Breakfast & Networking
University Student Center (USC), RM 301 - 8:30-9:15 am
Friday Morning Workshops
Session A - 9:15-10:30 am
Spotify (Mini) Labs: Creating and Launching Your Podcast | USC RM 308
Participate in an interactive workshop on how to master storytelling for audio and develop a compelling podcast using Spotify for Podcasters.
Hosted by Spotify:
Kristin Jarrett, Equity and Impact Lead
Kara Terrell, Senior Program Manager
Building the Future: How Science and Engineering are Moving the Planet Forward | USC RM 310
Science and engineering are vital components to confronting climate change and moving the planet forward. This workshop will examine the priorities and challenges, some of the controversies — and how those stories are told. We will offer important pointers and tips to those who are crafting these narratives.
Hosted by:
Frank Sesno, Planet Forward Founding Director, and featuring:
Kasey Gillette, Bayer
Artealia Gilliard, Ford
Saniya LeBlanc, GW School of Engineering & Applied Science
Don't Hold Your Breath: Crafting Compelling Narratives Around Human Health and Climate Change | USC RM 407
By focusing on the benefits—as opposed to costs—of addressing climate change, storytelling can change the way people view climate change mitigation and serve to motivate action.
Hosted by GW Climate and Health Institute (CHI):
Lisa Palmer, Planet Forward Senior Editor and Faculty Lead; Research Professor of Science Communication, and featuring
Susan Anenberg, CHI Director; Associate Professor and Chair, Environmental and Occupational Health
Neelu Tummala, CHI Co-Director; Clinical Assistant Professor, Surgery
Unleash your Digital Storytelling Superpowers with Adobe | USC RM 311
Join us for a digital storytelling adventure where you'll learn to craft compelling narratives using multimedia tools. Turn your ideas into captivating tales that are easy to create and share! This workshop will be a blast as we explore the many ways to tell your stories through social media, podcasts, videos, and more. Don't miss out on this chance to unleash your creativity and tell your tale that helps you stand out and get noticed! Whether you're a writer, scientist, artist, or just looking to improve your communication skills, this is the workshop for you.
Hosted by Adobe:
Kirsten Nagel, Senior Customer Success Manager
Friday Morning Workshops
Session B - 10:45 am - 12 pm
8 Principles for Effective Climate Change Communications |
USC RM 311
Most people don’t hear enough about climate change. For example, 66% of Americans hear about climate change in the media once a month or even less. The more often people hear about climate, and the more diverse the trusted sources they hear from, the stronger the message becomes. But climate change is complex, abstract, and potentially divisive issue. How can we communicate about it in a way that overcomes these barriers?
Rare, an international NGO specializing in social change for the environment, partnered with the Behavioural Insights Team and the Potential Energy Coalition to create a science-based resource to improve the effectiveness of what you’re aiming to convey. Join our workshop to learn how to apply the 8 Principles when communicating about climate change!
Hosted by Rare:
Kristi Marciano, Senior Communications Associate
Sounds and Stories that Matter | USC RM 407
This workshop will explore the value and meaning of sound-based environmental storytelling—and approaches to creating this work. Fundamentally, this effort is based on the belief that if you can change the way people listen to the world—to connect more fully and openly with diverse natural ecosystems—we can change the world.
The workshop will both explore a variety of soundscapes and related stories, as well as create the opportunity to share recorded sounds and develop ideas for stories you can produce yourself. The workshop will draw on the project “Sounds of Belonging,” for which Indigenous and other storyteller share sounds and stories about places that have meaning for them. It will led by Steven Beschloss, director of the Narrative Storytelling Initiative at Arizona State University, narratives lead of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and a professor of practice in ASU’s College of Global Futures and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Participants are invited to record 1-2 minutes of sound prior to attending that can be shared during the workshop. This may be connected to a place of meaning for you.
