"This publication is designed as a handbook for environmental groups and government agencies that wish to undertake environmental public awareness activities and initiate environmental actions. It cannot and does not claim to be comprehensive for all users. Therefore it should be utilized in a flexible way. Use it for brainstorming ideas, for planning and designing your own programmes, for learning from our own experiences - both good and bad - and for useful contacts. It includes simple - and some might say "basic" - recommendations. This handbook does not pretend to offer systematic and comprehensive management tools. Experience in Mongolia has shown that keeping everything as simple and practical as possible enables a great number of NGOs, CBOs and concerned individuals to be involved. If diluted into too much terminology and details about state-of-the-art project cycle management, the process often leads to frustration and discouragement. The objective here is to foster action. Moreover, it is a process - we believe that one learns by doing. The sophistication in project design and implementation will grow as the programme continues and as support is provided to these organizations. For a first phase programme, getting the confidence of these organizations and individuals and harnessing their energy is the most important goal." (User guide, page 2)

"This handbook grew out of the experiences of the Mongolian Environmental Public Awareness Programme (EPAP). The Programme began with the idea that environmental groups should be given opportunities to create public awareness campaigns focusing on environmental issues. This would encourage grass roots action, allow these groups to build their capacities as NGOs AND help protect the environment." (Preface)