We are share this planet and we are all responsible for confronting climate change.
How will we connect individuals and communities to each others stories? How can we empower all voices and craft compelling narratives in our urgent search for solutions?
This year at the Planet Forward Summit, we went all in to answer these questions, bringing together students, scientists, and storytellers from around the world to mobilize and empower each other to move the Planet Forward.
Select the video above to watch the first segment of the 2023 Summit. Click here to view the full playlist!
Know Your Audience, Grow Your Audience
Ed Maibach of George Mason University explained that concern over climate change is increasing while communication around it is decreasing.
He stressed how important storytelling is in people’s perception of the effects of climate change, citing polar bears as one of the most referenced topics when people think of global warming because of how often they are documented in photographs and highlighted as part of the narrative. He noted that we less frequently hear people’s personal experiences with extreme weather, or references to our health. Though evocative, polar bears don't capture the relevancy and weight of climate change on the average person's life, whereas human-centered stories can kindle a powerful source of empathy.
“This is our opportunity to tell stories that help people recognize that climate change is happening here, now, and to us."
Maibach identified six different categories regarding the public’s attitude toward climate change, with 26% falling under the most concerned and motivated category, named the “alarmed”, and 11% falling at the opposite end of the spectrum under the “dismissive” category. He said that political ideology is the strongest influence in where individuals fall on the spectrum, and that approaches and goals of communication vary across each group.
At the base of each approach, Maibach highlighted evidence-based guidance for effective communication campaigns.
“Simple clear messages, repeated often, by a variety of trusted and caring voices."
With this in mind, he identified that many voters trust their friends and family members over other sources, emphasizing that we all have a role to be a trusted voice in this conversation and express our concern and hope for a better future.
PANEL - Making It Relevant: Water Stories
Sachi Kitajima Mulkey of UC Berkeley told the story of the crab fishing community in San Francisco and their advocacy for different sustainable fishing practices in order to protect endangered whales that pass through. She hopes this story reaches regulators and allows for the fishers to feel heard.
Katie Perkins of Texas Tech University shared the story of a corn maze in Lubbock, Texas, where only 1/10 of an inch of rain fell last winter. Eric Simpson, a family farmer in Lubbock, dealt with this by planting a drought tolerant cover crop that actually increases biodiversity and attracts pollinators, allowing the community’s annual fall corn maze to live on.
Carter Weinhofer of Eckerd College wrote about oyster reef balls, a project of Tampa Bay Watch that acts as an artificial reef structure. Weinhofer emphasized balancing credible expert sources with the more relatable voices of volunteers and people involved on the ground making this project happen.
Beverly Ndifon, a Mandela Washington Fellow, shared the story of a girl in Zambia who, at the age of 12, invented a water purifier powered by solar energy in response to a Cholera outbreak in her community. Beverly emphasized the many hours that women in sub-saharan Africa put into fetching water, and the importance of solutions like this that make clean water more accessible to them and their communities.
Bringing It Home: Stories from Drawdown's Neighborhood
Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement for Project Drawdown posed the question – What comes to mind when you think of stories?
Scott shared his experience with storytelling through his relationship with his father. He said that like many others, he gravitated toward stories as a child, citing Captain Planet as an influence. “It represented these diverse voices that helped me see my power," he said.
As he grew up, he said he found a new hero in his father, Moses, who dealt with adverse school conditions and the threat of losing his education as a Black student in Prince Edward County, Virginia in the 1950s, but prevailed onto higher education and led an inspiring career. He said his father’s death in 2017 helped him realize that stories of underrepresented communities, like his father’s, too often go unheard.
“For any of us who come from a community that’s not often represented, we know that representation matters. We know that representation is something that helps us not only be seen by others, but feel our own power and realize that we can be part of solutions.”
Scott posed another key question – What comes to mind when you think of global warming and climate change?
He referenced a study that found only 3% of people responded to this question with solutions, and that storytellers have the power to rewrite the narrative and bring this number up by helping the world see solutions. His own work in storytelling is diversifying this narrative through a short documentary series called Drawdown’s Neighborhood, which features the stories and solutions of real people affected by climate change.
Scott shared conversations with Jothsna Harris to show how diverse voices can build power, with Clara Kitongo to demonstrate the value of role models as inspiration, and with Robin Okunowo about representation and unlocking your own superpowers.
“You all as students, as storytellers, have the power to bring people into this conversation."
Scott encouraged the audience to shift focus away from the overwhelm and powerlessness of the climate crisis, and instead asks them to “pass the mic” and invite in the unheard voices and solutions we can work towards.
PANEL - Advocating Your Story
Joanna Huxster, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Eckerd College in Florida, led a conversation with three brilliant storytellers focused on how to use persuasive storytelling effectively and include diverse voices who are often marginalized.
