAID's Environmental Health 1996- Haiti: Conducted 15 focus groups on Haitian water users Morocco Cities Initiative Project on communication interventions related to urban 1998 and providers; developed a communication strategy for the environmental issues, as part of the Sustainable Cities Initiative, community-based management system for the WMSA in addressing water distribution in Haiti and solid waste collection collaboration with the community. Morocco: Conducted 3- in Morocco. phase formative research through 10-day multi-sector stakeholder workshop that took affirmative action to include women; developed recommendations stating need for funding sustainability and monitoring. Haiti Building Peace TA Green.COM assisted the Peace Corps in conducting a rapid 1999 Developed 3 key recommendations for future development Corps assessment of the current communication and education of the Peace Corps' EE&C program in Haiti. Capability activities and organizational capacity of 12 potential partner institutions. India Communicating TA Green.COM developed strategies for communicating climate 2000 Conducted research and developed messages tailored for Climate Change change issues to government officials, the business community, the Indian business community; developed press kits, e￾and the news media. The assistance focused on message mail listseiv for journalists, and supported development of develooment and media en2a2ement. media briefin!?S. Indonesia Building Citizen p Green.COM mobilized national, regional, and local resources to 2002- Conducted a top-down, bottom-up communication strategy Advocacy carry out a national media campaign and capacity-building 2004 that combined an election year mass media campaign with initiative focused on curbing illegal logging in support of ooalition building and a small grants project. Conducted sustainable forest conservation and management. quantitative and qualitative social marketing research to inform the process; developed advertising concept that linked illegal logging to social issues; initiated strategic activities supporting national media campaign such as journalist training and strengthening coalitions; monitored and post-tested target audiences about the impact of the campaim; built a multi-sector coalition to manage the 23 ~. Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame campaign implementation and small grants program. 75% of those trained reported that they had applied new skills learned in the workshops, including, for journalists, writing articles about illegal logging and, for those from NGOs, producing press releases and other materials. Negative attitudes toward illegal logging measured at the end of the campaign had increased significantly compared to the pre-campaign baseline measurement More than 1,700 people called the toll-free number featured in the illegal logging ads. 90% of registered voters surveyed at the end of the campaign ranked illegal logging as an important or very important issue in their choice of a presidential candidate. Illegal logging became a major discussion ooint durinl? the election camoai2D.. Jordan Water TA GreenCOM provided technical assistan9e to the new Water 1994 Conducted formative research of eco-club representatives Conservation Conservation Education program in the areas of fonnative from 10 schools; supported development of a secondary Education research, curriculum development and implementation, teacher school water conservation curriculum and teacher training training, and evaluation. with interactive training methods; conducted post￾implementation surveys to gauge impact of curriculum; built sustainable and growing organizational and staffing capacity. Students from eco-clubs that used the cwriculum had more positive scores on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about water conservation than students from non￾oarticioatiniz clubs. Lebanon Participatory A GreenCOM collaborated with private voluntary organizations 1997- Convened a 3-day workshop in Beirut for 19 PVO Environmental (PVOs) on a rapid assessment of environmental conditions in 1998 representatives on using participatory environmental rapid Assessment the 4 target areas of Akkar, East Sidon-Nabatiyeh, Shouf, and assessments (PERAs) in their projects. Conducted field￾Baalbek-Hermel. Based on the needs and opportunities site follow-ups with participants. Produced a toolkit that identified in the assessment, GreenCOM and representatives provided step-by-step implementation guidelines for each from the PVOs developed an assessment methodology toolkit phase of an assessment. for use by the PVOs and target communities as the projects progressed, with the main goal of building project implementers' capacity for social marketing assessments and action plan development. Madagascar Environmental A GreenCOM conducted a rapid assessment of existing EE efforts 1994 Yielded 10 specific recommendations on issues that Education in 5 African countries: The Gambia. Guinea. Madagascar, warranted further attention; concluded that the groundwork Assessment I Namibia. and Uganda. for EE proQ'raJlls was established. Malawi National TA GreenCOM assisted USAID/Malawi and the Malawian 1996 Throucrh ruirticioatorv orocess, develooed a national 24 Coon try Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Ootpnts or Impact Code frame Strategy for government in developing, through participatory methods, a communication strategy, which outlined an EE&C agenda, EE&C national strategy for communication and education. This was and developed lessons learned from Malawi's EE&C an important step in implementing the country's national processes. The strategy that emerged from this process environmental action plan. outlined an EE&C agenda to meet Malawi's particular cultural and environmental needs. Mali Environmental TA GreenCOM helped address the Malian education objective for 1998- Developed teacher's guide to EE infusion; trained teachers Education Malian youth. GreenCOM' s task was to strengthen EE in 1999 in a pilot test of 18 schools; measured student and teacher Expansion primary schools and to use other, Jess fonnal communication knowledge of environmental issues through pre- and post￾tools to carry environmental messages beyond the schoolyard testing. The results showed that participating teachers and into community and family life. demonstrated a 42 percent average increase in their knowledge of environmental issues and a 35 percent average increase in their knowledge of infusion teaching methods. Participating students' environmental knowledge increased significantly in the classrooms with high levels of infusion. Green.COM also initiated activities to educate and communicate with Malian citizens outside of schools, teaching print and radio journalism skills to cover environmental messages. Mexico Building A GreenCOM conducted a rapid assessment of 14 NGOs working 1994 Conducted interviews, surveys, and literature review Environmental in natural resource management. The ultimate goal was to focusing on EE&C capabilities, consideration of gender NGO Capacity increase the impact these organizations had on the country's issues, institutional development. and staff training needs; myriad environmental problems, especially deforestation caused developed key findings and recommendations in 4 areas. bv ramruint trooical forest fires. Middle East Water TA GreenCOM provided assistance to help the Multilateral 1996- Contributed to the agenda of MWGWR by engaging Conservation Working Group on Water Resources (MWGWR) with its Water 2000 members in dialogue about water consenration issues; Conservation and Public Awareness project to promote best produced Water for Arid Regions and WaterCare youth practices in water conservation throughout the region. In 1996 education program. and 1997, Green COM conducted research to identify best practices in each target country and for the region as a whole. From 1998 to 2000, the project collaborated with the MWGWR on using the research to develop communication strategies for reaching adolescent youth. Namibia Environmental A Green.COM conducted a rapid assessment of existing EE efforts 1994 Yielded 10 specific recommendations on issues that Education in 5 African countries: The Gambia, Guinea. Madagascar, wammted further attention; concluded that the groundwork Assessment I Namibia. and Uganda for EE programs was established. Nepal Shaping TA Green.COM provided technical assistance in communication to 1996- Facilitated the creation of the community video letter Environmental the Environment and Forest Enterprise Activity (EFEA) to 1998 (CVL) by villagers; conducted formative research to Policy with enhance community understanding of new forest policy and determine issues. Organized community forest forum in Video lefilslation and the role of local communities in imnlementation; Katmandu and received policvmaker resoonse and results 25 Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame to stimulate social discourse on opportunities created by new on CVL discussion. policies; and to suppon the forestry and conservation extension work of the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and NGO oartners. Nicaragua Communication TA GreenCOM coordinated a 2-year program of technical 1996 Provided environmental communication training to staff of for Protected assistance to strengthen Nicaragua's protected area system protected areas, environmental NGOs, and residents of Areas through environmental communication activities. GreenCOM communities located near protected areas. Developed worked with Nicaraguan partners to achieve key objectives. promotional materials for 8 national parks and protected areas. Conducted research in one national park to develop a profile of visitors and assessed the park's needs for intemretation services. Niger Facilitating A Green COM conducted a rapid assessment of the country's 1995 Conducted inteiviews primarily at government agencies Land Reform EE&C needs. In particular, the assessment was designed to responsible for implementing the Rural Code and at identify opportunities for using education and communication NGOs; made 5 key recommendations. to familiarize the public with the government's new program of land reform. Panama Sustainable p Phase I: GreenCOM worked with the Panama Canal Authority 1999- Conducted formative research among 400 residents of 14 Watershed to develop and implement a research-based education and 2002 administrative districts of the eastern PCW. Supported Management communication strategy focused on developing a sense of development of a participatory multifaceted education and national awareness of and pride in the watershed. Such communication awareness campaign targeting schools, awareness was needed to generate civil society participation in journalists, and the public. The strategy included a mass co-managing watershed resources with the government agencies media campaign and innovative school program, Panama responsible for the PCW. Canal Watershed Guardians, that involved more than 700 middle-school youth from 26 schools throughout the watershed in hands-on missions to learn more about the PCW's natural resources, ecotourism, and interpretation training; NGO capacity strengthening; and training of municipalities in a participatory process to develop municipal environmental management plans. Phase II: GreenCOM provided support to public and private 2003- CTCH is providing effective inter-institutional coordination organizations with coordination through the Panama Canal present in the areas of environmental monitoring, policy reforms, Authority's inter-institutional coordination commission (OCH) adoption of a community participation model, and NGO￾for the improved management of selected pilot sub-watersheds led adoption of integrated watershed best management in the Canal watershed and to GOP environmental authority practices. ANAM issued service and administration (ANAM) for regulatory reforms to award service and concessions drafted by GreenCOM and is in the process of administration concessions to the private sector in the public use issuing its first public offering. 26 Country Activity Sort Summary of SOW Time Outputs or Impact Code frame areas of orotected areas. Peru Enhancing A GreenCOM provided assistance in refocusing Peru's strategic 2001 Assessed communication activities in 2 USAID projects in Environmental objective for environment and natural resources to include a Peru: the Biodiver.ity and Sustainable Forestry (BIOFOR) Communication greater role for communication. GreenCOM's primacy task was project and the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural to assess the current state of communication activities among Resources Management Co11aborative Research Support USAID and its partners and to make recommendations that Project (SANREM-CRSP). Developed 3 key would shape a new unified strate9'V. recommendations. Philippines Communication TA GreenCOM collaborated with USAID/Philippines on strategic 1995- Initiated pilot participatory communication initiatives in for Coastal communication interventions for the Mission's environmental 1997 coastal municipalities in 3 diverse provinces-Mindanao, Management portfolio, which included projects in forest resource Palawan, and Cebu. Developed M&E indicators to management, industrial environmental management, and coastal measure the impact of communication on public resource managemenL These interventions were designed to knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to coastal initiate communications activities that would be continued resource management, industrial environmental through a 5-year Coastal Resources Management Project management, and forest resource management. Worked (CRMP) that started in April 1996. with a popular national television program. Agrisiyete, to develop a series on coastal resource management Assisted in the development of an environmental interpretation oroo-r.:im at Silliman Universitv. Russia& Strategic A GreenCOM provided strategic technical assistance to a U.S.- 1997- Expanded GLOBE in Russia and supported the launching Jordan Assistance to funded program called Global Learning and Observations to 1998 of GLOBE in Jordan through EE&C activities; conducted GLOBE Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). follow-no to assess sustainabilitv. South Active Learning TA GreenCOM developed education activities to help the South 2002 Conducted 10 focus groups in 3 provinces to shape the Africa About Climate African government address climate change. The main communication strategy. Through participatory process Change objectives of Green COM' s work were to raise public awareness with a multi-sector working group, developed curriculum of the impact of global climate change, encourage behaviors and a teacher's resource guide on global climate change, that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and introduce teacher training workshops on using the guide, a national climate change curricular materials in the formal education climate change competition for sixth graders, and a media system. campaign to publicize the competition and boost public interest in climate change issues. GreenCOM also implemented a web-based marketing campaign called Green Thread aimed at private-sector managers that focused on relatively simple changes in corporate behavior that businesses could implement internally through einployee outreach and participation. The suggested changes were targeted at 3 areas: electricity, waste management, and pollution. At the end of one year, 3 companies had signed on as Green Thread partners and 13 others had a!rreecl to narticipate in the proirram. Tanzania Communication, p GreenCOM imnlemented a multi-vear oroiect to brin!?: toi?::ether 2001- Assessed communitv oercentions throui?:h survevs; 27 Country Activity Sort Summary or sow Time Outputs or Impact Code frame Comm.unities, communities, schools, government agencies, and NGOs in 2003 provided communication support to the country's Conservation environmental communication and social mobilization emerging integrated coastal management strategy by activities. These activities focused on helping people who live involving communities to produce Voices from the Coast in resource-rich areas understand how sustainable resource video; developed district environmental awards for management can improve the quality of their lives. individuals, groups, schools, organizations, and businesses; produced train-the-trainer workshops for EE; built local capacity to design and manage EE programs. Over the 3 years, the environmental awards program expanded from 7 initial municipalities to 20 and the number of participants from 15,000 to more than 350,000. Tanzania Environmental A GreenCOM assessed selected EE programs in school-based 1999 Developed an explanation of the factors of success in these Education programs in 3 countries: Mali, Tan7.a.Dia, and Zambia programs: linking schools and communities, emphasis on Assessment II experiential learning, ability to increase community knowledge and awareness of particular environmental issues; impact on environmental issues. Uganda Environmental A GreenCOM conducted a rapid assessment of existing EE efforts 1994 Yielded 10 specific recommendations on issues that Education in 5 African countries: The Gambia, Guinea, Madagascar, warranted further attention; concluded that the groundwork Assessment I Namibia, and Uganda. for EE proi:rrams was established. Uganda Increasing TA GreenCOM provided short-term technical assistance to help the 1999 Conducted interviews and material review; facilitated 3- Wildlife Club Wildlife Clubs of Uganda develop a 5-year strategic EE plan. day participatory workshop on formulating an Effectiveness organizational development strategy; produced draft communication stratePV. Zambia Education on TA GreenCOM conducted a pilot study with the Chongololo Clubs 1999 Conducted background research and focus groups with Hazardous on products containing hazardous chemicals that were parents, children, and educators; developed materials for Product Safety commonly used in Zambian households. After the study, education campaign; developed primary-level education GreenCOM and the clubs used the results to develop primary- materia1s on hazardous product safety. One component level education materials to protect children from exposure to was the Chongololo Club of the Air, a radio show based on hazardous chemicals in the home and to ensure families' proper a dialogue between two speakers who explore the handling of those materia1 s. problems associated with familiar products such as pesticides and soaps. Storytelling was another element of the show, with vignettes such as "The Mystery of the Baby's Swollen Face," which featured a detective character called J\1r. Chong"ololo. Z.ambia Environmental A GreenCOM assessed selected EE programs in school-based 1999 Developed an explanation of the factors of success in these Education programs in 3 countries: Mali, Tan7.a.Dia, and Zambia. programs: linking schools and communities, emphasis on Assessment II experiential learning, ability to increase community knowledge and awareness of particular environmental issues; imoact on environmental issues. 28 ) GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 C. GreenCOM Projects Evaluated in this Report One-week site visits for this evaluation were conducted in both Egypt and El Salvador, locations of comprehensive GreenCOM projects. The El Salvador project "Prioritizing the Environment" took place under GreenCOM I from 1994 to 1999; Egypt's "Public Awareness on Water Scarcity Project" was a GreenCOM I project from 1995 to 1998; and the "Egyptian Environmental Policy Program" under GreenCOM I and II was from 1999 to 2004. Country projects that were evaluated principally through telephone interviews include the following: • Comprehensive project "Panama: A Sustainable Watershed Management Project" (1999-2002); • Intermittent, short-term TA project "Guatemala: Communication for the Maya Biosphere" (2002); and • "Assessment Bolivia: Achieving USAID Environmental Objectives through Assessment" (2001 ). A review of background documents (i.e., quarterly reports, case studies), rather than interviews-as interview sources were either few or non-existent-yielded findings on the remaining 20-plus GreenCOM projects. The projects that are evaluated in this report have been segmented by project category and are described as follows. Comprehensive Projects El Salvador: Prioritizing the Environment (1994-1999) GreenCOM provided technical assistance to support USAID's Prioritizing the Environment program in El Salvador in two phases. During the first phase of the program (1994-1997), the project's task was to mobilize educational institutions and environmental organizations to collaborate in developing a unified EE policy and to train journalists, NGO representatives, and other stakeholders to use environmental communication tools to enhance their programs. The second phase (1997-1999) focused on rural community mobilization around water conservation and quality. In the first phase, GreenCOM established environmental education in the national school curricula; organized six national conferences for environmental journalists; developed environmental interpretive services capacity in national parks through training the trainers and established interpretive trails and facilities; developed capacity across NGOs; trained the trainers in agriculture; and supported development of a mass media communication strategy with El Salvador's Executive Secretariat of the Environment (SEMA). In the second phase, GreenCOM supported a regional communication campaign on water; offered community training to solve local problems; and supported the building of local action networks in 18 priority municipalities to strengthen rural ) water and sewage organizations. 29 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Egypt: Public Awareness on Water Scarcity (1995-1998) In this project, GreenCOM assisted USAID and Egypt's Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources (MPWWR) in initiating a participatory communication program to educate different segments of the public about water conservation and water pollution prevention. GreenCOM developed a water communication strategy for the MPWWR and included in the strategy a recommendation to create a special department within the ministry that would be dedicated strictly to communication. The ministry responded by launching a new Water Communication Unit (WCU). GreenCOM followed up by providing technical training to the ministry staff in formative research and campaign implementation, which resulted in Egypt's first national communication campaign on water scarcity. An evaluation at the end of the project found that engineers' knowledge of water-saving techniques for farmers increased by more than 100 percent; in addition, the percentage of engineers who could define an association of water users jumped from 53 to 100 percent. Egypt: Egyptian Environmental Policy Program (1999-2004) GreenCOM's role in the Egyptian Environmental Policy Program (EEPP) was to provide strategic communication support to promote the program's policy objectives on Red Sea conservation, energy efficiency, and solid waste management. The support included training, materials development for schools, media development, and an environmental awards program. In the area of conservation, GreenCOM supported increasing knowledge and action among key groups such as the Red Sea Rangers, as well as the development of policy supporting compulsory environmental education in school. In the area of energy efficiency, GreenCOM provided capacity building for an energy￾efficiency initiative and increased knowledge on key issues targeting students. In the area of solid waste management, GreenCOM supported policy implementation focused on private solid waste management systems, hazardous waste law, and youth mobilization in which best practices in solid waste management were distributed to all secondary-level technical schools. Panama: Sustainable Watershed Management (1999-present) From 1999 through 2002, GreenCOM worked with the Panama Canal Authority to develop and implement a research-based education and communication strategy focused on developing a sense of national awareness of and pride in the watershed. Formative research was conducted among 400 residents of 14 administrative districts of the eastern Panama Canal Watershed (PCW) and supported the development of a participatory multifaceted education and communication awareness campaign targeting schools, journalists, and the public. Such awareness was needed to generate civil society participation in co-managing watershed resources with the government agencies responsible for the PCW. GreenCOM also provided support to public and private organizations with coordination through the Panama Canal Authority's inter-institutional coordination commission (CICH) for the improved management of selected pilot sub￾watersheds in the PCW and to GOP environmental authority (ANAM) for regulatory reforms to award service and administration concessions to the private sector in the public-use areas of protected areas. 