after miles of driving on a bumpy dirt road, the mountains revealed a majestic landscape. the sun rays peaking in from the clouds welcomed us to vermejo reserve, a remote property in northern new mexico.

a very short visit to the reserve, founded by ted turner, founder of cnn, revealed a whole new world of conservation. as an environmental student, i’ve read and studied conservation efforts, but to see it happen in real life, with species i’ve never encountered before, deeply reiterated that everything on this earth is connected.

the conservation philosophy embodied by vermejo shows how far our care can go when facing the lands we stand on. i hope that the research coming from vermejo will help our world reconnect to our home, the one we share with the microorganisms and the bison. conservation efforts don’t only benefit the species, but our world as a whole. as long as we care for the land, the land will continue to support us.

click on the video above to learn more!

editor’s note: this series was made possible with the generous support of turner reserves and contributions by the turner family. all editorial content is published independently. 

planet forward’s environmental media lab led this expedition to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.

the disused buildings of our past can be a way of preserving culture while simultaneously following sustainable initiatives of our present day. it’s up to us to harness the potential of these buildings and preserve our beautiful, one-of-a-kind, planet. 

in this video, i discuss how giving building stock a second chance allows for communities to grow without the unnecessary use of undeveloped land. using these buildings can also allow for local economic stability by hiring locally and keeping the resources of the buildings within the community. we can build a better future together.