Students Take the Mic with new podcast!
“Spot On” podcast helps students develop and share their vision of a sustainable future
The Spot-On Podcast, a collaboration between post-secondary institutions in Calgary and platformed by Sustainable Calgary, just launched!
Dreamed up by Mauricio Latapi and Jess Schmidt, the podcast empowers Calgary’s university students to share perspectives on environmental sustainability that they and colleagues are exploring - and how that can shape our collective future.
Episode 1: the team discusses changes they’ve made in their everyday lives to be more conscientious about the planet - what they call “Sustainable Swaps”.
We’re excited to introduce ourselves as the first team behind the student-led podcast Spot On, a new sustainability podcast produced in partnership with Sustainable Calgary.
Our host, Abiola Famakinwa, is in her third year of the Journalism and Digital Media program and holds a deep love for performing. She enjoys connecting with people through storytelling, and hopes to be able to continue that work through Spot On!
Our editor, Julianna Adair, is also in her third-year of the Journalism and Digital Media program with a passion for community-centred sustainability. She loves the challenge of taking raw audio conversations and shaping them into clear, fun episodes that connect with listeners.
Our producer, Bella Coco, is in her fourth-year of the Journalism and Digital Media program and pursuing a minor in Environmental Humanities. She enjoys spotlighting environmental activism throughout Calgary and Canada as the News Editor for The Reflector and now through Spot On!
Launching this project means we get to spotlight the innovative climate action happening across Calgary campuses and beyond. Together, we’re eager to use relatable storytelling and interviews to connect local voices with national sustainability goals and inspire meaningful change in our community.
From left to right: Julianna Adair, Abiola Famakinwa, and Bella Coco.
The podcast is for students, university communities and Calgarians at large. It aims to deepen local understanding of sustainability, keep up-to-date on local insights and initiatives in sustainability, and inform action in Calgary and beyond. Expect interviews by students with researchers, industry experts, nonprofits and students.
“The next generation is going to have to lead the way for us when it comes to sustainability, because it’s really their future more than ours - and in my experience, they always tend to be more hopeful. Getting to hear straight from them what they care about and how motivated they are to make things better is really inspiring, and helping them share these views and ideas with the wider community is a privilege I’m honoured to get to share.” - Jess Schmidt, award-winning podcast producer and co-founder of Spot-On. .
“This podcast is a great opportunity for students to showcase the positive sustainability initiatives happening across Calgary’s academic community. It also provides them with a platform to engage, learn, and share ideas that can inspire meaningful action” - Mauricio Latapí, Assistant Professor at MRU and co-founder of the podcast.
“I love everything about empowering our youth to have a voice in the media, in decision-making, and shaping our collective aspirations for the future. To respond to the challenges of our time, such as climate change, norms, behaviour and decisions need to change. Who better to lead than those who may not have normalized bad habits?” - Celia Lee, Executive Director of Sustainable Calgary.
Mauricio is a professor at Mount Royal University with a background in corporate social responsibility, environmental and strategic management, and maritime and energy-sector sustainability. Jess is an award-winning podcast producer and audio entertainment specialist with 5+ years developing and producing podcasts and audio strategies that help brands, creators, and businesses reach and grow audience.
Tune in for the first episode, available on Acast and accessible through Sustainable Calgary’s website www.sustainablecalgary.org/projects/spot-on