Eco-Conscious Listening: 10 Great Environmental Podcasts for 2021
Sustainability is a massive part of the mission here at Unity College, and it’s exciting to see the environment getting more and more attention. Whether in the media or in everyday conversation, environmental issues are coming to the forefront.
Of course, the environment is a topic that’s massive and multifaceted. It includes so many areas, including climate change, environmental impacts, ecological and social justice, pollution, conservation, and sustainable living.
“Many people—even those of us who are passionate about the environment—find it hard to stay educated and up to date on every aspect. Podcasts can be a great way to expand your knowledge, especially in environmental topics in which you’re not particularly well versed.” – Dr. Joshua Kercsmar, Assistant Professor of Environmental Humanities at Unity College
To help you in your pursuit, we’ve pulled together 10 of the best environmental podcasts available in 2021. Keep learning more about planet Earth by subscribing to one or more of these environmental podcasts. You can find these podcasts via the provided links or using your preferred service for podcasts (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.).
Top 10 Environmental Podcasts for 2021
- Living Planet from Deutsche Welle
- Living on Earth from PRX
- Costing the Earth from BBC Radio
- CleanLaw
- Broken Ground from the Southern Environmental Law Center
- Outrage and Optimism
- Sustainable(ish)
- How to Save the Planet
- Sustainable Jungle
- Sustainababble
Let’s take a deeper look at what each of these podcasts have to offer, one by one:
1. Living Planet from Deutsche Welle
Deutsche Welle, or DW for short, is an international news outlet out of Germany. As an international publication, many of its resources are published in or available in English. On the environmental podcast front, Living Planet from Deutsche Welle dives weekly into a broad range of topics touching on planet Earth and the environment.
Recent topics include sustainable farming, fossil fuels, urban sustainability, wildlife conservation and forest management. If you’re looking for a regular 30-minute podcast that’s a bit more general and public-friendly, Living Planet is it.
2. Living on Earth from PRX
Living on Earth from PRX is a weekly broadcast-based public radio podcast, timing in at just over 50 minutes each week. The focus of this podcast is climate change and its effects on ecology and human health.
Host Steve Curwood covers four or more topics each week, including coverage of our progressively warming planet and the innovative solutions being developed today. This podcast certainly feels a bit more like public radio than a basement production, but that’s not always a bad thing.
3. Costing the Earth from BBC Radio
Costing the Earth from BBC Radio is a more-or-less monthly podcast based in the UK. This podcast focuses on the human aspects of environmental concerns: how we as a species can reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the eco-political consequences of global economic changes, and the ecological impact of specific activities we humans rely on (like air conditioning).
A prouct of BBC Radio 4, Costing the Earth episodes clock in at around 27 minutes. Like the previous podcast, this one has high, radio-like production values.
4. CleanLaw
If you prefer your podcasts a bit wonkier, CleanLaw will appeal to the environmental policy wonk in you. Equal parts environmental podcast and law podcast, CleanLaw looks at environmental, energy and climate issues through a legal framework.
The Harvard Law School Environmental & Energy Law Program produces four episodes of CleanLaw per quarter. Expect a depth of legal analysis as well as commentary on proposed solutions to today’s climate and environmental policy problems.
5. Broken Ground
A podcast from the Southern Environmental Law Center, Broken Ground is a monthly podcast covering environmental stories from and relevant to the US South. This region of the country has its own set of environmental challenges and issues, and a regional podcast like Broken Ground is the perfect way to explore what makes the southern US unique from an environmental perspective.
6. Outrage and Optimism
Outrage and Optimism is a climate-focused podcast tries to balance, well, outrage and optimism. There’s plenty to be concerned with—even outraged about—in the climate change discussion. At the same time, we all need a good dose of optimism if we want to be part of the change that solves the climate crisis.
The hosts of Outrage and Optimism bring in guests from all walks of life, including well-known figures like David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg.
7. Sustainable(ish)
There’s plenty to discuss about the environment and sustainable practices, but so much of it is big-picture talk that doesn’t meet us where we live. If you’re looking to do the right thing right now as you live your everyday life, Sustainable(ish) is a podcast that can help. Learn what small steps you can take today that will help you live a more sustainable—yet still attainable—life.
8. How to Save the Planet
Another UK-based podcast, How to Save the Planet is produced by Friends of the Earth and covers a range of topics, from the connections between climate and race to the problems with fast fashion. Friends of the Earth has historically been an edgy, cutting-edge organization, and their podcast reflects their history.
Their current miniseries, A Better Future, is worth checking out.
9. Sustainable Jungle
Sustainable Jungle focuses in on two facets of the environment: sustainability and conservation. Featuring interviews with the people doing the hard work of making change, Sustainable Jungle is a real, sometimes raw podcast. But above all, it’s positive and encouraging in its attempt to push for change.
10. Sustainababble
If you’re worried that the environmental podcasts listed thus far might be a bit too dire or stuffy for your liking, here’s a podcast that takes a different tack. Sustainababble is an environmental comedy podcast, believe it or not. They take a humorous and off-kilter approach to covering very real (and not so funny) issues of our day.
If Sustainababble hits the right tone for you, there’s great news. Over 200 episodes in and releasing several each month, Sustainababble has plenty of content for you to catch up on.
Make Sustainability Your Calling with Unity College’s Hybrid Learning Degrees
Your passion for the environment is awesome, but what if it could be something more? Consider turning your interest in sustainability, conservation and the environment into both a calling and a career.
Unity College offers numerous environmentally minded degree programs in a Hybrid Learning model. Choose your pace and your terms: with eight terms a year, you can start a segment of credits just about whenever you desire. Our hybrid programs can be completed online, in person, or as a mix of both.
Learn more about our Hybrid Learning degrees, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
