NEW ORLEANS – Whether kayaking winding bayous, digging into our distinctive cuisine, celebrating centuries-old traditions or helping restore disappearing wetlands, “ECO TRIP” invites viewers to experience coastal Louisiana as participants – not spectators.
“ECO TRIP” is the Gulf South’s first eco-adventure television series that combines outdoor adventure, authentic travel, rich cultural traditions and environmental discovery into one unforgettable journey. From the Mississippi River Delta to barrier islands and coastal communities, the series reveals the people, places and natural wonders that define coastal Louisiana and its connection to the greater Gulf Coast.
“ECO TRIP“premieres Monday, Aug. 24, at 9 p.m. on WYES-TV, the PBS member station serving southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Viewers can watch live at wyes.org/live, pbs.org or on the PBS App. WYES Passport members can stream the series anytime, anywhere. Episodes will also be available for a limited time on the WYES YouTube channel. For additional broadcast dates and times, visit wyes.org.
Produced and hosted by 11-time Emmy® Award-winning television personality Tom Gregory, “ECO TRIP” takes a different approach to adventure storytelling. Gregory’s greatest qualification isn’t expertise – it’s curiosity. With humor, authenticity, and a willingness to say yes to adventure, Gregory joins each adventure firsthand, creating an authentic look at the culture, history, and resilience that have shaped coastal Louisiana for generations.
“People around the world love Louisiana for its incredible culture, food, and music,” said Gregory. “What they often don’t see is the breathtaking beauty of our coast and the remarkable people working every day to preserve it. ECO TRIP is an invitation to experience both—to celebrate this extraordinary place and understand why it’s worth protecting and how we might be able to save it.”
The series debuts with sailing the Mississippi River aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter during Sail 250 New Orleans, celebrating Louisiana’s Spanish heritage at the Los Isleños Fiesta, volunteering at Cook-OS for the Coast at Docville Farm, birding along one of North America’s most important migratory flyways just minutes from downtown New Orleans, and helping restore coastal wetlands by planting native marsh grasses with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
New episodes will premiere monthly, with encore broadcasts throughout the month.
In future episodes, Gregory visits the Plaquemines Parish Croatian Festival, helps transform recycled glass into new wetlands with Glass Half Full, explores the evolving landscape of Neptune Pass, participates in oyster shell recycling and the Living Shoreline program, and so much more. Along the way, viewers meet commercial fishermen, scientists, chefs, historians, musicians and community leaders whose lives are inseparable from the coast.
Produced by WYES-TV, the 13-part series builds on the station’s tradition of award-winning local productions while introducing an entirely new style of storytelling to public television in the Gulf South. Through cinematic photography and immersive experiences, “ECO TRIP“ celebrates not only the beauty of coastal Louisiana but also the people and innovative solutions helping shape its future.
Following the WYES premiere, “ECO TRIP“ will also air statewide on Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), expanding the series’ reach to viewers across Louisiana.
WYES also plans to offer the series for national distribution through public television, bringing the stories of coastal Louisiana to audiences throughout the United States.
More than a travel series, “ECO TRIP“ is an invitation to discover coastal Louisiana and the enduring Gulf Coast spirit that unites its people, culture, and waterways. That invitation continues at the WYES COASTAL EXPO, where viewers can connect with the people and organizations working to protect the region’s future.
On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the public is invited to attend the WYES COASTAL EXPO. Guests will enjoy a special screening of the first two episodes of “ECO TRIP,” explore interactive exhibits, and learn how local environmental organizations are working to protect and restore Louisiana’s coast—and how each of us can make a difference.
Students interested in coastal restoration, environmental science and conservation are especially encouraged to attend. More details will be available soon at wyes.org.