speaking of adapting, we had to adapt storyfest itself — on a hiatus from the experiential learning prizes we usually offer in partnership with lindblad expeditions. but, together we persevered.

for the 2021 contest, we are offering six grand prize winners — each of whom will receive a $500 cash prize and have 50 trees planted in their names in a national forest — thanks to our friends over at one tree planted.

the winners’ trees will be planted in minnesota in the chippewa national forest.

the 2021 field was highly competitive, with outstanding stories from schools across the country. judges had a tough job this year. without further ado, we are thrilled to announce the winners of storyfest 2021.

best science narrative:

“the salamanders at the end of the world”

by eva legge, dartmouth college

most creative story:

“airborne microplastics in the age of covid-19”

by calvin bordas, suny-esf

best use of science or data:

“diversifying the pack: cross fostering helps mexican wolf population boost genetic mix”

by christopher howley and michael hannan, arizona state university

best scalable innovation:

“daylighting: a case study of the jones falls river in baltimore, maryland”

by allison klei, franklin & marshall university

this year’s fan favorite:

“thrifting for the soul”

by kenna q. kelley, syracuse university

congratulations, storyfest winners! we will be in touch to share details on your prize.

before i go, i would be remiss if i didn’t also highlight a few of other pieces highlighted by our judges — in no particular order — that i want to make sure you can check out:

• more than one pathogen, a song by nathan farrell detres, columbia university 
• planet over plastic: corporations are responsible for plastic waste by kaitlyn copland, eckerd college
• color the water – black surfers healing through the water by marisa umeh, uc-berkeley
• montreal landfill turned lunar landscape: an urban sustainability story by clarice knelly, suny-plattsburgh
• 4 places where racism, climate change & environmental justice collided by jayden graham-white, tuskegee university
• heat, smoke, pandemic: dangers multiply for farmworkers in 2020 by lauren hernandez, arizona state university
• the quest for activism in journalism and environmentalism by ryan bieber, ithaca college

keep writing. keep filming. keep photographing.

keep sharing stories.

great job, everyone! and we’ll see — and hear from — you again soon.

this year’s competition wasn’t announced from the stage at the planet forward summit as usual, in the name of social distancing. but we still wanted to share with you the amazing stories entered by students from every region of the united states in our competition this year — and, of course, announce our grand prize winners.

you can watch our videos below to see the variety of stories, and students from universities across the country, and which outline their outstanding work. and, learn who our judges have selected as the best piece of student-created content for 2020.

without further delay, we are thrilled to announce our planet forward storyfest 2020 award winners in the videos below.

best-written article

and the winner is: greta hardy-mittell, carleton college. “a society for the birds”

best multimedia / podcast

and the winner is: avery van etten, northwestern university. “sea-level rise threatens the florida keys” (3-part series)

best photo essay

and the winner is: cate twining-ward, george washington university. “clinging onto chimps: why you should think of chimpanzees during the climate crisis”

best short or shareable video

and the winner is: jake meyers, university of arizona. “can urban farming feed the future?”

best video

and the winner is: sarah sem, george washington university. “what’s the beef with meatless burgers?”

fan favorite award

and the winner is: deepti bansal-gage, george washington university. “wait! before you squish that bug….”

thank you!

storyfest could not happen without the tremendous support from our sponsors, including: lindblad expeditions, discovery, comcast, the walton family foundation, national geographic, the food and agriculture organization of the un, the arizona state university global futures laboratory, 3 degrees, middlebury college and, of course, the george washington university.

also, please make sure to mark your calendars for our rescheduled 2020 planet forward summit, which will be held oct. 8-10 at the george washington university. we look forward to seeing you there.

for convenience, i have also included the script of the poem below:

a tale of two shells by terrius harris

a place so foreign to the naked eye that travelers would call it fake; unbelievable, indescribable, but in fact, it’s just a projection of what things used to be like before mankind’s ways. 
a place untouched, now uncovered to you in a blink of an eye, this is only a glimpse of the magic that lives here on this island of life. 
an island of endemic creatures, ones not seen anywhere else before, yet two rise above the rest as through their ancient eyes, we can see the trials and tribulations that mother nature has bore. 

