In the County

Government is not a passive player in the business of trying to influence public opinion. The work of public relations firms in seeking from government favorable legislation and an amenable regulatory climate for its clients is well known. The activities of government publicists is less visible but no less energetic.

Recycling. Water conservation. Car pools. Everyone in favor, say aye. The vote is unanimous. No one is against preserving the environment.

But persuading people to collect leaves for mulch, to conserve water and to share rides to work is a tough job. It happens to be Carol Nation's job.

"I am selling expensive programs that need citizen participation to succeed," she says. And to do her job she has taken what she calls a noninstitutional approach, which is, she says, really an advertising and newspaper approach.

"I learned that good newspaper techniques—layout, principles of type, good writing, arresting illustrations—help sell these programs," she says.

She tries to make her brochures interesting as well as informative. Take the job she was handed to encourage Arlington residents to accept a pilot project to test a semiautomated refuse collection container called the Eagle-cart. "I was told similar campaigns in other major metropolitan areas had resulted in melees, public hearings and controversy," she says. "When I looked at the publicity put out by these cities, I noticed at once that material was 100 percent institutional.

"The brochures might be on fine paper and printed in full color, but on the cover would be a picture of a great big trash container, and inside would be a photo of a neighborhood street lined with these great big rolling trash containers."

The brochures were "about what citizens could do for the refuse collection system and nothing about what it could do for them," she said.

She took a two-pronged approach – an off-beat cover and a light approach to the content. Her cover, which she photographed herself, was of a young woman in her evening gown pushing the container to the curb. And the cover, which invited citizens to take part in the pilot project, stated:

PAMPER YOUR BACK

No More Lifting Heavy Trash Cans.

Nation had found through her research that back injuries are a major prob­lem in the country. "Back pain and injuries cost the nation an estimated $81 billion a year, and are a major cause of disability and lost time at work," she wrote in the brochure. The result: "We had an amazing 97 percent response rate from people who were willing to test the lightweight carts. There was no public opposition."

Some of Nation's brochures are used in public relations courses, and her noninstitutional approach has influenced governmental agencies around the country.

1. Match 1 – 6 with a – f to form expressions from Text 3.

tough noninstitutional car public pilot off-beat

project job cover approach pool opposition

2. Now match the expressions to these equivalent expressions:

1. a carefully planned piece of work to test whether people accept it or not;

2. an unusual and unexpected front page of a book, brochure etc;

3. a group of car owners who agree to drive everyone in the group to work, school etc. on different days so that only one car is used at a time;

4. a difficult task;

5. a method of doing something which is based on human interest to a problem;

6. a strong disagreement of society with something such as plan, a law, or system.