Eyes On Earth: Inspiring a New Generation of Storytellers
We are in the midst of rapid planetary transformation, and the human relationship with it. How we interact with the planet now will affect the course of its future for generations. Through powerful photography and story, Dennis Dimick, National Geographic Editor Emeritus, and Jim Richardson, National Geographic photographer, revealed the Anthropocene: a new geological age where human activity is the dominant influence on the environment. We learned about Eyes On Earth, a platform created by Dennis and Jim to inspire a new generation of photojournalists.
Find Your Voice, Raise Your Voice
We saw the future, and it's bright. Student storytellers from around the world shared how they found their voice with Planet Forward. From the depths of the Amazon rainforest to permafrost fields in Siberia; from discovering green urban systems in Singapore to exploring the intersections of religion and science in Jackson, Mississippi, these students found their foothold in environmental storytelling - and share how you can, too.
What's Your Sustainability Story? High-Impact Leaders in Sustainability
In this pivotal moment on the planet, we need leaders who inspire us to positive action. The best part? Leaders come in many forms, across a spectrum of experiences and specialties. To grasp the range of diversity in leadership, we heard from a farmer, a media executive, a CEO, and a chemical engineer, who shared about influencing their respective fields for the planet - and the sustainability story behind all that they do.
Behind all their backgrounds and specialties, we found a common theme: the dire need for excellent storytelling. "Gathering information, figuring out what the angles are on the story, what you need to know - is step one," said Frank Sesno, in conjunction with Chris Mooney from The Washington Post. "Step two is figuring out how to make this engaging and interesting to people who don't already care about this subject." From Discovery Inc.'s Project CAT to Land O'Lakes' new green business initiatives, and from STEM advocacy to sustainable farming techniques, our leaders shared how storytelling has shaped their roles.
On stage, we gathered The Washington Post reporter Chris Mooney, Creative Director Beth Stewart from Discovery, Inc., Land O'Lakes, Inc. CEO Chris Policinski, Dr. Felecia Nave from Prairie View A&M University, and Roric Paulman of Paulman Farms.
Climate FWD: How The New York Times is Transforming Environmental Reporting
Data isn't dull. The New York Times is known for its truthful and expert storytelling. When it comes to telling the story of climate change, data is key, but traditional use of statistics and measurements can be, well, disengaging. Hannah Fairfield, Climate FWD editor at The New York Times, is changing that. "The key is to look for what you can reveal with the data," Hannah said. "What can I take away from this?"
Merging hard numbers with breathtaking graphics and gripping storytelling, Hannah taught us how The New York Times approaches their climate and environmental reporting. What are some of the ways to visualize data and how can it engage wider audiences? Students learned how to take a creative approach to data-heavy stories, without compromising the integrity of the numbers, while captivating their audiences along the way.
Reality Revolution: How AR/VR Can Create Empathy, Urgency and a New Sense of Place
Opportunity arises in the tension between new technology and tried-and-true storytelling. "Right now, in terms of technology in virtual spaces, it's a big battle between technology and storytelling," said Steve Johnson, co-founder of Boundless Media. He shared how virtual reality not only affects storytelling ability, but how it affects our audiences as well.
We learned that the goal of augmented reality, virtual reality, and 360-video is to get audiences to understand stories with a greater amount of context. Steve shared how new media helps storytellers create more empathy and impact for their audiences, and encouraged students to take risks in storytelling as they connect people with the planet in new ways.
Beauty and the Bizarre
Sometimes the most amazing stories can come from the, well, most disgusting characters. When Anand Varma, National Geographic photographer, takes a picture of a parasitic wasp consuming a caterpillar from the inside, he doesn't want his audiences to be disgusted, but to be astonished.
When Anand first proposed a story on bugs and parasites to National Geographic, he quickly realized he would have to take a fresh approach to photography; he would have to do something interesting enough for his audience to learn about these unsavory creatures. "I recognized that there was a serious challenge ahead of me," Anand said, "because as fascinating as the science is here, I was going to have to get people to get over their visceral aversion to parasites and pay attention long enough to actually learn."
By breaking down the process of parasitic infection, Anand completely re-imagined macrophotography to fascinate audiences around the world. From parasites to bees to hummingbirds, we went on a journey with Anand to learn about his approach to storytelling, and to learn how we can inspire awe in our audiences - no matter how weird our subject might be.
The Explorer's Story
How can we develop an extraordinary sense of fairness and balance with the planet? What is our relationship with human culture and history? An explorer at heart, Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, seeks to discover new ways of experiencing existing places and, in the process, uncover the awe and wonder of our incredible natural world. As our keynote lunch speaker, Sven shared with us the importance of not just seeing, but experiencing the world through the lens of adventure-travel.
Lindblad Expeditions revolutionized what it means to be an explorer. When the company first started, Sven said, those who would be explorers "had to be nobles, had to have money, or had to know people who had money." Now, the goal of exploring is to produce more enlightened citizens - people from every walk of life. Sven's goal, and the goal of Lindblad Expeditions, is to provide access to unattainable places not for mere leisure, but to create a learning opportunity about these historically and environmentally rich destinations.
Ted Roosevelt IV spoke to investment banking and how it can lead the way to pave a more sustainable future. Roosevelt compared advances made in the U.K. and Canada as compared to those in the United States. In the U.K., a rollout of "green mortgages" incentivizes would-be homeowners to buy real estate that's energy efficient, sustainable, and built with sustainability at its core. In Canada, he said, governments are investing in advanced technology to develop utility-grade energy from commodities like salt. "This is new technology we should be leading the world on; unfortunately, we're not," Roosevelt said. The problem? Compared to the U.S., Canadian policies are more thoughtful and long-term in scope, whereas American policies are siloed. "We need to have more research and development," Roosevelt said.