Some great news! We are thrilled to announce a new media partnership with WNET Public Media Group to launch a monthly digital video series focusing on key issues challenging the planet seen through the lens of the most courageous, innovative, and engaging people working to address climate change and sustainability. We are producing the series in association with the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. 

This unique collaboration will leverage Planet Forward’s storytelling platform, the Global Futures Lab’s research and subject matter expertise, and the powerful reach of Peril and Promise, public media’s premiere digital platform focused on climate change and sustainability.  

I am incredibly excited to be hosting this series. We’ll tell stories that reveal both the urgency of the moment and the potential of human ingenuity. We’ll hear from compelling people who are taking bold steps to overcome the odds and move the planet forward. We’re working with incredibly committed partners.

“We have a shared mission to spotlight scientifically sound stories and fact-based journalism to explore the impact of climate change and creative innovations in possible solutions,” said Eugenia Harvey, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for WNET and Executive Producer of Peril and Promise. “We’re excited to bring this monthly series to viewers nationwide.”

Each episode will look at an issue confronting our changing planet — devastating wildfires, the unprecedented impact of young climate activists, record-breaking heat and what it will take to keep America’s cities habitable — through the experience and stories of people who are on the front lines. 

The series will draw on Planet Forward’s network of schools, partnerships, students, and researchers who inspire research, action, and hope. Each episode will also engage a young storyteller to get the perspective of someone who will live through the 21st century and experience climate change firsthand.  

“We face an urgent challenge to confront the climate crisis and its myriad societal impacts,” said Steven Beschloss, Senior Director of Narratives at the ASU Global Futures Lab. “Solutions that can lead to positive futures depend on smart ideas, motivated thinkers and doers, and powerful storytelling that can expand the population committed to making change.”

To celebrate Climate Week, our first episode is available now at WNET. In this episode I interview two amazing young leaders. Alexandria Villaseñor, a 15-year-old climate activist and founder of Earth Uprising, shares her experience protesting at the UN and speaking at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. We discuss how the youth voice can bridge the climate divide in a polarized America. Then we catch up with Rohan Agrawal, a senior at University of Mississippi and former Planet Forward student correspondent. Rohan is determined to use technology to find climate solutions. And he tells us he may actually run a country one day!

I started Planet Forward more than a decade ago to highlight issues, innovations, young voices, and the narratives of remarkable people committed to positive change through courageous ideas and determined action. This new series will help us elevate our students and amplify their stories. 

We face daunting challenges on a scale we’ve not experienced in all of human history. But we have more tools and technology than ever before. And innovators are working hard to change the planetary equation. By telling these vital stories, we will inform, inspire, and engage new voices and new ideas. 

If you have a story to suggest or a person you think we should feature in this series, please reach out and provide background and contact information to editor@planetforward.org.

See the episode here: