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The 2023 Planet Forward Summit Recap
All In:
Diverse Voices,
Compelling Narratives,
Sustainable Solutions
Alex Daley-Clark
The 2023 Planet Forward Summit on April 20th and 21st in Washington, D.C., dove into the different lenses and perspectives of a variety of communities, all deeply engaged with environmentalism and sustainability. From the Indigenous Correspondent Program, to the personal story of Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown, to a conversation with RepublicEN founder, Bob Inglis, our speakers brought forth their unique insights and expertise into our discussions of the crises that face our planet.
You can view the entire 2023 Summit Report here.
We also announced the winners of the 2023 Storyfest Competition and revealed who will be traveling this summer to Iceland with Planet Forward and Lindblad Expeditions. Gabe Allen & Tyler Hickman of the University of Colorado Boulder, Katie Delk of the University of Florida, Sachi Mulkey of the University of California Berkeley, Vidya Muthupillai of the George Washington University, Halley Hughes of the University of Arizona, and Cassidy Hough of Michigan State University all took home the top prizes. Read their stories here!
Scroll below to see our amazing group of speakers in action. We’ll be following up in the coming weeks with video segments of the Summit on YouTube and further updates.
Troi Newman of the University of Arizona and member of the Indigenous Correspondent Program, started the program off with a land acknowledgement bringing attention to the original peoples of the the D.C. area, the Piscataway Tribe.
Ed Maibach, Director of Center for Climate Change Communication at
George Mason University, spoke about the strategies behind changing minds.
Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement at Project Drawdown, discussed passing the mic to communities whose voices are not often heard in the climate space.
Frank Sesno interviewed Planet Forward Correspondents Sachi Kitajima Mulkey, Katie Perkins, Carter Weinhofer, and Mandela Washington Fellow Beverly Ndifoin on their water stories published in the past year.
Gabrielle Gurley of The American Prospect, Ashley Walker of The American Prospect, and Maria Zaharatos of The Middlebury Institute spoke on a panel moderated by Joanna Huxster of Eckerd College.
Artealia Gilliard, Environmental Leadership & Sustainability at the Ford Motor Company, spoke during the lunch session in a keynote conversation with Frank Sesno.
Ford also brought an F-150 Lightning to George Washington University for the Summit.
Planet Forward Correspondent from the University of Arizona, Chris Zatarain performed his musical piece, “The Sound of Mountains Melting.”
Sadie Babits, Supervising Climate Editor at NPR and former President of the Society of Environmental Journalists, spoke with Planet Forward Correspondent, Eric Forbes about how to tell a story with sound.
Kristin Jarrett, Equity and Impact Lead at Spotify, spoke with Planet Forward Correspondent Adriana Martinez-Smiley about the need to engage all communities in audio storytelling.
(From left to right) JoRee LaFrance, cofounder of the Indigenous Correspondent Program (ICP), Alexander Cotnoir, cofounder of the ICP, Valerie Vande Panne, editor and mentor for the ICP, and ICP correspondents, Troi Newman, Shondiin Mayo, Kaly Arvizu, Raylen Bark, and Alisa Woodruff.
Bob Inglis, founder of RepublicEN.org, spoke with Planet Forward Correspondent Vidya Muthupillai about how to bridge the divide on climate issues.
John Sutter, Ted Turner Professor of Environmental Media at George Washington University, spoke about environmental documentary filmmaking.
Katie Orlinsky, National Geographic Contributing Photographer, discussed the impacts of climate change on caribou populations across the arctic and the people who depend on them.
Lisa Palmer, Senior Editor and Education Lead at Planet Forward, interviewed current and former students who have attended experiential learning trips with Planet Forward, Jake Meyers, University of Arizona ’20, Eva Sideris, SUNY-ESF ’23, and Jennifer Cuyuch, George Washington University ’22.
Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, Ambassador of Iceland to the United States, spoke with Frank Sesno about the environmental initiatives seeing success in her country.
Amy Berquist of Lindblad Expeditions, Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, and Frank Sesno congratulate the winners of Storyfest 2023, Tyler Hickman & Gabe Allen of the University of Colorado Boulder, Sachi Kitajima Mulkey of the University of California Berkeley, Halley Hughes of the University of Arizona, Vidya Muthupillai of the George Washington University, and Cassidy Hough of Michigan State University.
