Clean Transportation
Andrea has worked on various projects focused on spreading awareness about clean transportation, as the state of California phases out gas-powered vehicles and prepares for the switch to zero-emission cars and trucks on the roadways by 2035.
Beyond the challenge the state faces to transition the public to clean mobility options, California has an enormous undertaking on the infrastructure side too. The state will need to strategically provide enough charging stations on the roadways for drivers, while simultaneously improving the main electrical grid to support the energy demand for them. Clean technologies such as solar array carports and microgrids are expected to be a large part of the equation.
To educate Californians about what’s to come, Andrea helped launch a state program called Access Clean California. She helped break down complex subject with compelling and educational copywriting, content creation, video production, and press outreach. Her work was used as an example by the state of what effective public outreach on this matter can look like.
Andrea worked with Access Clean California over a one-year period. She was tasked with spreading awareness about the program, which offered clean transportation credits to underserved communities in rural settings. A core focus of the project focused on helping tribal communities transition to EV or hybrid vehicles using effective outreach modalities. Andrea focused on informing the public with engaging video and photography storylines, and crafting impactful copywriting to go along with it. One of the key elements of the campaign involved a testimonial video of a Hoopa Valley tribal member. Andrea shot, edited, and produced the story that highlighted the tribal member’s value-driven decision to drive a hybrid and live sustainably. The content and outreach efforts were showcased at the state level as a successful model of the programming - the story gained prominent attention from the Air Quality Resource Board.
Access Clean California Campaign
Electric Vehicle Testimonial Video
Clean Transportation Informational Graphics
One of the core objectives of the Access Clean California digital outreach focused on familiarizing people with electric vehicles, and answering common questions to ease concerns about issues such as “range anxiety." With a series of informational graphics, Andrea educated people about the benefits EVs offer, covering topics like how much fuel and maintenance savings one can expect. Further, Andrea touched on the different levels of EV charging stations and what each one entails. In this case, the copywriting focused on how long it takes an EV to charge, and how far an EV can go on a full battery. The informational graphics were promoted on social media and resulted in people signing up for the program.
Clean Transportation Picture Campaign
To illustrate a small community success story, Andrea highlighted how a Native American Tribe transitioned its government fleet to clean vehicles and how it is possible for other communities to do the same. Through a picture campaign, Andrea highlighted how the tribe successfully switched to a zero-emission government fleet and transitioned its public transit to electric shuttles. It even touched on more detailed topics such as how the tribe implemented construction projects in a more climate conscious way by using climate smart equipment and supplies. Andrea’s campaign spurred attention and inquiries from neighboring municipalities and the county, as they strive to implement their own climate action plans.
Electric shuttle feature
To visually show how small communities are using clean transportation in their day-to-day operations, Andrea highlighted an EV shuttle’s daily pickup route by producing a short but fun video story with informational graphics. It mostly consisted of aerial drone shots with the intent to show electric vehicle transportation in action.
The video successfully illustrated what clean public transportation can look like in the future, and familiarized people more with clean technology capabilities from a trusted voice in the community.
Access Clean California Public Outreach
To spread awareness about clean transportation credits and programs available for disadvantaged communities in Northwestern California, Andrea helped facilitate public engagement events where attendees could see if they were eligible for the program right on the spot. At outreach events, the public had the opportunity to test drive different types of EVs and visit informational booths. Staff were there to answer arising questions and enroll people in the program right away. This was fundamental in ensuring the program would succeed.
Andrea helped strategically guide which popular community events a presence of the program should be at and advised the team. Further, she produced a video of Access Clean California ast one of the festivals, which expanded community outreach even more - the video was used to demonstrate the grant deliverables had been met.
Press Event
Prior to Andrea’s focus on digital marketing and copywriting, she was a reporter for over a decade and worked at stations across the country. With her strong understanding of the news cycle, Andrea structured her press pushes around the timeliness of the clean transportation events and how they relate to current event topics that are popular in the mainstream media.
Andrea sent out a press release a week prior to a community outreach event and focused her copywriting on how the program can help California drivers and consumers become prepared for the upcoming transition. She previewed the event beforehand to get people to attend and also sent a press release to outlets afterward to summarize the event. The press outreach successfully helped the initiative gain visibility in local, tribal, state, and clean energy-focused publications.
EV Holiday Parade and Expo
To better familiarize the public with clean transportation, Andrea helped organize an electric vehicle parade and EV transportation expo. At the transportation expo, people could walk around and visit booths that highlighted key EV topics such as charging stations, maintenance and fuel savings, as well as the price range of different models available on the market.
And what better way to get the public engaged and excited about clean transportation than to have a little fun! An EV parade took place after the expo, and the route wrapped around community centers and went through neighborhoods. This successfully expanded the curiosity of the project as people stepped outside their homes to watch.
The event was picked up by the local paper of record, and a radio station held a remote live show at the holiday event.
