Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board
Public education campaign
Branding, marketing, advertising, media relations, communication strategy
About Project
Dawn Erlandson worked as a communications consultant for the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB) for seven years (2002-2009). The SWMCB is a metropolitan regional body governed by counties. SWMCB hired Dawn and her colleagues to design and build a public education campaign to educate residents and businesses in the Twin Cities metro area about a variety of recycling issues including household hazardous waste disposal. She led the creation of a consumer friendly brand, the development of a website, multiple advertising campaigns and media relations efforts to elevate and drive website visits and behavior change.Aurora worked collaboratively with the Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board to create an imaginative, consumer–focused campaign asking the residents of the Twin Cities metropolitan area to Rethink Recycling, including efforts to properly handle e-waste. As a part of this campaign, Aurora designed, managed and placed advertising; coordinated relationships with major supermarkets and other business partners, and worked with the graphic designer on collateral material. Aurora maximized earned media potential through TV appearances, news releases, feature stories and development of an ongoing monthly column in the Twin Cities Sun Current weekly suburban newspapers, authored by Hennepin County environmental specialists on seasonal topics related to solid waste and recycling. Relationship with Sun Current newspapers was developed in 2009 and the columns continue today.