COMMUNICATING THE IMPERATIVES OF SUSTAINABILITY WITH A SENSE OF WONDER

"If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow."

Rachel Carson, author of the best-selling book Silent Spring, wrote those words in a later book, The Sense of Wonder.

Her thoughts were echoed in a recent NRC report, Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability.

How do we communicate this imperative to the public at large? A 2004 NSF survey found that most people get their information about science--including sustainability issues--from the media: print, broadcast, and now, the Internet.

The challenge and opportunity for scientists is to make sustainability relevant to the everyday lives of these readers and listeners. Science news "consumers" are hungry for information, and are asking: how does this subject relate to me personally? Knowing the audience is therefore key to communicating the sustainability imperative.

Surveys show that people are particularly drawn to science stories that convey a sense of wonder about the complexities, and future of, our planet--in essence, about Earth's sustainability.