Fall 2016 Sustainability Roadshow

Over the summer of 2016, SCOPE partnered with Sarasota County Sustainability to host six Sustainability Road Shows across the county. These Road Shows were open to the public and were held at Fogartyville Community Media Arts Center, and at Gulf Gate, Fruitville, Jacaranda, Selby, and North Port Libraries.

The data workshops took SCOPE’s tried and true Road Show format of blending data presentation and round-table conversation, this time with a focus on sustainability. SCOPE staff presented on the state of sustainability in the county, including data on temperature change and air quality, land and water conservation, transportation and housing affordability, and more.  The Road Shows also included a presentation of some of the actions that Sarasota County residents are taking to live more sustainably, and then moved on to “Face to Face” conversations where attendees engaged in productive dialogue about the issues presented on and how to get involved.

Over 100 people attended these Sustainability Road Shows, coming from 22 different zip codes in Sarasota County and surrounding areas. Of the attendees that gave us feedback through an evaluation survey following the presentation and conversations, 77% reported that the Road Show had prompted them to make some behavior change in the future. Additionally, 76 participants filled out an action card that asked “What are you going to do to impact sustainability in Sarasota County?” On both the evaluation survey and the action cards, the action most commonly mentioned by Road Show attendees was “educate others about sustainability.” Other common actions included voting or lobbying for sustainable policy and getting involved with sustainability on a personal level, through education or other means.

If you want to keep learning about sustainability too, check out our website, where we have just posted the data presentation for the Sustainability Road Shows! To learn more about how you can get involved in local sustainability, visit the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension & Sustainability Calendar.