Science and HOAs: How Do They Intersect? [433]

Cynthia Wolloch shares her personal experience behind weaving science into her local HOA.
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Hi, I'm Cynthia Wolloch. I've lived in Pelican Cove for five years. I came here from Washington where I worked in the international exchanges field. I came here for the nature, and I was lucky to be able to draw on earlier experiences working with environmental professionals. One thing I learned here is that we have a community of people who are fascinated by their environment and eager to preserve it. Annual surveys show us we have 85% wanting to be proactive. So in a way it's quite easy to work, to help communicate, not only what the research is finding, but the significance of it. We work on things like educating people about plastics, pollution, about storm water run-off, about proactive ways, such as mini reefs to keep the water clean. And we're finding new ways all the time to engage our residents. It's a pleasure, not a hard job.