Students shine in a hot new podcast about a warming world.
Christiane Maertens has one word for her initial attempt at creating a podcast focused on climate issues: Fail.
Although the North American Association for Environmental Education, the nonprofit behind the Imagine If podcast, had access to renowned climate scientists, the team, including executive producer and host Maertens, realized it lacked inspiration.
The solution: Talk to students who have experienced impacts of climate change and have found solutions in their communities. The Imagine If podcast produced five episodes in 2018. In the episode titled “What’s at Steak,” Bailey Morrell, third-generation cattle rancher and former Willows FFA member, talked to California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross about the impact of drought and efforts to conserve water on her family farm.
“Giving these passionate young people an opportunity to have a voice that’s being taken seriously is really just awesome,” Maertens says. “I want people [who are listening to the Imagine If podcast] to feel hopeful that there is so much good work happening out there. These students might not be solving climate change at the macro level, but when a listener can see how a student is doing impactful work on the micro level, it’s inspiring.”
