Educating with controversial issues

Extension's efforts to cooperate with communities facing environmental decisions resulted in a public meeting about the issue of land application of sewage sludge. Strengths in leadership, organizational skills, and presentation of technical information in a user-friendly manner allowed Extension to be recognized by all involved as a source of non-biased, research based, factual information. A key to success of this type of program is the format of the meeting. The authors address important issues to consider when designing public meetings to assure that all viewpoints will be heard and that individual biases are minimized.