From: Shaheen Hasan [shasan@publicagenda.org] Sent: Monday, April 20, 2009 5:50 PM To: Journal, Solar Subject: Earth Day Quiz and Other Resources for Journalists MEDIA ADVISORY: Here it comes – Earth Day – the observance dedicated to the idea that the more we know about energy issues and the environment, the better choices we'll be able to make about the way we behave, the technology we embrace, and the world we create for today and tomorrow. Forty years after the first Earth Day, how much have we learned? For that matter, how much do you know? Public Agenda, the nonprofit nonpartisan research and citizen's engagement organization, challenges you to take our quiz: Facts, Myths & What Most Americans Know About Energy (http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/true-or-false-facts-and-myths-about-energy). We think you'll find it an eye-opener, especially when you compare your answers to those in the national sample we surveyed for our most recent study, The Energy Learning Curve™ (http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/energy-learning-curve), on public attitudes, knowledge and opinion on proposals to change the ways we find, produce and use energy. The Energy Learning Curve™ was done in association with Planet Forward (http://www.planetforward.org), the web site and PBS TV show (http://www.planetforward.org/pbs-show-04152009) which brings experts and citizens to discuss energy issues, now accepting contributions for its May 21st web sequel in which the best viewer-submitted ideas will be presented to Van Jones, President Obama's green jobs advisor. Journalists working on Earth Day packages and subsequently covering energy and environmental issues may wish to make use of our resources page for Energy Issues and the Environment (http://www.publicagenda.org/pages/classroom-materials-for-teachers-on-energy-issues-and-the-environment), which includes the Citizen's Survival Kit guide to Climate Change; discussion guides on potential solutions; and Planet Forward's Fast Facts About Energy section, charts and graphs with some surprising truths. ________________ Public Agenda, www.publicagenda.org, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nonpartisan public policy research. Founded in 1975 by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, Public Agenda is well respected for its influential public opinion surveys and balanced citizen education materials. Its mission is to inject the public’s voice into crucial policy debates. Planet Forward, www.planetforward.org, is an innovative, viewer-driven program that debuts on the web first and then moves to television, in a primetime PBS special on April 15th (check local listings for exact show times), and then moves back to the web. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning CNN veteran Frank Sesno, Planet Forward is driven by the power of ideas, as citizens make their case for what they think about the nation's energy future. Planet Forward is a co-production of the Public Affairs Project at The George Washington University and Nebraska Educational Telecommunications in collaboration with Public Agenda and Sunburst Creative Productions. # # # # # # # # # # Contact: Shaheen Hasan 212-686-6610 ext. 50 or shasan@publicagenda.org Public Agenda www.PublicAgenda.org Headquarters 6 East 39th Street New York, NY 10016 212-686-6610 Washington Office 601 13th Street, NW, Suite 710 South Washington, DC 20005 202-719-9777