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Inspiring Stories to Move the Planet Forward

FRANK SESNO, Founder and Host Planet Forward

DR. THOMAS LOVEJOY, "Godfather of Biodiversity" and Professor

George Mason University

Storytelling for a changing planet – Frank Sesno tells us why we need stories now…more than ever.

Eyes on Earth: Inspiring a New Generation of Storytellers

DENNIS DIMICK

National Geographic Editor Emeritus

JIM RICHARDSON

National Geographic Photographer

Through powerful photography and story, Dennis and Jim reveal the Anthropocene – a new geological age where human activity is the dominant influence on the environment. We learn about “Eyes on Earth” a platform created to inspire a new generation of photo journalists.

Find Your Voice, Raise Your Voice: Student Storytellers

ALAINE JOHNSON, Yale-NUS College

ZACHARY SMITH, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY, '17

ANNA SUMI, GW School of Media & Public Affairs, '17

OLIVIA URBANSKI, Loyola University Chicago

HARRISON WATSON, Jackson State University

These students found their voice with Planet Forward – sharing stories from their hometowns, to the far ends of the world.

What's Your Sustainability Story? High-Impact Leaders in Sustainability

Panel:

DR. FELECIA NAVE, Director for Faculty Development & Engagement and Chemical Engineering Professor

Prairie View A&M University

RORIC PAULMAN, Paulman Farms Sutherland, NE

CHRIS POLICINSKI, CEO

Land O'Lakes, Inc.

BETH STEWART, Creative Director Discovery, Inc.

Expert Commentary: 

CHRIS MOONEY, Reporter

The Washington Post

From a farmer to a media executive, from a CEO to a chemical engineer; leaders come in many forms. We wanted to ask, “What’s Your Sustainability Story?” and what drives you to move the planet forward.

NETWORKING BREAK

Climate FWD: How the New York Times is Transforming Environmental Reporting

HANNAH FAIRFIELD, Climate Editor The New York Times

Learn how The New York Times approaches their climate and environmental reporting. What are some of the new ways to visualize data and how can it engage wider audiences?

Reality Revolution: How AR/VR Can Create Empathy, Urgency and a New Sense of Place

STEVE JOHNSON, Founder

Boundless Media

Anything is possible with virtual reality – but can it emotionally connect people and our planet in new ways? Through 360-degree video, go inside an Icelandic glacier and learn how this storytelling can create a sense of place.

LUNCH & KEYNOTE

The Explorer's Story: A conversation with adventure-travel pioneer
Sven Lindblad

SVEN LINDBLAD, CEO

Lindblad Expeditions

Breakouts - Session 1 

Marvin 403

Eyes on Earth Workshop: Dennis Dimick, who served for many years as National Geographic's environment editor, and National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson founded Eyes on Earth to ignite interest with visually compelling, scientifically based environmental photography. They will share with students lessons learned from their decades of experience creating powerful environmental storytelling — and challenge them to make a difference in our world with their photography.

Speakers:

DENNIS DIMICK, National Geographic Editor Emeritus

JIM RICHARDSON, National Geographic Photographer

Marvin 413/414

The Power of Diversity in Moving the Planet Forward: To move the planet forward we need to improve efforts and public policies around diversity and inclusion, in particular in fields related to the hard sciences. How can we create systems, organizations and leadership opportunities that encourage more women and ethnic minorities to enter science-based fields, find their voice, or go into leadership positions? This panel will feature three champions of diversity and inclusion.

Speakers:

DR. FELECIA NAVE, Prairie View A&M, former Provost and current Director for Faculty Development & Engagement and Chemical Engineering Professor

DR. NORA SAVAGE, National Science Foundation, environmental engineer and program director

PAYTON HEAD, public speaker, campus inclusion consultant, and alum of University of Missouri

DR. JAMIE HESTEKIN, University of Arkansas, Diversity and Inclusion Core Team Leader (Moderator)

Marvin 407

Escaping Your Bubble Without Losing Your Bearings: Preparing to Talk about Climate Change: We now live in social/media bubbles of our own choosing. As a result, we can be surprised, even stunned, when we try to talk about planetary issues like climate change with people outside our sphere. In this session, you will learn about the arguments most frequently offered for dismissing climate change, and you will learn some common-sense, storytelling techniques for countering them. These techniques may not enable you to persuade hardened cynics, but they may help you keep others, including yourself, from being persuaded by them.

Speakers:

MICHAEL SVOBODA, Assistant Professor of Writing, GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

Marvin 402/404

Sharing Science with Anyone and Everyone: Being able to tell a good story is a must in successful communication, scientific or otherwise. However, before you even think about what story to tell, you need to understand who you’re telling that story to. In this interactive presentation, participants will learn how to identify and connect with their audience, craft an effective message, and practice via roleplay with their peers.

Speakers:

SHANE HANLON, Sharing Science team at AGU

OLIVIA AMBROGIO, Sharing Science team at AGU

Breakouts - Session 2

Marvin 403

Earth Stories: How to Be a Compelling Storyteller: 
Fundamentally, a good story is: a compelling character overcoming obstacles to achieve a worthy outcome. In environmental storytelling, there can be extra layers of complexity and data. How do we build stories to develop characters, embrace uncertainty, and appropriately include numbers and data? Meet three journalists who can guide your approach in this space.

Speakers:

WYATT ANDREWS, professor of practice, University of Virginia; former CBS News national correspondent

DR. IMANI CHEERS, assistant professor, GW School of Media and Public Affairs

STEVE JOHNSON, founder, Boundless Media

Frank Sesno, Planet Forward Host (Moderator)

Marvin 413/414

Farming, Technology, and Environmental Stewardship: How does a water conservation-minded production ag farmer and a public school educator keep nearly 10,000 acres of crops watered — and still be able to sleep at night? Hear Paulman Farms owners Roric and Deb Paulman talk about the technology they use to efficiently manage their land and the natural resources available to them, while also preserving the aquifer.

Speakers:

RORIC & DEB PAULMAN, Paulman Farms, Sutherland, NE

Marvin 407

What is Adobe Spark? What kinds of new software can help us tell visual stories in new ways? Adobe Spark is a set of three separate tools that makes it easy to create social posts and graphics -- including web stories combining text and graphics. Discover user-friendly ways to create animated videos that can be customized with themes, images, icons and text. Stephen Hart from Adobe will reveal how to tell your story without having to learn sophisticated tools.

Speakers:

STEPHEN HART, Adobe Education

Marvin 402/404

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - How Do We Tell The Story?

In 2015, 193 nations agreed to a set goals and targets that address a broad range of issues related to global social and economic development. How can we tell the story of these 17 important goals in a way that ignites and maintains public interest and support? How can storytelling be a mechanism for implementing the 2030 agenda? In this breakout session, communications expert Claudia Koerbler discusses the challenge (and the opportunity) with UN-FAO’s Vimlendra Sharan and IFC’s Unnatti Jain.

Speakers:

UNNATTI JAIN, Knowledge Management Specialist, International Finance Corporation

VIMLENDRA SHARAN, Director, North America, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

CLAUDIA KOERBLER, Host, Global Storytelling for Global Development (Moderator)

COFFEE & COOKIE BREAK

Film Screening with Q&A

Discovery Presents: Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman

HILARY KIRWAN, Communications, Environmental Defense Fund

RORIC PAULMAN, Paulman Farms Sutherland, NE