Sustainability and the Environment: "Hannah's Internship Report"

Broadcasting Sustainability
By Hannah Perry

Four weeks ago, I had the notion that anyone with a computer could create a podcast. Today, I can emphatically tell you that I was wrong. I spent the past month working at Monteverde FM, a local internet radio station, with my pal Julia. Our goal was to create a high-quality podcast series about sustainability initiatives in Monteverde, which we christened Sustainable Studio.
The surrounding region of Monteverde is a hotspot for biodiversity, conservation, and ecotourism. In fact, it is home to the largest privately protected reserve in the country (The Children’s Eternal Rainforest), and attracts upwards of 250,000 visitors each year. Yet, Monteverde lacks the channels to spread the word about what the local community is doing for science and sustainability.

Here I am in my Monteverde FM t-shirt with Julia and a picture of a bellbird. The bellbird is one of the creatures that entices more than 250,000 tourists each year to visit Monteverde. We had to see one for ourselves!

And that is where Sustainable Studio comes in! Julia and I spent the month researching, interviewing, editing, and producing three podcasts of about twenty minutes each. The topics we chose to highlight were: ecotourism, wildlife conservation and the promotion of wildlife passages, and the future of sustainable living. We interviewed more than a dozen tourists, several hotel staff members, many community activists, and three high schoolers to gain a wide perspective on sustainability in Monteverde.
I was interested in this internship because I saw Sustainable Studio as a form of environmental education. Podcasts are auditory learning, and in this case, I had the pleasure of communicating scientific ideas to an audience that may not know or care anything about the topics we discussed. However, I found that researching and interviewing passionate people about something that I care about made this challenge easily accomplished. I hope that by raising more awareness in the community, sustainability issues can be further debated and exchanged.

My favorite interview was in San Luis with Patrick Moore. We conversed about sustainable construction, particularly the idea of using invasive species and unwanted natural materials to build homes and community structures.

Yet, I learned very quickly that despite my noble cause, creating a podcast series was harder than it looked. The process began with research about the people and organizations that we were going to interview. Next, the arduous task of weaving an interesting story commenced. Editing all of the audio was tedious and time-consuming, as was writing compelling narration. Nonetheless, my attention-to-detail is a trait that I am very glad I have now, and will continue to use in the future.
The most difficult part, however, was not story-telling – it was physically recording the words that we had written down. It took many tries to practice my “radio voice” and say things clearly, especially in Spanish.

Julia and I practicing our “radio voices” while trying not to laugh. Seriously – harder than it looks!

I am most proud of the way Julia and I were able to share the visions of sustainability in Monteverde with the rest of the community. I had the great pleasure of speaking with conservation activists, smart and passionate teenagers, and community members who I truly believe are making a difference in their community. I hope that by airing their accomplishments, everyone who listens to Sustainable Studio is equally as inspired as I am.

Don’t forget to tune in to Sustainable Studio this Earth Day (April 22nd) on www.monteverde.fm!