Evaluating the Effectiveness of Public Television as a Method for Watershed Education

We describe a program that evolved from Cooperative Extension educators\u27 concern about declining attendance at face-to-face workshops on environmental issues. As a result, we developed an education program comprising six television programs; a radio series; Web-based materials; and information supplied to libraries. We randomly selected individuals to complete a written survey assessing their environmental knowledge and commitment pre- and post-broadcast. Our analyses indicate that watching the television programs did not predict significant changes in environmental knowledge or commitment. Our study findings do not strongly support the effectiveness of using local public television as an environmental education tool

Home Buyers’ Guide: Financing and Evaluating Prospective Homes (NRAES 50)

This 72 page publication (NRAES-50) was originally published by the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service (NRAES, later known as the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service), a multi-university program in the Northeast US disbanded in 2011. Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS) was subsequently formed to manage the NRAES catalog. Ceasing operations in 2018, PALS was a program of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. PALS assisted university faculty in publishing, marketing and distributing books for small farmers, gardeners, land owners, workshops, college courses, and consumers.Whether you are getting ready to buy your first home or just want to brush up on your home-buying skills, this publication can help. It will take you through the important steps involved in buying a residence, from determining your ability to make payments on a mortgage to evaluating the floor plan and how your furniture will fit. But before you decide buying a home is the right thing for you to do, you should carefully consider your needs. Do you need more space or different kinds of space? Is your household likely to become larger or smaller or stay the same size? Will you need space for an elderly parent or inlaw? Will you need an area-for a home office or for a hobby-with special requirements? You may have to make compromises in trying to find a home to meet all your needs exactly. This bulletin was primarily designed to be used for informal adult education classes presented by local offices of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System. However, it is also written for individuals who are planning to buy a home, but who may not be involved in a formal or informal class. Finally, professionals and other individuals who routinely offer advice to prospective home buyers may find that this publication helps them present their advice within the broad context of the home-buying process