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With good ideas being muffled by today’s partisan divisions, starting a genuine dialog sometimes requires outside help. Some conservatives were becoming concerned that the Left was setting the agenda on environmental issues by itself, which was creating an obstacle to finding bi-partisan, common-sense solutions. Adfero began working with Environmental Defense, an organization with a more results-based approach than many similar environmental nonprofits, to craft an online strategy to involve the conservative community in the environmental debate. The goal was to go beyond political rhetoric, bringing conservative thinkers together over questions of climate change, renewable energy, and dependence on foreign oil.
Turning to the blogosphere as the ideal venue for such an effort, Adfero conducted several months of blog monitoring to track trends in conservative coverage of stories related to energy and environmental policy. Influential conservative bloggers with an interest in these issues were identified and approached: Tucker Eskew, Bill Tucker, Dr. Whit Ayres and the Rev. Richard Cizik joined as lead contributors.
By drawing on its experience in the online political scene and using a simple, interactive platform to encourage participation, Environmental Defense and Adfero were able to create a forum for the discussion of environmental goals from a conservative perspective.
The blog, christened Terra Rossa (“Red Earth”), is becoming the go-to place for conservatives to talk about environmental issues relevant to their politics – dependence on foreign oil, staying competitive in a challenging global economy, proper stewardship of creation, kick-starting America’s rural/farm economy – and propose solutions that appeal to policymakers and voters outside of the traditional environmental movement. |
The Challenge