30 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Intermittent or Short-Term Technical Assistance Guatemala: Communication for the Maya Biosphere (2002-2004) GreenCOM assessed operating EE&C programs in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve to provide guidance for future funding. It also provided short-term technical assistance in the development of a strategic participatory communication strategy aimed at national, regional, and local opinion leaders. In phase one, GreenCOM conducted a rapid assessment that resulted in three key recommendations: (1) develop a five-year education and communication strategy, (2) build and strengthen organizational and communication capacity, and (3) expand the circle of stakeholders. In phase two, GreenCOM developed a participatory strategic communication strategy aimed at national, regional, and local opinion leaders; as a result, it conducted regional and national workshops, formative research, and materials development. Through training and technical support, GreenCOM increased the number of Maya Biosphere Ambassadors who worked to catalyze, facilitate, and strengthen coalitions and collaborative actions among sectors and society; conducted workshops and formative research; and developed a national communication strategy. Assessments Bolivia: Achieving USAID Environmental Objectives (2001) In debriefings with USAID and AED, Bolivia was identified as the best example of a comprehensive evaluation. GreenCOM assessed the role that environmental communication could play in helping the US AID Bolivia Mission achieve its Environmental Strategic Objective to manage forest, water, and biodiversity resources for sustained economic growth. In Bolivia, GreenCOM developed recommendations based on four key findings and a concrete model, which was shared with partners during a workshop. D. Mid-Term Evaluation of Environmental Education and Communication Project (GreenCOM), Prepared for USAID Under Purchase Order No. PCE-0-00-96-00004- 00 In 1996, William J. Nagle conducted a mid-term evaluation of GreenCOM I. Nagle met with the USAID staff in Washington, D.C. who were involved with GreenCOM. He also conducted one-hour interviews with six GreenCOM staffers, also in Washington, D.C., and he then met with the GreenCOM personnel as a group in a half-day session. In addition, he conducted an email survey of "GreenCOM stakeholders and customers, including representatives from Missions that had been served by GreenCOM, and Regional Bureaus," as well as the USAID Office of Women in Development. Nagle does not state how many individuals responded to the survey. In his one-page section on "GreenCOM as Perceived by USAID Customers," he quotes about ten responses. 31 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 The 13-page report was written partly by Nagle and partly by the GreenCOM project director and staff. As noted in the preface of the report, "The project director, Brian Day, and his top staff wrote the sections of the evaluation report on lessons learned, recommendations for improving implementation, and future directions for environmental education and communication." Nagle concludes: "This is a good project and its staff members do good work which their customers find useful and which they find satisfying and rewarding. They appreciate that they are on the cutting edge of social marketing and that they are in a position to teach colleagues in social marketing about the complex world of environment and to teach colleagues in environmental education about communication and behavioral change." Further information on the review of Nagle's assessment is provided in Section III of this report. 32 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 III. FINDINGS During the lifetime of the program, GreenCOM has contributed significantly to environmental development in some of the most vulnerable areas in the world. GreenCOM has built mass capacity, modeled participatory behaviors, and raised the awareness of millions about the importance of effective management of natural resources for the viability of the country by promoting policy changes, introducing technology, raising awareness, changing behavior, and attracting multi-sector participation. USAID's return on investment has yielded favorable results in terms of policy change, institutionalization of EE&C programs, capacity building, and national awareness of the importance of appropriate management of natural resources and other environmental issues. EE&C can play a crucial role in finding solutions to development needs due to demographic shifts and global trade. In many countries USAID has been a catalyst and respected leader in bringing new paradigms and solutions for addressing environmental problems. USAID has the ability to leverage GreenCOM strategies as innovative development communication solutions to dealing with issues involving economic growth, poverty reduction, health, and democratization. EE&C approaches are increasingly needed to address issues related to changes in demographics, natural disasters, global trade and the need for energy efficiency and clean production practices, and the role of public-private partnerships in developing and applying solutions. Should USAID decide not to continue to fund GreenCOM, it would lose the opportunity to capitalize its unique knowledge base and unique opportunity to be a leader in the development of many nations and regions around the world, from Central America to Africa and the Middle East, that are poised for economic and social growth. The evaluation findings have been organized under the key areas of (A) implementation, (B) project monitoring and evaluation, (C) sustainability, and (D) applicability of approach to non-environmental sectors. The findings on implementation directly address whether the projects implemented through GreenCOM helped set the public agenda to build consensus for action, legitimize environmental policies and programs, increase broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment, and support change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment, all key activities of GreenCOM I and follow-on activities for GreenCOM II. Additionally, findings listed throughout key areas (A-D) describe principal activities under GreenCOM II that set out to refine EE&C strategies, methods, and tools to disseminate lessons learned to USAID and its partners worldwide, accomplishing this through the development of assessment tools, intervention models and supporting tools, institutionalization strategies and guidelines, M&E strategies, and publications and printed materials. During the last year of GreenCOM, based on the refinement of the overall communication approach, the primary contractor introduced the SCALE model for strategic environmental communications. The model integrates lessons learned from 12 years of GreenCOM work, the very successful USAID Water Efficiency and Public 33 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Education for Action (WEPIA) project in Jordan, and decades of communication theory. The first application of the fully evolved model is currently being applied to an agriculture project called Agricultural Partnerships for Productivity and Prosperity in Morocco and now also has moved into a dairy fodder program with ICRAF in Kenya and an activity in Panama. A. Implementation Setting the Public Agenda to Build Consensus for Action GreenCOM has helped set the public agenda to build consensus for action in both Egypt and El Salvador. With GreenCOM, many developing nations have enhanced their recognition of the important connections between the quality of the environment and their economic growth, the physical health of their people, and their national stability and security. This understanding includes recognition that the involvement of stakeholders in the practice of environmental decision-making is the active process of democratization and governance. As well, the proactive use of a strategic, integrated environmental communications plan is now a central element of the GreenCOM legacy. Communications assistance to all projects saves years of work and time through a process of establishing collaboration, pretesting messages, and evaluating implementation of agreed-upon objectives. "Scientists can do water quality testing, engineers can build bridges, but communication expertise is needed to jump-start and promote [objectives] throughout a project," a former GreenCOM director observed. Egypt In Egypt, GreenCOM both introduced new projects and attempted to enhance existing efforts: Key objectives arose from links built among networks of environmental stakeholders. Working closely with the Ministries of State for Environmental Affairs, Public Works and Water Resources (MPWWR), Education, National Parks, and Tourism, GreenCOM activities provided outreach, development of integrated communities, technical assistance, and training for strategic communication and education campaigns. Services included numerous workshops for educators and NGOs; learning supplements for use in technical schools, classrooms, and informal community settings; consultation on promoting best practices among diverse stakeholders; and communication support for a range of activities including awards programs and an overall Red Sea Communication Strategy both to protect an invaluable resource and to promote ecotourism. GreenCOM also contributed to the development of the country's National Environmental Disaster Contingency Plan. In addition, GreenCOM I helped set the agenda for public awareness on water scarcity by helping the MPWWR develop and train a communication unit (WCU) and a participatory communication program that brought together farmers and local government officials. An emphasis on water during GreenCOM I merged well with an ongoing effort within the MPWWR to institutionalize the role of communications. 34 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 The Ministry had attempted to integrate communications into its work for three decades. Now, a well-established unit occupies a floor of the building with a full-time staff. Al) auditorium for regularly scheduled press conferences and workshops, a fully equipped video production studio, and shelves bulging with publications, tapes, and a wide range of printed materials provide a central clearinghouse for all water-related issues. A former GreenCOM staff expert who continues as an adviser to the unit feels that contracts such as Green COM' s require a longer life, a longer time commitment: "Doling out contracts in pieces cannot support expectations ... Building networks, partnerships takes time. Communications is a systemic problem." She said that the current infrastructure changes in the MPWWR are "a point of pride, continuity," and real sustainability and that the establishment of the WCU is a significant success story. She added, "Nothing becomes sustainable without the essential component of communications." However, she noted that it would be shortsighted to expect results too soon. Environmental issues shift and measuring results is difficult, but environmental communications offers a way to find the "win-win management approach" for protecting resources and building the economy. Longevity of projects is the key to success and sustainability. Even more important than the development of the WCU itself has been the long-term development of a two-way communication process in which farmers play a role in decision-making with local water officials. GreenCOM contributed significantly to this process of democratization and governance, considered revolutionary by the Egyptian leaders themselves, in what is normally a top-down bureaucracy. An MPWWR engineer who is a long-term leader in water programs in Egypt anticipates applying integrated communication concepts on a wide scale, applying lessons learned from projects that demonstrated the importance of bringing all stakeholders together, and building a network of trust. GreenCOM did "fantastic work," he reported, work that was logical and involved situational analysis to meet the end needs of users. Messages were developed and diverse venues employed based on research findings. GreenCOM II helped set the agenda for public support of Red Sea conservation, energy efficiency, and waste management. Working to increase energy efficiency in the industrial sector and develop policy to support energy-efficient industrial measures, GreenCOM helped the Energy Efficiency Council develop communication strategies and gain public and key stakeholder support. GreenCOM also collaborated with partners to develop and distribute the Energy Efficiency Leaming Supplement to public schools. The Red Sea program included training programs for key professionals such as park rangers, dive boat operators, and teachers; educational supplements for teachers and students; and innovative television programming. During seven workshops, more than 500 boat operators were certified in environment, seamanship, and rescue/first aid. In the area of Solid Waste Management, GreenCOM supported the EEPP's policy objective for improved efficiency and performance of solid waste management systems by collaborating with the MPWWR on a strategic public awareness campaign concentrated in Alexandria and Cairo, two governorates where solid waste management was being privatized. GreenCOM also promoted efficiency and consumer responsibility and the implementation of a law on hazardous waste management, and educated secondary school students with information on best practices. 35 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 El Salvador In El Salvador the collaboration with GreenCOM came at a strategic time when the country was willing and able to look beyond the devastations of a civil war to a more positive and hopeful subject-the environment. A USAID-funded project "Proyecto Protecci6n de! Medio Ambiente" (PROMESA) attracted multi-sector participation in the assessment, planning and development of EE&C strategies. The first phase of the project focused on assessment, strategic planning, and development of materials. At the end of this phase, USAID shifted focus to water management, and the GreenCOM project found creative ways to continue to expand its activities. For a period of approximately five years (1994-1999), GreenCOM conducted activities such as the following: • • • Integration of actors representing various sectors in the assessment and design of strategic communication plans and the development of educational materials; Capacity-building activities-training of park rangers in interpretive services; workshops for reporters on environmental journalism; and workshops for mayors and community leaders; and Use of formal and informal education . In the second phase of GreenCOM, which focused on a water project that brought clean water to rural communities in the area of Usulatan, the process of implementing the project modeled a practice of democratic participation that was praised by participants. By 1999, the project was using the name "El Salvador GreenCOM-Proyecto de Educaci6n y Comunicaci6n Ambiental." GreenCOM provided activities for education and awareness building. The project nurtured the country with a needed injection of focus and purpose during a critical moment when support was needed from the population to pressure the government to build a legal framework for how El Salvador was going to manage the environment. GreenCOM not only raised national awareness but also gave many people the impetus and confidence to advocate for the environment. The quality of materials developed during GreenCOM was excellent and contributed to building a high level of prestige and credibility. People involved in the development of the materials felt a great sense of pride in being associated with their production. Teachers' guides were developed and pretested by education professionals with the support of communication experts from El Salvador and abroad. This capacity was installed in the country and continues to be productive at the Ministries of Environment and Education and in various NGOs. The development of the teachers' guides, as well as of other communication materials, was very important because it demonstrated to people working in the field the importance and value of adopting best practices. In addition, public opinion research was conducted, which helped individuals such as former Minister of the Environment Miguel Araujo to better understand national attitudes in relation to environmental laws and to plan strategies to address their needs. 36 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 The creation of national environmental awards recognizing the work of journalists, NGOs, businesses, government, and civil society in the environment was the initiative of the Ministry of the Environment. Recently, the award became law in El Salvador under the newly revised national environmental policy. GreenCOM played a key role in promoting the awards. At the beginning, there were some difficulties getting the Ministry of Education to adopt the entire EE&C effort, but now the panorama is very different. The Ministry of Education funds an office of environmental education, has hired a former environmental journalist, Balmore Barrientos, as Director of Social Communication, and has adopted environmental education as a key discipline in its national education policy and programs. Before the arrival of GreenCOM, the daily national newspaper El Diario de Hoy had covered El Salvador's management of natural resource problems. Owner and publisher Enrique Altarnirana recalled, "Since 1936 our newspaper has had editorials and articles about the environment. My father was a champion in this area and cared deeply about conservation. The agrarian reform gave land to farmers but it failed to teach them how to use it wisely-that's the tragedy of our country. After the war ended we asked ourselves what would be our contribution, and decided to focus on supporting the education of our children, thus the idea for Guanaqu(n. This supplement has cost us a lot of money, but it is our pioneered work and we believe in it. GreenCOM was a welcome source of credible information used by the newspaper." Green COM suggested the supplement to the newspaper, produced content, art, and full layout for the publication, and trained newspaper staff to continue the effort. GreenCOM also helped promote the use of the supplement, generated more newspaper coverage about environmental issues, trained journalists, and provided continuous access to content experts who collaborated with the newspaper. Since GreenCOM ended in El Salvador, over five years ago, the newspaper has continued to print the weekly supplement, which is widely distributed in schools and communities. Panama In Panama, with the Sustainable Watershed Management project, GreenCOM EE&C approaches have served as catalysts for creating awareness about the value of multi￾sector participation and coordination in addressing issues related to natural resource management. There is also heightened national awareness about the critical role that EE&C plays in strengthening policy and successfully changing institutional and individual behaviors in support of the environment. The transfer of the Panama Canal from the United States to the Panamanian government brought with it a number of opportunities as well as challenges, many linked to the environment. Population migration to the canal areas, unplanned forestry, farming and ranching, and lack of infrastructure in some areas are among some of the critical issues the country faces in regards to the environment. The recently signed Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFT A) and the proposed Plan Puebla-Panama compel the country to examine its unique position in the region as a potential leader in international trade. As the country pursues economic growth, it is also forced to look at how best to protect its greatest 37 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 natural resource, the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW). Currently, this profitable yet fragile ecosystem is in danger of being lost. Through an agreement with the Panamanian government, USAID is currently funding projects to protect the canal area. With GreenCOM Panama, getting the public and private sector to participate together in the process has been challenging but rewarding. Participation has generated excitement and enthusiasm and has translated into creative ideas and specific actions. The success is attributed in part to the fact that projects have focused on practical applications through demonstration projects rather than academic exercises. This hands-on approach is also building on the momentum created and is propelling the process forward. The participatory process also reinforces the notion that the ideas are coming from the participants in private industry and government, and therefore greater commitment is generated to providing matching funds. Getting the community to participate has also brought a new perspective and impetus to work from the ground up. It has also helped leverage in a more efficient manner the skills and resources of the actors-the private sector, residents, local governments, NGOs, and government. A complete approach to watershed management, though not always easy to implement or accomplish, is proving to be effective. The approach to environmental development used in Panama applies a holistic perspective to a development program that starts with the idea of changing behaviors, includes active participation from various actors and sectors, works from the ground up, and introduces state-of-the-art technologies. Legitimizing Environmental Policies and Programs In Egypt, GreenCOM helped legitimize the concept of the creation of a water communication unit (WCU) in the MPWWR and build the reputation of the Energy Efficiency Council, while in El Salvador, GreenCOM raised national awareness and gave many people the impetus and confidence to advocate for the environment. Although not without controversy and challenges, El Salvador was able to pass environmental laws for the first time in history. GreenCOM provided activities at all levels, formal and informal, to help support national awareness of the importance of the environment. Today, El Salvador is the only Central American country that has elevated the office of the environment to cabinet level with the creation of the MARN. The WEPIA project of USAID/AED, although not a GreenCOM project, focused on water conservation in Jordan and accomplished this through a program of water demand management that also created jobs, changed plumbing codes, gained public support for changes needed, and institutionalized new policies by working with local NGOs to raise funds, provide training, and solicit the assistance of local universities. Because of the importance that Jordan school systems placed on this program, at least 1,000 teachers received training on the effective use of the interactive water education program curricula in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem (LPJ) and more than 400 girls were also taught how to conduct water efficiency audits as part of the math and science curriculum. 