Gabrielle Gurley, Senior Editor at The American Prospect, told the story of water wars in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. She rooted her coverage in the science, history, and law of the issue to expose the need for interstate cooperation.
“The Southeast is the second driest region in the country, so these fights are going to be percolating more intensely over the foreseeable future,” Gurley said.
Ashley Walker, Social Media Manager at Climate Reality Project, discussed the vastness of Climate Reality Project’s audience and how that presents challenges in deciding how to best communicate the issues. Walker said their focus is on determining what will keep the audience educated and encourage them to take action. She also highlighted the importance of speaking with groups that are most affected by climate change in order to amplify their voices and what is most important to them, without speaking for or over them.
Maria Zaharatos, a student of Public Administration at the Middlebury Institute and Co-Founder of FARO: Projects for Global Education, uses storytelling to help children understand climate issues and inspire them to think globally and act locally. Her project’s first book tells the fictional story of a young girl in Ecuador who learns how plastic pollution is affecting the Galapagos. Zaharatos said the organization is building a relationship with a partner school in Ecuador in order to bridge their community with the educators in San Antonio, Texas, where the project is based.
“We tried to create an engaging story and from there, kids can learn about what’s happening globally, and with the curriculum, which is project-based, apply that exploration in their communities,” Zaharatos said.
Huxster drew out inspiring pieces of advice and key takeaways from the panelists.
Gabrielle Gurley told us to persevere.
“Perseverance in telling stories that people do not want to hear is very very important.”
Ashley Walker reminded us that our perspective matters and that there is no one way to speak up and share a story.
“Know what you’re passionate about, be authentic to yourself, and then really understand the type of people that you’re trying to connect with.”
Finally, Maria Zaharatos encouraged us to invite people to seek out resources that will teach them more about the problems and solutions that storytellers share.
“What is something that can really draw someone in and get them to open this whole new world.”
The Road Ahead: The EV Story
Over lunch, Frank Sesno led an engaging interview with Artealia Gilliard, an Environmental and Sustainability leader at Ford Motor Company. They discussed the future of electric vehicles and the challenges and transitions that the industry will undergo as the presence of electric vehicles is expanded. Gilliard stressed that the transition toward fewer carbon emissions must not leave behind workers and communities tied to the auto industry, but bring everyone along in what she calls a “just transition.”
Music, Soundscapes, & Seeing the Planet Through Sound
The afternoon kicked off with a moving performance on the English horn from Chris Zatarain, a correspondent from the University of Arizona, who shared his piece “The Sound of Mountains Melting: A musical meditation on emotions in a world in crisis.” In a brief discussion after his performance, he said that the piece is “meant to look at all of the different complex emotions that we can deal with in day to day life as environmentalists, as people who love the earth.”
Steven Beschloss of Arizona State University then shared an audio piece on owls, part of a series called “Sounds of Belonging” created by Melissa Nelson, an Indigenous Professor of Indigenous Sustainability at Arizona State University.
“Each of these pieces, like Chris’, try to get to questions of empathy and connection with the natural world and with experiences and memories that we can get closer to,” Beschloss said.
“If we change the way we listen, I believe we can actually change the world.”
Beschloss led a workshop the following day where they explored other audio stories and techniques, focused on how to take new approaches to listening, and examined how they can begin telling their stories through sound.
The segment concluded with an engaging interview with NPR’s Supervising Climate Editor, Sadie Babits, conducted by Eric Forbes of Colorado State University.
Babits said that “Sound has the power to transport the mind. It is the medium of the imagination because you need to have wonderful sound that puts us in a time and a place,” sharing that this transport can happen through combining the sounds of interviews with the ambient sounds of the natural world.
Babits discussed the rise of climate journalism and how it connects to every other industry and topic, encouraging students to let curiosity guide them in the space of environmental storytelling.
Investing in Inclusion, Seeking Sustainability
Adriana Martinez-Smiley, a Planet Forward Correspondent from Northwestern University, interviewed Spotify’s Equity and Impact Lead, Kristen Jarrett, about representation in content creation.
Jarrett noted the diversity among Spotify’s vast pool of listeners and the heavy responsibility that exists to have diverse writers, hosts and creators on this wide of a platform.
“We want to make sure that there are diverse voices who can tell stories because when that’s not happening, you’re not getting an accurate depiction of what the world looks like"
Regarding the role of audio in climate justice, Jarrett said that audio content provides a space for people to get accurate information, call people to action, and share compelling stories that don’t resonate the same in other mediums. She expressed the need to get young people engaged in telling their stories and getting older generations to care about climate issues.
Jarrett added that one of Spotify’s goals is to remove the barrier to access storytelling platforms, affirming that Spotify intends to keep their podcasting platforms free to download and that fancy equipment is not needed to record, edit, and share your story. She spoke of programs such as NextGen and Making Space that are meant to make content creation accessible to young people.
