Albuquerque's Environmental Story

Educating For a Sustainable Community

A Process Manual: The Replication Process

Please note that italicized sections refer to the methods used in the Dade County or Monroe County replications.

  1. Getting Started

    1. Initial Planning

      2. Set up an ad hoc advisory committee of key local people. This committee should be comprised of decision makers or their assistants, from the city planning department; the public school system; representatives of environmental and environmental education groups; members of the local college/university communities, forward looking public officials, historic preservationists; architects concerned about the community’s built environment and representation of the private sector with a reputation for public interest support.

      The Monroe County committee found that it was very important to get community involvement at the earliest stage of planning. They used the local radio and newspapers to promote the project. They also sent out a letter over the School Superintendents signature to establish credibility.

    2. Early meetings of the Advisory Committee Meetings

      1. Explanation of the background of the AES and Dade County Environmental Stories. (DCES)

      2. Orientation to AES and DCES. Suggest that committee members visit the AES website prior to the meeting to become familiar with the book.

      3. Assessment of the ad hoc committee’s reactions:

        4. • suitability of the concept of the books for the local area
        • extent of interest and potential personal commitment on part of those present
        • group’s assessment of possible local support for some type of adaptation or replication of book.

      4. If possible, arrange to meet with an author or editor of AES or DCES.

    3. Later meetings

      1. Discussion of possible content of a book suitable for the local area.

      2. Identification of possible sources of funding and in-kind support

      3. Identification of people who might assume leadership in preparation of book: coordinator(s); senior writer(s); editor(s); artist(s).

  2. Further Planning

    1. Establish a project-planning group comprised of selected members of the ad hoc advisory committee as well as people identified as coordinators, senior writers, and editors.

    2. Develop a general outline for the book. Identify the natural areas to be included. Select the communities or areas for "Sense of Place" and the environmental concerns to be used in the Environmental Topics section.

    3. Based on the projected outline for the book, consider possible writers.

    4. Set up a timeline for the project.

  3. Funding

    1. Contact the City Planning Department and the local Public School for "in-kind" contributions. (e.g. writing, word processing, duplicating, editing, proofreading, photographs, maps, graphics, etc.).

    2. Seek financial assistance from local utility companies, private foundations, city general funds, state, or federal grants.

    3. Arrange with a non-profit group having tax exempt status to receive and administer grants. The usual fee for performing this task should be waived as an in-kind contribution.

    Preparation of the Dade County Environmental Story was well advanced before any funding was secured. A small private foundation, contacted during the initial planning stage expressed great interest in the book and indicated intention to commit $5,000 when the project was closer to becoming a reality. No further attempts were made to secure funding until approximately one-fourth of the manuscript had been written.

    At that time, a grant of $7,000 was obtained from the Florida State Department of Education to prepare a camera-ready manuscript. This money was spent for editing, illustrations, and adaptation of the activities in AES.

    An additional State Department of Education grant of $10,000 was received the following year to meet the cost of printing 2,300 copies of the book. The $5,000 was received at this time and was applied toward printing.
  4. Development of the manuscript

    1. Written text

      1. Outline the contents of the book.

        1. Decide on the number, topics, and order of sections to be included.

        2. Select subsections or sections from AES or DCES to be used with minor adaptations.

      2. Select writers of text and activities

        1. Contact agency personnel, university faculty, environmentalists, and other concerned and involved citizens who have expertise in the various subjects to be covered.

        2. Explain that all writing must be done as in-kind contributions.

        3. Give writers copies of AES or DCES to use as models. Or refer to the Internet at http://www.cabq.gov/aes

        4. Provide writers with written overviews of the length, scope and purpose of the articles they have been asked to prepare.

        5. Select teachers with expertise in science and social studies to adapt AES activities for local use.

        Generic activities from AES were modified to be applicable to local conditions for the Dade County Environmental Story. Some activities were used without any changes. A team of activity writers consisting of an elementary teacher, a science teacher, an English teacher and a social studies teacher were hired ($200, each) to produce new activities.
      3. Set Deadlines

        1. Allow two or three months for writers to complete tasks.

        2. Contact writers periodically by telephone to determine progress.

        3. Adjust deadlines as needed.

      4. Provide for Peer Review

        Contributing authors were asked to recommend a peer review they felt would provide professional review services and content expertise, and whose advice they respected. After the author’s rough draft was edited and returned to the author for approval, the material was forwarded to the respective peer review person(s).

      5. Edit and Rewrite

        1. Limit editing to changes in length and to correction of obvious errors. Standardization of style is unnecessary.

        2. Obtain written and dated approval of author.

          3. After final edit changes had been reviewed and approved by the author, authors signed, dated, and indicated approval to go to print ON THE COPY. Then all copies were filed.

    2. Word Process Manuscript

      3. Arrange for entire manuscript to be standardized in font and point size. Authors could submit their work on a standard word-processing format and then editing would be simplified.

    3. Obtain Illustrations

      1. Solicit recommendations for illustrations from authors, some of whom may wish to provide their pieces.

      2. Arrange for talented college or high school students to do much of the artwork.

      3. Obtain photographs from museums, historic preservation societies, planning departments, and other public agencies. Be sure to return any photographs the contributors wanted back.

    4. Preparation of Camera Ready Manuscript

      1. Use AES or DCES book design as model or arrange for an in-kind contribution of an alternative design.

      2. Select cover design, color of cover, stock and pages and font to be used. It should be possible to arrange for a sizable discount on paper.

      3. Solicit printing bids. Select a printer with a low bid and reputation for quality work. If possible, find a printer who will offer a substantial discount, as an in-kind contribution.

      4. Provide for safe storage of camera ready copy after books are printed.

    5. Creation of Multi-media Formats

      1. Solicit funding or in-kind contributions for the creation of CDs and Internet publishing

        2. With AES, in-kind and contributions from local businesses, the recent possibility of publishing for a multi-media market has occurred. Local governmental or educational foundations can help with the multi-media formats.

    6. Distribution and Implementation

      1. Decide in advance with grantors how books and CDs should be distributed.

      2. Give a book or CD to each person on credit page.

      3. Arrange for adequate storage facility for books and CDs until they are distributed.

      4. Provide for workshops when distributing books or CDs to teachers.

        5. Most of the DCES books were distributed to teachers attending workshops, which familiarized them with the philosophy, content and potential of the book. All contributing authors received three copies. All Dade County Public School Libraries received a copy. Remaining books are still being given out at workshops.

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Copyright © 2008, Friends of Albuquerque's Environmental Story