38 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 In Tanzania, as part of a multi-year project to bring together communities, schools, government agencies, and NGOs in environmental communication and mobilization activities, GreenCOM provided communications support to the country's emerging integrated coastal management strategy, which was developed by the Tanzania Coastal Management Partnership (TCMP). GreenCOM implemented a community environmental awards scheme (CEAS), which by 2003 was operating in 20 districts on the coast and near Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks and the Ugalla Game Reserve. More than 200,000 people were participating in one way or another. Today, the CEAS draws participation from over 400,000 people. By building constituency and recognizing environmental activities highlighted by the CEAS, GreenCOM helped support coastal and wildlife policy changes by legitimizing positive environmental actions. Increasing Broad Participation in Decision-Making and Programs to Improve the Environment GreenCOM consistently used participatory practices in its comprehensive projects, short￾term technical assistance efforts, and rapid assessments. Broad participation meant involving USAID, various ministries, NGOs, engineers, park rangers, journalists, contractors, community members, business leaders, and other stakeholders. In the case of the Middle East Water Conservation project in 1992, the GreenCOM approach was a cross regional effort that brought together several countries and territories: Israel, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, and Egypt. Through the Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources (MWGWR), GreenCOM took on the role of engaging members in dialogue about water conservation issues common to all parties involved in the peace process. Discussions evolved into fruitful collaborative activities including the production of a 30-minute multilingual video Water for Arid Regions, which aired on television stations throughout the Middle East and was used in formal and informal educational settings and the development of the WaterCare youth education program, an outgrowth of the video project and a multi-country education initiative Egypt With the Public Awareness on Water Scarcity project, GreenCOM conducted research and held training workshops that led local water officials to hold community meetings with farmers about water scarcity and to build a framework for creating water user associations, which encouraged farmers to play a role in decision-making with local water officials. With the EEPP, GreenCOM increased broad participation by providing professional development for the Red Sea Rangers and educational opportunities and mobilization efforts targeting students. Also, GreenCOM in Egypt helped increase broad public and business participation in Energy Efficiency Council meetings and participation by government, NGOs, media, the business community, and local residents on the solid waste management policy objective. El Salvador In El Salvador, GreenCOM involved students, teachers, journalists, park rangers, and NGOs in developing a unified EE policy and local action networks in over 18 39 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 municipalities in order to improve water conservation and quality. Furthermore, many in El Salvador feel that the environment provides a safe venue in which communities, government, and the private sector can participate in the decision-making processes. In a rural area of the country, Corporaci6n de Municipalidades de la Republica de El Salvador (COMURES), the association that represents all municipalities, expressed satisfaction with the work of GreenCOM, particularly in bringing together partners to play a key role in strategic planning. Today COMURES in collaboration with CONDEL, which represents the private sector, and the federal government facilitates the implementation of European Union projects for water and sanitation. Other In Panama, GreenCOM co-hosted a workshop on "How to Formulate Community Sustainable Development Projects" with the National Coordinator of the Indigenous People of Panama to train representatives of indigenous tribes on how to present their various community projects to potential funding agencies. Twenty-six representatives from eight tribes attended. In Bolivia, GreenCOM's Achieving USAID Environmental Objectives Assessment project, in a participatory manner, evaluated the role that environmental communication could play in helping the USAID Bolivia Mission achieve its Environmental Strategic Objective to manage forest, water, and biodiversity resources for sustained growth. USAID's natural resources officer found that the participatory process was not easy because although the process involved most major and minor players in the environmental NGOs in Bolivia, language and ethnicity differences among the population created an atmosphere of exclusion, and the partners and participants changed frequently, making it difficult to establish appropriate relationships. After the assessment, the recommendations for education and behavior change communication were incorporated into the Mission's new forestry project, which was using all available funding. The Mission did not buy in to further GreenCOM technical assistance and capacity-building activities, as it had other priorities under its budget. Gender participation in El Salvador, as in Egypt, was well promoted. Women as staff, consultants, and planners are well represented at various levels of influence and decision￾making (and were well represented among those interviewed for this evaluation). GreenCOM made a contribution in this area by involving female journalists and professionals in its trainings and presentations. USAID has created opportunities for ensuring that women exercise their leadership capabilities in the GreenCOM projects. In Panama, for example, women participate at various levels in agriculture projects such as the "pineapple project," an environmentally and socially friendly agriculture project. They are also represented at various community councils and in trainings, and their participation is facilitated by the provision of daycare services. Women are getting more excited about their participation as they are able to see how they can improve field labor in more efficient ways, sell their produce, and increase their profits. There is a lot of word of mouth taking place, and this multiplier effect is encouraging others to participate. As another example, in Tanzania, women were given 40 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 video cameras to document environmental problems from their perspectives, thus giving them a meaningful and active role in identifying and finding solutions to managing their communities' natural resources. Supporting Change in Individual Behavior and Institutional Practices Required to Improve the Environment Communication Framework GreenCOM, particularly in the beginning, encouraged and educated the community of EE&C professionals and practitioners through documenting lessons learned and presentations at conferences and workshops. An agriculture expert and stakeholder who participated in various GreenCOM workshops in Panama said, "The biggest lesson learned, to me, is that you cannot achieve meaningful behavior impact unless you employ some strategic comprehensive communication strategies." Some of GreenCOM's earliest lessons resulted in what became labeled a "heating-up" concept. According to a former USAID project officer who managed GreenCOM I, "the approach was highly beneficial because it sparked the engine that propelled issues forward, generated a heightened sense of awareness, and mobilized communities to action." Applying principles of social marketing to addressing environmental problems resulted in effective activities and institutional changes. Furthermore, regarding USAID programs, the project officer said, "It was the first time that such an approach had been adopted in the context of natural resources management and environmental development. It was a desired change in the way we worked." Issue(s) awareness was achieved through multiple efforts: to involve schools; to engage community leaders and businesses, religious organizations, local NGOs, media, and all levels of government; to build regional capacity; and through use of mass media. Activities resulted in a synergy among stakeholders and raised EE&C awareness. Efforts in the GreenCOM EE&C methodology include the development and implementation of environmental awards (i.e., CEAS), formal and informal education strategies, interpretive services training, mass media, advocacy, organizational development, and social marketing. Environment awards schemes were successfully implemented in Zambia, The Gambia, Egypt and El Salvador and were used as a form of social mobilization engaging various stakeholders to build public awareness across all levels of society. The awards recognized educational and vocational institutions, individuals (fishermen, journalists, teachers, women, youths, leaders), groups (villages, women's groups, communication based organizations), and industries (businesses, enterprises, and industries) for a variety of good practices that may have included litter clean-ups, tree planting, school/community projects, sustainable fishing, waste management, beautification activities, and use of environment-friendly technology and practices. Lessons learned noted five factors that were important to awards scheme's success: o Mobilization - many people throughout each district were involved 41 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 o Decentralization - local and regional groups had power and authority o Feasibility - low cost and pooling of resources o Communication - all communication channels were used systematically o Time - there was sufficient time to sensitize the public, mobilize resources, and build support The awards schemes also proved to be an effective springboard for broader discussions on environmental problems and solutions, involving many more people than those who formally entered in competition. Environmental awards also proved to be a sustainable activity. As in the case of the CEAS in The Gambia, GreenCOM implemented the program in 1995 and the awards program continued at least through 2000. Another integral process of GreenCOM, the development of formal education strategies, was implemented successfully in Mali, El Salvador, Jordan, Egypt, and Panama, and focused on key environment issues. In Mali, for example, the Ministry of Education chose an infusion model and decided that schools should focus on desertification, firewood harvesting, firewood reduction technologies, and erosion. In Jordan, the focus was the protection of indigenous animals and expanded to include water conservation, and in Panama, it was natural resources of the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW). Throughout GreenCOM education efforts, strategies were inclusive of participatory planning, institutionalization of educational programs, materials development, training, monitoring and assessment, and follow-up. During planning, with the water program in Egypt, GreenCOM supported community sessions with district educators in Ismailya who supported initiating school programs by giving awareness sessions to headmasters and the teachers. In Mali, during the pilot testing of a training guide on how to integrate environmental information into instructor lesson plans for subjects such as French, math, or even history, Green COM received suggestions from a group of ninety teachers on ways to improve the guide before testing it in schools. In Panama, a participatory process, including government, NGOs, and universities, produced an EE strategy that was disseminated to all organizations involved in watershed educational activities. On the institutional level, in El Salvador, EE was emphasized in the National Educational Reform, as a crosscutting theme to be touched by all the subjects in the new curricula in pre-school, elementary and high school. To achieve this, efforts were made to motivate and train teachers in environmental subjects, and to give them practical tools such as publications, videos, and CD-ROMs to teach EE. Accordingly, GreenCOM worked with the Ministry of Education in El Salvador in an ambitious training program that reached more than five thousand teachers nationwide. In Egypt with the EEPP, GreenCOM worked closely with the Ministry of Education to promote environmental education in communities and schools in eight govemorates through workshops for NGOs and teachers. To build sustainability, GreenCOM followed up training programs in Egypt by introducing and training new groups of teachers and NGOs on how to use learning supplements and teaching methodologies. In Jordan, skill building for staff members of 42 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) was a major project component, as it built staff capacity to conduct research, develop curricular materials, and facilitate participatory training workshops. With RSCN staff capacity, the society was well equipped to carry out future studies to determine the impact of educational curriculums over an extended period of time. In Panama, GreenCOM helped build organizational capacity by working with school-based environmental clubs to develop an extracurricular program called Guardiones de la Cuenca de/ Canal that involved more than 700 middle school youth from 26 schools throughout the watershed in hands-on "missions" to learn more about the PCW's natural resources. In 2002, three government agencies assumed responsibility and sponsorship for the Guardiones program to ensure that it would be sustained. The GreenCOM framework also included process for improving or developing interpretive services in protected natural areas in Egypt, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama. In Wadi El Gema! in Egypt GreenCOM played an important role in developing materials, trails, and signs, and also in training Red Sea Rangers to hone their interpretive skills. In El Salvador, GreenCOM helped build interpretive capacity by training a core group of technicians, guides, and rangers, develop interpretive plans for numerous national parks in country, and establish interpretative trails. The GreenCOM/El Salvador interpretive approach became a model in Central America and was replicated by projects in Nicaragua and Panama. Where El Salvador had the "Grupo Compacto," Nicaragua formed the "Pifiolero Group," which dedicated itself to turning National Parks into EE opportunities not only for visitors but also for the residents of nearby communities. In Nicaragua, the GreenCOM EE&C framework provided for professional development workshops with representatives from the tourism, NGO, and government sectors. Workshops provided training for professionals to learn how to assess the interpretive needs of a particular protected area, to develop target messages, and also to collaborate across institutions to improve management of protected areas. In Nicaragua, GreenCOM also supplied training on materials development and worked with MARENA's Protected Areas Division on developing award-winning companion communication materials designed around the slogan "Nicaragua ... Naturally." In Panama, with the idea of improving communication and interpretive services programs at national parks, GreenCOM carried out ecotourism supply and demand studies, and based on the studies' recommendations, produced a series of promotional materials including posters, tourist guidebooks, and promotional folders for the National Environmental Authority to sell. To ensure proper use of the new materials, GreenCOM held training sessions for approximately 100 individuals from the tourism sector including hotel personnel, tour operators, park guards, Environment Authority personnel, and representatives of an indigenous group in the Chagres and Soberania National Parks. Another GreenCOM methodology for raising awareness and influencing individual and institution behavior is the development and use of mass media. Mass media campaigns were successfully implemented in El Salvador, Egypt, Panama, and Indonesia. 43 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Campaigns included the development of a creative slogan and multi-media materials, integration of messages into popular media using new or existing television and radio programming, developing mass media with commercial tourism interests, media training and outreach, and other activities. For example, in Panama, mass media was one of the most visible GreenCOM campaign components. Activities were designed around a slogan that emphasized the wealth of resources Panama boasts: "The Panama Canal Watershed is a natural treasure. Take care of it!" GreenCOM and project partners developed radio, television, and print advertisements and visual materials. Following GreenCOM, a contract was awarded in 2003 to the primary contractor. The program, the Integrated Watershed Management Program for the Panama Canal (IWMPPC), was established to promote measurable behavior change at all levels of society. Lessons learned and reporting of progress of pilot projects are being disseminated through mass media including nationally aired television (Canal al Dia) and radio programs, and print publications (El Faro y El Cocuyo). Efforts are also underway to collaborate with the National Geographic Society in producing commercial products for tourists interested in visiting Panama. GreenCOM mass media activities were also use with the Indonesia: Building Citizen Advocacy project, which focused on curbing illegal logging in support of sustainable forest conservation and management. The GreenCOM approach combined a top-down national media campaign and a bottom-up coalition-building approach that was designed to bring the issue of illegal Jogging to the forefront of public discourse leading up to the 2004 national elections and beyond. GreenCOM used several strategic activities to support the national media campaign including: 1. Small grants program 2. Journalist Training 3. Spokesperson Training 4. Campaign Launch Event 5. Media Outreach Activities As exhibited in the IWMPPC, the "heating-up" framework and evolving EE&C processes extended beyond GreenCOM I and II and can be seen in other subsequent projects where former GreenCOM staff are involved, e.g., Tanzania and, more recently, the Livelihood and Income from the Environment (LIFE) Integrated Water Resource Management Project in Egypt. SCALE-the new approach used by the primary contractor for broadening development impact through GreenCOM and other contractor programs such as Jordan's WEPIA and an agricultural program in Morocco-combines a number of methods for achieving change, including social mobilization, education, mass communication, social marketing, and conflict resolution. As one GreenCOM consultant noted, "SCALE is the synthesis of the lessons learned from GreenCOM I and II country experiences, which built on 'Heating Up'." A SCALE training curriculum is currently being piloted in Costa Rica with CA TIE. 44 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Egypt For the water campaign, farmers were the main target audience, but GreenCOM and the WCU also targeted MPWWR field staff and the mass media. Individual and institutional participation in project activities and knowledge increased. Ministry administrators were initially slow to listen to farmers. However, once they were shown that awareness was not a barrier and that farmers were looking for real solutions to recognized problems, both parties came to the table to develop a successful campaign with realized objectives. Nonetheless, behavior change in the farmers towards water conservation practices was not measurable. Final GreenCOM project reports documented that there was not sufficient time to see significant behavioral change in water users, and that more than 30 months would be necessary to produce results. In the EEPP, in collaboration with the Red Sea Rangers, a communication strategy with the message, "Let's Keep It This Way," was created that aimed efforts at boat operators, schoolchildren, local Bedouin communities, and hotel staff. The goal was to make the target audience aware of environmentally sensitive behavior for visiting beaches and marine parks administered by the Tourism Development Authority (TDA). Participation in awareness activities by government, non-governmental organizations, and community groups increased, although behavioral change in the target populations was not measured. In another EEPP focus, energy efficiency, GreenCOM played a significant role in strengthening the Energy Efficiency Council as a prime source of information on the subject for Egyptian businesses and helped change public knowledge and attitudes about energy efficiency. Finally, with the Solid Waste Management project, GreenCOM supported the promotion of community and business compliance with new waste management practices. El Salvador In the Community Mobilization on Water Initiative, the campaign theme was "Let's stop polluting water, we need it clean for life." The campaign spread messages about water through the mass media, interpersonal channels, and educational materials. Overall, participation in workshops and educational activities was reported as successful. However, again, no specific behavioral change measurement activities were noted in the reports. A Green COM consultant observed, "This [evaluation] process requires time and adequate resources, particularly for research, and a commitment to stay the course. It was not something we had available, though in countries such as El Salvador and Panama you can see how people made a true connection to the process that can help bring about behavioral change." B. