national geographic explorer arati kumar-rao is on a mission to document what she calls “the slow violence of climate change” through visual storytelling over time. in this keynote presentation, she transports us to the flooded banks of the ganges river through photography and verse, and asks us to consider the responsibility we bear as chroniclers of the land in the midst of continuing crisis.

afterward, arati engages in a virtual q&a with students. learn more about her work on her website.

in this conversation from the 2022 planet forward summit, mala sharma, vice president and general manager of adobe creative cloud, shares her creative expertise, inspiration, and advice for emerging storytellers with planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 diana quintero.

planet forward was honored to be featured as a creative changemaker at the 2021 adobe max conference. more here!

andrés speaks with tara scully, director of the sustainability minor program at george washington university and his co-professor for their class “world on a plate.” their conversation is followed by remarks by jocelyn brown hall, director of the food and agricultural organization of the united nations in north america.

this year’s student storytelling was – in a word – exceptional, and the competition for the title of storyfest 2022 winner was incredibly tough. our finalists covered everything from musicians and scientists to farmers and community activists, and highlighted solutions on everything from new irrigation technology to mammoth resurrection. you can see all our amazing finalists’ pieces right here on planetforward.org.

after a great deal of deliberation from our committee of judges, we are excited to share our our 2022 winners:

most compelling character

plantita power: microgreens in the district

jennifer cuyuch, george washington university

the judges say:

through her warm interviews and vibrant use of music and graphics, the judges say jennifer not only conveys the character of plantita power’s founder, steph, but also their community and spirit of care and life – plants! – that they cultivate.

most creative story

‘coastal degradation through fresh eyes’: a picture book come to life

delaney graham, suny-esf

the judges say:

a thoroughly absorbing story built around storybook characters. amka’s friend, is a puffin who is homeless because of coastal erosion. they embark on a journey of discovery and hope. the story works and the characters pop. the judges were taken by the character – and the content.

best scalable innovation

farzona comnas, george washington university

the judges say:

beautifully written and photographed, this story is personal to farzona, focusing on deserts in her native country of jordan. they’re becoming hotter and drier as a result of climate change. farzona proposes planting forests in desert. sound impossible? she cites an initiative in lebanon that has done just that. the practice is called afforestation. project drawdown rates it 15th of the most significant steps we could take to reverse global warming. the judges say, this story delivers!

best science narrative

a tale of two mountains: battling climate change and wildfires at home and abroad

ryan bieber, ithaca college

the judges say:

ryan weaves a compelling narrative built on the science. it is a tale of two sierras. in california, the sierra nevada has experienced “nine out of ten of the state’s largest wildfires … in the last decade.” in spain, monoculture replanting in the sierra nevada became a fire trap. this story is a compelling narrative of learning and loss showing distinct ways that human activity has led to devastating wildfires. 

best use of science & data

hope flows through the heart of tucson: the santa cruz river heritage project

halley hughes, the university of arizona

the judges say:

halley brings the science and data to real-world life in her story about the santa cruz river heritage project. a “trickle of water” that represents “enormous change.” the story captures the heart and soul of the living desert. as halley writes, “making tucson more drought resilient, conserving water resources, supporting critical biodiversity, connecting a city to its heritage, and educating a new generation.”

––

congratulations to our winners — and a huge thank you to all the students who entered this year. we are so proud of the stories you are telling to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 !

most compelling character:

navigating climate change through song: a q&a with pinegrove’s evan stephens hall

ryan bieber, ithaca college

plantita power: microgreens in the district

jennifer cuyuch, george washington university

should you be taking pictures of roadkill?: citizen science aids research efforts

clarice knelly, suny-plattsburgh

‘i built my dream’: southeast asian woman grows local food, cultural acceptance in missouri ozarks

lauren ulrich, indiana university bloomington

most creative story:

