What would the future look like, if we did not completely "return to normal"? Over 50 National Geographic Explorers and collaborators from around the world unite to envision a more sustainable future post-COVID, through multi-sensory stories, art, and calls to action.
This storytelling experience at the intersection of journalism, media, science, and experiential education is dedicated to everyone around the world who lost a loved one during (the ongoing) COVID pandemic. We include our friends and loved ones -
Alfonso Tohen Bienvenu, Armando Gonzáles Majul, Anna & Joseph Amendolara, Barbara Blozen Gallager, Enio Ruggieri, Enrique Marcatili, Krista Heidi Pierce, Leon, Luis David Herrera Barido, Prentice K Stout, Rachele Dolly Nahum, Ramakrishnan Pillai, Rita Paoletti, Riccardo Piconi, Sydnee Lee Tyson.
We dedicate this effort to all our loved ones, and to those who will enjoy the promising future that we can all embark on building together.
Three interwoven stories – in Peru, Thailand, and Canada – that teach us about the connection between humans and nature
READ
Nine postcards sent to a Marquesian anthropologist in 2025, reflecting on what we have learned during the trying years of the pandemic
READTwo stories from opposite corners of the world – one at a river, the other on an ocean – depicting how the relationship between nature, pollution, and society changed post-COVID
RIVER STORY OCEAN STORY
Mr. Orange from a fruit orchard in China and Clemmy from a monoculture in Brazil lead opposing lives, as they travel to their final destinations to become orange juice
READ
Letters from two different futures – one if we make no changes and one if we do – reflecting on our role in mitigating climate change
READElephants, bats, and dugongs write letters to humans, thanking them for making decisions that prioritize the wellbeing of wildlife
READ
Four Indigenous activists and artists across Latin America share their visions for a more resilient 2025, which honors ancestral knowledge, natural processes of change, and holistic worldviews of health
READ
Through the perspective of a town’s bulletin board, two small communities – one with the tools to be resilient, the other without – face the future
READText messages are sent between four best friends across the Americas, as they struggle to find local solutions for more sustainable economies
READ
A teacher searches for educational kipukas – seedlings of hope after the pandemic – to regrow a new education system that is centered around connection and equity
READ