Changing the Narrative on Renewable Energy

Kelly RiggDirectorVarda Group for Environment and Sustainabilitywww.vardagroup.org@KellyRigg

Debunking the Myths;Creating a new Mythology

REN21 Renewables Academy 2014

Clashing Mythologies

• “To fuel the economy and provide new jobs we need action to find and develop new supplies of energy within the US.”

• Offshore drilling for oil and gas, coal, nuclear – cut red tape and encourage investment.

• “We think most people understand this, and believe as we do”

Good vs Evil

“Think of this as an endless war,” Mr. Berman told the crowd at the June event in Colorado Springs, sponsored by the Western Energy Alliance, a group whose members include Devon Energy, Halliburton and Anadarko Petroleum, which specialize in extracting oil and gas through hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. “And you have to budget for it.”

Concerted Communications Strategy

Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

The Public Is Misinformed

Being Right Is Not Enough

Our Story

Communications Strategy

What Are the Features of an Effective Communications Strategy?

It Is More Than a Media Plan

It Fosters Dialogue

It Tells a Story

Campaign Strategy Ltd

Report on Non Accidental Wolf Related Deaths

Historical statistics showing trend in wolf-related non-accidental injuries involving minors (under the age of 16) in Central Regions. Daylight hours observations only. After column 3 the basis of calculation changes but the base sample remains the same. The trend is not significant but individual cases remain a cause for concern, especially in the small number which result in fatalities or close escapes. The figures speak for themselves.

Campaign Strategy Ltd

Our Stories Need to Inspire

• Be interesting, vivid, memorable• Be truthful and authentic• Be emotionally compelling• Have a moral dimension• Have heroes and villains• Use metaphors to reinforce, including

recasting those of the opposition• Start from where your audience is, not

where you wish it was

Heroes and Villains

Strange Bedfellows

Strange Bedfellows

Greenpeace and the WBCSD

Rapid Reaction and Repetition

100% Renewables

What You in the Renewables Sector Can Do

• Continue to demonstrate that they’re here, they’re working, their market share is growing , they’re cost effective, and they’re reliable – in both developed and developing countries alike.

• Remember, everyone would expect you to be advocates. This isn’t newsworthy. The single most important thing you can do is to provide the proof, and to provide validation for those who are pushing the envelope.