With these resources, Jarret encouraged us to leave a public record of our lives here for future generations to listen to and learn from.
In a discussion with the audience, Jarrett shared successful projects she has seen that have propelled this mission, including “Dope Labs” and “Black People Love Paramore.” She said that it is important to continue highlighting the stories that have been historically viewed as illegitimate and to engage in discussions with people who have different lived experiences.
After this discussion, the audience heard from Candace Clark of Tuskegee University about the role of agriculture in climate issues and historically Black solutions in these spaces.
Clark said that telling our experiences to each other over and over again “comes together to be all of our shared reality… that it’s super important that we all have the space to share reality and to share our own realities with each other.”
Ilíiaitchik: Indigenous Correspondents Program: Native Knowledge and Narratives
Anneliese (Lisa) Palmer discussed the formation of the Indigenous Correspondents Program at Planet Forward, which was proposed by JoRee LaFrance and Alexander Cotnoir last year.
In a brief video, we highlighted stories from the Indigenous Correspondents over this past year before welcoming LaFrance and Cotnoir on stage to share about the creation and unique focuses of healing through storytelling that the Ilíiaitchik Indigenous Correspondents Program embodies.
“We’re really fortunate to have our indigenous students learning from Indigenous experts and people who are changemakers really at the frontlines of the climate movement,” LaFrance said.
Valerie Vande Panne, the Program’s Editor/Mentor, introduced each of the indigenous correspondents as they shared their reasons for engaging with this program and the purpose of their stories on water rights, Indigenous history, and community gardens.
LaFrance announced that applications are open for next year’s Indigenous Correspondents Program, which has received a grant from the Native FEWS Alliance to ensure that the program continues to grow.
Bridging the Divide
Vidya Muthupillai of the George Washington University queried Former United States Representative, Bob Inglis, on opening eyes to the effects of climate change and bridging the ideological gap in the United States that inhibits progress toward solutions.
Inglis cited his organization, RepublicEn, and their mission to use credible sources to approach conservatives and the “EcoRight” about how free enterprise can solve climate change. He shared this mission from his perspective as a former climate denier, speaking of his first years in congress before his eyes were opened to the effects of climate change and his journey or “point of inflection” for becoming a climate republican.
Inglis told the story of his son asking that he “clean up his act” on the environment and his time spent on trips with the science committee, interacting more with the earth and with more people who care for it. He touched on the process of getting conservatives on board with accepting climate change as a reality and his goal of helping republicans in congress find ways to open constituents up to the idea of how climate action can benefit them.
“The key really is to listen to them and to find out where the objection is coming from, and the pretty exciting thing is that just about every objection can be met,” Inglis said about getting his constituents on board with climate action, stressing that conservatives must not be left out the pursuit of solutions.
“We need everybody in order to solve this.”
In a conversation with the audience, Inglis clarified how he strives to bridge conservative values with that of climate action and accountability.
“Don’t you believe in accountability? Isn’t it sort of the bedrock of conservatism?” he put forward.
Pictures From the Frontlines of Climate Change
Katie Orlinsky, contributing photographer for National Geographic, shared her body of work on the arctic and how she learned about the effects of climate change and indigenous communities in the arctic through documenting them.
Her interest in this topic began with a random assignment to photograph a sled dog race in the arctic wilderness, she said.
“It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen and I was experiencing it through this incredible relationship between people and animals.”
Orlinsky shared how she documented communities dealing with melting trails, spoiled dog food, new dangers in hunting, and the debilitating effects that thawing permafrost has on food systems.
Documenting permafrost, layers of frozen soil that contain built-up carbon dioxide and methane, was one of Orlinsky’s first big assignments with National Geographic. She spoke of turning a seemingly slow-moving issue into one of interest and urgency by showing the unique way permafrost thaw is studied and measured.
“I think it’s always important to include an element of hope or innovation in climate stories so it’s not too much doom and gloom and you don’t alienate people.”
In Orlinsky’s current story on declining arctic caribou populations, she documents the very real human effects of changing caribou behavior and how communities have had to rapidly adapt their interaction with caribou. She shared photos of how the Nunamiut people in Anakatuvuk Pass hunt and prepare the caribou, along with photos of caribou migration as she warned of the declining presence of the Western Arctic Caribou Herd. With this, she documented solutions and projects that communities have put forward to restore caribou populations.
A method of measuring permafrost thaw used by scientists at University of Alaska Fairbanks that involves punching holes into frozen bodies of water and setting fire to the released methane gas from underneath the surface.
Newtok, a 380 person Yupik village in Western Alaska and the first community in Alaska to be relocated as a direct result of climate change and permafrost thaw.
Members of the Tlicho Tribe began a community science program called “Ekwǫ̀ Nash-wad-ee-kay” meaning "Boots on the Ground" that brings community members together to study and research the caribou.
