By Sister Kati Hamm

I was born before radios in cars were ordinary. I became radio’s biggest fan when commuting to work or driving solo for four hours became a regular part of my life. How wonderful to be able to turn on instant entertainment, information, conversation and see the miles go by. Recently I have been made aware of the beauty of podcasts. This is what I’ve discovered so far.

A podcast is a collection or series of digital audio files that are made available for downloading or listening via the internet. So you can use your computer, tablet, or smartphone if you want to see what’s going on in the wide world of podcasts (estimated to be about a million active podcasts). Has someone recommended a podcast to you and you agree it sounds interesting but don’t how can you listen to it? Most devices now have software to allow you to listen to podcasts. Spotify is a popular service but may have to be downloaded. Google Play is also an app that is easily available and free. Apple devices generally already have Apple software installed and there are many others.

Podcasts are typically hosted by an individual or individuals who lead a conversation, share stories, or report the news. The episodes vary in length (usually around 30-40 minutes to over an hour) and frequency (once a week, once a month, daily). They can be downloaded so if your internet is not always available or steady, you can listen to it whenever you choose. Finally, if you want to follow a podcast, one way to do that is to subscribe to it. That way you may get reminders when a new episode is available. 

For this particular issue of Charity Alive, I wanted to recommend a podcast about Climate Change so I did a google search. After reviewing a couple podcasts recommended by Global Citizen, I found How to Save A Planet, available through Spotify with host Alex Blumberg. Through engaging conversations with guest experts, the show opens up the questions like, What do we need to do to address Climate Change? How do we make those things happen? At the conclusion of each show, they wrap it up with a call to action and a list of resources. I enjoyed several episodes that I listened to. I think you might find it worthwhile, too. Please, let us know if you use podcasts and if there is one that you would like to recommend. Include a few sentences telling why you’re a fan. Happy exploring!