Earthwatch Radio - North America
Initiated in 1972, this environmental outreach project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Wisconsin, USA) produces 260 two-minute radio programmes per year on science and the environment. The programmes are written and produced on campus by student writers and academic staff at the Sea Grant Institute and the Institute for Environmental Studies (IES). Distributed free of charge to broadcasters on a compact disk (CD) or via email, the programmes are designed to provide radio stations (especially those in small markets) with objective information on science and the environment.
Communication Strategies
Earthwatch Radio programmes address environmental research and related topics (like starvation) in concise two-minute reports. The reports include what organisers describe as scientifically accurate information; the approach involves presenting both sides of even the most controversial issues. Interviews with experts are often used to convey information. For example, "The Climate for Corn", which addresses the impact of global warming on crops, features an agronomist commenting on a recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study. Click here to listen this programme, or other sample programmes.
The programmes are distributed on compact disk; each CD contains one programme for each weekday of a calendar month. The email distribution service sends out one script a day, Monday through Friday (click here to access a subscription form). The programmes do not refer to a specific date or day of the week, so they can be used anytime. This service is offered at no charge to broadcasters, who must agree to use the programmes regularly and broadcast individual programmes in their entirety.
In addition to 125 or so North American stations, Earthwatch Radio is broadcast on shortwave by Radio for Peace International in Costa Rica.
The Earthwatch Radio site also provides information for educators. In 1990, the producers of Earthwatch Radio published a collection of scripts from prior programmes. The book includes a guide to help teachers use the scripts in the classroom. Sections of that guide, such as those that concern "concept mapping" (a means of helping students see the relevance of particular concepts discussed in the scripts), are included on the website.
Along these lines, the employment of student writers as part of the production process is a key strategy in supporting the development of environmentally literate young people. A page on the Earthwatch Radio site features past student writers who went on to work in environmental journalism and related fields.
The programmes are distributed on compact disk; each CD contains one programme for each weekday of a calendar month. The email distribution service sends out one script a day, Monday through Friday (click here to access a subscription form). The programmes do not refer to a specific date or day of the week, so they can be used anytime. This service is offered at no charge to broadcasters, who must agree to use the programmes regularly and broadcast individual programmes in their entirety.
In addition to 125 or so North American stations, Earthwatch Radio is broadcast on shortwave by Radio for Peace International in Costa Rica.
The Earthwatch Radio site also provides information for educators. In 1990, the producers of Earthwatch Radio published a collection of scripts from prior programmes. The book includes a guide to help teachers use the scripts in the classroom. Sections of that guide, such as those that concern "concept mapping" (a means of helping students see the relevance of particular concepts discussed in the scripts), are included on the website.
Along these lines, the employment of student writers as part of the production process is a key strategy in supporting the development of environmentally literate young people. A page on the Earthwatch Radio site features past student writers who went on to work in environmental journalism and related fields.
Development Issues
Environment, Education.
Key Points
The United Nations Environment Programme named Earthwatch to its "Global 500 Roll of Honour" at the Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992. In 1991, Earthwatch also received honors from the national Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education.
Sources
Letter from Rich Hoops dated January 8 2003, forwarded by Ashwani Vasishth to the World Environmental Journalists Egroup (WEJEG) (click here to access the archives); and Earthwatch Radio site.
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