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Some of the "Lessons Learned" written by the GreenCOM staff in 1996 may provide early answers to our 2005 questions on monitoring and evaluation (Have the program's monitoring and evaluation plan and performance indicators been appropriate to measure planned results and their contribution to USAID's Strategic Objective? Has the 45 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 GreenCOM program provided adequate performance monitoring, and what could be improved?): "There is resistance to research among some Missions who see it as overly time consuming and academic." "Although GreenCOM has done many operations research studies, we have done very few evaluations. There is either no interest, no money, no time or all of these combined. Evaluation issues must be raised up front with Missions when discussing buy-ins." Likewise, in 2005, we found that, by and large, the indicators have shown only outputs such as numbers of people who are exposed to a communication activity or types of products. Indicators measuring awareness levels or behavioral change often appear to be lacking. When the indicators existed, as in the case of Panama's watershed management project, the time frame was too short to adequately evaluate the projects. An implementing partner explained, "One of the limitations of our project is the time frame. We need three to four years to see change. We only had 24 months." A former contract staffer further lamented, "Distilling the Green COM experience gets murky. Circumstances in each country created variations in the process, and evaluations were incomplete." Nonetheless, it is clear that the GreenCOM experience became the catalyst for introducing environmental communication as an essential component for scaling up USAID impacts and pushing sector boundaries. The GreenCOM website presents plenty of qualitative evidence of GreenCOM's value, dedication, hard work, and lessons learned in an internal assessment process. Examples of some of the impact evaluations that have been done are as follows. In 1999, in Egypt, an impact survey assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of district irrigation engineers. Also, monitoring and assessment was done on Egyptian water users, which measured and compared farmer meetings, knowledge, practices, personal contacts between WCU staff and MPWWR field staff, number of fact sheets produced per quarter, quantities of TV spots and air time of media products against a baseline of information. As previously noted, individual behavior change was difficult to measure under the short duration of the project. In El Salvador in 1996, the newspaper supplement Guanaqu{n was evaluated. At the time, about 290,000 lower elementary students and 320,000 upper elementary students comprised the readership population. The goal was to determine readership, use of, and format preferences for the supplement among male and female teachers and primary￾school students. The study revealed that 83% of 267 students surveyed had read the Guanaqufn, and that there is greater student use of the supplement in the home than in the school. Of those who do not read Guanaqufn, 54% reported the reason as being their family does not buy the Sunday paper that includes it, suggesting the cost of the paper to be too great for some families to bear on a regular basis. 46 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Regarding training, GreenCOM designed and implemented a training plan for technical staff of environmental NGOs, covering the design, implementation, and evaluation of EE projects, and recommended that the ministry should create an information management unit to follow up on the established indicators and obtain better evaluation and management for the water project. In 2004, in Egypt, the Cairo Environmental A wards Program (EAP) underwent an overall evaluation meeting. The objective of the meeting was to evaluate critically the main ·elements of the EAP, to identify weak areas, and to make suggestions for strengthening future implementations of the program. In Indonesia, the effectiveness of the media campaign, particularly the PSAs, was systematically measured through independent research by means of a pre/post-test comparison. Effectiveness was assessed in terms of reach and impact. Reach is the number of people or percentage of the target audience that saw or heard the PSAs. Impact is the change in know ledge, attitudes, and practices as a consequence of the campaign. The pre/post-test comparison shows that GreenCOM's PSAs were seen by nearly half ( 46%) of respondents surveyed. Negative attitudes toward illegal logging increased from an already high level at the time of the pretest. Among respondents who had seen the PSAs, the increase in some attitudes was even greater, particularly the belief that illegal logging has a negative impact on the welfare of the country and families. Conversely, there was a marked decrease in the number of respondents who agreed with the statement "Illegal logging is not a problem that affects me and my family," particularly among those who had seen the PS As. Also, respondents who had seen the PSAs ranked illegal logging higher in importance as an election issue than did those who had not seen the PSAs. In Jordan, GreenCOM conducted a post-implementation survey on new material usage to gauge the impact of the curriculum on both teachers and students. The research was designed to compare an experimental group of participating eco-club teachers and students with a control group of non-participating teachers and students. Most teachers who received the curriculum training implemented almost all of the recommended activities with students, and 90 percent of teachers said they would use the curriculum again in the future. Students from eco-clubs that used the curriculum had more positive scores on knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about water conservation than students from non-participating clubs. Since the GreenCOM mid-term evaluation of 1996, further analysis on the needs of monitoring and evaluation has taken place. A GreenCOM I Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Report (January 13-14, 2000) noted in its executive summary that evaluations must explore the extent to which engaging different sectors of society in discussions about environmental protection leads to environmental protection actions, and also noted that GreenCOM, to date, had conducted 45 formative-research studies and 14 impact￾evaluation studies. At the time, GreenCOM had been or was currently active in 29 countries, 6 of which were emphasis countries: Egypt, El Salvador, Mali, Panama, the Philippines, and Tanzania. Among the report's recommendations for models and 47 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 research was the suggestion that GreenCOM should monitor interventions more frequently with smaller samples to complement impact evaluations that use pre/post designs and large surveys. The TAG meeting of 1995 recommended that GreenCOM produce tools for evaluation: indicators, survey instruments, and techniques to measure the success of an intervention. In its 2004 2°• quarter report, GreenCOM required that all grant-funded activities have an evaluation component. Then, in the 41 • quarter report of that year, GreenCOM reported as part of the SCALE M&E framework that a "think tank" is developing practical guidelines and tools for monitoring and evaluation in natural resource management and agricultural projects. The guidelines and tools are to be covered in all SCALE training curricula and will include process, outcome, and impact evaluation. The challenge appears to be USAID Mission time frames, funding, and support for evaluation of impact. C. Sustainability GreenCOM contributed to the sustainability of projects in Egypt and El Salvador by setting the public agenda to build consensus for action, legitimizing environmental policies and programs, increasing broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment, and supporting change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment. GreenCOM also contributed to building a knowledge base on lessons learned and best practices through extensive publishing and dissemination of case studies, Ideas as Work, fact sheets, books, and discussion papers. Nonetheless, there have been further requests by USAID partners since the GreenCOM projects ended for technical assistance in EE&C participatory practices, training, and materials development to further support sustainability and transition. A key element behind much of GreenCOM's success lies in a highly motivated, creative, professional staff, both in the field and working from the United States. "[The primary contractor] is a rare entity in that their corporate culture embraces [an information approach]," a U.S.-based subcontractor and international development expert reported. "[GreenCOM] was trying to do a very difficult job in a very difficult situation," he said, referring to the project's time constraints and in-country counterpart efforts to control or micro-manage each activity. In spite of such obstacles, however, this well-established development specialist praised GreenCOM for having made many advances with long￾term outcomes. Years after his involvement with GreenCOM projects, he maintains contact with those he trained and regularly invites former trainees to visit the United States to see other models in the tourism sector and to continue to improve their work, especially in ecotourism development. "Seeing hospitality from both sides" is critical to sustaining capacity building, he explained. Furthermore, he said that his continued interaction with former GreenCOM counterparts is a testament to the goodwill created and to the positive impact of the projects. "[Those who GreenCOM worked with] are incredibly dedicated to ... conservation and are very bright," he said. Indeed, in both countries the evaluation team visited, success was very dependent on a key individual in 48 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 the field who was "personally committed, someone who really cares" about the people, project and objectives. Egypt With Egypt's Public Awareness on Water Scarcity project, GreenCOM processes and activities are being sustained through the MPWWR's Water Communication Unit (WCU), but even more important than the development of the WCU itself has been the long-term development of a two-way communication process in which farmers play a role in decision-making with local water officials. A longtime leader in water programs in Egypt anticipates applying integrated communication concepts on a wide scale, applying lessons learned from projects that demonstrated the importance of bringing all stakeholders together, and building a network of trust. The EEPP also produced numerous sustainable results. The Red Sea governor now apparently has mandated two hours of environmental education per week in all Red Sea public schools. Activities such as the establishment of the Red Sea Protectorate and Red Sea Rangers were essential steps to improve the health of the reef. The establishment of annual events such as World Environment Day and the continued use of a featured cartoon character Bakkar in a popular TV show during Ramadan hold promise for keeping the Red Sea Rangers' image and objectives alive. To bring attention to gender issues, a new female cartoon character has been introduced: Salma is a ten-year-old girl who is passionate about nature and conservation. For the month of Ramadan, these characters reach millions of children and their families with environmentally friendly messages, increasing awareness about the Red Sea protectorates from 7 to 73 percent. Nonetheless, partnerships with local NGOs, hotel managers, boat operators, and educators established during GreenCOM's work between January 2002 and September 2004 are not yet self-supporting. According to local NGOs working in the Red Sea area and the three Ranger staff members we interviewed, including the director, the resources such as publications and training staff needed to implement and continue the educational programs initiated by GreenCOM do not exist now. Initially the materials produced were high quality in content, style, and graphics; however, in an effort to duplicate this quality, counterparts found it costly to print materials. They stressed that continued support is needed for training for new Rangers, reinforcing activities for current Rangers and boat operators, reprintings of campaign materials, and continued work on a Rangers website. During our team visit to Hurghada, we encountered dedicated Ranger staff and boat operators unwilling to handle the paperwork requirements in reporting offenses. The current transition into USAID's LIFE program may succeed in furthering many GreenCOM objectives to support decentralization and increased participation of all rural inhabitants in the water-management decision-making process. This transition resulted in the change of some contractors that have taken on the role of providing technical assistance in building participation and democratization strategies for water management systems, communication campaigns, environmental education, and training activities. As for the sustainability of materials produced with GreenCOM, the new LIFE contractors generally seemed unwilling to reproduce USAID publications originally created by 49 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 GreenCOM. This unwillingness of contractors to continue using valuable USAID publications hampers consistency and creates the risk of losing effective materials. Team members found materials produced under GreenCOM lacking even the GreenCOM label, yet carrying the contractor's brand. Such branding and competition among contractors threatens the loss of good products. The participation of multiple contractors also creates the risk of replication of studies and materials, which would detract from an image of professionalism and competence. El Salvador After GreenCOM ended in El Salvador, the country continued to face tremendous environmental challenges including population growth, deforestation, soil erosion, natural disasters, and the need for developing the country to become competitive in the face ofCAFfA. USAID, along with other national and international organizations-such as SalvaNatura and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)-and other donors such as the European Union, continue to work in the country on natural resources management. IUCN, for example, is focusing efforts on securing private-sector investments for infrastructure, sustainable tourism, agriculture, mining, and energy. Influential and respected Salvadoran business leaders such as Roberto Murray have also taken an interest in funding sustainable development projects. A number of Salvadoran professionals who participated in GreenCOM and other USAID environmental development projects are playing a relevant role as advisors. In El Salvador, GreenCOM was successful in what it set out to accomplish: (1) mobilizing educational institutions and environmental organizations to collaborate in developing a unified EE policy and to train stakeholders to use environmental communication tools to enhance their programs; and (2) mobilizing communities around water conservation and quality. As a result, El Salvador created the Ministry of the Environment; in addition, several years after GreenCOM ended, a number of activities have taken place, such as the passing of a national environmental policy and the creation of a modem center of information and diffusion of environmental information, Centro de Informaci6n y Documentaci6n Ambiental (CIDOC), which was partly funded by USAID. As well, GreenCOM activities created awareness, changed institutional behaviors, and created sustainable interest in the environment at the government, NGO, and individual levels. In sustaining the interest that GreenCOM and other projects helped create, Salvadoran leaders have identified emerging environmental issues (i.e., population growth, deforestation, soil erosion, natural disasters) and needs (i.e., more communication brokering with industry, preserving the environment in the face of CAFfA, expanded interpretive services in the national parks) and increased expectations and the demand for additional technical services and resources for water conservation, forest management, environmental education, coastal resources management, air quality management, solid waste management, geo-tourism, and sustainable farming. GreenCOM had filled the staffing role of facilitator, coordinator, and communication broker in the participatory practice model, but this role currently needs strengthening. Although the Ministry of the 50 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Environment was in principle responsible for this function, this has not happened in part due to changes in government administration, funding, political will, and limited external pressure. As noted by a former GreenCOM project coordinator, government and private industry need a staff position to facilitate participation between sectors and bureaucracies such as the Ministries of Agriculture, Tourism, and Economic Development. A good communicator in this role could help manage environmental impacts that result from CAFTA. In addition, private-sector individuals have expressed the need to gain the "know-how" to meet trade challenges, many of which are linked to good management of natural resources. At Monte Cristo National Park, GreenCOM trained park rangers ("Grupo Compacto") in interpretive services and assisted in increasing the sophistication of existing park signage. Instead of normative signage such as "Don't throw garbage," signs provide educational information about the environment and the species that exist there and how they are affected by pollution. These park rangers have continued performing interpretive services at Monte Cristo and have expressed an interest in expanding signage and conducting outreach into local communities and schools to educate the public about the environment. They report that they have communicated these interests and needs to managing offices, but that budget allocations have not been made. As a result, they expressed some frustration and feel a sense of stagnancy. To meet basic park needs, they report that they have been paying for park signage out of their own pockets. With materials that GreenCOM produced for the park rangers, small quantities are still available. They are high quality but in need of updating and reprinting. Interpretive services offered at Monte Cristo and other national parks have not expanded to building facilities and adding other resources or geographic coverage, and those trained are not systematically training additional staff and volunteer rangers. Currently, along the tri-country area of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador in Monte Cristo Park, there currently are a number of conservation-related development projects underway. Park rangers firmly believe that the approach previously employed by GreenCOM will help the success of the project, particularly in the strengthening of interpretive services, developing a modern interpretative center, and building sustainable community involvement; however, they are not certain that they will be able to participate without the needed additional resources and technical assistance. Panama In Panama's Sustainable Watershed Management project, private-sector investments in the environment have the potential for sustaining EE&C efforts. Investors seem willing to fund environmental projects such as ecotourism, organic farming, and technologies for clean manufacturing production, in collaboration with Autoridad de! Canal de Panama (ACP) and other institutions and donors including USAID. Also, ACP staff expressed interest in the establishment of a virtual center that could provide an opportunity for educators, volunteers, professionals, and government officials to network, obtain training, and share their expertise via online courses and publications. An ACP staff member stated, "I believe that the concept of a virtual center of information will not only be well received but also well funded. We already have in place a culture among educators and 51 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 professionals accustomed to taking online courses and to sharing their research studies and programs via the Internet." Changes in administration both at the country level and at USAID have a tremendous effect on the overall direction and viability of projects. For example, a pilot sanitation project successfully underway was halted because of changes in management at the USAID Panama Mission and in the Panamanian government. Even though the project had good community participation and was leveraging public- and private-sector funds, administrators championing the project left, and their replacements were unwilling to continue with the investment. The roughly $300,000 investment already made was partially lost. Bolivia In Bolivia, the comprehensive assessment yielded four key recommendations: 1) Partners should implement activities with the goal of changing people's actual behavior, not just their cognitive understanding of environmental issues; 2) Interventions should be more comprehensive in scope, including assessments and monitoring throughout; 3) More formal training should be provided to individuals who administer education and communication projects; and 4) USAID Bolivia's partners need to develop a unified communication strategy that would help them coordinate their efforts for greater impact nationwide and create greater use of mass communication tools to generate a national dialogue on environmental issues and commitment to adopt positive behaviors. The first three recommendations for education and behavior change communication were fully integrated into the Mission's new forestry project. Sectoral priorities focused on other issues, and funding was too limited for the Mission to invest in bringing together its partners in a unified communication strategy. Guatemala In Guatemala, under Communication for the Maya Biosphere, a strategic EE&C plan was developed that brought multiple sectors together to become catalysts for change. During implementation, materials were produced using a rigorous participatory process. The materials not only were highly accepted and widely distributed, including placement at the international airport, but gained tremendous popularity to the point that some materials such as posters were sold in stores and markets by street vendors. There was apparent high interest in EE&C that could have been sustainable; although, as reported through a telephone interview, a new government made changes at GreenCOM's counterpart organization, the national park system, and the GreenCOM project was not continued for lack of a champion. Also, materials were warehoused and lost. Fortunately, though, key individuals who participated in GreenCOM, such as Rony Mejia, continue to apply the GreenCOM methodology in their current work. As noted by Mr. Mejia, a number of environmental projects currently taking place along the Mesoamerican coral reef corridor and the Mayan Biosphere between Mexico and Guatemala, along the 52 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Usumasinta River, could benefit from GreenCOM's services in facilitating and coordinating activities, bringing communities and sectors together, and building capacity for interpretive services. Regarding sustainability of the current type of contract, the evaluation team did not find a trend in recommendations about the funding mechanism or about its options-open competitive contract, cooperative agreement, or multiple grants. Some Mission project officers preferred contracts as opposed to grants and expressed a need to have more control over the project. Other USAID staff and contractors preferred cooperative agreements. No consensus was determined. A final observation in the area of funding was that Missions interested in assessing the potential of EE&C activities, as in the case of Bolivia, do not always have the funding available to buy in or sustain activities, and also that M&E activities may get eliminated from implementation when project funding is tight. D. Applicability of Approach to Non-Environmental Sectors Communication Methodology GreenCOM's strategic approach to EE&C combines tested methods from a number of disciplines (communications, health communication, social marketing, psychology, international development, and other social sciences) to focus on behavior change using a systemic model. The evolved