With the threat of increased rain, and smoke from nearby wildfires affecting our area, anxieties about climate change are rising for many people. Enter Environmental Connections, WXXI’s new series exploring all things climate, from electrification to food choices and everything in between. Hosted by WXXI News’ Weekend Edition host Jasmin Singer, the two-hour monthly talk show has already launched on radio and is set to launch on television this month. We sat down with Jasmin to talk about how her own climate journey led her to WXXI, and her hopes for how Environmental Connections can further the dialogue about a very hot topic.
Listen: The last Friday of every month on WXXI News and WXXINews.org
Watch: Fridays at 8:30 p.m., starting April 26 and Saturdays at 11 a.m., starting April 28 on WXXI-TV
Q. How did the idea for Environmental Connections come about and what inspired you to create it?
A. My wife and I moved to Rochester in 2021, primarily because of the relatively positive long-term climate projections in the area. We also had a check list of things we wanted in a city — including plenty of vegan food, good walkability, and a welcoming LGBTQ presence. We had been living in Los Angeles, and prior to that, I lived in lower Manhattan. We fell in love with Rochester for many reasons, not the least of which was the work being done to create a climate refuge here. WXXI wound up doing a story on us, and I was incredibly excited because I am an NPR nerd and listen to WXXI basically all the time. The photojournalist on that story was Max Schulte, and he put the bug in my ear about maybe one day joining the team. So by the time I got the job of Weekend Edition host and reporter, it was no secret that my interest in the environment had been my foot in the door. WXXI was already doing an amazing job of covering the environment — journalists Jeremy Moule and Veronica Volk are just two people of many who have been reporting on climate-related issues for a long time. I started filling in as host for the other shows at WXXI, one being Connections, and I kept gravitating toward environmental topics. And then the VP of TV, Todd McCammon, caught wind of my interest in doing a Connections spin-off show focused on climate, and was like, “Let’s make this for TV, too.”
Q. This month you’re unveiling a weekly half-hour television version of the radio show. How will that change the dynamic of the show?
A. Audio storytelling and visual storytelling are inherently very different, and it’s been exciting (and sometimes nerve-wracking) to explore how to go live on the radio while simultaneously shooting for TV, then take the TV footage and add in visual elements — such as breakaway packages and relevant B-roll — to bring the stories to life in a way that will speak to our viewership. I think the TV audience will have a literal front-row seat to what will feel quite intimate, as any talk show should, and they will also be privy to those exclusive packages we will feature along with the panel discussion. So, in a way, it’s a more well-rounded and curated experience—not quite as raw and organic as the radio show. And neither approach is better than the other; they are just different. We are also learning as we go, since there are some inherent challenges to doing it this way, but my TV co-producers Jason Milton and Katie Epner are extraordinarily talented and I’m lucky to be working with them through this process.
Q. How do you incorporate diverse perspectives and voices into your show’s discussions?
A. Executive Editor Denise Young and News Director Randy Gorbman have expertly honed my journalism skills, and even though I clearly have a strong point of view (most people do), I know that this is not an activist show, and my job is not to put forth my own perspective as the Holy Grail. I’m in this industry because I’m fascinated by a wide array of perspectives and experiences, and just like many of my listeners and viewers, there’s a lot I still don’t know — so I try to approach every interview and conversation with curiosity and humility. That’s where the experts come in, and I get to represent your run-of-the-mill person who cares deeply about the planet and wants to do my best to help however I can but isn’t necessarily sure what all the issues entail or how (or when) to pivot my own behavior. When curating the expert panel, I pay attention to age, gender, and race because I do not want anything I create to be a monolith. I want to have a dialogue with a group of people with different lived experiences, lines of work, and points of view. I’m lucky because Connections producer Megan Mack knows just about everyone, so I am constantly knocking on her door as well as researching the many, many players working to create climate solutions here in Rochester.
Q. What are some of the upcoming topics you’ll be discussing in future episodes?
A. Airplane travel, electric vehicles, the re-use movement, eco-anxiety, environmental justice, and — one that I’m very excited about — eating in the best way for the planet. That said, I am already receiving pitches from the public every single day, so my list is ever-growing, pointing to the public’s enthusiasm about highlighting these issues.
Q. In what ways will your show highlight solutions and positive actions individuals and communities can take to address environmental challenges?
