Join the Discussion!
Planet Forward is both new and something completely different: a web site and PBS television show where citizens get to debate the experts on energy issues. At Planet Forward, the discussion begins on the web, moves to TV, and then continues back on the web. It's an innovative way of integrating web and television for brainstorming and proposing solutions to critical challenges facing our nation:
- Can we move away from fossil fuels? Should we?
- What's the formula for our energy future?
Make your case! All registered users can post comments, and by rating submissions you can help shape the debate. For some inspiration, we suggest you check out our PBS TV special and our web sequel.
Read on to find out how you can join the Planet Forward community and submit content – video, audio, images, essays and more.
Submission Guidelines
Send us your viewpoint in the form of a video, written commentary or article, podcast, slideshow, photo, chart, drawing, song or poem, to add to the discussion online at PlanetForward.org and for possible use on the Planet Forward web sequel.
All points of view are welcome. Contributors whose work is judged to be the most creative, most informative or most persuasive by the online community and Planet Forward's editors may have their work showcased on the Planet Forward site or a future Planet Forward program.
Contributors submitting content must either be age 18 or older, or, age 13 to 18, submitting content with the permission of a parent.
We also ask that all submissions come from individuals rather than organizations.
What Should The Content I Submit Be About?
Planet Forward is interested in well thought-out, reasoned ideas on a wide range of environmental topics. Right now, we're focused on the question of whether we can, or should, move away from dependence on the fossil fuels of coal, oil and gas.
Topics you might want to address in your Planet Forward viewpoint include, but are not limited to:
- The future role of fossil fuels
- Prospects for renewable and alternative energy sources
- New forms of conservation
- Things ordinary citizens can do, for example, behavior changes in the way we travel, work and live
- Things businesses can do, both locally and across national borders
- Things local, state and national governments can do
- Things international agencies, for example, the U.N., can do
What Format Should I Use To Submit My Viewpoint?
It's easy to submit content to Planet Forward. Read our rules (copyright law, who can submit, etc.) and then put together your thoughts for us in one of the following formats:
- Video
AVI, MPEG, RM, MOV, WMV, MP4, FLV, OGG, MKV, M4V, 3GP video formats are supported. Videos should be no less than 1 minute, no longer than 3 minutes.
Try to use HDCAM or other High Definition media if possible. Standard Definition is okay, too.
Very important: if there's audio in your video, do all you can during the recording and editing process to make sure your audience will be able to hear your audio and hear it clearly.
Be creative! Videos can be anything from a webcam commentary to a music video.
- Written Commentary, Article, Poem, Or Song Lyrics
All submissions in writing are limited to 800 words. Make a reasoned argument, report on a new field of research, share a personal experience — even write a poem or a song. Accompanying photos (JPEG file size is limited to 500K) are encouraged.
- Slideshow, Photo Essay, Charts And Graphs, Drawings
You can put together a slideshow in PowerPoint, Flash, or Quicktime (total file size cannot exceed 10MB). Or you could submit as many as 10 photos, charts or graphs, drawings or other images (the file size of each image is limited to 29K); your images can stand on their own, or, you could submit a paragraph (no more than 1000 characters including spaces) explaining your theme.
- Podcast Or Song
Sometimes the spoken word or a song is the best way to make your point. Audio submissions must be in MP3 format. File size cannot be more than 12MB.
Are There Rules On What I Can Say In My Viewpoint?
Be serious or humorous, personal or global. Be clear; be passionate. Be on point: make sure your contribution is related to the topic of our show. Have fun: a satirical video or limerick can be as powerful as a more traditional Op Ed commentary. And be civil.
Accuracy matters. Your opinions will have greater impact if you cite the facts on which they are based. Give credit where it is due. Don't plagiarize.
Anonymous entries are accepted, but signed ones will have a greater likelihood of being selected for our web sequel. Include your name and location in the body of your submission or in the end notes that will be posted beside your profile.
Submissions may mention but should not promote a particular product or service. We also can't accept libelous, obscene or otherwise illegal material.
For more details, please read our terms of terms of service and FAQ. Planet Forward reserves the right to remove a submission for any reason.
Permissions & Warnings
We respect the rights of copyright holders and expect you to do so as well. Don't include in your submission material that is protected by copyright law unless you have explicit permission from the copyright holder. This includes music, video, photographs, artwork, text, and other content that you might find on websites, blogs, TV or radio or in books, magazines, newspapers, libraries, etc. In other words: get permission, or come up with your own material.
Respect the privacy of others. Don't use hidden cameras or record conversations without the permission of all involved.
Bear in mind that you are legally responsible for what you submit.
For questions about submissions, email: info@planetforward.org
Join The Community: Become A Registered User Of Planet Forward
Why join Planet Forward? To make your case, and to have a say in what appears in the Planet Forward PBS special. Registering allows you to comment on and rate content, helping your favorites be considered for the web sequel. It's also the first step to becoming a contributor yourself. The questions at hand are so new and far-reaching, we think you, the concerned citizens of America, have as much to add to the discussion as any expert.
Registration is free, quick and easy, so register now so you can add your voice to those discussing the issues on PlanetForward.org. If you've 18 or over, or age 13-18 and have the permission of a parent, we'd also love to have you submit a Viewpoint on this issue.
Don't forget: the commentaries and videos you submit to the Planet Forward community, the discussions you create and join, could make their way onto the Planet Forward web sequel and be reviewed by White House Council on Environmental Quality Special Advisor Van Jones. Now that's making a difference.