Hosted by Arizona State University:
Steven Beschloss, Founding Director of Narrative Storytelling Initiative; Professor of Practice in College of Global Futures and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
Art of Crafting a Pitch: Effective Opinion Climate Storytelling | USC RM 308
Before producing a video or writing a story, all creators must consider how to pitch their ideas. What are the aspects of an effective pitch for op-eds? Which outlets should you consider? How can you structure stories to be creative and insightful? Facilitated by environmental editors, this workshop offers activities to answer these questions. Please come to this workshop with a pitch idea, as the goal is to have a ready-to-submit pitch by the end!
Hosted by:
Max Sano, Planet Forward Alumnus; M.A. Candidate in Food Policy & Advocacy at NYU, Founder & Lead Editor at Greenzine
Valerie Vande Panne, Adviser/Editor, Ilíiaitchik Indigenous Correspondents Program at Planet Forward
Harrison Watson, Planet Forward Alumnus; Ph.D. Candidate at Princeton University; Conservation and Justice
Fellow at American Bird Conservancy
Cli-Fi: Communicating Climate Futures Through Climate Change Fiction and Film | USC RM 310
This workshop explores the use of climate fiction and film (cli fi) as a tool for generating new understandings of the ecological and social impacts of global climate change, as well as for helping students to become more effective climate communicators. Attendees will learn a little about the genre, explore how we use cli fi in our interdisciplinary team-taught course, and try out a simple cli fi writing activity for themselves.
Hosted by Eckerd College:
Amanda Hagood, Visiting Assistant Professor of Animal Studies
Joanna Huxster, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
EARLIER WORKSHOPS
Thursday Morning
10:40-11:50 am
Framing Your Big Idea |
USC RM 308
This interactive workshop covers the process of developing an idea for a short- or feature-length documentary. We’ll talk about where strong film ideas come from; how to successfully frame them; artistic decisions that can happen before shooting begins; test-shoots with film participants; and the doc pitching process.
Hosted by:
John Sutter, GW's Ted Turner Professor of Environmental Media and documentary filmmaker
Your Story is Your Superpower | USC RM 407
You are invited to consider how you speak about your work or passion for climate change and solutions. In this workshop, Matt Scott, who leads the Drawdown Stories program, will discuss why inclusive storytelling (and tapping into our own stories) is critical to spreading awareness, shaping attitudes, and sparking action. By the end of the workshop, each participant will be invited to reconsider their storytelling approach with inclusion and humanity in mind, leaving with ideas for uplifting the community voice and their own.
Hosted by Project Drawdown:
Matt Scott, Director of Storytelling and Engagement
Composting and Creating Change on Campus |
USC RM 404
We all have the opportunity to consider our impact on the planet as we dispose of waste after every meal. At GW, we're working to divert waste from the landfill by increasing composting, which turns food waste into fertile soil. Learn how you can compost the waste from your meals at the Planet Forward Summit from GW's Office of Sustainability staff. They'll explain how composting works and share their experiences working to change the culture of waste management on GW's campus.
Hosted by Sustainable GW:
Colin O'Brien, Sustainability Specialist
Science-in-Action Filmmaking: Immersive Learning Through Storytelling | USC RM 311
Scientists, science filmmakers and participating undergraduates at Rutgers University have together developed an impactful science storytelling model that has produced more than a dozen high visibility science-in-action films over 14 years. This workshop provides an overview of the model’s interdisciplinary and immersive science learning framework and a sneak peek at two current projects, marine food systems and plants natural products and human health, as shared by student science storytellers. An audience-led discussion will follow.
More information:
Our science-in-action filmmaking model is explained in this research article. Supplemental links to our science-in-action films made by and with undergraduates.
Website for our newest science-in-action film Fields of Devotion. Our most recent Film Festival award.
Hosted by Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences:
Dena Seidel, Science Filmmaker and Science Communications Researcher; Xenia Morin, Senior Associate Dean of Learning; and undergraduate science storytelling students