beginning on land we stare into your eyes, with wrinkles on your face and the scratches on your shell telling no lies.
it is you who walked among the dinosaurs in ancient times, head held tall; surviving centuries of natural disasters, and humankind, the largest threat to the environment of them all. 
we stare upon your long neck waiting for you to speak, to tell us the answer to our problems, to help us reconciliate our self-created unfortunate destiny. 
looking in your land, untouched you roam, and as we gaze upon your beauty we can find answers previously unknown. 

the giant galapagos tortoise, a species almost extinct, but with the careful planning, and intentionality of mankind, you still walk among me. 
it is here we find our lesson, it is here we find our truth, as your very existence is the answer to maintaining mankind’s historical youth. 
for you represent the environment, the land, the trees, even the air we breathe; and just as we saved you, we must act swiftly with intention to save the planet, our home to forever be. 
you teach us that leaving is not the answer, nor hoping that everything will work out is the plan, instead, you represent the work, the dedication, and the unwavering effort that must be put in by every (wo)man.

leaving the land, and diving into the sea, we find our second guardian, underneath the waves, swimming gracefully. 
as you swim away from us, seemingly set on your own journey, with a closer look we find our second lesson for learning. within a few strokes distance, yet so much space in-between, it is hard to gather a closer look at what you’re trying to show me. 
chasing you in the ocean, a place that makes up more than 70% of our home, as i get closer i notice something in your movements as you swim, it is not your strong set path that you follow as you roam. 
instead, looking closer, i can see the expression on your face; one of peace and acceptance, content, as you are one with this place. 
a lesson not easily learned, as mankind believes things can all be owned, but instead the wisdom that you bestow upon us is that we are all part of something greater and many times unknown. 
for you have withstood the unwavering turning tides of time, a lesson that mankind must learn in order to survive. 
your lesson is clear as the water you swim through, and it all begins with acceptance from all of us, me and you. 
acceptance that we are only a small part of the plethora of mother earth, and a small dot in the record of time since the universal birth. 
with this said we should let the earth guide us as it pushes us towards reconciliation, with warnings like increased tornadoes, hurricanes, drought, and rising tidal basins.
just as you swim and let the tide guide you, we too should learn, to make note of mother nature’s warnings if our future is what we want to earn. 
the galapagos sea turtle, a species so unique, though others are in existence, i am forever grateful for the lessons that you’ve taught me.

divided by the land, buried beneath the sea, yet forever connected within the same destiny. 
creatures unlike any others, in a place never believed to be real, what we should learn is that all we have to do is take note from what we have seen here. 
protect our oceans, protect our lands for this is the only one we can withstand. 
this is the charge we’ve been given, this is the only lesson we need to learn, for it was said long ago when mankind thought the world was flat, that we were simply sailing through the universe on a turtles back. 
a tale of two shells, one dry, one wet, but both representing the yin and yang of our mother earth as we pledge to restore her to the magnificence that the galapagos has left.

the problem is, science has always been framed as a story of the big dogs. there’s a cultural misunderstanding that science belongs to the nobel type with a stiff white coat in a sterile lab. the cure for cancer is important stuff, but while they’re working on that, let’s pan the camera to joe who lives around the corner and just figured out how to power his house with a stream in the backyard. or susan from the town over, who rebounded a keystone frog population from close to extinction. not everyone will think these stories or people are interesting, but the ones that do will be inspired to create their own similar stories. enough of these types of stories have the potential to create an intertwining web of like-minded people with the same goal. is that better than a headline that grabs the attention of millions and then drifts into the cloud? maybe, maybe not. it’s comparing apples to oranges. but the story of an average person doing something phenomenal is much more relatable.

alaska was a place where local stories circulated almost as well as the ocean currents. yet, many alaskans live in complete isolation. the stories they share are all different but relatable because of their intense connection to the land. we can learn from this type of storytelling and reproduce it elsewhere by drawing this innate connection to “home” from people — even city dwellers. making science relatable through characters, scenes, and plot lines that are familiar and lovable can information accessible to even the most uninterested of crowds.

around the islands, the inside passage and gulf of alaska mix into upwelling currents, dispersing nutrients to create a productive and diverse ecosystem. kelp forests (top) and steller sea lions (bottom) make up part of this assemblage. 

in the early 20th century, sea otters were hunted to near extinction in the area. after reintroduction in the 1960s the otter population, along with humpback whale (top) and steller sea lion (bottom) populations, have swelled. one major project at the inian islands institute focuses on the impact an increase of large marine mammal populations has on the local ecosystem. other projects include ocean acidification research, the effects of climate change on yellow cedar, and research on a local species: the marbled murrelet.

