City and Country Governments are Setting Shining Examples

The Cities and Counties (C&C) Project is an information campaign targeted at U.S. cities and counties. Because cities and counties are large energy users, this project aims to inform our audience about opportunities to save energy and dollars by using energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies. The project presents actual success stories--with demonstrated energy or dollarsavings--written for nontechnical decision makers in local governments. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the C&C Project is a multifaceted campaign including 30 fact sheets, a resource guide, an order form, a file folder, an evaluation card, a press kit, an exhibit, a special insert in a national publication, and on-line publishing. Distribution of these materials was based on adetailed marketing plan. We developed this plan using information gathered from an informal poll of various organizations that serve city and county government officials. The response rate for the project has been almost 21%, a phenomenal response. (Typically, response rates of 3% to 5% are considered successful results for a direct-mail campaign). Perhaps the most meaningful results are thatnine respondents who returned evaluation cards have indicated that they are planning to initiate a new energy-efficiency project or improve an existing one. An actual change in behavior is the highest impact we could have hoped for. This paper describes the methodology of the project in more detail and presents summaries of some of the exciting local projects featured in C&C materials.