When Superfund was promulgated, William Ruckelshous, the first head of the EPA, recommended that not only the risk to the public be known, but that it should be communicated to the public. Out of this came the field of risk communication, or the sharing with the public the level of risks they may be exposed to from hazardous chemicals in their back yard. As Peter Sandman has noted in his articles on risk communication, the core problem is a definition. To the experts, risk means expected annual mortality. But to the public (and even the experts when they go home at night), risk means much more than that, stirring up a sense of insecurity, confusion, powerlessness and skepticism or distrust.
Terra Mentis recognizes that on a fundamental level, people want and deserve to feel safe in their in their own home and within their daily life. There is an innate desire to provide a healthy and secure environment for loved ones including children and wildlife. Through extensive experience and training in environmental negotiations, Terra Mentis offers risk communication, scientific and psychological education with individuals and groups when working with environmental problems.