back at camp, structures literally immersed in the forest reflect the integrative human relationship with nature that is instilled here. in modern times, very few parts of nature remain untouched by humans while dominant social thinking implies that humans remain untouched by nature. the inian islands institute recognizes and teaches the connection between social-system and ecosystem—and the fragile nature of this relationship.

the land is not connected to another town by road, and therefore must be almost entirely self-sufficient.

visiting researchers’ responsibilities are not bound to the lab; they must also contribute to tasks that accompany surviving off grid. this includes firewood and rain water collection, fishing and hunting, managing a hoop-house farm and hydro-electric system, and constant structural improvements.

a conglomeration of rusty propane tanks are the ghosts of energy’s past. the new hydroelectric system creates so much energy the institute does not know what to do with the surplus. one idea being thrown around is a hydro-powered floating research station in the middle of the lake.

empty beer bottles find a recycled home on the property. finding creative ways to give a second life to single use items of luxury fills the property with quirky details.

tibetan prayer flags, hummingbird feeders, old wind bells and buddha statues make the institute less of an institute, and more of a home.

layering scientific research upon a foundation of community instills a deeper connection to science and nature in young scientists than the values they may learn in a contemporary classroom.

with rapidly increasing temperatures, thawing permafrost, changes in precipitation and weather patterns, melting glaciers and subsequent sea level rise, many people in alaska see reminders of climate change in their daily lives. pictured above are mountains near glacier bay national park, just one area seeing rapid change.

but climate change isn’t just seen – it’s felt. weather and temperature fluctuations aside, many experience the less obvious but no less concerning health impacts caused or exacerbated by climate change.

taking note of how climate change has already affected the health of alaskans, and how it may in the future, is important to mitigate and adapt to our changing world for a healthier future.

here are some ways that the health of alaska residents may be impacted by climate change.

1. coastal life, sea rise & stress

according to npr, approximately 90% of alaska’s residents live in coastal areas, such as those pictured along the coastline in southeastern alaska. quickly rising water levels and erosion threaten infrastructure to many alaskan’s homes and communities, which can cause chronic, long-term stress.

stress not only predisposes individuals to be more vulnerable to illness, but may also lead to or exacerbate mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. alaska already has higher rates of mental illness compared to the rest of the country. such ailments can impair social, professional, and cognitive function; thus, mental health impacts of climate change are of great concern.

2. changing seasons & food supply

many people in alaska use land and sustenance food resources (such as wild fish, eggs, and berries) to sustain themselves. as temperatures change landscape, growing seasons, and wildlife populations, these people may face food shortages and subsequent malnutrition. while some crops are experiencing longer growing seasons which may be beneficial in some areas, invasive species may also increase, threatening future or other crops.

to further complicate the equation, average annual precipitation is expected to increased by 15-30% by 2100 compared to a reference period of 1971-1999, which may greatly impact food plant growth, and make harvest more difficult.

climate change has already increased variability in berry harvest, such as the native berries pictured here. furthermore, shifts in caribou migration, and warmer oceans, are leading to decreases in some seafood availability.

native alaskans, who also use seals and collect eggs in lush wildlife areas such as the island pictured below, may be forced to adapt to find new sources of food.

3. changing seafood safety & supply

seafood safety is also impacted by climate change. rising temperatures promote harmful algae bloom in fresh and saltwater. in the right conditions, marine toxins produced by algae may accumulate in mollusks such as clams and scallops, which can lead to increased risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning.  many communities, such as sitka, pictured here, have already experienced harmful algae blooms, and rely heavily on fishing for income and as a major source of food.

furthermore, fishing plays an important role in the economy of many alaskan communities, such as petersburg, seen below. disruptions to profitable seafood supply may have a negative economic impact on many vulnerable people, further increasing their risk to physical and mental illness.

4. increasing marine traffic & reduced air quality

tourism plays a large role in alaska’s economy, and may be impacted by climate change. as sea ice continues to melt at a rapid rate, marine traffic may increase, including traffic related to tourism, as with the ships and zodiacs seen here near fort terror and lake eva. this may increase carbon emissions in the air, and cause respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

on the other hand, increased tourism may be beneficial to tourism-driven towns, and the increase in income may help some alaskans better defend themselves against climate change.

