Nebraska Academy of Sciences

Keep Omaha Beautiful (KOB) engaged in a process of developing short educational videos to  promoted the actions that residents should avoid and the alternative/positive behaviors they can take to prevent stormwater pollution! Currently four 30-90 second videos are being made on:  

• Avoid blowing grass clippings into the street – Illustrate that it is illegal and environmentally harmful to blow grass clippings into the street where the yard waste can enter the storm drain system. Show how to sweep this waste back into the yard and/or confirm that a resident’s lawn service is properly handling grass clippings.
• Avoid blowing leaves into the street – Similar to grass clippings, illustrate how it is illegal and environmentally detrimental to blow leaves into the street. Demonstrate how to engage in “leaf mulching” with a lawnmower to benefit the soil/grass (as long as excess leaf fragments in the street are swept back into the yard) or alternatively bag leaves during the six-week special curbside collection period in the fall which is routed to the city’s composting facility.
• Avoid leaving pet waste or litter on the ground – Show residents picking up dog waste and disposing of litter properly. Address the sentiment that not only is it unsightly/inappropriate to leave litter and pet waste behind, but also that these materials harm local waterways when channeled into storm drains during rain events.
• Avoid dumping grease, oil, or anything else down a storm drain – Clarify that it is illegal and causes environmental damage, and illustrate how to properly dispose of contaminant liquids, such as cooking grease, motor oil, or other wastewater.

All four videos will be debuted via social media and other digital channels. The first video is already available on KOB's Facebook! 

KOB has found that most citizens want to do the right things to help protect a healthy environment but often, residents do not realize that their behaviors may be causing pollution, nor do they want to pollute, and they would prefer to have a positive impact on their community. This project educates residents about simple actions they can put in place to prevent stormwater pollution. By providing this education and modeling correct behaviors, KOB’s video project empowers residents to take the right steps to be good environmental stewards and avoid having a negative impact on the environment. In addition to people sharing the videos online via their social media channels, our hope is that they will continue to discuss the concepts with neighbors, friends, and even their lawn service companies. Research has shown that these word-of-mouth interactions have great potential for promoting sustainable behavior change.

Follow along and watch for the other videos' on facebook and/or instagram.