Volunteer Opportunity

High Performance Development Standards Communication Team Member

GreenWR greenWRr.org is a grassroots citizens’ group encouraging the early adoption of Green (or High Performance) Development Standards to mitigate and slow down climate change.

High Performance Development Standards (HPDS) are important weapons in the fight against climate change, and important tools to moderate its disastrous effects.

High Performance Development Standards (often called Green Development Standards) are guidelines and rules for development which reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and transportation.

High Performance Development Standards (HPDS) increase the preparedness of buildings and neighbourhoods for heatwaves, flooding, and other climate change impacts.

They improve the health and well-being of residents.

They save residents and businesses money, by reducing energy and utility costs.

Communication Team Objectives

  • Convince all seven municipal councils in Waterloo Region to adopt a common set of High Performance Development Standards.
  • Educate municipal councillors about HPDS.
  • Show councillors how HPDS will benefit their municipality and be popular with voters.
  • Educate and convince people who influence councillors’ decisions, e.g. municipal staff and voters.
  • Increase public awareness of what High Performance Development Standards are, and especially their health and economic (inflation-fighting) benefits.

Goal

  • Develop a communication strategy to accomplish the above goals by September 2025
  • GreenWR, in conjunction with students in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Environmental Psychology 383 class, have identified the following tasks, as first steps. These may be revised or refined based on user testing and results.

Tasks

General

Website

Develop an easy to read attractive landing page for the GreenWR website.

  • Do usability testing of the GreenWR website with the “general public” i.e. people unfamiliar with HPDs: does it improve their general understanding of HPDS? does it answer their questions, etc.
  • Usability testing may lead to rewriting and/or redesign of some pages of GreenWR.org.

 

Social media

  • Determine which social media channels are best at reaching the 57 municipal councillors.
  • Develop social media posts which:
    • interest people in learning more about HPDS.
    • push /pull people toward the GreenWR website to learn more.
    • develop positive attitudes about HPDS.
    • educate people about the benefits of HPDS (in conjunction with website).
    • target decision makers and their influencers. This will likely involve analyzing the effectiveness of social media posts.

Other media

  • may include writing letters to the editor, op eds, contacting columnists, influencers.
  • may include assisting with presentations (e.g. powerpoint) to councils, staff, general public.

Work Environment / How it will work

Team will meet weekly with GreenWR to refine goals and objectives, establish project goals, report on progress, assess results, redefine goals and objectives as needed. Most meetings will be virtual.

Desirable Skills

  • Ability to translate planning terms and technical language into plain English.
  • Ability to research benefits of High Performance Development Standards, determinants of behaviour, etc.
  • Ability to create website content which appeals to the general public.
  • Ability to create personally appealing and engaging social media posts.
  • Excellent writing and communication skills.
  • Understanding of social media engagement and content performance metrics.
  • Understanding of website usability testing.

Are you interested?

To apply, or learn more, contact Kae Elgie at GreenWR:  kaeelgie@yahoo.com or call 519-635-8951.

January 13, 2025