Meet Me on Planet 3 (Deanna Hoffman)

Happy Earth Day everyone! What better day to release this trailer for my new podcast about protecting planet Earth! The "Meet Me on Planet 3" podcast will feature actions that everyday folks are taking to be more sustainable and ecologically conscious. I am your host, Deanna Hoffman, a parent of two young boys, an experienced science educator, and an environmental advocate. I hope you come along, and Meet Me on Planet 3, as I showcase YOUR climate solutions. Subscribe today and check back in a couple weeks for our first episode! Also visit my blog at meetmeonplanet3.com.

For the very first Meet Me on Planet 3 podcast episode, I interviewed Eve Downing. Eve is a nineteen-year-old college student and environmental advocate from Alaska. She has been working nonstop since high school to take care of her home in the Arctic tundra.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog at https://meetmeonplanet3.com/ , follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

WCAI Climate Change Reporter, Eve Zuckoff, joins me for Part 2 of a Meet Me on Planet 3 special series on environmental journalism.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

If ever there was a year to honor teachers, this is the one! For this episode, I speak with Vermont Kindergarten Teacher, Sharon Davison. Sharon describes how she uses the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a catalyst for not only teaching her students their core subjects but also helping them see themselves as change makers for a better future. You can follow Mrs. D's class @vermontkkids123 on Twitter.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

The interviewer becomes the interviewee! WBUR Correspondent Barbara Moran joins me for an in-depth discussion about environmental reporting. This is Part 1 of a Meet Me on Planet 3 special series on environmental journalism.

Interested in incorporating current events into your curriculum or turning your students into environmental reporters? Contact me to talk about how to make this happen: greeninstruction@gmail.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

For this bonus episode, I share more of my interview with Rhonda Mace, better known as Recycle Rhonda. We first heard from Recycle Rhonda when she spoke with me about her work with Sharon Davison, the amazing kindergarten teacher who was featured in Meet Me on Planet 3 podcast Episode 3. As the School Outreach Coordinator for Vermont's Chittenden Solid Waste District, Rhonda partners with educators in her area to cultivate sustainable practices in their students and the community. You can follow Recycle Rhonda @rhowdyrecycler on Twitter.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

For Meet Me on Planet 3 podcast episode 6, I interviewed Dr. Duncan Cook, a Senior Lecturer of Geography at Australian Catholic University (ACU). (In American lingo, we'd call him a professor.) Duncan describes some of the archaeological data that support the claim that drought, caused by deforestation, forced the ancient Maya to abandon their inland cities. Climate change, anyone? I seriously learned so much from our conversation. You MUST listen to this interview - Duncan's work and his data are fascinating. I secretly (or not so secretly) hope he invites me on his next expedition!

Some key terms used in this episode:

• Anthro: Anthro is a prefix that means human. Anthropogenic means caused by humans. For example, anthropogenic sources of carbon indicates carbon dioxide in our atmosphere due to human activities, such as burning coal for electricity.
• Paleo: Paleo is another prefix, which means occurring in the distant past. For example, the expression "paleo diet" is used to describe foods that could have been hunted or gathered by ancient humans.
• Geo: A third prefix, geo, means Earth. A Geographer studies not just maps but also how society interacts with Earth's natural environment. Speaking of geography, two locations that come up include the Petén, which is a region in northern Guatemala, and the Yucatán, which refers to an area of Mexico.
• Catchment: Catchment is another way of describing a watershed, such as the area surrounding a lake or river.
• Calcium Carbonate: A little high school chemistry for you! Calcium carbonate is an important chemical in seashells. Its chemical formula is CaCO3, revealing that it consists of one calcium atom, one carbon atom, and three oxygen atoms.
• Isotope: An isotope refers to the same kind of atom with different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei and therefore different atomic masses. For example, Oxygen-16 and Oxygen-18 are isotopes. They are both forms of the element, oxygen, but they have different atomic masses due to differing numbers of neutrons.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

This pandemic has been so difficult, especially for those who suffered loss. During her fully remote senior year of college, Elizabeth Sockwell began to feel quite hopeless. Instead of dwelling on her sorrows, Elizabeth channeled her energy into something positive, what she called the 4C Tree Project. The 4 C's stand for "Capture Carbon, Commemorate COVID," and this is exactly what Elizabeth strived to do. She worked with her community leaders and fellow student activists to plant trees as living memorials to honor lives lost to COVID-19.

You can learn more about Green Newton's latest projects on their website and follow them @green.newton on Instagram and @greennewtonma on Twitter. Elizabeth also recently started her own blog called Achievable Green - check it out!

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

This week's podcast episode features Seopedi Baitsile, founder of The Upcycle Project in the African nation of Botswana. Seo discusses her inspiration for her work, which makes a difference "one bottle at a time." She also talks about how she is helping to combat the increase in non-biodegradable packaging waste seen in Botswana with an education campaign focused on #NtsholeleMoSkaftining, which is Setswana for "bring your own container." You won't want to miss this uplifting interview!

• To view Seo's work, visit this week's Meet Me on Planet 3 Blog Post and The Upcycle Project's Instagram Page: t.u.p._
• Click HERE to learn more about Botswana from National Geographic Kids.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

Esteemed authors, Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, meet me on Planet 3 to explain how children's books can foster a love for nature. They share their passion for birding, and Heidi even demonstrates how to call owls! They also provide some tips for aspiring children's book authors.

Some helpful links:

• All About Birds by The Cornell Lab
• Audubon
• Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

Meet Me on Planet 3 returns with bonus footage from my interview with Geographer Duncan Cook. He had so many interesting things to talk about that it didn't all fit it in one episode! Tune in to hear about geography vs. geology, how we know the Ancient Maya painted with mercury, and what adults can do to prompt children to think about the environmental histories of the places they know best.

Make sure you also listen to the first part of my interview with Duncan if you haven't already: Episode 6 - Duncan Cook on Learning About Climate Change from Ancient Civilizations.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.

In this episode, Abel Rodriguez shares his journey toward becoming an artist. Interestingly, much of his artwork is made from discarded materials, and this notion of sustainable art is why I invited Abel to Meet Me on Planet 3. He finds new life for found objects and tells a story with them while also supporting the environment. However, Abel is more than an artist and environmentally-minded person. He is also a thought leader and a social activist. I think you will find this episode with Abel extremely compelling.

You can view some of Abel's artwork on his website and follow him @abel_rdgz on Instagram. Also visit Abel and his husband's community art gallery, El Comalito Collective.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe today, and tell a friend to Meet Me on Planet 3 as well! Also check out my blog, follow @meetmeonplanet3 on Instagram and Twitter, and email me with topic suggestions or questions - meetmeonplanet3@gmail.com.