SLCo Stormwater Coalition Member Outreach and Engagement Toolkit

We all know that awareness of an environmental problem does not automatically produce behavior change.

For stormwater programs, Resistance to Change may come from a combination of low perceived personal impact, established habits, inconvenience, competing priorities, weak social norms, and the well-documented gap between environmental attitudes and actual behavior. So, what can we do to make a real difference in our communities?

Stormwater pollution is particularly dependent on individual behavior. EPA specifically identifies littering, pet-waste disposal, lawn chemical application, car washing, motor-oil changes, and disposal of paint and household chemicals as individual behaviors capable of contributing to stormwater pollution. This makes public behavior change—not simply public awareness—an important component of effective stormwater management. 

This document extracts the Education, Outreach, and Engagement elements of the currently active Individual and Small MS4 General Permits