Episode 5: Ideas flow like water

Missed the third national special of Higher Ground? Catch this one-hour program about community science that unifies us around climate change, distributed by American Public Media.

Ask your NPR station to play Higher Ground's third special program distributed nationally by American Public Media from January to May 2024.

Missed the second season of Higher Ground? Catch the one-hour special program selected by American Public Media for national distribution.

Our student scientists didn't whine about how adults were responding to climate decisions that affect their future. We can find innovative ways to adapt to changes in our environment when we listen to young people.

The idea to give everyone an acorn could change the landscape of a city. The student scientists know not all of the seeds would succeed, but they see the solution as way to make Bridgeport more resilient — and beautiful.

Our student scientists recognize there is only so much that people can do to protect water quality in their harbors. When it rains, it pours into their streets, flooding into city sewers. They are curious about what flows downstream into their neighborhoods.

The quality of the water — either what falls from the sky when it rains, floods from the coast when it storms, or bubbles up the tap to drink — is on the minds of our student scientists. So, they build an innovative prototype to reuse water.

The student scientists identify air pollution as an avoidable sign of climate change in their neighborhoods. So, we start to bring their research and questions to Bridgeport's policymakers to see how the ideas of middle school students can help protect their city.

The student scientists are still learning how to identify and use reliable information about climate change. These teens are trying to figure out what their role can be in addressing this seemingly overwhelming problem.

We are headed outdoors to make observations — to see Bridgeport through the eyes of its youngest residents. The eighth-grade student scientists will record what they find, helping them better identify with the global climate crisis in their neighborhoods.