This podcast is a collection of five interviews with climate activists from around the world, including activists from Nigeria, Germany, South Africa, and Massachusetts.
Each activist shares their personal connection to climate change and what they are doing to take action and inspire others.
Teaching Tips
Positives
It allows students to hear a variety of cultural perspectives on different people's actions in response to climate change.
Each segment can stand alone or be used together to create a larger story.
Additional Prerequisites
Between stories there is an NPR promo for the podcast itself.
The first interview (1:30-15:00) focuses on Solomon Goldstein-Rose, a former Massachusetts legislator and author of the book The 100% Solution: A Plan for Solving Climate Change.
The second interview (17:10-21:00) focuses on Violet Kitchen, the illustrator of Goldstein-Rose's book, who speaks on the role art can play in bringing cultural attention to societal issues.
The third interview (24:10-34:50) focuses on Doerte Wihan, a mother and teacher from Berlin, Germany, who underwent a dramatic transformation leading to her membership in a climate protest group.
The fourth interview (36:50-43:15) focuses on Olivia Oguadinma, a Nigerian chemical engineer and podcaster, who inspires others to take meaningful climate action.
The fifth interview (43:45-48:00) focuses on Shane Petzer, a South African artist who upcycles trash into art and discusses the artistic impact of his work.
Differentiation
Different groups of students could listen to different segments of the podcast and share what they learn with the class.
This podcast is a great resource for social-emotional learning, especially the third segment with Doerte Wihan because she speaks about how emotional knowledge can inspire climate action.
Students could create their own podcast segment where they share their personal connection to climate change and how they take action.
In art classes, students can listen to segments two and five, which focus on artists Violet Kitchen and Shane Petzer. Students can analyze and discuss images of their artwork or they can create their own artwork inspired by these artists' styles.
Scientist Notes
The podcast is suitable for climate storytelling, carbon pricing advocacy, decarbonization, and a transition to clean energy. It is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.2 Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the data.
