Expert Advice When You Need It Most

How You Can Use Public Participation to Improve Your World

Written by: Keith Robert Ainsworth

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Posted over 2 years ago. 0 helpful votes, 0 comments

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Get Involved

Local and state agencies make decisions that impact the health of your environment and can degrade the quality of life you lead. Many urban/suburban ills that collectively contribute to climate change, sprawl, habitat loss, flooding, loss of character, sense of place and history trace their roots to activities which are perfectly legal under existing environmental laws, but which are poorly regulated because the public trust is not represented. Many times clients hire me at the last minute or after the fact lamenting the ________(insert: cell tower, McMansion, mall, marina, subdivision, dock, condominium…) in their backyard. It need not be so.

Be Part of the Process

It isn’t a sordid conspiracy that drives the cumulative insults to our common spaces. Administrative agencies are designed to allow public participation through public comment, the submission of scientific materials or testimony and even through intervention as a party. The earlier you get involved and the more you arm yourself with information, the better. Most agencies are staffed by volunteers with varying expertise and limited time to investigate applications. Most applicants are well represented by engineers, consultants and attorneys. By intervening you can re-balance the equities of information to foster better decisions and shape outcomes.

Organize

Tap the resources around you. Many people enjoy being able to give back to their community using their expertise. Form a voluntary association or group and give it a dignified name like “The Shoreline Environmental Trust” or “The Westville Historical Preservation Group”.

Designate & Delegate

Choose a leader or co-leaders. Break up the issues into smaller assignments (neighborhood photos, resident species, historic resources, flooding, percentage of asthma/cancer incidents, architectural patterns).

Get Free Help

Enlist the help of elected officials and organizations like Soil & Water Conservation Districts (US Dept. of Agriculture), Audubon, Trout Unlimited, historical societies, The Nature Conservancy.

Add Local Expertise to the Mix

If the issue is technical, like stormwater calculations and flooding, nutrient impacts to downstream ponds, adaptive re-use of historic structures, environmental health threats posed by hazardous substances, retain an engineer, hydrologist, or other consultant to advise you or to submit testimony.

Always Stay Respectful and Dignified

Respect the agency members, keeping in mind that they often welcome constructive assistance and information unclouded by emotional pleas or ad hominem attacks. Take it from me. You’ll feel more connected with your community and more in control of your slice of the world. You’ll be giving back what a liberal arts education was designed to enable you to do.