Certifications

In addition to hours of training in workshops and seminars, I've earned several certifications.

Earth to Sky Community of Practice Member & Certified Climate Change Communicator

Certified Interpretive Guide | Naturalist

I combine my years of journalism, marketing and advertising experience with my certifications in environmental education, nature interpretation and climate change communication to create materials and outreach campaigns to inspire and engage. Here are some examples.

Vultures are valuable members of the community. This project, designed for Bluestem Conservation Cemetery, included signage, volunteer training, translations, blog posts, social media and articles. It was funded by a mini-grant from the Environmental Educators of North Carolina. Click here to see the package.

Let's connect with nature. To help visitors to Triangle Land Conservancy's Williamson Preserve enhance their trail experience, I curated a set of nature connection activities. I developed kiosk signage and a companion downloadable activity sheet, and I led a nature connection walk at the property. As a way to encourage folks to connect at any TLC preserve, I penned blog posts on nature observation and journaling. Click here or here to read one of the posts and see photos of the installation.

Be a shark and ray fin-fluencer. I'm a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium's SAFE Shark & Ray Messaging Committee and one of our key functions is creating resources for member organizations to observe Shark & Ray Awareness Day. I'm pleased that my writing activity made the cut for a toolkit comprised mostly of "manipulatives". Click here to check out it!

These are my most popular workshops. Don't see what you need? I develop custom content, too, such as environmental storytelling with data, nature-inspired poetry-writing and nighttime walks. Email me to explore options!

Capture the Power of Your Ideas

The world needs to hear from you. This session is built around a framework for clarifying our ideas in an audience-centered way. A departure from the way most of us were taught to write, it challenges us to find the intersection between what we’re advocating for and what others need to give our ideas due consideration. We learn how to anticipate audience questions and objections, identify and deploy the most effective supporting details, and focus our work on clear outcomes related to perceptions, feelings and actions. In the process, we find our unique voice and infuse it into our work.

Participants choose their topics and share with the group for feedback. Sharing exposes everyone to topics of interest to our field, encourages lively and polite comments, and often surfaces multiple takes on the same topic, enabling us to explore nuances.

We review the traits that make advocacy writing effective (based on the 6 Traits of Good Writing) and models of published/broadcast/presented persuasive and opinion content. We then learn People-Information-Goals© Strategy to identify the main message; what we want people to think, feel or do; consider their objections and questions; and develop supporting details to serve our purpose and meet their information needs. Attendees have ample time to start their pieces, with opportunities for sharing and feedback with the instructor and peers.

Each participant receives a digital playbook including materials used in the class and additional content, including revision strategies and other resources. Equipped with a deeper understanding of what makes successful advocacy writing and a strategy to produce it, participants are better able to communicate and advocate effectively. Download the slide deck.

Write Your Climate Story

Did you know our personal stories about climate change are the most effective at moving people to action? Research proves it! But sharing about how we know climate change is real can be hard. That's why I developed this session for the N.C. Museum of Life & Sciences Youth Climate Summit.

Suitable for participants grade 3 through adults, it explores the value of personal climate stories and a writing strategy to create our own. We have time to plan and draft our stories, and those who wish to can share for comments from the group. Each person leaves with a story they can tell in the community to increase understanding, build connections and inspire action. They also receive a digital copy of the worksheet for future use.

Be a Nature or Climate Influencer

When we're excited about something or learn something new, we want to share it! Harness that with this easy-to-execute quick writing activity that can be delivered by formal and informal educators or self-guided. The worksheet helps folks of most ages come up with a bite-sized statement of support that's perfect for social media posts or comment walls.

This activity was originally developed for the AZA's Shark & Ray Awareness Day Campaign toolkit in 2023 and was updated for the 2024 observance. Download it here and scroll to page 31.

Writing for Advocacy & Fundraising

Board members are powerful advocates for your organization. They reach out to government officials, help you shape public opinion and make personal fundraising appeals.

This hands-on writing workshop helps them be more effective communicators. Using models from your organization,  we review the traits of effective persuasive writing in general and advocacy and fundraising in particular. This puts the criteria in context and provides examples to follow. I introduce a framework for capturing their ideas with a focus on what they want people to think or do and the information the audience needs to follow through. We then take a few minutes to draft a short statement. Participants can choose their own topics or you can provide prompts like “Why I support/give to this organization and you should, too”, “Why you should vote for/against this legislation”, “How our organization makes our community better”, etc. After a short sharing and revision session, participants complete their statements that they/you can use for testimonials, fundraising appeals and other outreach.

Be a Climate Storyteller

Data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication shows that personal stories about climate change are the most effective at moving people to action. Additional research from the Edelman Trust Barometer shows that many Americans feel scientists “don’t know how to communicate with someone like me” and that they trust “someone like me” as much as they do scientists and government officials. These relatable stories also deliver value for your supporters, reinforcing their loyalty and sense of belonging. In this session, I share the role of personal climate storytelling and teach a strategy to help members write their own. Even if you have scientists and other experts on your board, this workshop helps them reframe their stories. We workshop the stories as a group so each participant leaves with a story they can tell in the community and you can use in interpretation, education and outreach. They also receive a digital copy of the worksheet for future use.