How do different forms of transportation impact our health and our world?
Transportation’s role in how energy is used and emissions are produced is something many of us think about whenever we travel. In this episode, Ami explores how the ways we move affect air quality, health, and the climate. Along the way, she meets students, experts, and community members who are finding new ways to rethink transportation and make more sustainable options accessible in their communities.
Let's take a look
Questions to consider
How can individual actions like choosing sustainable transportation make a difference in a global issue like carbon emissions?
What are some of the steps people can take to support their health and the health of those around them?
Meet the Changemakers
Get to know the historians. Each historian in this episode has a card with information about that historian.
There are 2 cards to read.
Jonathan Patz
Professor
I am an environmental health professor and lead the Climate Solutions for Health Lab at UW-Madison.
Joe Horvath
Bike Club Founder
I am a “bicycle broker.” I collect used bicycles — from dumps, donations, and garage sales — repair them, and get them to people who need them.
Quote from a historian
“Climate change is a big issue, but starting somewhere, even biking, still counts.”
Andy Nguyen
Bibliography
“Carbon Footprint.” Britannica, Britannica, www.britannica.com/science/carbon-footprint. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
“Energy and the Environment Explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 18 June 2024, www.eia.gov/energyexplained/energy-and-the-environment/where-greenhouse-gases-come-from.php.
Huang, Robert, and Matthew E. Kahn. “An economic analysis of United States public transit carbon emissions dynamics.” Regional Science and Urban Economics, vol. 103, Nov. 2023, p. 103947, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsciurbeco.2023.103947.
Lelieveld, Jos, et al. “Air pollution deaths attributable to fossil fuels: Observational and Modelling Study.” BMJ, vol. 383, 29 Nov. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077784.
“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 29 Dec. 2015, www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions.
“Total Energy Monthly Data.” U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Episode credits
Producer
Kylie Compe
Story
David Boffa
Ian Glodich
Tori Charnetzki
Kylie Compe
Ryan Hendricks
Script
Kylie Compe
Director of Photography
Ian Glodich
Videography
David Boffa
Ian Glodich
Tori Charnetzki
Kylie Compe
Editors
David Boffa
Kylie Compe
Audio
Kerman Eckes
Host
Ami Eckard-Lee
Graphics and Design
Charles Barrows
Animations
Ian Glodich
Illustrations
Cam Erhardt
Special Guests
Jonathan Patz
Andy Nguyen
Silas Hunter
Joe Horvath
Elizabeth Schubert
Maddie Fisher
Translation Services
Rev
Captions
Catie Pfeifer
Educator Support Materials
Mia Forslund
Jen Kobylecky
Web Design
Charles Barrows
Erika Kachama-Nkoy
Web Development
John Vieth
Digital Content
Sigrid Peterson
Executive Producer
Ryan Hendricks
Director of Education
Megan Monday
Director of Television
Jon Miskowski
Special Thanks
WSST Workshop Participants:
Alex Zeitler
Ben Sanderfoot
Dylan Hoffmann
Jeremy Kell
John Reiland
Kelsey Danninger
Kristen Whitney
Michael Aprill
Nick Gagnon
Val Nickels
Project Advisors
Kevin Anderson
Science Education Consultant
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Leigh Kohlmann
Independent Science Education Consultant
Oakfield, WI
Dolly Ledin
Wisconsin’s Green Fire
Madison, WI
Michael Notaro
Center for Climatic Research
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Victoria Rydberg-Nania
Environmental Education and Service Learning Consultant
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Episode Playtesters
Sarah Wright and her students
EAGLE School
Fitchburg, WI
Molly Carlson and the
Mauston High School Science Club
Mauston, WI
Jessica North and her students
Waunakee Community Middle School
Waunakee, WI
Lynn Kurth and her students
John Muir Middle School
Wausau, WI
Amy Reimer and her students
Core Knowledge Charter School
Verona, WI
Funding provided by
Dr. Annette Beyer-Mears in memory of Howard & Nelle Weiss, Virginia Graves and Peter Tropman
Friends of PBS Wisconsin
Focus Fund for Education