Vermont Public has partnered with the award-winning PBS science series NOVA, a production of GBH, to produce and distribute multiplatform, climate-focused content as part of the series’ national Climate Across America initiative.
Vermont Public is one of 10 public media stations working closely with NOVA to create, share, and amplify solutions-oriented climate content including short-form videos, audio stories, articles, e-newsletters, and social media posts.
“Climate change is a global problem, but the varied impacts are felt at a local level,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “This timely initiative provides an opportunity to shine a light on the impacts of climate change in communities across America, and to engage audiences in conversations about innovative solutions. We hope these stories will serve as inspiring and hopeful examples to others.”
Vermont Public has produced two short digital films as part of this project. In the first, climate reporter Abagael Giles visits Panton, Vt., which hosts a community microgrid able to run exclusively on renewable power, without backup from fossil fuels. The piece is available now at vermontpublic.org and on the station’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.
The second film features a Vermont family farm that uses an anaerobic digester to trap much of the methane emitted from its cow manure and convert it into biogas, which is combusted to make electricity. The piece will be available later this month.
“As a climate reporter, it’s hard for me to think of a more important role for public media than to democratize access to information about climate solutions,” Giles said. “I hope we can do more work like these short video pieces and that they help more people feel empowered to weigh in and shape the future of this place we share.”
Climate Across America is part of a multiyear, multiplatform initiative from PBS that explores every aspect of how climate change impacts communities, countries, and the entire planet. The comprehensive focus represents PBS’s biggest-ever commitment to the topic, providing a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding climate change and exploring its intersections with conservation, biodiversity and the ecosystem. PBS and its member stations will create a rich destination of storytelling that details the challenges of a changing climate, while highlighting examples of hope and positive impact. It is part of NOVA’s Science and Society Project, with major support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The project is dedicated to telling stories at the intersection of science and society—stories that provide exceptional opportunities for audience engagement around the role of science and technology in our lives.
Audiences can follow the initiative online using the hashtag #ClimateAcrossAmerica.
Vermont Public will feature additional climate reporting and programs this month. In the week leading up to Earth Day on April 22, listen for a special series about a range of climate solutions – from green burials to electric school buses – from Vermont Public and the New England News Collaborative.
Additionally, the station will air two new NOVA documentaries: Weathering The Future on Wednesday, April 12, and Chasing Carbon Zero on Wednesday, April 26, both at 9 p.m. on Vermont Public’s main television channel, streaming at vermontpublic.org and pbs.org/nova, on NOVA’s YouTube channel, and via the PBS App.
