Podcast Producer Course
Research the 6 topics
In there you will find a lot of background information and possible topics to dive into. You can even find some easily adaptable challenges to suggest to your podcasters. You will want to keep the challenges relevant to the normal everyday life of people listening, so unless you find someone who has done something really outstanding, and you know this will make a good story, it’s totally okay to tell a story about everyday stuff that we can all relate to.
As a producer you should know some of the basic issues and relevant arguments in each topic, and the guidebook will help you get that. Your podcasters do not have to be experts in order to tell their story, they should just be willing to document and talk about their experiences when they are taking the challenge.
Recruit your podcasters
You will have to reach out to your own network of colleagues, friends and family to see if you can find 6 people who would like to share their experiences with you and the audience, and you might also want to reach out on social media in your local community to see if someone out there has an idea that would be good to put into an episode.
You might end up with 3 people that want to reduce plastic waste, but nobody who wants to repair their old clothes but you have to get one episode for each topic. Those are the rules.
Episode structure
We will use some intro, outro and skiller music in all the podcasts, so they will have a common feel in this regard.
The episodes will follow this rough structure:
- Intro
- Introduction to the subject
- Presentation of the person and their challenge
- Highlights from the challenge
- Reflections from the challenge
- Mention the rest of the topics and the project.
Food & Water
Eat less meat
The most obvious might be to find someone who would like to change their diet to include less meat, or to go fully vegetarian. This challenge has some clear topics that are easy to understand and discuss.
- The habits of eating meat, and the taste of it.
- Meat as a source of protein and how to find new sources.
- The ethics of it, and the social implications.
- The cooking and shopping process.
- Health and weight loss.
- Going full vegetarian or even vegan, or finding your own way
These topics are a great basis for a discussion. But since this is a challenge for someone, the most important content revolves around the inner dialogue, the reflections before and after, the obstacles, the cravings. All those things that we would expect to go through, if we were to take this challenge ourselves.
It is important to stress that they set the challenge themselves, so there is no fixed period that they have to endure. But of course you should help them set the challenge in a way that they will actually feel challenged. This makes for a better story.
Ecological and local food
Another approach might be to focus on the quality of food. Where is the food coming from and how long did it travel before ending up on your table?You might also find someone who wants to know that all their food is ecological and that no artificial pesticides have been used, and that the animals are medicin free and have been raised free-range.
These details can be more difficult to find, and you will have to research the origins of the food, and maybe visit local farmers and markets.
Water
In some areas drinking water is a scarce resource, and in other areas there is plenty of water if you just dig a big enough hole in the ground.
But saving on water is something that we all can do, and the effects can be felt immediately. If you have to collect and reuse all the water you would otherwise have flushed into the drain, then this would be a significant logistical challenge. There are many good stories here, and they might be very relevant to hear, even if you live in an area where water is plentiful.
Clothing
Shopping habits
The way we shop for clothes has changed a lot since the advent of online shopping. It’s become the new normal to shop for clothes from the sofa, and it’s easy to put a few more items in the shopping cart to save a bit on freight and to use the many bulk offers on websites. Online stores will also bombard you with great offers in your email inbox to lure you back into your next shopping experience, and you don’t even have to leave the house to do so.
The main problem with online shopping is that even if you decide to return some of your surplus garments, there is no guarantee that your blouse will be offered for sale to the next customer. Some companies find it cheaper to send return items to destruction than to reintroduce them to the shopping pipeline.
So a possible podcast episode could be to dig deep into the online shopping world and find out where to click and where not to click. And maybe even decide to forgo online shopping altogether.
| Second hand shopping For many it’s a sport to search the local 2.hand stores for new clothes. It can become a whole style and if you are a bit creative you can even fix and amend the clothes to fit your own style. A great episode could be of someone who is redesigning 2. hand clothes and creating new clothes out of pre-loved textiles. |
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Buy and sell locally
Pre-loved clothes don't have to be vintage, out of style, old lady dresses. Lots of the newly bought textiles - many bought online recently - can be found in 2. hand stores and in online marketplaces. Many local facebook groups are used at local marketplaces and also put & take companies are popping up everywhere, where sellers can display their old clothes, and buyers can try them on and buy them at the set price.
A funny episode could be on the best deals you can make on buying and selling, and maybe even earning some money in the process.
