Consumers have started to drive less and appear to be keeping the driving down even as gas prices head down. Or so says a recent Wall Street Journal Online article. Less driving will likely reinforce three trends in Extension. One is the continued difficulty in getting clientele to drive to meetings and events. The second is a move toward more changes in work structure and social entrepreneurship. A third trend is subject matter specific: An increased market for energy programming related to conservation.
Our ability to attract audiences still appears to remain high, but converging societal trends make it difficult for all non-formal and volunteer based organizations to draw audiences. Gas prices have some impact, although there seems to be scarce research to demonstrate direct impacts. Regardless, Extension and outreach professionals will need to find alternative ways to connect with clientele and volunteers.
A bigger impact of fuel prices occurs internally. Many Extension and third sector organizations continue to face the double squeeze decreasing travel funds and rising fuel/reimbursement costs. Extension professionals essentially see their travel budges reduced while the per mile reimbursement increases. One impact from this dilemma is an increased focus on adopting (or more accurately, adapting) tools that allow for distributed collaboration.
Finally, consumers can and do change their behavior based on incentives. What new (or old) programming can we offer related to energy conservation?