Roger Williams University Pushes "Planet Forward" (Rhode Island PBS)

PLANET FORWARD is an innovative, viewer-driven program that debuted on the Web and culminates in a primetime special on Rhode Island PBS on Thursday, April 30 at 8 PM. (The show premieres on nationally around Earth Day, two weeks earlier.)

Hosted by Emmy Award-winning CNN veteran Frank Sesno, the broadcast is driven by people’s ideas about the nation’s energy future. The most provocative and interesting submissions to the Web site will be featured in the broadcast, taped before an audience at George Washington University and featuring experts, scientists, policy makers and business leaders, as well as the selected citizen journalists.

Featured experts include:
•Carol Browner, assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change
•James Connaughton, chairman, Bush White House Council on Environmental Quality; currently executive vice president, Constellation Energy
•Shai Agassi, founder and CEO, Better Place
•L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder, Natural Capitalism Solutions

Of huge local interest is the participation in this project by nine Roger Williams University journalism students. The eight seniors and one junior spent three intense weeks in January producing and editing their videos for submission. Their work so impressed the PLANET FORWARD folks, the students have been invited to the taping of PLANET FORWARD taping in Washington, DC.

Here are links to a variety of sources for more information, including:

An informative article by Gina Macri published in The Providence Journal

RWU students promote their videos:

Planet Forward (RWU) also has a group page on Facebook: www.facebook.com