Almost 25 years after earning her undergraduate degree in anthropology from U-M, Barbara Lucas felt like something was missing. So, at age 45, she returned to her alma mater to pursue a master’s in Environmental Policy.   “A few decades of volunteering for environmental causes (in my off-time after work) just wasn’t doing it for me,” Lucas said. “My two loves are nature and working with people. Why not try to combine the two? I wanted to be taken more seriously, to make more of a difference. I wanted to somehow convince people to be better stewards of the planet.”

Today, Lucas is an environmental journalist and writer, host, and producer of “The Green Room” on WEMU Radio, as well as a companion show of the same name on Ann Arbor's Community Television Network, Channel 19. A collaboration with the Washtenaw County Office of the Water Resources Commissioner and the Environmental Health Division, her show has covered a wide range of issues and topics — everything from stadium waste and light pollution, to pollinators, bats and bees, to green agriculture and issues of urban planning, to an extensive investigation — 25 episodes — of Ann Arbor’s infamous 1,4 dioxane plume.

“It was a luxury to be able to roll up my sleeves and thoroughly investigate the Gelman dioxane plume. It took many months of totally immersing myself in the issue, round the clock. But it was worth it,” Lucas said. “I was able to bring to light some important things that were not covered elsewhere. I’m hoping the series can serve as a tool to help provide a fuller understanding of this complicated problem.” Her connection to the Ann Arbor airwaves goes back to her days in SEAS. After stumbling onto Julie Halpert and Emilia Askari’s environmental journalism class, Lucas found an internship on Washtenaw County’s weekly WEMU show “Issues of the Environment.” From there, she began working in documentary film, and later established her own video production company. Her clear reporting is designed to be understood by ordinary citizens, serving as an important link in the transmission of complex scientific information about global sustainability.

“I am thrilled that I’m actually paid to investigate all the many different environmental issues that interest me, and to communicate the concepts I care about so deeply, through mediums that are so creative and fun,” Lucas said. “Journalism is a great way to reach the public to positively impact sustainability. Even if your primary market is small, nowadays all work is digitally archived and easily accessible, so you can potentially reach wide audiences.”