EE&C process establishes an initial assessment to define issues, goals, ideal behaviors, and appropriate target audiences. Existing behaviors and reasons for those practices are analyzed in order to negotiate feasible strategies for behavior change goals developed through a fully participatory process. Messages are designed, pretested, and then distributed through selected channels to explain and support the new or altered behaviors. Training and materials are made available to support implementation. A communication model such as that adapted by GreenCOM can be found in the mass communication, public relations, marketing, and campaign strategy literature developed over the past four decades. Key to such a model is full shareholder participation in a process in which they have taken ownership, i.e., all parties have been invited to the table and have agreed on objectives. GreenCOM employed the requisite participatory processes, advocacy, organizational development, and formal and informal education. In￾country counterparts, ministries, and USAID Missions, some to a greater extent than others, played a role in design and implementation. As prescribed by any mass communication model, the mass media also were used to achieve or promote objectives. GreenCOM's successes continue to be (1) building partnerships and coalitions to build communication capacity, reduce barriers, and enhance prospects for sustainable impacts; (2) refining strategies, methods and tools through the participatory process to increase the impact of EE&C on environmental components; and (3) proactively using a strategic, integrated environmental communications plan for comprehensive projects. These are 53 I \ GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 activities that lead to setting the public agenda to build consensus for action, legitimizing environmental policies and programs, increasing broad participation, and supporting individual and institutional change and are lessons learned from GreenCOM that are applicable across sectors and could be used in an integrated approach to international development communication in other fields. As noted in Going to Scale, the need for an integrated approach to international development is underscored by problems that illustrate how interconnected and interdependent are the world's natural resources, governments, economies, and peoples. Diseases such as AIDS, social and economic disasters caused by poor environmental management, wars over the ownership of natural resources, and decreased agricultural production are only a few examples. This interconnectedness was illustrated when the participatory processes used in GreenCOM EE&C projects had effects on non￾environmental sectors such as (1) economic development with tourism in the Red Sea region and in the national parks of El Salvador, (2) democratization with farmers partaking in governance over water programs in Egypt, and (3) agricultural projects under the Agriculture Partnerships for Productivity and Prosperity (AGCO MM/ AP3) task order. A former GreenCOM project manager concludes, "The country experiences can be used as examples of how the methodology and instruments can be applied to other sectors such as agriculture, ecotourism, urban renewal, and energy conservation." In fact, in many of the 30-plus countries where GreenCOM worked, an interlacing of environmental and non-environmental issues enhanced outcomes of projects. Evaluating the interactions and interests of all involved parties broadens the social scale of a project and leads to more achievable objectives. Additional findings on examples in the economic sector and in the area of emergency preparedness follow. Economic Sector In Panama, with the pineapple project, a certification process verifies that the agricultural product is grown in an environmentally and socially friendly manner following safe and quality standards, thus opening new markets for growers. Growers are learning that they can make money while at the same time protecting the ecosystems they so much depend on by transforming land-use and business practices. Environmentally friendly ranching, sustainable forestry, and pineapple production projects are examples of how producers and growers can become more effective and productive and increase their profits and marketability while protecting the PCW. In the rural communities of Usulatan in El Salvador, there is interest in identifying and creating new sources of revenues through local tourism. However, the mayor explained, "Financing, technical assistance and cross-sector involvement is necessary to address our serious infrastructure issues. You cannot develop sustainable and profitable tourism if you have raw sewage filtration. These issues have to be dealt with by all the sectors including law, health, economy, and government. Everybody has to participate. There is 54 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 interest but what we lack is financing to coordinate." A political advisor to COMURES added that a number of donors and investors have contributed to the development of hostels, but that the lack of funding for a coordinating body and the short life of projects are barriers to moving investments forward to completion. "The entities for coordination exist in associations such as COMURES and the Comisi6n Nacional para el Desarrollo Local (CONADEL). They have the commitment to break the barriers and work across political parties and interests, and they could benefit from technical support with models such as the one used for the water project [GreenCOM]." The corporate officer for Industrias La Constancia, a multinational beer distributor, commented, "For us it is very important to manage our natural resources appropriately. The quality of water, clean production practices, and a good recycling program are part of our competitive edge in the international market. Indirectly we benefit from programs such as this one [GreenCOM] from the technical expertise that is produced in the country that can help us in our business activities." He added that there is a need to create private and public partnerships to address production issues collaboratively and to help businesses with solid waste disposal practices. "I believe that from the industry there is interest and commitment to collaborate, but [to participate] there must be a viable product [benefit] such as technical assistance to help industries learn how to apply new technologies." Emergency Preparedness Recent natural disasters in El Salvador have heightened awareness and concerns about the economic, political, health, and social vulnerability of the country. These threats have raised concerns about the need to minimize the impact of natural disasters by adopting natural resources management practices and an emergency preparedness and response system. Jose Luis Samayoa, current Director of Citizen Participation of the Ministry of the Environment, explained, "Recent hurricanes and the threat of the volcano, as well as the last earthquake we had, highlighted in our country the importance of having a long-term vision to our response to natural disasters and how they are aggravated by our lack of poor management and response. Many people lost their crops and their homes. The infrastructure in El Salvador was greatly affected. There is a role for education and communication that could help us plan." 55 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 IV. RECOMMENDATIONS The development of lessons learned and best practices of GreenCOM activities have contributed greatly to the refinement of GreenCOM EE&C approaches and the development of a communication model (SCALE). External evaluations such as this one build on the history of past findings and recommendations and introduce new ideas and perspectives that support making EE&C tasks and activities more effective. Continued annual external monitoring and evaluation will help legitimize and increase the value of future assessments and GreenCOM activities. The recommendations of this report are organized around the four findings areas: implementation, project monitoring and evaluation, sustainability, and applicability of approach to non-environmental sectors. Those recommendations that apply to multiple areas (i.e., implementation and sustainability) are listed under one heading. Findings and recommendations are as follows: A. Implementation Regional Demonstration Projects Finding: In the middle east, on a regional project, GreenCOM worked successfully on communication strategies for the peace process focusing on increasing citizens' water conservation behaviors in several countries and territories: Israel, Jordan, West Bank/Gaza, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, and Egypt. In Latin America, there are a number of projects that are regional in scope, have implications on multiple sectors, and can benefit from the GreenCOM methodology to accelerate progress. These include management issues of shared coastal resources along the Mesoamerican coral reef corridor; illegal logging, water pollution, illegal trade of flora and fauna, human and drug trafficking in the Mayan Biosphere along the Usumasinta River; and development along the Monte Cristo National Park in the tri-country area of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Recommendation: Conduct an assessment of potentially high-impact regional projects such as those mentioned above that can benefit from the GreenCOM model to help accelerate project progress, and consider implementing demonstration projects. Conduct a strategic inventory of available and needed resources. Broker a dialogue with existing stakeholders and advocate for the adoption of a model to expedite the implementation of projects by demonstrating the cost, political and social benefits. Strategic Recommendations Finding: The GreenCOM assessment in Bolivia yielded four key findings. Only three of the four were carried out, with the forestry project. The Mission did not buy in to any 56 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 further GreenCOM projects. Several reasons included a lack of funding, other Mission priorities, and a general lack of understanding and legitimization of EE&C. Recommendation: Future country assessments need to consider not only Mission environmental strategic objectives, which GreenCOM did, but also Mission funding priorities and organizational capacity. Recommendations should reflect the capacity and interests of the Mission. As well, training activities on education and communication processes provided to the Mission could support capacity for future recommendations and project implementation. GreenCOM had proposed such capacity-building, which was not supported by the Mission. B. Project Monitoring and Evaluation Independent Monitoring and Evaluation Finding: Although GreenCOM has completed many operations research studies, USAID has supported very few evaluations of the GreenCOM program and impact of activities. To date, this external evaluation has been the only one conducted over a 12-year period, in addition to a mid-term assessment. Recommendation: Conduct annual independent evaluations of communication projects and activities with a specific focus based on the following elements: 1) Country project type (comprehensive project, TA, assessment); 2) Issue-area focus (biodiversity, coastal resources management); and 3) Tools developed (M&E tools, materials development). Evaluations should assess the implementation of EE&C methodologies, the outcomes of EE&C activities, and the impact that the communication methods have on livelihoods, available resources, governance, and public participation. Projects should monitor and assess the evaluations that its grant recipient counterparts implement, and continue to provide training in this area. Developing Capacity-Building Indicators Finding: The evaluation team observed that capacity-building indicators were not commonly developed or used for comprehensive projects. Recommendation: Include capacity-building indicators in all comprehensive projects. Indicators could include (1) measuring the number of local implementing partners producing, adopting, and/or implementing a national EE&C strategy and (2) measuring the number of local implementing partners using evidence-based models or tools. 57 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Establishing Appropriate Time Frames for Evaluation Finding: In several projects there was insufficient project time to measure behavioral impact on study populations. In Egypt, activities targeting water users lasted 30 months or less, and in Panama, activities targeting residents of the PCW and midlevel officials in the government lasted approximately 24 months. Recommendation: Extend the time frame for projects dealing with individual and institutional behavior change to a period of three to five years in duration. C. Sustainability Virtual Center for Information Dissemination Finding: The information and materials produced by GreenCOM, government ministries, and NGOs have limited availability, but if shared and made more accessible, they could benefit global EE&C activities. Recommendation: Establish a global virtual EE&C center to develop and disseminate information and to foster environmental education, communication, and technologies. Leverage partnerships with the IUCN, Drum Beat (Communication Initiative), Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations and the Central American Leadership Initiative, INCAE Business School in Central America, and COMPLUS Alliance. This would provide networking opportunities and a forum for communities of practice (such as interpretive services and communications professionals), distance-learning capabilities, exchange and dissemination of information, and distribution of materials. Create an internet clearinghouse for environmental communication, education information, and training materials. Life Span of Materials Finding: In Egypt, the materials produced were high quality in content, style, and graphics; however, in an effort to duplicate this quality, counterparts found it costly to print materials. Recommendation: In the development of materials, designers need to consider the costs associated with updating, adapting, and reprinting the materials. Every plan for materials development should also include a forecast for updating and reprinting, annually. A key operating principle for materials development should be that materials are affordable to reproduce. 58 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Supporting the Role of Facilitator Finding: In many countries, including El Salvador, GreenCOM played a central role as facilitator, coordinator, and communication broker in the participatory activities of project planning and implementation across bureaucracies and sectors. However, since the GreenCOM project ended, these roles have not been filled, according to stakeholders. Recommendation: Provide technical assistance to build the capacity of the public information office within the Ministry of the Environment or its counterpart to function as a facilitator, coordinator, and communication broker. Training activities may involve developing a position description and scope of work, incorporating the job function into the organizational structure, and training staff in participatory methods. Transition Strategies Finding: Considering the comprehensive projects of Egypt and El Salvador, the transition and exit of GreenCOM technical assistance was, to some stakeholders, insufficient. Some stakeholders are no longer participating in EE&C activities due to a lack of a coordinating body. Although the Ministry of the Environment in El Salvador has interest, it has not secured adequate funding fromits government to pledge institutional commitment to take on a facilitating role. In Panama, there is concern that the technical staff that has been trained during the Sustainable Watershed Management project might be lost at the conclusion of the USAID/contractor activity. Recommendation: For comprehensive projects, transition and exit strategies should be part of USAID-funded EE&C programs. The work plans need to support the continued participation and involvement between government, NGOs, and stakeholders, particularly with those groups existing outside the core of central activities. Country government and USAID also needs to establish a cooperative agreement with implementing institutions with the following requirements: (1) designate a responsible counterpart to assume the role of facilitating processes and coordinating actions at project closing; (2) when such counterparts are not available, the principal institution responsible for the project should create a staff position with clearly defined roles, budget, and position in the organizational chart; and 3) create transition plans to reassign contractor staff to the implementing institution at project closing. Intermittent Training to Support Sustainability Finding: Key groups such as the Red Sea Rangers and forestry staff in Monte Cristo National Park need further technical assistance in training new and existing staff. In addition, policy makers and community leaders in El Salvador expressed a need for continued technical assistance in the area of public policy development related to issues arising from CAFT A. 59 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Recommendation: A new communication project should provide short-term technical assistance through existing methods or through the implementation of a global virtual EE&C center to foster training, communication, and dissemination of communication technologies to key project professional groups such as forestry rangers and Red Sea Rangers and to policy makers for emerging policy issues such as those related to CAFfA. Funding for Future Green COM Contracting and Activities Finding: The evaluation team did not find a trend in recommendations for which funding mechanism-open competitive contract, cooperative agreement, or multiple grants-to use for future projects. Some Mission project officers preferred contracts as opposed to grants and expressed a need to have more control over the project. Other USAID staff and contractors preferred cooperative agreements. Recommendation: The assessment team has opted not to endorse any specific mechanism, as we do not have a complete picture of the benefits and disadvantages of each mechanism in the current changing environment of USAID at the Bureau and Mission levels. A more thorough assessment of the available options should be further analyzed and discussed by senior USAID leadership and a team with access to more specific information on current procurement options. Whichever mechanism is chosen as the foundation of a communication program, the team strongly recommends that consideration be given to a mechanism with an agreed￾upon core funding for assessment and evaluation and a requirement for securing substantial financial resources for public-private partnerships. Furthermore, the team recommends establishing inter-agency agreements with U.S. federal agencies such as the USDA, the Department of Commerce, the EPA, and the Federal Trade Commission to leverage existing funded projects in various countries. D. Applicability of Approach to Non-Environmental Sectors Testing GreenCOM Methodologies in Other Sectors Finding: The GreenCOM EE&C process developed into a communication framework of its own - SCALE - integrating lessons learned, best practices, and new thinking from social change professionals. The lessons learned and best practices from GreenCOM EE&C could be applied and adopted for use in non-environmental sectors including health, governance, economic development, and agriculture. Recommendations: Test GreenCOM inethodologies in other sectors. Apply GreenCOM methodologies in additional pilot test sites in agriculture under AP3. Build on previous successful GreenCOM comprehensive project sites in El Salvador and Egypt, though with a focus in agriculture or tourism (economic development). Pilot test methodologies in areas that are recovering from devastating floods, such as Sri Lanka and Indonesia, 60 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 where USAID is investing in infrastructure and a system-wide approach to communication could have a great impact as thousands rebuild their livelihoods. Adopting Communication Processes for Emergency Preparedness Finding: In El Salvador and Panama, there is increasing need and interest in gaining technical knowledge on how to adopt natural resources management practices and national emergency preparedness and response systems. Recommendation: Educate the USAID Mission staff about the link between natural disasters and the need for EE&C and risk management, and help them integrate the GreenCOM model to facilitate the planning of natural disaster preparedness and management responses. Identify the strategic objectives (SO) that would support a high￾impact natural disaster preparedness and management response project. For example, in Tanzania, this could be "Improve Coastal Resources Conservation" and in El Salvador, "Promote Environmentally Sound Agricultural Practices and Exports. 61 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 ANNEXES A. SOW Response Table of Contents A. I BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. . A.2 TITLE ............................................................................................................................... . A.3 STATEMENT OF WORK ................................................................................................ . A.4 REPORTS ......................................................................................................................... . A.5 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS ............................................................................................ . A.6 TERM OF PERFORMANCE ........................................................................................... . A.7 WORKDAYS ORDERED ................................................................................................ . A.8 CEILING PRICE .............................................................................................................. . A.9 USE OF GOVERNMENT FACILITIES AND PERSONNEL .......................................... . A. I 0 LOGISTIC SUPPORT ..................................................................................................... . A. I I WORKWEEK .................................................................................................................. . A. I2 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE .......................................................................... . A.13 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING ................................................. . A. I 4 USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (DECEMBER 2004) A.150RGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: PRECLUSION FROM FURNISHING CERTAIN SERVICES AND RESTRICTION ON USE OF INFORMATION 62 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 A.1 BACKGROUND GreenCOM I and II have operated since 1993 in over 40 countries to apply Environmental Education and Communication (EE&C) to developing country environmental issues. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) was the single contractor for both projects. Out of the combined GreenCOM experiences have come a resource library and clearinghouse of EE&C materials, a website of case studies and communication tools, and several publications. The program has evolved from a simple application of education and communication methodology into a process and framework for communication for international development. But other than a mid-term evaluation of GreenCOM I, no assessment has been made of program impact. It is currently time to design a follow-on to the GreenCOM projects, and an evaluation will be an important tool for shaping how USAID applies development communication GreenCOM I (Contract #PCE-5839-Q-3069-00, 1993-2000) was a joint initiative of USAID's Global Bureau's Environment and Natural Resources Office and Education Office (G/ENV and G/HCD) designed to "accelerate awareness and the adoption of practices which promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through Environmental Education and Communication." GreenCOM's purpose was to support environmentally sound practices in developing countries through the application of known education and communication methods and to create sustainable EE&C programs in developing country institutions. The contract was a mechanism for USAID Missions to utilize in accomplishing their environment and education objectives. Specifically, GreenCOM I was tasked with applying and further developing communication and education methods, synthesizing lessons learned, and conducting a literature collection, analysis and dissemination activity to help host country institutions: • • • • Set the public agenda to build consensus for action; Legitimize environmental policies and programs; Increase broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment; and Support change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment. GreenCOM I was required to apply to the environment sector an approach developed over twenty years in applications across other sectors. The approach included: 1) a detailed assessment of the problem and target audiences; 2) development of concept, messages and strategies; 3) pre-testing and revision; 4) demonstration/delivery; and 5) monitoring, evaluation and program revision. The contractor was required to collaborate with host country non-government organizations (NGOs) and school systems, community organizations and municipal leaders, farmer co-ops and extension systems, national parks and conservation areas, 63 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 industrialists, government agencies, Peace Corps volunteer programs, and other donors and development assistance agencies. GreenCOM II (Contract #LAG-I-00-01-00005-00, January 3, 2001 through January 3, 2006) is an initiative of the Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau's Natural Resources Management Office (EGAT/NRM-formed from G/ENV by Agency reorganization). GreenCOM II continued the development communication work of GreenCOM I through implementation of EE&C activities in support of USAID Mission strategic objectives. But the contract also requires the contractor to "draw on this field experience to further refine EE&C strategies, methods, and tools to disseminate lessons learned to USAID and its partners worldwide." The contract is organized by three themes: 1) Project Management and Operations, 2) Technical Advisory Services and Field Support, and 3) Synthesis, Refinement and Dissemination of Methods and Tools. In addition to field work through Mission buy-in, a Core Task Order, funded by USAID/Washington, focuses on theme three. Tasks include development of: 1. Assessment tools for guiding the application of EE&C methodologies and strategies to serve environmental objectives; 2. Intervention models and supporting tools to increase the impact of EE&C components of environmental programs; 3. Institutionalization strategies and guidelines for establishing sustainable EE&C programs; 4. Monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools for measuring the impact of EE&C programs; and 5. Publications and printed materials. A.2 TITLE GREENCOM I AND II EV ALU A TI ON A.3 STATEMENT OF WORK FOR EVALUATION OF GREENCOM I AND II Purpose The United States Agency for International Development, Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau, Land Resources Management Team (USAID/EGAT/LRM) plans to evaluate the GreenCOM (I and II) Project, which has been in place for the past 12 years. The objectives of the evaluation are to provide: 1) a comprehensive, independent, and external assessment of project achievements and impact; 2) a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in development communication; and 3) recommendations for future activities in development communication. USAID/EGAT/LRM will use the assessment and recommendations to design follow-on development communication activities. 64 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Background GreenCOM I and II have operated since 1993 in over 40 countries to apply Environmental Education and Communication (EE&C) to developing country environmental issues. The Academy for Educational Development (AED) was the single contractor for both projects. Out of the combined GreenCOM experiences have come a resource library and clearinghouse of EE&C materials, a website of case studies and communication tools, and several publications. The program has evolved from a simple application of education and communication methodology into a process and framework for communication for international development. But other than a mid-term evaluation of GreenCOM I, no assessment has been made of program impact. It is currently time to design a follow-on to the GreenCOM projects, and an evaluation will be an important tool for shaping how USAID applies development communication GreenCOM I (Contract #PCE-5839-Q-3069-00, 1993-2000) was a joint initiative of USAID's Global Bureau's Environment and Natural Resources Office and Education Office (G/ENV and G/HCD) designed to "accelerate awareness and the adoption of practices which promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through Environmental Education and Communication." GreenCOM's purpose was to support environmentally sound practices in developing countries through the application of known education and communication methods and to create sustainable EE&C programs in developing country institutions. The contract was a mechanism for USAID Missions to utilize in accomplishing their environment and education objectives. Specifically, GreenCOM I was tasked with applying and further developing communication and education methods, synthesizing lessons learned, and conducting a literature collection, analysis and dissemination activity to help host country institutions: • Set the public agenda to build consensus for action; • Legitimize environmental policies and programs; • Increase broad participation in decision-making and programs to improve the environment; and • Support change in individual behavior and institutional practices required to improve the environment. GreenCOM I was required to apply to the environment sector an approach developed over twenty years in applications across other sectors. The approach included: 1) a detailed assessment of the problem and target audiences; 2) development of concept, messages and strategies; 3) pre-testing and revision; 4) demonstration/delivery; and 5) monitoring, evaluation and program revision. The contractor was required to collaborate with host country non-government organizations (NGOs) and school systems, community organizations and municipal leaders, farmer co-ops and extension systems, national parks and conservation areas, industrialists, government agencies, Peace Corps volunteer programs, and other donors and development assistance agencies. 65 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 GreenCOM II (Contract #LAG-I-00-01-00005-00, January 3, 2001 through January 3, 2006) is an initiative of the Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Bureau's Natural Resources Management Office (EGAT/NRM-formed from G/ENV by Agency reorganization). GreenCOM II continued the development communication work of GreenCOM I through implementation of EE&C activities in support of USAID Mission strategic objectives. But the contract also requires the contractor to "draw on this field experience to further refine EE&C strategies, methods and tools to disseminate lessons learned to USAID and its partners worldwide." The .contract is organized by three themes: 1) Project Management and Operations, 2) Technical Advisory Services and Field Support, and 3) Synthesis, Refinement and Dissemination of Methods and Tools. In addition to field work through Mission buy-in, a Core Task Order, funded by USAID/Washington, focuses on theme three. Tasks include development of: 1. Assessment tools for guiding the application of EE&C methodologies and strategies to serve environmental objectives; 2. Intervention models and supporting tools to increase the impact of EE&C components of environmental programs; 3. Institutionalization strategies and guidelines for establishing sustainable EE&C programs; 4. Monitoring and evaluation strategies and tools for measuring the impact of EE&C programs; and 5. Publications and printed materials. Hypothesis Both GreenCOM I and II were environmental social change projects. The driving hypothesis behind the GreenCOM activities was that development impact is achieved through individuals taking positive action to change their behavior-social change-and that change could be brought about through application of education and communication methodologies. For GreenCOM, changes meant changes in the ways individuals interacted with their environment. Education and communication methodologies included participatory processes, advocacy, organizational development, social marketing, formal and informal education and mass media. GreenCOM I utilized educational and communication techniques and methodologies, then at the forefront of development communication, based on current thinking, processes and behavior change models. GreenCOM II has evolved a new model using a systematic approach that, when applied in full, seems to produce significant results. Other projects are now adopting this apparently successful model. Strategic Framework Green COM I and II were both directed to address the Global Bureau's objectives of increased and improved protection and use of sustainable natural resources through application of environmental education and communication methods and tools. Specific objectives, results, and indicators for GreenCOM II are attached in Annex One. 66 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Evaluation Focus The contractor's assessment of GreenCOM I and II will focus on four areas: Project Activities, Project Monitoring and Evaluation, Overall Assessment, and Recommendations. Goals of the evaluation are: 1. a comprehensive, independent and external assessment of project achievements and impact; 2. a synthesis of lessons learned and best practices in development communication; and 3. recommendations for future activities in development communication. Questions to be answered may include (but are not limited to): Project Activities • Which interventions worked well and why? • Which interventions did not produce the expected results and why? • What was the impact of project activities? • Were project activities, products, and/or methodologies sustained? (Were social changes resulting from GreenCOM interventions sustainable five years after project end? Are education/communication materials and processes still being used - if there is a need for them - or have they been improved and updated?) • What has been the role of women and minority groups in GreenCOM? Did actual activities follow the intent of the contract? • Was capacity left behind to continue similar communication activities in countries where GreenCOM was active? • What are the lessons learned? Project Monitoring and Evaluation • Have the program's monitoring and evaluation plan and performance indicators been appropriate to measure planned results and their contribution to USAID's Strategic Objective? • Has the GreenCOM program provided adequate performance monitoring? If not, what could be improved? • What are the lessons learned? Overall Assessment • What have been GreenCOM's most important achievements and/or shortcomings, and what are the lessons learned? • Has GreenCOM contributed to the field of Environmental Education and Communication (or Communication for Sustainable Development - CFSD)? • Has GreenCOM evolved into something that could contribute to other sectors beyond environment? 67 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Recommendations • • • • • Have there been changes in context for Communication for Sustainable Development over the period of the past 12 years? How has CFSD evolved? How robust are the theories of new methodologies? Are there new models for CFSD? And, how has GreenCOM been involved in these changes? Is there a need for a follow-on activity? If so, what should be its purpose and what would be its key elements? Should CFSD be applied to future USAID Natural Resources Management and other sector's activities? Why? How should CFSD be applied to future USAID development activities? What elements of the GreenCOM methodology should be retained? What should be changed? Is there potential for partnerships in applying CFSD to development activities? Describe. What opportunities are there for coordinating/combining other agency communication activities? Should there be a general CFSD "umbrella" project or sector-specific communication activities? Evaluation Process The assessment should be based on 1) interviews, 2) archival research of progress reports, activity case studies, and project materials produced; and 3) at least two field visits. Based on these methods, the contractor will assess how this program has been implemented, if planned results were met, what aspects of the program made it successful, and lessons learned for future activities. Key Personnel Key Personnel are individuals that are significant in performing the tasks as outlined in the SOW. USAID will approve evaluation personnel or subcontractors hired to manage or perform the evaluation. The contractor may propose a team or one person to perform the evaluation and produce the final report. USAID will provide staff to facilitate access to information and to provide a liaison between the evaluation personnel and AED. AED will provide past activity report documents and samples of communication products produced during development activities. Personnel who visit field sites should speak the primary language of that country or of the individuals they wish to meet and interview. El Salvador and Egypt are potential evaluation field sites, but Arabic is not necessary. Logistical Support The contractor will be responsible for all logistical support and arrangements for the implementation of this contract. Deliverables/Reporting Requirements Within the first three days of the period of performance, the contractor will submit a Final Work Plan and Schedule with a detailed description of how the work will be 68 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 carried out, which will be discussed at a Planning Meeting two days later and is subject to USAID approval. The contractor will produce complete Notes from the three required meetings with USAID. The evaluation will proceed immediately after the Work Plan is approved. Then after approximately 10 working days, the contractor will conduct a Mid￾Assessment Meeting/Report with USAID to discuss the status of the design process, findings, issues, problems, and/or constraints to the progress of the evaluative work and proposed alternative solutions. Meeting notes including recommended actions will be submitted and approved by USAID/CTO. After another 20 working days, the contractor will submit a Draft Evaluation Report which will be evaluated by USAID for two weeks. The evaluation team will give an Oral Briefing to USAID at the time the draft report is submitted. If there are remaining issues, these will be resolved before the final report is submitted. The final Evaluation Report will be submitted five working days after USAID provides comments on the Draft. After 35 days, there will be a two-week layoff period for USAID to review the draft report, followed by one week (five days) for the contractor to make revisions and finalize the report. Summary of Deliverables: 1. Work Plan and Schedule 2. Planning Meeting and Notes 3. Mid-Assessment Meeting and Notes & Recommended Actions 4. Draft Evaluation Report 5. Draft Evaluation Briefing and Notes 6. Evaluation Report • REVISED SCHEDULE 9/15/05 Holidays Impacting In-country communication or yisits· Egypt: Ramadan: 10/04/05-11/02/05 SEPTEMBER 2005 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday. 5 6 7 12 13 14 19 20 21 26 27 28 Thursday 1/8 15 22 29 *Expected Award by •Expected Award Date: This schedule is based on expected award dale of9/29/2005. 69 Friday Saturday 219 16 23 30 1 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 OCTOBER 2005 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 3 4 5 6 7 1/8 Submit Final Ramadan Literature Literature Planning Work Plan Begins Review Review Meeting at US AID (DC) 10 11 12 13 14 Holiday/ Literature Lit. Review AED/ Columbus Review Briefing Green COM Day YomKippur Interviews 17 18 19 20 21 AMAED/ Telephone Telephone Travel to GreenCOM Interviews Interviews Egypt Interviews 24 25 26 27 28 Site Visit Site Visit Site Visit Site Visit Return Egypt Egypt Egypt Egypt Travel from Egypt 31 I 2 0 4 s ·' Debrief on Egypt ( NOVEMBER 2005 Sundav Mondav Tuesdav Wednesdav Thursdav Fridav Sa turd av 30 31 1 2 3 4 Telephone Telephone El Salvador Interviews; Interviews; Holiday; Write mid- Write mid- Egypt end assess. assess. ofRamad. report report 7 8 9 10 11 El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador El Salvador Return Mid-Assess. Report Meeting 14 15 16 17 18 Tele. Intervs. Tele. Intervs Tele. Intervs Tele. Intervs Report Report Report Report Report Writing; Writing Writing Writing Writing editing 21 22 23 24 25 ;;,\; Report US AID Writing; Review editing 70 . I GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 DECEMBER 2005 Sunday . · Monday Tuesday Wednesda .. · Thursday Friday.· S•lturdaf• . · v . .. 27 28 29 30 1 2 US AID US AID Review Review 5 6 7 8 9 US AID USAID USAID US AID Review Review Review Comments US AID Comments 12 13 14 15 16 Report Report ~ Revisions Revisions RepaPt Iffie ±ffite 19 20 21 22 23 *Preferred due date 26 27 28 . 29 30 .. . . • Report preferred due date of December 20'" would allow for additional draft report wntmg time and a delivering of the draft report on November 29 rather than November 22. This is in-line with the Period of Performance noted in the Scope of Work, which goes through December 31, 2005. DRAFT Final Report Format: 31 The Evaluation Report structure will include an Executive Summary, Table of Contents, Body of the Report, and relevant Annexes. Five copies of the draft and three copies of the final version will be provided in both hard copy and electronic formats (Microsoft Word 2003 on CD-ROM) to the CTO. The contractor will also send a hard copy and an electronic copy of the final report to PPC/CDIE/DI in Washington. The Executive Summary will include the development objectives of GreenCOM, the purpose of the evaluation, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The body of the report will include: 1) the purpose of the evaluation, 2) description of the GreenCOM projects; 3) team composition and study methods; 4) observations and comments supported by findings; 5) conclusions, related recommendations and lessons learned stated as actions to be considered for the future. The report will not exceed 50 pages (not including annexes) and must be submitted in English. Annexes will include a copy of the evaluation scope of work, the work plan, and a list of documents and individuals consulted. Strategic Framework GreenCOM II measured accomplishments through the following programmatic framework: Objective: Increased and improved protection and sustainable use of natural resources, principally forests, biodiversity, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, and agricultural lands. 71 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Result 1: Environmental education and Communication strategies, methods and tools systematically applied in USAID assisted countries. Indicator 1: Number of agencies, institutions, and NGOs where EE&C strategies, methods, and tools have been tested and applied systematically in environment-related programs. Result 2: Improved capacity of agencies/NGOs to design and implement EE&C programs in key countries. Indicator 2: Number of service providers receiving guided practice and training in the development and use of EE&C strategies, methods, and tools. Result 3: Improved capacity of agencies/NGOs to design and implement EE&C programs in key countries. Indicator 3: Number of trainees and service providers reporting changes in knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward EE&C in key countries. Result 4: Demonstrated use of popular participation as a key EE&C approach in environmental policy formulation and promotion. Indicator 4: Index measuring quality and effect of participation amongst stakeholders in policy interventions. (The index is composed of 13 elements that experts in participation have suggested are critical to good participation. The more of these elements that are present and the more prominent each of them is, the stronger and higher the level of participation that has taken place. It virtually never happens that all of them are in place at once.) Result 5: Demonstrated use of media as a key EE&C approach to increase frequency of exposure to environmental messages and issues. Indicator 5: Number of individuals exposed to environmental issues via all media. Result 6: Materials and information disseminated on EE&C strategies, methods, and tools. Indicator 6: Number of targeted professionals receiving bulletins and materials. A.4 REPORTS Within the first three days of the period of performance, the contractor will submit a Final Work Plan and Schedule with a detailed description of how the work will be carried out, which will be discussed at a Planning Meeting two days later and is subject to USAID approval. The contractor will produce complete Notes from the three required 72 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 meetings with USAID. The evaluation will proceed immediately after the Work Plan is approved. Then after approximately 10 working days, the contractor will conduct a Mid￾Assessment Meeting/Report with USAID to discuss the status of the design process, findings, issues, problems, and/or constraints to the progress of the evaluative work and proposed alternative solutions. Meeting notes including recommended actions will be submitted and approved by USAID/CTO. After another 20 working days, the contractor will submit a Draft Evaluation Report which will be evaluated by USAlD for two weeks. The evaluation team will give an Oral Briefing to USAlD at the time the draft report is submitted. If there are remaining issues, these will be resolved before the final report is submitted. The final Evaluation Report will be submitted five working days after USAID provides comments on the Draft. After 35 days, there will be a two-week layoff period for USAID to review the draft report, followed by one week (five days) for the contractor to make revisions and finalize the report. Summary of Deliverables: • Work Plan and Schedule • Planning Meeting and Notes • Mid-Assessment Meeting and Notes & Recommended Actions • Draft Evaluation Report • Draft Evaluation Briefing and Notes • Evaluation Report A.5 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS Technical Directions during the performance of this task order shall be provided by the Technical Officer as stated in Block 5 of the cover page pursuant to Section F of the contract. A.6 TERM OF PERFORMANCE a. Work shall commence on the date noted in Block 7 of the cover page. The estimated completion date is reflected in Block 8 of the cover page. b. Subject to the ceiling price of this task order and the prior written approval of the Technical Officer (see Block No. 5 on the Cover Page), the contractor may extend the estimated completion date, provided that the extension does not cause the elapsed time for completion of the work, including the furnishing of all deliverables, to extend beyond 3 years calendar days from the original estimated completion date. Prior to the original estimated completion date, the contractor shall provide a copy of the Technical Officer's written approval for any extension of the term of this task order to the Contracting 73 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Officer; in addition, the contractor shall attach a copy of the Technical Officer's approval to the final voucher submitted for payment. c. It is the contractor's responsibility to ensure that the Technical Officer-approved adjustments to the original estimated completion date do not result in costs incurred that exceed the ceiling price of this task order. U oder no circumstances shall such adjustments authorize the contractor to be paid any sum in excess of the task order. d. Adjustments that will cause the elapsed time for completion of the work to exceed the original estimated completion date by more than 5 years calendar days must be approved in advance by the Contracting Officer. A.7 WORKDAYS ORDERED a. Functional Labor Category & Specialist Functional Labor Category & Specialist Task Leader, Brian Kubiak Evaluator, Marisabel Sanchez Logistics Coordinator Evaluation Leader,David Sachsman Evaluator, Joann Valenti Senior Editor, R. Moore Weller Labor Hours 100.0 144.0 68.0 260.0 184.0 40.0 A.9 USE OF GOVERNMENT FACILITIES AND PERSONNEL (a) The contractor and any employee or consultant of the contractor is prohibited from using U.S. Government facilities (such as office space or equipment), or U.S. Government clerical or technical personnel in the performance of the services specified in the task order, unless the use of Government facilities or personnel is authorized in advance, in writing, by the Contracting Officer. Approval is hereby authorized for Links Media to use U.S. Government facilities for conference room space when approved and arranged in advance by the Cognizant Technical Officer, Ms. Roberta Hilbruner. (b) If at any time it is determined that the contractor, or any of its employees or consultants, have used U.S. Government facilities or personnel either in performance of the contract itself, or in advance, without authorization in, in writing, by the Contracting Officer, then the amount payable under the contract shall be reduced by an amount equal to the value of the U.S. Government facilities or personnel used by the contractor, as determined by the contracting officer. 