5. changing opportunities for recreation

with changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, outdoor recreation activities (such as hiking, running, rock climbing, kayaking as seen here at fox creek, and other water sports), which may offer both physical and mental benefit for alaskans, may change. these changes may help or hinder opportunities for recreation, depending on the activity.

6. rising temperatures & heat sickness

the average temperature across alaska has increased approximately 3 degrees fahrenheit in the past 60 years, more than double the average of the rest of the united states. rising temperatures comes and unseasonably warm weather as seen in here in sitkoh bay, ushers increased risk of heat stress, illness, and stroke.

while alaska’s temperatures are not predicted to be as high as in some parts of the country, a lack of air conditioning or other climate control in many homes and buildings may increase risks of heat illness for some residents.

7. increasing particulate matter from glacial dust & wildfires

receding glaciers don’t just impact the water – they may also impact the air. increased rates of glacier melting can lead to increased glacial dust being emitted into the air. this can increase rates of ambient pm levels, especially pm10. pm causes increased risk of many chronic cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.

glaciers at glacier bay national park and dawes glacier, both pictured here, face global climate change. glacier bay, below, has already seen melting glaciers.

while dawes glacier has not yet been well-studied.

additionally, climate change is increasing wildfires in alaska due to increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. wildfires emit a mix of harmful pollutants including carbon monoxide, particulate matter (pm), and volatile organic compounds (vocs), and heavy metals such as mercury. exposure to wildfire smoke can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular illness, as well as asthma and low birth weight in offspring.

and, as mentioned above, increased marine traffic may also contribute to increases in pm.

8. vector-borne illness & water-borne illness

climate change is bringing warmer temperatures and changing weather patterns in alaska. this can impact the incidence and spread of vector-borne illnesses by increasing the length of transmission season, and offering favorable climate to vector breeding.

flooding or heavier-than-usual precipitation may also lead to standing water, as seen in petersburg, alaska, thus greatly increasing risk of mosquito-borne illnesses, as such environment fosters favorable mosquito reproduction.

climate change can also increase risk of waterborne illnesses. increased temperature can influence survival, virulence, and persistence of many pathogens in and outside of water. floods and droughts may also increase availability of safe drinking water. additionally, increased runoff and changes in precipitation may lead to increases in contaminated food and foodborne illness.

9. allergens and asthma

climate change affects many plants, and often impacts the abundance and seasonality of allergens. increased temperatures in alaska may lead to increased pollen and bloom, and allergens in the air, increasing or exacerbating allergies, hay fever, and asthma. below, a plant pictured here near pavlof harbor, blooms abundantly, perhaps impacted by a changing climate.

conclusion

while the melting glaciers (as those see above, near dawes glacier) and warmer temperatures are more visible impacts of climate change being experienced by alaskans, a variety of public health issues emerge in a more conspicuous – but no less concerning – manner. from changes in food metrics and safety to disease transmission, mental health risks and complicating one’s ability to access medical care, climate change is a threat to not only the health of the earth, but also to the health of the human.

to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 , we need a healthy population. and for a healthy population, we rely on the earth. addressing these public health issues in places where climate change is being felt more sharply than in other parts of the world can help us all work to not only reduce our climate impact, but also to better adapt and mitigate to our world as it changes.

editor’s note: part of our stories of alaska series, this piece explores the state through wildlife, plants, and bioindicators, looking at today’s challenges and accomplishments, and signs of what’s to come. click on the photoessay below to see the full story.

editor’s note: story four in our stories of alaska series focuses on the timber industry — one part of the resource-rich puzzle that is alaska — and the yearslong debate over the “roadless area conservation” rule, put in place by the usda in 2001, which disallows construction of any new road system in national forest land and effectively makes it impossible for companies to extract new resources that aren’t already accessible. click the story below to read more about the arguments for and against exemptions to the rule for alaska.

we’re on the highest deck of the national geographic sea lion. it’s a beautiful, alaskan summer day — perfect for whale watching. i decided to interview west, a naturalist working for lindblad expeditions, about living and working in a place where people see the consequences of their actions in real time. in a place sensitive to even the littlest of changes, it is easy to see how affecting one variable, like increasing carbon emissions, can have spillover effects in other domains, like glacial melting and ocean acidification.