Clean your closet and donate
We all have our favourite outfits, and then a whole closet full of other stuff. Maybe make an episode of the trying out, sorting and donation of all the clothes that you don’t use anymore.
Find ways to make them do the most good when you are not using them anymore. This could be in combination with the buy and sell locally idea.
Transport
The Commuter
If you find someone who commutes to work daily in their own car, there might be some obvious things that they could do to transport themselves more sustainably. But carrying out this change may seem very difficult and annoying. A great idea for a podcast might be to analyse the different types of commute that can be used, and consider their pros and cons. How are the bus or train connections? Is it too long to ride a bike? Can you drive along with somebody in a car pool? Can you remote work some days? All this has to be taken into account and a plan has to be made and carried out. Even if it is just for a short challenge period.
| Public transport only An obvious challenge could be to park your car for a period of time and see how you would get around without it. No matter where you live, some of the people in that area get by without a car. What other options do they have? Interview them and ask if they have some tips and tricks, and try to use them in your own daily transportation. Life without a car If you don’t have your own car, but still need to go places where public transport is not a good option, then what can you do? Car sharing options are more and more popular, and you can find carpool and sharing apps all over. A good episode could be made out of trying to get from one place to another using sharing options. Describe how they work and what obstacles you meet on your way. |
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Go electric
If you know someone who has recently switched to an electric car, or are just about to do it, you can ask if they would be willing to document their process and reflections.
There are a lot of initial thoughts before going electric, and also a lot of unforeseen issues when you do. This would make an excellent topic for an episode.
Travel
The Active vacation
An obvious episode could be about people who decide not to travel at all, but instead staying close to home, maybe in a cottage, camping or maybe even riding their bikes with a tent, or going hiking or even canoeing. This form of vacation can be very fulfilling, but it will also make a good listening experience if you have some good storytelling combined with all the fun and difficult experiences you can have on an active vacation like this.
Going Eco Camping
A family vacation with the camping-wagon might be a much more sustainable option than going by plane to a big hotel. If you then combine it with searching for eco-friendly camping sites, you might have a winning combination. This might also be a way of introducing the concept of eco friendly tourism, so staying at a sustainable hotel might also make a great story if you can find the right story to tell.
Take the Train
An obvious alternative to flying is to take the train to your vacation destination. You might know some young people who have been on interrail, or have even taken the whole family on a train vacation. There are lots of clear benefits by taking the train like being able to walk around and talking to your friends and family, and also travel at night while you sleep.We would be interested in learning about the costs, the time it took to get there and all the small experiences on the way.
Plastic Waste
The anti plastic shopper
Shopping without plastic is impossible and the best we can do is to have an awareness about the amount of plastic we consume, and to find alternative brands or stores that will help to minimise the use of plastic. Most of the plastic we buy and throw out comes from the packaging of normal household products. How can we find a way to shop so we can minimise this plastic waste? Are there any shops in your town that offer plastic–free packaging? Can we buy out products in bulk and then save a bit in the container compared to smaller portions?
Sort your waste
Some countries have elaborate waste sorting systems in place that lets households sort their waste in many different categories. An interesting episode to learn from could be to investigate what happens with our plastic waste. How is it reused? Is it incinerated for electricity and heat? What types of plastic are reused or reclaimed and what happens with it?
Reuse your own plastic waste
An ambitious episode might be with someone that actually reuses their plastic over and over before it is being thrown out. Maybe you can find someone who reused plastic containers or have found a way to minimise their plastic waste in other ways.
Energy
Turn the heat down and the lights off
What can you do in your own home to save on energy? If you can find someone who has tried this at home you can ask how much it helped. Shutting off appliances that are normally on standby, using timers to automatically shut down at night and when nobody is at home might save some electricity, but how much? Ask someone who has done the calculations and hear the results.
Invest in renewable energy sources
Some of you might be able to find people who have used the energy crisis as a trigger to change their energy sources. This would need a long reflection period, and the results may already be measurable. Ask them about what they decided on, and why, and ask them what they will save on energy, or if there are other reasons to make the investment.
Take the Energy Challenge
You might be able to find someone who is willing to take the energy Challenge as it is outlined in the SustainCast GuideBook. They might decide to change it a bit, but the plan that they decide on should be followed for the next 7 days. This will make an excellent podcast episode!
