As The Weather Channel's climate change storytelling unit, Pattrn has a mission to explore and reveal the factors influencing global weather extremes. As residents in minority communities know all too well, climate change impacts have a disparate impact on people of color. From air and water quality, to rebuilding in disaster-stricken areas, these are the neighborhoods facing the greatest risk with the least resources to fight climate change. With our Faces of Change series, we hope to inspire and inform our audience about the thought leaders and grassroots activists making a difference across multiple diverse backgrounds.
Faces of Change is a series that highlights people in communities across the country who are leading by example, encouraging new attitudes and bringing their diverse understanding to the issues surrounding climate change. Whether it’s through science, agriculture, or even art - these leaders are working to make the topic relatable, and more importantly, actionable, in their communities so that the next generation will benefit from their grassroots efforts.
Our team scours for inspiring stories about the people mitigating climate change and seeking environmental justice. The biggest challenge is bringing their stories to life visually, because so much of climate change reporting is in data or aspirational actions, with no real-time imagery or settings to showcase. We chose to make "Faces of Change" people-driven stories, told in the first-person by the subjects themselves. To reinforce the importance of DEI in our climate change storytelling, we display the tapestry of faces in the graphic design elements that introduce each piece in the series.
Faces of Change is a multiplatform series. The series can be viewed on the Pattrn FAST channel, The Weather Channel television network, The Weather Channel television network streaming app, the Pattrn YouTube channel, and The Weather Channel YouTube channel.
Climate change storytelling starts with education, an idea, and inspiration to make the Earth a better place than the way we found it. It doesn't have to be doom and gloom, fossil fuels, and melting sea ice. It is the story of the next generation taking control of their climate destiny.
We feel it is our duty to normalize this style of storytelling, by amplifying the work of the diverse voices affecting change in our communities. Each time a "Faces of Change" report is shared across our platforms, we get reactions that range from surprise and delight to sincere thanks for sharing these stories.
To that end, this series is a success.