74 ( ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 (c) If the parties fail to agree on an adjustment made pursuant to this clause it shall be considered a "dispute" and shall be dealt with under the terms of the "Disputes" clauses of the contract. A.IO LOGISTIC SUPPORT The contractor shall be responsible for all logistic support needed to successfully complete the contract. A.II WORKWEEK The contractor is authorized up to a 5 workweek in the field with no premium pay. A.I2 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE The authorized geographic code for procurement of goods and services under this order is 000. A.I3 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING The Contractor/Recipient is reminded that U.S. Executive Orders and U.S. law prohibits transactions with, and the provision of resources and support to, individuals and organizations associated with terrorism. It is the legal responsibility of the contractor/recipient to ensure compliance with these Executive Orders and laws. This provision must be included in all subcontracts/subawards issued under this contract/agreement. A.I4 USAID DISABILITY POLICY - ACQUISITION (DECEMBER 2004) (a) The objectives of the USAID Disability Policy are (1) to enhance the attainment of United States foreign assistance program goals by promoting the participation and equalization of opportunities of individuals with disabilities in USAID policy, country and sector strategies, activity designs and implementation; (2) to increase awareness of issues of people with disabilities both within USAID programs and in host countries; (3) to engage other U.S. government agencies, host country counterparts, governments, implementing organizations and other donors in fostering a climate of nondiscrimination against people with disabilities; and (4) to support international advocacy for people with disabilities. The full text of the policy paper can be found at the following website: . (b) USAID therefore requires that the contractor not discriminate against people with disabilities in the implementation of USAID programs and that it make every effort to 75 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 comply with the objectives of the USAID Disability Policy in performing this contract. To that end and within the scope of the contract, the contractor's actions must demonstrate a comprehensive and consistent approach for including men, women, and children with disabilities." A.15 ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: PRECLUSION FROM FURNISHING CERTAIN SERVICES AND RESTRICTION ON USE OF INFORAMATION This task order calls for the Contractor to furnish important services in support of evaluation of [Links Media/Green COM I & II Evaluation]. In accordance with the principles of FAR Subpart 9.5 and USAID policy, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL BE INELIGIBLE TO FURNISH, AS A PRIME OR SUBCONTRACTOR OR OTHERWISE, IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES UNDER ANY CONTRACT OR TASK ORDER THAT RESULTS IN RESPONSE TO FINDINGS, PROPOSALS, OR RECOMMENDATIONS IN AN EVALUATION REPORT WRITTEN BY THE CONTRACTOR. THIS PRECLUSION WILL APPLY TO ANY SUCH AW ARDS MADE WITHIN 18 MONTHS OF USAID ACCEPTING THE REPORT, unless the Head of the Contracting Activity, in consultation with USAID's Competition Advocate, authorizes a waiver (in accordance FAR 9.503)determining that preclusion of the Contractor from the implementation work would not be in the Government's interest. 76 ( ' GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 B. The Work Plan STAFFING GUIDE Sl=David Sachsman, Team Leader S2=JoAnn Valenti, Evaluator S3=Marisabel Sanchez, Evaluator S4=Brian Kubiak, Task Manager S6=Rachel Moore Weller, Editor WORK PLAN GreenCOM I and II Evaluation DATE OF ACTIVITIES COMPLETION Planning Meeting October 3, 2006 Work Plan and Schedule October 3, 2005 Jnterview Questions October 13, 2005 Background Material Review October 1-0ctober 21 Interviews October 11-November 18 Site Visit Egypt October 20-0ctober 28 Interviews in Cairo Interviews and Visit in Hurghada Mid-Aaeeeement Meeting November 4, 2005 and Notes & Recommended Actions Site Visit El Salvador November 5- November 11 Tour Montecriete NP and Interview Ranger Interviews with USAID I GreenCOM lnterviewe with Jiquilisco government Draft Evaluation Report October 31-November 28 Presentation at USAID November 28, 2005 Draft Evaluation Briefing and Notes December 12, 2005 Evaluation Report December 20, 2005 77 STAFFING DELIVERABLE Sl,82,83,84 x Sl,84 x 81,82,83 Sl,S2,S3 Sl,82 81,82,83,84 x Sl, 83 Sl,82,83 x Sl,82,83, 84 x Sl,82,83, 84 Sl, 84, 85 x GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 C. Documents Consulted ITEM DESCIUPTION GrccnCOM I, 199J-2001 GreenCOM I IQC Final repo1t on activities conducted under the first phase of GreenCOM, 1993- GreenCOM I Final Report 2001. Several non-country-specific publications: • Human Nature newsletter for environmental education and communication practitioners around the world • Starti11g with Behavior (based on GreenCOM's experience in Ecuador, but describes an approach to behavior change used in a variety of GreenCOM I Publications countries) • Three topical discussion papers: P11tti11g People into Policy, Fostering Sustainable Cities, and Making Biodiversity Conservation Happen • E11viro11111e11tal Education & Communication for a Sustainable World: Handbook for International Practitioners GreenCOM I Technical Advisory Group Reports on the annual meetings of a group of technical experts who advised the Reports project from 1995 through 2000. GreenCOM I Egypt Final report on activities conducted under the third task order for Egypt ( 1997- Egypt Ill Final Report 1999) during GreenCOM I. It summarizes the accomplishments of the first and second task orders as well. Report on findings of research conducted by GreenCOM among irrigation Egyptian Engineers Research engineers, one of the key groups the project focused on. GreenCOM I El Salvador Final report on activities conducted under the task order for El Salvador, 1994- El Salvador Final Report 1999. Evaluation of the impact of the El Gua11aquf11 newspaper supplement that El Guanaqufn Evaluation GreenCOM initiated for Salvadoran children. GreenCOM I Panama Panama Quarterly Repmts Quarterly reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 1998 to 2000. GreenCOM I Tanzania Twice-yearly reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 1999 to Tanzania Quarterly Reports 2000. Final report on activities conducted under the task order for Tanzania, 1999- Tanzania Final Report 2000. 78 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 ' rrrnCOM II, 2001-2006 GreenCOM II IQC Quarterly reports on activities conducted under the second phase of GreenCOM II Quarterly Reports GreenCOM, 2001-2006. Several publications produced as part of the overall contract: • Sample issue of Applied Enviro11111e11tal Education and Co1111111111icatio11, a journal begun by GreenCOM for environmental education & communication practitioners. (GreenCOM is no longer affiliated with this journal, but it is still published by Taylor & Francis and edited by former project director Brian Day.) • GreenCOM Case Studies, which document activities conducted under all country task orders. • Heating Up Society, a summary of the overall approach the project used GreenCOM II Publications in executing its mission during GreenCOM I. The approach has changed somewhat with the development of SCALE; it would be worth talking to Bette Booth, one of our staff persons, who can talk about the metamorphosis of thinking that has taken place. • Hu111a11 Nature newsletter for environmental education and communication practitioners (publication ceased in 2002) • Ideas at Work newsletter (designed as an update on GreenCOM activities; only three issues were published) GreenCOM II Bolivia \ Findings from GreenCOM's assessment of environmental education and EE&C Assessment Report communication activities in Bolivia. GreenCOM II Egypt Egypt Quarterly Reports Quarterly reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 2002 to 2004. Egypt Final Report Final report on activities conducted under the task order for Egypt, 2002-2004. GreenCOM II Indonesia Indonesia Quarterly Reports Quarterly reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 2002 to 2004. Final report on activities conducted under the task order for Indonesia, 2002- Indonesia Final Report 2004. GreenCOM II Panama Quarterly reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 2001 to the Panama Quarterly Reports present. GreenCOM II Tanzania Tanzania Semiannual Reports Semiannual reports on activities implemented by GreenCOM from 200 I to 2005. 79 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Arima, Akito, Konart~, A.O., Lindberg, C., Rockefeller, S. United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-20I4. Washington, DC: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, October 2004. Booth, Elizabeth Mills. Starting with Behavior: A Participatory Process for Selecting Target Behaviors in Environmental Programs. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, Academy for Educational Development, February 1996. Chester, Randy. Achieving Scale in Agriculture: Past Efforts, Present Promise. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development Center for Environmental Strategies, 2005. Day, Brian A. and Martha C. Monroe, Eds. Environmental Education & Communication for a Sustainable World: Handbook for International Practitioners. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development, 2000. Egypt: Public Awareness on Water Scarcity. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, 2005. Egypt: Supporting the Egyptian Environment Policy Program. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, 2005. El Salvador: Making Environmental Issues a National Priority. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, 2005. From Crisis to Consensus: A New Course for Water Efficiency in Jordan. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development Center for Environmental Strategies. Going to SCALE: System-wide Collaborative Action for Livelihoods and the Environment. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development, 2004. GreenCOM: Environmental Education & Communication Project. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development, May 1994. Grieser, Mona and Barbara Rawlins. Issues in Urban and Rural Environments: GreenCOM Gender Reports. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, May 1996. Heating Up Society to Take Environmental Action: A Guide to Effective Environmental Education and Communication. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development, 2002. Jordan: Water Conservation Education. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, 2005. Middle East Water Conservation: Communication Strategies for the Peace Process. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, 2005. 80 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Nagle, William J. Mid-Term Evaluation of Environmental Education and Communication Project (GreenCOM). Washington, DC: USAID, December 1996. People and Their Environment: Environmental Education and Communication in Five African Countries. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, March 1996. Waterman, Jean. Helping People Achieve Economic Progress. Washington, DC: Academy for Education Development, 2005. Woods, John L. Final Report: Institutional Development Plan for Establishing the Water Communication Unit in the Ministry of Public Works and Water Resources. Washington, DC: GreenCOM Project, January 1996. 81 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 E. Exploratory Questions Questions to be answered may include but are not limited to: Project Activities Key Questions . . . 1. What have been GreenCOM's most imnnrtant achievements and/or shortcomings, and what are the lessons learned? 2. Has GreenCOM evolved into somethiru! that conld contribnte to other sectors bevond environment? Prohin" Questions . USAID AND A.El> IN-COUNTRY AND MISSIONS. A. Program Design GreenCOM I and II were both designed as environmental social change projects. How GreenCOM I and II were both designed as was that decision reached? How do you define an ESC project? What are the key environmental social change projects. What roll did components of an ESC project in your mind? in-country counterparts and missions play in designing GreenCOM projects and project methodologies? GreenCOM's hypothesis assumes development impact is achieved through individuals taking action to change their behavior, and that such change can be brought about through education and communication. How strongly do you agree with this assumption? How do you think changes in the ways individuals interact with their environment can be achieved? GreenCOM employed participatory processes (DEANE OR CLARIFY), advocacy (GIVE EXAMPLE), organizational development, social marketing, formal and informal education, and used mass media to achieve their objectives. Does this approach seem comprehensive, not enough, too much? What method or methods do you think are most likely to succeed in a long-term social change effort? How were countries, contacts, & staff selected? Has personnel been consistent, changes How were projects, contacts, & staff selected? Has between GC I & II? Give reasons. What changes would you anticipate for a GreenCOM personnel been consistent, changes between GC I & III? II? Give reasons. What changes would you anticipate for a GreenCOM III? Which assumptions and goals under the initial GreenCOM I, designed in 1993, and GreenCOM II are still annropriate and realistic for achieving the objectives of the project? 82 ~ ~ GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 B. Interventions Which interventions worked well and why? Which interventions worked well and why? Which interventions were successful in 1) setting a public agenda to build consensus for Which interventions did not produce the results you action; 2) legitimizing environmental policies and programs; 3) increasing broad expected, and why? How would you change or participation in decision-making to support change; 4) supporting behavioral change improve the interventions in hindsight? (individual and institutional); and 5) supporting other relevant Which interventions Which interventions outperformed old practices? worked well and why? global initiatives? How? Which interventions were successful in 1) setting a public agenda to build consensus for action; 2) legitimizing environmental policies and programs; 3) increasing broad participation in decision-making to support change; 4) supporting behavioral change (individual and institutional); and 5) sunnortin• other relevant elobal initiatives? Wbat was the impact of project activities? Were project activities, products and/or methodologies sustained? (Were social changes resulting from GreenCOM interventions sustainable five years after project end? Are education/communication materials and processes still being used - if there is a need for them - or have they been improved and updated?) Wbat do you think the overall impact of the project activities has been? What would you recommend to enhance the sustainability of the project's goals? What's needed now? Overall, do you think the project's objectives are being continued/sustained? Wbat social changes do you see in the short and long term as a result of the work done? C.Barriers What were significant barriers to progress and achieving impact? What were significant barriers to progress and achieving impact? 83 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 D. Gender Roles What has been the role of women and minority groups in GreenCOM? Did actual activities follow the intent of the contract? How did GreenCOM include women and minorities in project activities? How would you assess the intended roles, and then the actual results in terms of how women and minorities have participated in activities? E. Evolution of GreenCOM and SCALE Describe the evolution of GreenCOM"s overall work. What's your general assessment of how effective GreenCOM bas been? SCALE is billed as the comprehensive approach to EE & C projects-how has its How is SCALE being promoted and its usage, effectiveness been proven? planned, implemented and evaluated? How did you learn about SCALE? How is SCALE being promoted and its usage, planned, implemented and evaluated? How do you operationalize GreenCOM's SCALE model/framework? How are outcomes measured? [FOR GC STAFF: What's the theoretical foundation for SCALE? How were earliest efforts evaluated? Did anyone attempt a pre/post analysis? Were follow-up methods put into place? Is a draft of the planned paper--published article--available? Who will be orimarv authors?] F. Issue Areas What issa areas has GreenCOM been most effective in improving-biodiversity, coastal resources, energy & climate, environmental policy, forests, gender, hazardous materials, parks and protected areas. solid waste, sustainable aericulture, or water? G. Portfolio of projects, tools, and materials How does GreenCOM's portfolio of projects relate to, support, and enhance the portfolio of other USAID/EGAT/LRM and supported partners projects, working in related areas? (e.g., economic growth, poverty reduction, democracy and governance, rule of law, conflict mi ti =lion, health)? How does the GreenCOM program offer a unique capability or portfolio of products that What, if any, changes have been made in the gives a competitive advantage in developing multi-sectorial solutions? What are the best education or communication materials or processes Tools that GreenCOM has produced? (Assessments, EE Materials, Communication, put in place--were intended activities improved or 84 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Education, Public Participation, School Based Programs, Social Marketing, and Training) materials updated? Of products developed, which ones had the widest use? Least? Why? To what extent did GreenCOM consider the latest media technologies in activities, products and methodologies? (i.e., using the Internet, digital technolO!ries, other media-radio, television) H. Contribntions of GreenCOM to the field of EE and Communication in 2eneral Has GreenCOM contributed to the field of Environmental Education and Communication (or Communication for Sustainable Develooment - CFSD)? How was the GreenCOM project been successful in providing leadership or contributing to moving forward global initiatives in relevant areas (e.g. health, democracy, economic '"Owth, conflict miti=tion, oovertv reduction, etc.)? How has the GreenCOM project been successful in collaborating with other international donors and their relevant development prornuns? Who or what other programs do you consider GreenCOM's "competition" or collaborators? What's GreenCOM relationship and communication links to other USAID projects, eg. USAID's telecommunications project in Egvnt? What changes would you make in hindsight to GreenCOM's overall strategy? What would you point to as GreenCOM's most successful work? I. Trust and Respect How do you see--how would you measure--GreenCOM's credibility, level of trust or How do you see--how would you measure-- respect. .. within the agency ... within host countries? GreenCOM's credibility, level of trust or resoect ... within host countries? J. Financial What would USAID lll!fil by continuing to provide funds for GreenCOM's CFSD? What How appropriate, effective and realistic have the would USAID lose, if it did not continue to fund it? USAID annual levels of funding been for maintaining momentum, making timely progress and achieving the objectives of the various interventions in the GreenCOM portfolio? K. Lessons Learned If there were to be a future program, what approaches might USAID take to foster Describe how you see what was left in place in innovation within the scope of achieving the goals and objectives of the program and of project countries that enabled them to continue the the Agency? intended activities. So, has that worked? What's the follow-up looked like? Ifvou were assioned to write GreenCOM's "leoacy" what would the title be--now, be What lessons have vou learned from this effort? 85 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 creative!