The panel discussion focused on advancing education around Colorado's most pressing environmental issues. Panelists from various state departments and organizations discussed key issues like improving air quality, addressing abandoned mining sites contaminating water sources, breaking the social norm of silence around climate change, and developing new strategies to deal with a growing population and limited water resources in Colorado. The panelists emphasized the importance of tailoring messages to different audiences, exploring local environmental issues before global ones, and engaging people through direct experiences with the environment.

1. 2016 Firestarter Panel Discussion: Advancing Education
on Colorado's Most Pressing Environmental Issues
How do we fill the education gaps surrounding Colorado’s most pressing environmental issues?

2. Panelists:
Christopher Dann: Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Ginny Brannon: Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Maria Talero: Climate Courage Education and Organizing
Sarah Johnson: Colorado Foundation for Water Education

3. Christopher Dann: Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment
Air quality is getting significantly better in CO since past decades. Almost any measure you can use tells us
that it has improved. One of the biggest communication challenges with air quality is that ozone is good
and bad, helping people understand the nuances of ozone.

4. Ginny Brannon: Colorado Department
of Natural Resources
Mining laws were not passed until 1977. Now,
Colorado’s mining compliance rates are over 99 percent.
But the “prelaw sites” are where the issue is. There
were 23000 abandoned sites in CO but about half of
them are closed now. About 500 of them have
environmental problems, 230 of them are draining into
our water, a huge water contamination issue. There is a
bipartisan coalition currently working on legislation to
help address these problem sites.

5. Maria Talero: Climate Courage
Education and Organizing
Climate change has a very large issue public
(percentage of population that is paying attention to an
issue), it has a larger issue public than any other major
issue. The Center for Climate Communication at Yale
surveyed the American public and found that 45% of
Americans are in the highest level of concern about
climate change, but there is a social norm to not talk
about it. 75% of Americans rarely or never talk about
climate change. We are constantly engaged in a social
norm of silence around the issue of climate change.
These researchers and Torro are developing tools to
help break the silence.

6. Sarah Johnson: Colorado Foundation
for Water Education
Water is a huge issue in Colorado, from skiing to gardening,
especially with the large number of people moving here.
Most of the water in CO is used for outdoor water use,
including agriculture. With climate change, drought and
increasing population we have a huge issue on our hands.
The Colorado Water Plan is an administrative plan to assess
existing water education and to work towards creating new
education outreach to fill those gaps. Local basin grounds
people are also working on new strategies on how to deal
with more and more people and less water. CO is one of
the only headwater states in the nation, meaning that
water originates here and then leaves. Johnson’s role is to
grow the education network.

7. What are the most important things we can do to
engage Coloradans in environmental issues?
Tip 1: Tailor your message for the Audience
Tip 2: Be Developmentally Appropriate
Tip 3: Explore Local Issues before looking at Global Issues.
Tip 4: Get people engaged with direct experiences to get them excited
about the environment.
Tip 5: Be sure to include the views and perspectives of multiple
stakeholders when exploring issues.

9. Tailor your message for the Audience

11. Get people engaged with
direct experiences to get
them excited about the
environment.