MANILA, PHILIPPINES – National Geographic Explorers from across the world are coming together to share their stories about protecting the wonders of the world in an immersive and engaging audio journey called Expedition: Earth.
Launching on Earth Day 2022, Expedition: Earth is a 12-episode podcast series that dives into the lives and stories of National Geographic Explorers, to help listeners reconnect to and learn about the world we live in. New episodes drop weekly on Fridays at 5pm (SGT) on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and YouTube.
Hosted by National Geographic Explorer and multimedia storyteller Lillygol “Lilly” Sedaghat, the podcast transports listeners to the last remaining rainforests in the Philippines, the ocean waters off the coast of Singapore, and the deepest, darkest pools of the Mekong River.
“We started this podcast because we could feel a growing sense of disconnect among people, and we wanted to remind them about what makes us human, what makes our planet wonderful, and what we need to do to protect it. And so we created an audio journey with National Geographic Explorers, whose very lives revolve around protecting and understanding the wonders of our world,” said Lilly Sedaghat.
“Stories can give us hope and courage. We are at a pivotal moment where we can still make a profound impact on our environment, community, and all living things around us. By shining a spotlight on these Explorers, we hope to inspire, inform, and reinvigorate the love and wonder we have for the planet we call home,” she said.
Expedition: Earth episodes are as follows:
Episode #1 – Expedition: Life
Premieres Friday, 22 April at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Life, where we unfold the stories of two Explorers fighting to protect the last remaining forests of the Philippines. Listen to Ann Dumaliang (Managing Trustee of Masungi Georeserve Foundation) and KM Reyes (co-founder of Centre for Sustainability PH) to discover the challenges of conservation and why these forests are worth protecting.
Episode #2 – Expedition: Coexistence
Premieres Friday, 29 April at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Coexistence where we unpack how to live in balance with wildlife as Singapore transitions from a garden city to a city in nature with primatologist and President of the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) Andie Ang.
Episode #3 – Expedition: Caged
Premieres Friday, 6 May at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Caged, where we speak to TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Programme Officer Serene Chng to learn about the illegal caged bird trade across Southeast Asia and what is driving some species into extinction.
Episode #4 – Expedition: Mekong
Premieres Friday, 13 May at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Mekong, where we dive into the Mekong River with biologist Zeb Hogan to discover some of the world’s largest freshwater fish, their history and significance to the river, and the changing complexities of a river system that supports millions of people living across multiple nations.
Episode #5 – Expedition: Death
Premieres Friday, 20 May at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Death, where photographer Josh Irwandi brings us on a journey through his lens as he works to document truth and death in Indonesia.
Episode #6 – Expedition: Abyss
Premieres Friday, 27 May at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Abyss, where Martin Edstrom brings us into the deepest, darkest cave of Southeast Asia, using his interactive and immersive storytelling techniques.
Episode #7 – Expedition: Waste
Premieres Friday, 3 June at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Waste, where we explore how someone’s trash can be another person’s treasure. Listen to architect and engineer Arthur Huang as he talks us through the transformation of discarded plastics, apparel, and even cigarette butts into post-consumer “high-performance materials” featured in innovative architectural projects around Asia.
Episode #7 – Expedition: Ocean
Premieres Friday, 10 June at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Ocean, where diver-photographers Nathaniel Soon and Brian Skerry shed light on some of the ocean’s smallest, biggest, and most magical creatures, from the scientific unknowns of the nudibranch to the social cultures of whales.
Episode #8 – Expedition: Shark
Premieres Friday, 17 June at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Shark, where we speak to Alessandro Ponzo (Founder and Executive Director of the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines) and marine biologist Naomi Clark-Shen on why human consumption is threatening sharks and other marine species, and what we can learn from examining the bellies of these sea creatures.
Episode #9 – Expedition: Wetlands
Premieres Friday, 24 June at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Wetlands, where conservation photographer Gab Mejia (National Youth Council of the WWF-Philippines) shares the power of visual storytelling in protecting, preserving, and supporting wetlands and indigenous communities.
Episode #11 – Expedition: Time
Premieres Friday, 1 July at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Time, where we explore the use of high-tech digital equipment to map ancient civilizations with Albert Lin, and uncover lost secrets and famous underwater sites with Bob Ballard.
Episode #12 – Expedition: Hope
Premieres Friday, 8 July at 5pm SGT
Welcome to Expedition: Hope, where we explore how people of all ages have the potential to make a difference. Listen to how full-time changemaker Melati Wijsen (YOUTHTOPIA founder) is building a youth-focused, solution and skills-sharing platform for social change and how farmer and chef Louise Mabulo is working with farmers in her community in the Philippines to build climate resilience through her social enterprise The Cacao Project.
Visit https://linktr.ee/expedition.earth to tune into new Expedition: Earth podcast episodes every Friday at 5pm.
Expedition Earth is co-produced by Cignal, First Media, HK Cable TV, MNC Vision, Now TV, SKY Cable, and TrueVisions.