--and what would the main subheads be? Give me your best shot at what the Would you recommend repeating what's been done abstract would say. for other countries, or by other groups? Does GreenCOM have a model for social change that's ready for prime time, or do you think the model is still evolving? Where you £0 from here? Pro.iect Monitorin" and Evaluation Have the program's monitoring and evaluation plan and performance Have the program's monitoring and evaluation plan and indicators been appropriate to measure planned results and their contribution performance indicators been appropriate to measure planned to USAID's Strategic Objective? Has the GreenCOM program provided results and their contribution to USAID's Strategic Objective? adequate performance monitoring? If not, what could be improved? Has the GreenCOM program provided adequate performance monitoring? If not, what could be improved? How would you describe the project's success or performance indicators? How would you describe the project's success or performance How do you measure whether the intended changes have been put in place or indicators? How do you measure whether the intended changes perhaps moved along? have been put in place or perhaps moved along? Have milestones and indicators of success been sufficiently and/or Have milestones and indicators of success been sufficiently appropriately identified and, if so, effectively utilized? How can milestones and/or appropriately identified and, if so, effectively utilized? and indicators of success be more appropriately and effectively used? How can milestones and indicators of success be more annropriatelv and effectively used? Who were the intended/targeted audiences in this effort? What changes or actions were you looking for? [NOTE: Changes or actions must be measurable. We're not talking "reported" or oresumed attitudes here .... ] What were your primary goals and objectives at the beginning of your GreenCOM project? Did the goals and objectives change during the life of the project? How did you monitor and evaluate them? How satisfied were you with the results? How are the actions/activities you targeted tied in to the intended individuals' self interests? What motivations exist or have been established for encouraging change(s)? Who or what did you see as intervening in terms of your intended goals--possible obstructions or barriers? What tactics were aimed at overcoming any intervening publics/policies/in place activities? [For exarnple ... cultural practices, status quo, etc ... ] What was the main message conveyed? How did you support that message with possible seconrl~rtr messages or rationale? 86 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 What were the kev ooints/soecific information communicated? How did you involve or invite individuals and groups? What media coverage did you expect? How did you obtain coverage/involve media? What formats (press releases, meetings with editorial boards, VNRs, etc) were used ... how distributed? What deadlines did you have and were the short or long term deadlines realistic? What resources did you have and were resources adeauate? What measures, if any, did you take to overcome time or resource constraints? What follow-up was planned? How did that work out? Overall Assessment . What have been GreenCOM's most important achievements and/or What have been GreenCOM's most important achievements shortcomings, and what are the lessons learned? and/or shortcomings, and what are the lessons learned? How would you describe the perceived--or real--level of commitment behind GreenCOM's activities? How has the GreenCOM project been successful in providing leadership or How has the GreenCOM project been successful in providing contributing to moving forward with global initiatives in relevant are.as (e.g. leadership or contributing to moving forward with global health, democracy, economic growth, conflict mitigation, poverty reduction, initiatives in relevant areas (e.g. health, democracy, economic etc.)? growth, conflict mitigation, povertv reduction, etc.)? Would you describe GreenCOM's relationships within project countries as communal or one of exchange? Do the proposed benefits come free of "other" expectations? How has the GreenCOM project been successful in collaborating with non- How has the GreenCOM project been successful in traditional partners (e.g. governmental agencies, businesses, faith collaborating with other partnerships or efforts (e.g. host communities, etc.?) country NGOs, school systems, community organizations, leaders, national parks, governmental agencies?) How has the GreenCOM project been successful in collaborating with non-traditional partners (e.g. governmental Who needs to be involved to even begin to tackle the macro issues in agencies, businesses, faith communities, etc.?) environmental projects? Who's missing at the table? Who needs to be involved to even begin to tackle the macro issues in environmental projects? Who's missing at the table? How do you get others on board? How do you involve the whole community [e.g., agriculture, fishers, school boards, etc.]? 87 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 How would you describe your relationship with in-country colleagues, partners, individuals? What was done to establish a relationship of mutual control or influence? Was project control mutual? Was influence eauitable? Do you believe Green COM was/is seen as a fair and just organization? Dependable? Competent? Trustworthy? Is GreenCOM seen as the same as USAID? Is that a problem or beneficial? How is communication a useful tool in reaching your social change goals? What do you see as primary communication barriers? How can you effectively communicate complex environmental issues and convince people that their individualf PTOUD actions count? Describe what you see as GreenCOM's primary strengths and weaknesses. How could research--quality, good science--enhance . GreenCOM's work? What are the constraints you see on GreenCOM? What or who needs to be en"" Ped in the orocess/oroiects/olanning? How do you see the relationship between natural resource or environmental issues and overall economic development [poverty reduction/ democracy/governance/cultural history]? Can you be specific within a particular country? How do you connect these issues? Beyond potential health or safety impacts of environment or natural resource issues, what other human dimensions do you think are effective in provoking needed behavioral changes? [e.g., Water can be limited/polluted/access restricted. etc. Impacts may require conservation, purification, altered uses, etc.] Has GreenCOM contributed to the field of Environmental Education and Has GreenCOM contributed to the field of Environmental Communication (or Communication for Sustainable Development - CFSD)? Education and Communication (or Communication for Sustainable Development - CFSD)? How satisfied are you with your relationship with GreenCOM/USAID/oroiect oarticioants? Do the benefits 88 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 outweigh any costs? Is the oroiect/work worth it? What are the strengths and weaknesses in the relationship between What are the strengths and weaknesses in the relationship GreenCOM and the Environmental Education and Communication between GreenCOM and the Environmental Education and "community"? What lessons were learned from efforts in: a) accessing Communication "community"? What lessons were learned from required expertise; b) identifying partners for activities and product efforts in: a) accessing required expertise; b) identifying development; and c) collaborating in policy formulation? partners for activities and product development; and c) collaborating in oolicv formulation? What adjustments would you make to the work done/being done? Can you tell me about something that perhaps didn't work and what you think might have been done to improve the outcome or long term result? What other types of Environmental Education and Communication models are being employed in the field which complement or compete with GreenCOM models? Are there lessons that can be learned? Who are the other significant players in this field in the various project areas? What strategies are they using for implementation? What are the lessons learned from these partnerships relevant to the design of future GreenCOM investments? What major changes in the landscape of Environmental Education and What major changes in the landscape of Environmental Communication in global development have impacted, changed, or influenced Education and Communication in global development have GreenCOM over time? impacted, changed, or influenced GreenCOM over time? What alternative approaches should be considered in future GreenCOM activities? Has GreenCOM evolved into something that could contribute to other sectors bevond environment? What changes have been adopted as a result of your work with GreenCOM? How would you describe the impact of GreenCOM's work? How does the GreenCOM portfolio of projects relate to, support and enhance the portfolio of other USAID/EGAT/LRM and supported partners working in related areas? (e.g., economic growth, poverty reduction, democracy and governance, rule of law, conflict mitigation, health)? 89 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 EXPLORATORY QUESTIONS FOR THE EVALUATION TEAM-FOR RECOMMENDATIONS A,(.dA KEY QUESTIONS . FOLLOW ON Evolution of GreenCOM Have there been changes in context for Communication environment, strategies, and for Sustainable Development over the period of the past 12 methodology years? How has CFSD evolved? How robust are the theories of new methodologies? Are there new models for CFSD? And, how has GreenCOM been involved in these chansz:es? Follow-on Activities and the Is there a need for a follow-on activity? If so, what should What would USAID gl!in by continuing to provide Future be its purpose and what would be its key elements? Should funds for GreenCOM's CFSD? What would USAID CFSD be applied to future USAID Natural Resources lose, if it did not continue to fund it? How has the Management and other sector's activities? Why? How country or region of countries benefited from should CFSD be applied to future USAID development GreenCOM? Is it a worthy investment for the activities? American ""ODie? Best Practices and Lessons What elements of the Green COM methodology should be What revisions or new design, scope, portfolio of Learned retained? What should be changed? activities and approaches are recommended for future GreenCOM activities? What alternative existing models should be examined? What GreenCOM activities produced the most sustainable, beneficial changes to biodiversity, coastal resources, energy & climate, environmental policy, forests, gender. hazardous materials, parks and protected areas, solid waste, sustainable a!!ri.culture, or water? If there were to be a future program, what approaches might USAID take to foster innovation within the scope of achieving the goals and objectives of the proornm and of the Agency? Capacity Building and Is there potential for partnerships in applying CFSD to Collaboration develooment activities? Describe. 90 ~ ~· GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 F. Biographies of Team Members GREENCOM EVALUATION TEAM Team Leader David B. Sachsman David B. Sachsman holds the George R. West, Jr. Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs at the rank of Professor. He came to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in August 1991 from California State University, Fullerton, where he had served as Dean and Professor of the School of Communications. Previously, he was Chair of the Department of Journalism and Mass Media at Rutgers University. Dr. Sachsman is known for his research and scholarly activities in environmental communication and environmental risk reporting and for the three editions of Media: An Introductory Analysis of American Mass Communications (which he wrote with Peter M. Sandman and David M. Rubin). Dr. Sachsman is co-author, with Sandman and Michael R. Greenberg, of three books/monographs, and six articles on environmental risk communication published in 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990, and his research and writing on this topic dates back to 1971-and continues to this moment, with three papers and presentations in 1993, three presentations in 1994, three papers in 1995, book chapters in 1996 and 1997, a paper presented in 1998 and published in 1999, a paper presented and published in 2000, a second paper presented in 2000, a paper presented in 2001 and published in 2002, a paper, a presentation, and another article in 2002, an edited book, a book chapter, a paper, and two presentations in 2003, an article, a presentation, and a paper in 2004, and two papers in 2005. His Stanford University dissertation concerned the influence of public relations on environmental coverage. Dr. Sachsman received his B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication from Stanford University. Dr. Sachsman served as a Senior Fulbright￾Hays Scholar in 1978-79 in Nigeria, where he helped plan for the development of one of the first mass communication graduate degrees in West Africa. He has been involved-mostly as a principal investigator-in a number of large research projects sponsored by institutions such as the Hazardous Substance Management Research Center in New Jersey, the California Department of Transportation, and the California Department of Health and Human Services. These projects have received grants and contracts totaling more than $840,000. Specifically, Dr. Sachsman served as Principal Investigator (with Sandman and Greenberg) of the Environmental Risk Reporting Project and the Risk Communication Project at Rutgers and the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey Robert Wood Johnson Medical School before moving to California in 1988. He continued to be an active researcher of the Environmental Risk Reporting Project until its completion in 1990. This research was supported as a project of the Hazardous Substance Management Research Center. In 2000, he rejoined his former teammates to work on the third edition of The Reporter's Environmental Handbook, which was published by Rutgers University Press in 2003. Evaluator JoAnn Myer Valenti, Ph.D. JoAnn Myer Valenti, science and environment communication/development specialist, received a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources, and both a B.S.J. and M.A. in mass communication from the University of Florida. Dr. Valenti has served on university undergraduate and graduate faculties for over 25 years: the University of Michigan (Teaching Fellow), the University of Tampa (tenured Assoc. Professor and Director of Writing Composition Program), the University of Florida (tenured Assoc. Professor and Head of Graduate Program in Public Relations), Brigham Young University (tenured Full Professor, emeritus status awarded 2003), Sage Colleges (Troy/Albany, NY, recipient of endowed chair), and Westminster College 91 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 (Salt Lake City, UT, visiting professor in graduate communications program). She is a frequent invited lecturer/workshop leader in academic, business, government, non-government organization, and not-for-profit settings. Her work has appeared in over one hundred publications, both peer-reviewed and special interest media, earning outstanding research awards from national associations and recognition within the international community of scholars. She is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) officer and Fellow, and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Religion and Media and the international journal Science Communication. She is a founding member, past executive board member, and editorial board member (SEJournal) of The Society of Environmental Journalists. Dr. Valenti is also the co￾founder and facilitator of the annual National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) Environmental Journalism Fellows Program based in Hawaii. Leading environment reporters and science writers selected competitively from worldwide media have participated in NTBG's in situ course over the past decade. Dr. Valenti, a native Floridian, currently resides between Salt Lake City, UT and Tampa. Evaluator Marisabel Sanchez As a communication expert, Ms. S~nchez has over 15 years of experience in social marketing, media, and public relations. She has designed strategic outreach and marketing campaigns; evaluated awareness and education interventions; conducted research studies; and implemented knowledge dissemination programs. Internationally, she has provided project leadership and communication expertise under TASC2 for the South American Infectious Disease Initiative and the Health Technology Review for USAID Global Health, and is currently consulting with the Pan American Health Organization on a Risk Communication initiative for infectious diseases. For Earth Voice, the international environmental wing of the Humane Society of the United States, she has provided technical public relations expertise for The Condor project in Patagonia and Lake Texcoco/NAFTA efforts in Mexico. Nationally, Ms. Sanchez has worked with clients such as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); the Center For Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT); the National Eye Institute (NEI); the National Institutes of Health - National Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on large-scale technical assistance programs focusing on communications and social marketing. As a media producer, she has won the Mercury Award, Addy, Best Radio Documentary Award for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Mark of Excellence: Best Radio Documentary by the Society of Professional Journalists. 92 ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 F. Individuals Consulted Ayman Afifi, Head of the Rangers Red Sea Protectorate, Egypt Amr Ali, Managing Director HEPCA, Egypt Irma Allen, Consultant, EE&C Specialist Chemi:mics Fabricio Altamirana, Director of Guanaqufn El Diario de Hoy, El Salvador Juan Marco Alvarez, Executive Director SalvaNATURA, El Salvador Miguel Araujo, Minister Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador Sylvia Atalla, Program Manager Assistant US AID/Egypt Dr. Hassan Abou Bakr, Trainer GreenCOM, Egypt Kate Barba, Former CTO GreenCOM Balmcire Barrientos, Director of Social Communication Ministry of Education, El Salvador Jerry Bauer, Former CTO GreenCOM John Beavers, Director of Projects The Nature Conservancy, Guatemala Barbara Belding, Director USAID Environment Office, Bolivia Scott Bode, Environmental Officer, Office of the Environment and Science Policy USAID/EGAT/ESP Bette Booth, Technical Training Specialist AED/GreenCOM 93 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Rick Bossi, Latin American Coordinator AED/GreenCOM Benjamin Bran, Director Interino Consejo Departamental Usulutan COMURES, El Salvador Jean Brennan USAID Forestry Team Ciro Calderon, Environmental Education Specialist Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador Gladys Canas, Ganadora Premio Periodimo Ambiental El Salvador Jorge Cardona, Manager The Nature Conservancy, Guatemala Brad Carr, Director, Environmental Office USAID/El Salvador Lidia Castillo, Director Ceprode, El Salvador Mauricio Chacon, Technical Assistant FOGAPEMI, El Salvador Rolando Checa Campos, Departamento de Seguridad y Ambiente, Panama Tito Coleman, Senior Technical Specialist AED/ GreenCOM Brian Day, Former Project Director AED/ GreenCOM Juan Hector Diaz, Director for Environment and Security Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Panama Ana Celia Dominguez, EE&C Specialist AED/ GreenCOM, El Salvador Jorge Dominguez, Environmental Education Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador 94 GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Dr. Nadia Makdram Ebied, Former Minister of the Environment Ministry, Egypt Rosa Elena de Guevara, Jefe de Proyectos Complementarios Ministry of Education, El Salvador Amani Gama) Eldin, Project Officer USAIDEgypt Marcos Encalada, President OIKOS, Ecuador Jose Ernesto Navarro Marin, Vice Ministro de Salud Ministry of Health, El Salvador Dr. Wadie Fahim, Project Officer US AID/Egypt Eng. Hany Farid, Local Contractor Egypt Waeal Abdel Fattab, Assistant Director Red Sea Protectorate, Egypt Holly_ Ferrette, Natural Resources Officer Red Sea, Egypt; Bolivia Jeff Fredericks, Chief of Party LIFE-Integrated Water Resources Management Project (IWRM), Egypt Enrique Fuentes, Leader, National Parks SalvaNATURA Ana de Royo Gerente, Manager, Tourism Experience Panama, Panama Julio Gonzalez FAS, Panama Roberto Gonzalez Alcalde Municipio Santiago de Maria, El Salvador Mona.Grieser, Former Country director, Jordan Director of Water Efficiency and Public Information Project Richard Grieser, Resident Advisor 95 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 GreenCOM I Mali Cheryl Groff, Sr. Environmental Education & Awareness Specialist GreenCOM III Team Leader/ Egypt Josue Luis Guzman, Minister Ministry of Education, El Salvador Fawzy Abdel Halim, Head of Environment Department Abram Newspaper, Egypt Sam H. Ham, Consultant University ofldaho, ID Dr. Emad Hassan Nexant, Egypt Denis Hernandez GEMAS, Panama Roberta Hilbruner, Current CTO GreenCOM US AID Maritza Jaen SONDEAR, Panama Dr. Sherif Kandi! AED/ERP, Egypt Amr Koura, Consultant Director, Al Karma Productions, Egypt Cristobal Ladino, Park Ranger Monte Cristo National Park, El Salvador Ximena Leiva Defensores, Guatemala Sue Lomenzo, Project Director GreenCOM Oliver Madrid IDEAS, Panama Eng. Gamil Mahmoud, Head of IWMU LIFE, Egypt 96 ( GHS-I-00-03-00037-00 03 Richard Mangrich, Director Economic Growth US AID Ana Marta de Najarro, Directora Tecnologfa Educativa Ministry of Education, El Salvador Nestor Martinez Periodista Activo en Diarior Colatino, El Salvador Graciela Martiz FUDIS, Panama Doug Mason, Protected Areas Specialist USAID Environment Office Jose Ignacio Mata, Former Resident Advisor LAC, El Salvador Rony Mejia, Consultant GreenCOM Maya Biosphere project with CONAP Yolanda Menjivar, Director, Guanaqufn Supplement El Diario de Hoy, El Salvador Tony Meyer, Former USAID Project Officer GreenCOM Susan Middlestadt, Ph.D., Senior Research Advisor AED Gaby Mikhail Image House, Egypt Marwa Mohsen, Publication Specialist AED,Egypt Martha Monroe, Communication Specialist AED Lynn Mortensen, Project Director AED/GreenCOM Stephen M. Mosely, President AED 97 GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Mahmoud Mourad, Vice Editor Ahram Daily Newspaper, Egypt Dr. Hesham Ali Moustafa, WCU Director WCU/Egypt Samia Nashed, Head of the Environment and Population Unit Red Sea Protectorate, Egypt Greg Niblett, Senior Vice President and Director, Social Change Group AED. Oscar Nunez, Executive Director Defensores de la Naturaleza, El Salvador Patrick Papania, Senior Communication Specialist AED/Egypt EEPP Bolivar Po, Subdirector AED/Panama Marta Liliaan Quezada, General Manager SalvaNATURA, El Salvador Waled Ramadan, Head of Communication Unit Red Sea Protectorate, Egypt Abdel Megeid Abdel Razek, Communication Director LIFE, Egypt Tim Resch, Tropical Forestry and Biological Diversity Adviser of the Bureau for Africa USAID/Washington Gary Robbins USAIDCairo Jose Ignacio Rodriguez, Former Resident Advisor US AID/LAC Mary Latino Rodriguez USAID/El Salvador Jose Romero, Consultant GreenCOM/El Salvador Brian Rudel!, AED Director 98 ( ( GHS-1-00-03-00037-00 03 Panama Jose Luis Samayoa, Director, General de Participaci6n Ciudadana Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, El Salvador Daisy Sanchez de Campos, Especialista en Educacion Ambiental Ministry of Education, El Salvador Neveen About Shadi, Communication Manager AED/ERP Bill Smith, Vice President AED Dr. Avelino Urena, Director Nacional de Ganderia MIDA Panama Oscar Vallarino The Nature Conservancy/Guatemala Anthony Vance, Associate Director USAID/Egypt Carlos Vargas, Hydrologist Panama Cain Vega, Ranger Monte Cristo National Park, El Salvador Shoroke Zedan, Coordinator of the Community Youth Mapping Effort AED/ERP/Egypt Alberto Aleman Zubierta, Administrator Panama Canal Authority (ACP), Panama 99