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Alternatives: Perspectives on Environment, Technology and Society
Call for Papers - Special Issue
Environmental Communication
Deadline for Submissions: December 8, 1995
Citizens depend on environmental communication for the information
they need to form their views of the ecological crisis. Communication is
central to the identification, prioritization, diagnosis and resolution of
environmental issues. For example, the success of activist endeavours often
hinges on how well they can capture public attention via their
communication strategies; governments rely on communication to test the
public mood and inform their constituencies of new policy choices; and
businesses use communication practices to manage their public images and to
sell products. Activists, governments and businesses are competing for
public attention and often present conflicting views.
Despite the central role of communication, little attention is paid to
the process itself and how it affects the environmental decisions made in
our society. Media representations of environmentalists and of
environmental issues may be creating serious misunderstandings about what
the problems are. The styles and forms of communications favoured in
society may be barriers to the types of change environmentalists hope to
accomplish. Yet often these things are so taken for granted by all of us
that they elude critique.
In this issue of _Alternatives_ we hope to generate critical
discussion of different aspects of the environmental communication process.
Contributors are strongly encouraged to ground their presentations with
practical examples and case studies. Though not limited to this list,
submissions are welcome on topics which include or combine the following:
* What special opportunities or barriers do the mainstream and alternative
media pose for the communication of environmental concerns?
* What role do communication styles (e.g. scientific vs. personal
experience) have in the interplay between governments, businesses,
activists and citizens, particularly in multi-sectoral groups such as round
tables or in public participation processes?
* How are new communication technologies, including computer networks,
affecting the work of environmental activists?
* How are supporters of deep ecology, ecofeminism, social ecology,
bioregionalism and environmental ethics altering their modes of
communication to better suit their philosophical goals?
* Are informal environmental information and action communities (i.e. town
hall meetings and salons) an effective way to share ideas and experiences
and to build a sense of community?
* How have environmental groups used their limited resources to find
creative ways to effectively communicate their messages?
* How can environmental academics and activists communicate with each other
in order to make their efforts complementary?
* What implications do corporate and government public relations campaigns
have for environmentalists?
_Alternatives_ is a refereed journal. Feature articles should be no
more than 4000 words, typed, double-spaced and submitted in three copies.
In addition to feature articles, shorter submissions related to the topic
are welcome. Authors should request a copy of our "Guidelines for
Contributors" for details on format.
To discuss submission proposals, contact the guest editors mark
meisner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or Mary Pickering
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> c/o Faculty of Environmental Studies, York
University, 4700 Keele St., North York, ON M3J 1P3 Canada.
Send submissions to Susanna Reid, Managing Editor, _Alternatives_,
Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 3G1 Canada, tel (519) 888-4545; fax (519) 746-0292.
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