for an economy that depends so heavily on natural capital, this is bad news. alaska has provided its residents with more than just a beautiful place to live — it’s brimming with resources they use to make a living. understandably, harvesting them often conflicts with protecting the wilderness, not only for nature’s sake, but to preserve these resources for future generations as well. i was curious as to how these tensions manifested in alaska, so i decided to talk to west about past and present conflict and collaboration.

although choices made regarding environmental health affect everyone, only a few people can make these large-scale decisions. furthermore, for most citizens, the environment usually takes a backseat to other concerns. people prioritize physical health, food security, and the economy over environmental health, even though these fields are heavily interrelated. with the way political issues are framed, we are made to think we have to choose one over the other. it doesn’t have to be protecting oceans or job creation, it can be protecting oceans and job creation — but opposing groups often refuse to make concessions to collaborate. this polarizes issues and cements deadlocks, driving opposing sides farther away from common ground.

west mentions that the most successful progress in the field she’s seen resulted from collaboration between diverse groups of alaskans. inviting more and different people to make decisions reveals problems some groups wouldn’t even think to consider. we get a more complete picture of our communal relationship with the wilderness, and with this insight comes more possible solutions.

“i think there’s always small steps we can do to compromise,” west says. “so conversations like that are going to maximize potential gain for everyone.” in the end, we all want the same thing: to make the best decision for our communities and for the future. it’s easy to lose sight of that in the smoke and mirrors of mass media and heavy politicization.

protecting the environment is often seen as a luxury. it’s hard to tell someone chronically stressed about multiple jobs or finding a home to care about nature, which can seem nebulous when daily hardships are all too real. this is one reason why it’s difficult to “sell” people on the idea of environmental protection when it comes to sacrificing daily comforts and conveniences.

we, as individuals, can’t physically feel the effects of long-term, positive impacts. so we stick with the short term, default options that are easiest for us. people like hamburgers but can’t feel the positive impact of giving up meat. hamburgers are easy, cheap, and fast, and it makes rational sense for many people to choose these things over something more environmentally friendly.

people who give up default options — cheap food, plastic bags, driving everywhere — in order to prioritize the environment must have some other reason to make that conscious choice. this often comes from knowledge of long-term impacts and the flexibility to make these decisions. however, the most committed people to protecting nature are often those who feel, not just know, that the earth is something worth saving.

alaska is a wholly sensory experience — majestic, towering mountains, crackling white thunder of calving glaciers, and salty ocean sprays. like the most memorable people in our lives, the most important places tap into our sensations and emotions. the excitement of seeing our first breaching whale, for example, emotionally links us to a time or place. these memories travel back home with us, reinforcing the belief that nature is truly amazing and worth sacrificing for. genuine emotional links to a place like alaska can make you feel like a part of something greater than yourself. as a result, the easy or cheap option becomes less important than the one that’s better for our planet. these sacrifices seldom happen through abstract connections, like looking at pictures of whales or mountains online. they necessitate physical ones. in a world where many people can’t prioritize their relationship with nature, how can we make these connections happen?

one way is to create and encourage opportunities for experience. spending recreational time in nature, especially somewhere remote like alaska, is a luxury available to relatively few young or socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. lindblad expeditions sponsored us college-aged storyfest winners to see the wonders of alaska, but most of our fellow passengers were our parents’ or grandparents’ age. i could count the passengers of color on one hand.

the national parks service has acknowledged this trend, establishing a department of relevancy, diversity, and inclusion. recently, grassroots groups like hiking every available trail (h.e.a.t.) and outdoor afro have spearheaded efforts to encourage more people of color to spend time in nature. as awareness of the problem increases, the next step is to empower people with knowledge and experience to foster healthier, greener communities. although it is easy to feel disconnected from the global community, our daily habits cause big changes all over the world. traveling to new places and feeling small helps us remember that our planet is large, and so is our impact.

a few days after the interview, a group of us sailed in a small inflatable boat completely surrounded by mountains. there is no graceful way to put into words the way we felt, dwarfed by the sheer expanse and beauty of nature. you don’t have to go to alaska to feel it—it’s familiar to anyone who’s been emotionally moved by beauty. it can be the first powdery snowfall in a small midwest town or the brilliant shades of red in east coast autumn trees. maybe it’s not killer whales interrupting your interview but a pair of monarch butterflies stopping by on their way to mexico. it’s around us all the time, and it’s been here all along. but it won’t be here for much longer, unless we decide this feeling — and the world behind it — is worth protecting.