‘coastal child’: a video essay on ocean conservation and education

kaitlyn copland, eckerd college

‘coastal degradation through fresh eyes’: a picture book come to life

delaney graham, suny-esf

welcoming our feathered neighbors

paula milenkova and maya thompson, university of california, berkeley

ice plant = climate change

kamryn j you mak, middlebury college

best scalable innovation:

water is life (tó éí iiná): groundwork to solving water inequity on the navajo nation

mckenzie allen-charmley, arizona state university

essay | how trees can save a drowning desert

farzona comnas, george washington university

what does $3 million of seaweed look like?

michaela compo, george washington university

college food insecurity: eating away at student success

connor kuerbis, university of wisconsin-madison

as arizona agriculture runs dry, new irrigation tech could help

diana quintero, arizona state university

best science narrative:

eternity is upstream: a call for salmon habitat protection

claire babbott-bryan, middlebury college

a tale of two mountains: battling climate change and wildfires at home and abroad

ryan bieber, ithaca college

bats are facing an epidemic of their own: white-nose syndrome

helen bradshaw, northwestern university

iso: roommate that pays rent in nutrients & water

michaela compo, george washington university

planting seeds of mental health wellness in the face of covid-19 stressors

poonam narotam, northwestern university

best use of science & data:

breakthrough research takes a step toward converting carbon dioxide pollution into fuel

hannah krantz, george washington university

mammoth resurrection may be a climate solution. should it be?

skylar epstein, george washington university

hope flows through the heart of tucson: the santa cruz river heritage project

halley hughes, the university of arizona

fishing harbors community; development and climate change threaten it

carter weinhofer, eckerd college

––

congratulations to all our finalists — and a huge thank you to all the students who entered this year. who will be our winners? watch the summit to find out.

when i saw the date, i couldn’t believe it. at the time i don’t think i imagined standing up on the very same stage 10 years later, with hundreds of amazing students, storytellers, supporters, in the audience — and thousands more online.

i also couldn’t believe how much we, as a project, have changed. planet forward has evolved over the past decade — for the better.

our network has grown — not just of expert storytellers, and the leaders at ngos and companies doing their part for the planet — but of students from diverse regions, schools and backgrounds. and we’ve seen these students grow, blossom into professionals, and take what they’ve learned from us to their jobs.

if not for you, our planet forward family, we would not be here, together, 10 years later, telling the important stories of innovations and the innovators behind them working to help save our planet.

it’s these stories that we highlight at our annual summit. and we reward the students who tell the best stories of the year with an extraordinary opportunity through the planet forward storyfest competition.

this year, that reward is an expedition to the legendary and unique ecosystems of the galápagos islands with planet forward and lindblad expeditions, where they will report on the unparalleled stories found there.

we are so proud of the students who were selected as winners this year. they represent five different schools, and span from west to east coasts. without further ado, the winners are:

• article:  peter jurich, university of wisconsin-madison. ‘gross’ and unpopular, but dumpster diving can help the planet
• multimedia / photo essay: vicki deng, reed college. the unseen heroes to our plastic waste
• podcast: guy ginsberg, the george washington university. resilience ep. 1 – how electric vehicles are making costa rica more resilient
• shareable / short video: terrius harris, university of mississippi. conservation meditation
• video: ellen wang, the george washington university. how we can get a handle on food waste
• fan favorite: haley knighten & christina trexler, university of arkansas. environmental steminism

were you inspired at our event this year? are you ready to join us? we need stories like these now, more than ever.

students: if you want to be a correspondent email editor@planetforward.org with your resume.

schools: interested in joining the planet forward 2022年世界杯亚洲预选赛结果 ? reach out to hannah@planetforward.org and we’ll get the conversation started on how we can work with you!

huge thanks to our partners and funders: lindblad expeditions, bayer, land o’lakes, inc., national geographic, discovery, comcast, un-fao, world food program usa, terracycle, gw office of sustainability, sweetgreen, patagonia, kleen kanteen, mrs. green’s world, island press, the george washington university school of media & public affairs, and the planet forward advisory council.

to everyone who joined us: thanks! we do this for you. check out the stories and adventures online and in our social media: facebook, instagram, and twitter.