A. Environmental Connections is absolutely not all doom and gloom; that’s just not how I roll, nor does that make for a compelling show. There are so many reasons to be depressed when you look at the climate stats, because what we are dealing with is absolutely dire. But I personally like to choose hope and think in a solution-oriented way. Yes, we’ll have experts on who will lay it out in no uncertain terms, but each of my shows will have an additional layer of “what can be done about this? What can your average citizen do?”
Q. How do you personally hope your show will contribute to the broader conversation and actions surrounding environmental sustainability and climate resilience?
A. In a world where we seemingly have very little control over the news headlines, and at a time when so many people feel helpless regarding all the atrocities that are currently coming out in full force, my hope is that Environmental Connections creates a space where people can learn about the issues, join us in dialogue, and leave feeling emboldened. We are all in this together, and I’m truly inspired by Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors’ take on “collective care,” which is basically when communities support each other emotionally and practically during a crisis. In that spirit, Environmental Connections aims to not only inform but to galvanize community action and resilience. The ethos of neighbors helping neighbors is a cornerstone of how we can collectively address environmental challenges, and that’s the vibe I’m going for. And though these are heavy topics, my listeners will know that I am known to throw in a “dad joke” here or there, so I do my best to add levity whenever appropriate. That’s certainly not to undermine any of the issues; it’s just who I am. In the midst of this climate catastrophe, I genuinely need to keep my sense of humor intact. Sure, sometimes it’s out of desperation, but humor is also a powerful tool for resilience and connection.
Q. What kind of partnerships or collaborations have you formed with organizations or experts in the field of environmental science and advocacy that will support the show’s goals? It’s hard to know where to start! I’ve gotten to know some of those working on environmental issues and am grateful to have a growing rolodex. They include the folks behind the Climate Solutions Accelerator, Rochester Ecology Partners, and the Monroe County Department of Environmental Services, to name just a few. There are also local entrepreneurs like Marilla Gonzalez, who runs a low-waste store called Marilla’s Mindful Supplies and citizens from a neighborhood Buy Nothing group, plus environmental academics from both RIT and U of R. It’s heartening to know that I’m just at the beginning of connecting with the countless advocates and civilians involved in this shared mission of protecting the planet’s health.
Q. You have filled in as the Connection host countless times – and many of those programs had an environmental focus. How were those received, and do you have any listener feedback that you could share?
A. I should probably put an autoreply on my email because of the amount of people who reach out to me after I cover anything environment-related because (and consider this a public apology) I simply cannot keep up! And I hear it all: people who are thanking us for covering oft-ignored topics (that’s part of our newsroom’s ethos) and people who, frankly, tell me off because they are climate deniers. Why they tune in anyway is a mystery to me, but I’m happy they do, because we don’t want to be speaking in a vacuum. The vast majority of emails are from people who are absolutely thrilled to be learning about these issues in detail, or people with ideas for future shows—many of which are fantastic. I recently was moderating a panel after a documentary that screened at The Little, and was happy to meet so many people who tune in religiously to Environmental Connections.
Q. Name three things a person can do right now to live more eco-friendly.
A. The first thing is to eliminate or reduce your consumption of animal products, as they wreak havoc on the planet. My biggest piece of advice here is to not let perfect be the enemy of the good; really, truly do what you can, given your unique set of circumstances. The second is to move toward electrifying your home as much as possible, removing our dependence on fossil fuels to heat and cool our homes. And the third is to no longer use single-use plastics; there’s a whole world of alternatives available to you. Everything I just listed is easier to do than it might sound, even if you start small. The point, I think, is to start.
Q. You don’t just talk the talk; you live it. Can you talk a little bit about what it means to have a ‘net zero” home?
A. Our home is not fully net-zero, but it is as close as possible for our 100-year-old home. For us, that means that we added solar panels to offset a good chunk of our electricity use, removed our gas furnace and replaced with a geothermal heating system, replaced our gas water heater with a very efficient heat pump electric model water heater, all so we could cap our gas line and stop combusting hydrocarbons. We also replaced most of our original 1924 windows with 2022 triple-pane technology and, importantly, insulated the house throughout. The goal was to make the house tight so that we’d need to ask less of our geothermal HVAC system. As instructed by our installers, we keep the geothermal thermostat in our house at a steady temperature. This prevents the system from having to resort to supplement the geothermal heat and cooling with additional electric-generated climate. It’s all about sipping, not gulping energy, even now that we’re all-electric. We started our journey trying to build new, but when that didn’t pan out (for a variety for a variety of reasons, we thought that converting an existing old house as a demonstration project would be even more useful. The cost of discarding old buildings for new ones (that could be fully “net zero”) is both too high for the environment and not feasible.
