What is AEA’s role to support environmental consciousness and responsibility?

Led By Rodney Hopson

Should environmental responsibility be included in AEA statements, like “Environmental Consciousness Statement” or part of the guiding principles to clarify environmental consciousness?

Environmental data is often really complicated and difficult to understand. Making data interactive or personal to stakeholders can make it more useful. AEA could provide access to training, tools or guidance on how to communicate evaluation findings in multiple ways. AEA could also provide training, tools or guidance for identifying ways to make data or evaluation findings more relevant to the public. AEA could provide training or guidance on comparative analysis graphics.

Evaluators can do things themselves that demonstrate greater environmental consciousness and responsibility. 1) use less paper – However, going completely paper free could be an issue, but may be able to limit paper by providing just a few printed charts or executive summary. 2) Creating more virtual meetings rather than in person.

Evaluators can begin to include the environmental components or secondary environmental effects of evaluated things/activities in evaluations. If “we” as evaluators can do this; we catalyze a shift to more environmental literacy across clients and stakeholders. AEA can help by having a unified perspective and also by encouraging and influencing evaluation policy. AEA already has a policy group that has had some success; perhaps environmental consciousness could be another table that AEA comes to in policy.

Could AEA provide some partnership or forum to stimulate interchange and discussion between evaluators to talk about environmental communication. Evaluators might benefit from more frequent opportunities to discuss and share experiences in communicating environmental findings. AEA affiliates could include this in their existing role.