The Western Arctic Caribou Herd in Nunamiut and Inupiaq lands.
In a concluding conversation with Frank Sesno, Orlinsky shared the importance of building mutual respect with the communities she covers and not only being invited in to tell their stories, but enabling them to tell their own stories as well.
A Filmmaker’s Eye: Capturing the Narrative
John Sutter, Documentary Filmmaker and Ted Turner Professor of Environmental Media at George Washington University, spoke about reframing the way we share narratives about the climate crisis that help people see the world in a new way, and how a camera lens is an unique tool for doing so.
A current project of his, Baseline, is a film that follows three children facing the climate crisis and plans to follow their experiences from now until the year 2050. Sutter said he wants to share a longer time horizon because it is often hard for humans to really feel gradual change, and he wants to provide an opportunity for people to feel the passage of time in a different way.
He also introduced a film that focuses on seven researchers of Thwaites Ice Shelf, often called the Doomsday Glacier. Sutter said he reframed a daunting scenario into a story about the journey of the researchers doing this work and searching for answers and solutions. Sutter shared an interview with his colleague on this film, Emelie Mahdavian, about the experience of living and filming in such extreme and remote conditions and getting the narrative and motivating ideas out of the footage. She said that humanizing this story and focusing on the human labor and the reality of the process beyond what the data yields is important for connecting the audience to the story.
“I care about that and I care about the human stories and the human questions that are intertwined in doing this science," Mahdavian said.
Sutter left us with encouragement to shift the frame and choose to look at the world not only as it is, but what it could possibly be.
Storytelling Expeditions & On Location with Planet Forward
After Planet Forward’s Director of Academic Adventures, Imani Cheers, invited us to look forward to upcoming storytelling expeditions, Anneliese Palmer took the stage with past and present correspondents to share about their travel with Planet Forward and the narratives they drew from those experiences.
Jake Meyers spoke of the evolution of naturalism that he explored on a trip to the Galapagos Islands last year.
“Naturalists today, they’re storytellers, they’re photographers, and they’re trying to inspire others who come and visit these places to kind of make a difference and to really be responsible with their ecotourism dollars." -Jake Meyers
Eva Sideris of SUNY-ESF spoke about studying bison in the sandhills of Nebraska with Planet Forward last year.
“I was challenged to gather information to tell a story that relates to environmentalism, climate change, and regenerative agriculture, but i was also supposed to balance that with being present and appreciating the people around me, and I think that was a really awesome interpersonal skill to develop." -Eva Sideris
Jennifer Vilcarino, one of last year’s storyfest winners, shared her story “Astonishing Alaska” and what she learned on a trip with other storyfest winners last year.
“One of the important things about storytelling is definitely keeping an open mind and being really receptive to not only your surroundings, but the people who are there." -Jennifer Vilcarino
Off to Iceland: A Sustainable Success Story
Frank Sesno sat down with Icelandic Ambassador, Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, for a conversation about Iceland’s approach to environmentalism and sustainability.
Ambassador Ellertsdóttir spoke of Iceland’s involvement in the Paris Agreement and a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by the year 2040 through climate innovation, recognizing that Iceland already uses renewable energy for over 90% of their energy purpose, excluding transportation and fishing.
The ambassador noted the importance of involving young people in climate action and shared about the establishment of Iceland’s Youth Council, which includes children from the age of 13 to 18 who regularly meet with the government to bring a young influence into Iceland’s governance.
Ambassador Ellertsdóttir shared a quote from the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, to capture the way Iceland values the perspective of their youth:
“Young people have shown with inspirational examples that they are amazingly capable of mobilizing one another, and in many cases they are the best advocates of a more equitable and sustainable future.” -Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Congratulations to our 2023 Planet Forward Storyfest Winners!
We finished off the day by announcing our inspiring 2023 Planet Forward Storyfest Winners, who will be traveling with Planet Forward and Lindblad Expeditions to Iceland this summer. Our winners this year include Gabe Allen & Tyler Hickman, Cassidy Hough, Katie Delk, Vidya Muthupillai, Halley Hughes, and Sachi Kitajima Mulkey. Read more about them and their successful stories here.
Our Impact
93% of our attendees said they are definitely or potentially more likely to try a new approach to storytelling after attending. After the immersive experience, attendees anonymously shared with us some of their most impactful lessons and takeaways from the Summit.
“I was able to be with people and hear people from diverse backgrounds that allowed new information and stories to be highlighted. I took away to continually search for stories not only for myself but for others.”
"Everyone can bring something to the table, we all have a storytelling superpower within us!"
“I learned so much from the Summit, but the most valuable takeaway was that spending time building the character of the scientists working on the project is just as or more important than the science.”
"The event was amazing! I came back home inspired and confident."