The Social Capital Project is part of The Resource Innovation Group, a nonprofit sustainability and global climate change education, research, and technical assistance organization. TRIG's Social Capital Project aims to increase public support and engagement in environmental and climate policies and programs. In conjunction with its growing network of practitioners from nonprofits, government, and business, the Social Capital Project develops and promotes best practices in environmental communications and behavior change through research efforts, training program, pilot public engagement projects and by providing technical services.

Creative Social Marketing                                                                             
We’re rethinking what it means to be “green.” Communicating about the environment doesn’t mean selling issues to people, it means looking at long-term trends and conveying core concepts that shape values.  With an in-depth understanding of the American public’s social values, we bring knowledge of cognition and behavior change into the program design process to develop robust campaign and communications strategies. Recognizing that the “public” is not all the same is a critical aspect of developing effective public engagement strategies. 
 
Research-Based Strategies
We've produced some of the largest studies on public engagement in environmental issues and global warming that are being used by more than 400 organizations. Our social values research segments the public into ten distinct groups based on how people think of the environment and their role in protecting it. Our values data is mapped down to the census block level in the Pacific Northwest allowing us to target specific segments of the public based on their social values and environmental views. Our global warming research offers new insights on how to reframe the issue to promote behavior change and fill the gaps in the public’s understanding of global warming and its impacts.
 
On-the-Ground Campaign Experience                                                         
With both research expertise and practitioner experience we offer a full range of services from research design, strategic guidance, as well as production, execution, and evaluation of public engagement campaigns. As part of The Resource Innovation Group we bring with us a wide range of resources and networks.

Staff

Cara Pike Director, Social Capital Project Cara Pike is the Founder and Director of the Social Capital Project and Climate Access. Her work has resulted in the creation of the Ecological Roadmap, a segmentation study of the U.S. public based on social values; Climate Crossroads – A Research-Based Framing Guide; Climate Communications and Behavior Change – A Guide for Practitioners; and most recently, American Climate Attitudes. Cara was formerly the Vice President of Communications for the leading nonprofit environmental law firm Earthjustice, where she created and ran a full-service internal communications agency for the organization’s eight offices, policy arm and international program. With a Masters of Science in Environmental Communications from California State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Communications and Environmental Science from McGill University, Cara has a deep understanding of environmental issues and how they intersect with cultural trends and concerns. She speaks regularly on green marketing and social change and contributed to Strategies for the Green Economy published by McGraw Hill in October 2008. Cara was a founding board member of the Global Footprint Network, is a member of David Suzuki's Stonehouse Standing Circle, serves on the boards of Resource Media and the Hollyhock Educational Foundation, and is a Senior Fellow at Willamette University's Center for Sustainable Communities. Meredith Herr Senior Associate, Social Capital Project Meredith Herr is dedicated to building an engaged base of public support for climate action through cutting-edge communications strategies. A core part of her work at the Social Capital Project is her role as the webmaster of Climate Access. Before joining the Social Capital Project (originally at Earthjustice), Meredith was an Assistant Research Scientist at the Research Center for Leadership in Action where she investigated the relationship between personal and societal transformation with grassroots social change leaders. Using Participatory Action Research methods, Meredith reported on nonprofit leadership development and intergenerational partnerships. Meredith has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Vassar College where she focused on the sociological impacts of the built environment, and a Masters of Public Administration in Public Policy Analysis from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Meredith is a Senior Fellow at Willamette University's Center for Sustainable Communities. David Minkow Editor, Social Capital Project David Minkow is a writer/editor for the Social Capital Project and Climate Access. Previously, for more than a decade, he was a producer with KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, first as producer for Forum, a daily live public affairs program, and later as senior producer for Health Dialogues, a monthly statewide radio program. David has also worked as an editor (The Daily Journal), newspaper reporter (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Monroe Evening News), and freelance radio producer (CBC Radio). He has a masters of science in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and a bachelor of arts degree from Duke University.