January 8, 2010 by Mark.

YERT has given loads of presentations at colleges around the country, and with the help of some pretty smart student organizers, we’ve developed a list of tips to help make any event more popular on campus. Please feel free to use these tips in your own event!

* Reserve speaker, apply for funding, reserve room space. This should be done (at least) 3 weeks in advance if possible.
o Be sure to talk to the appropriate IT people early as well to ensure that they can be there.
* Be sure the event is on your school calendar and can be found on the school’s website
* Once you know where/when the event will be, put up posters all over campus. 11×17 is better. Post them all over. A great place is on the inside of bathroom stalls so that you have a captive reading audience!
* Make a facebook group/event and invite all your friends! Be sure to send them reminder messages a couple of days before and the day of the event.
* Get the event in the campus and local newspapers. For local papers, you usually have to send them something like 2 weeks before the day you want it in the paper.
* If you have friends at the college radio station, get them to make some plugs for you in their show.
* Same goes for friends who work for the campus tv station. Even better if you can get them to screen one of the short videos.
* Send out emails to all with links to the videos to class lists or post them in a place online (in Bowdoin’s case the student digest) where most of the student body will see it.
* Make alliances with students! Email leaders of all clubs on campus who may find YERT interesting, from religious clubs to environmental groups to film clubs and get them to spread the word. Don’t forget to e-mail lists of students who are majoring in or studying environmental areas.
* Make alliances with professors! In your own classes you can write the date on the blackboard/whiteboard before class or ask to make a quick announcement. You can also ask professors to make announcements, make a powerpoint slide they can include at the beginning of their lecture, or try to show one of the short films if it relates to something you’re covering in class (especially if it’s an environmental studies class).

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January 8, 2010 by Mark.

I received a question from a YERT supporter a while back, and decided to post my response to this blog– they asked: What am I doing differently because of YERT? Here’s my answer…

“And what have I done differently since the trip? Well, I shop locally and organic whenever possible (co-op), seeking out bulk foods as my primary source of calories (oats, beans, lentils in 25-50lb bags). Bulk foods are cheaper and generally more healthy, and make less garbage! I’m almost vegetarian, and trying to only allow myself to eat meat if it is locally grown without added pesticides or fertilizers. I also don’t touch bottled water. Silly stuff. And I use handkerchiefs chronically. I wash all my clothes in cold water all the time. I’m living with family to cut costs so that I can finish the film– but as a result I basically get to bask for free in the energy that my family would use anyway to heat their house. I compost and recycle just about everything that I can. I support local sustainability initiatives like the 3RiversBioneers conference and Transition Pittsburgh with my time and technical equipment/expertise. I don’t buy holiday gifts– I cook them or find them or create them from re-used materials, or I make a card.”

I’d love to know if you have done anything differently since first hearing about the YERT adventure. Add your comment below or write to me at mark@yert.com. Thanks!!

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