PUBLIC RELATION IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Another challenge of public relations in environmental management is how the people can be made to adopt the ethic of sustainable living. This time around, it is not about representing an organizational interest but about changing some of our lifestyles that are not in support of sustainable development. For instance, many people in our society today are voicing demands to protect nature and show responsibility for future generations but how many of them live it? Many people do not see how changing their behaviour would help others. This is a great challenge for the public relations specialist. Even those who accept the need to live differently often fail to follow their ideas. So the big question is, how do we resolve these issues and make sure that our environment is protected and that we achieve sustainable development, because the goal of environmental management is about sustainability. To my mind, people will adopt the ethic for sustainable living when they are persuaded that it is right and necessary to do so; when they have been able to obtain the required knowledge and skills.
Most times, formal educations do not give them the knowledge and understanding they need. Therefore, there is the need for a new approach to build understanding of human relation with nature would of formal education and the power of non formal education and communication must also be harnessed, though parental influence, newspapers and magazines, television and radio advertising and entertainment etc. This of course falls under the domain of public relation.
Public relation strategy is an effective tool in creating concern about issues such as deforestation. The loss of biological diversity local pollution and inappropriate development projects in our society environmental management can only be achieve when the great common cartons join in campaign aim at wider social change, base on the acceptance of the ethic for living sustainable.
Transforming people’s attitudes and practices require a concerted public information campaigns led by the public relation profession. Formal environment information and awareness creation need to be extended and more support given to training for sustainable development.
Emeka Jilly Ejiowhor
08039495237
