This week we’re revisiting our first Noons for Now topic: Climate Grief. What emotions do we feel around climate change? How can we navigate these emotions? And finally, how might the experience of collective grief lead us to meaningful action? Join us to discuss!
Speakers:
Jennifer Baker is a poet and an adjunct Professor in the Department of English at the University of Ottawa, where her research interests include the cultural history of agriculture in Canada, environmental history, literature and the environment, cultural studies, and Canadian poetry and poetics.
Stefania Maggi is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Childhood and Youth Studies at Carleton University where she teaches courses on the psychology of climate change and nature connection. Stefania is an advocate for climate ‘inner’ action which she promotes with her experiential courses that teach self-awareness, mindfulness, compassion, and active listening in the context of climate change and nature connection.
Resource List:
“Joy collected overtime fuels resilience.”– Brene Brown
To Find Support
Good Grief Network Website and their Very Extensive Resource List, “10-Steps to Personal Resilience & Empowerment in a Chaotic Climate”
Water Spirit, “Eco-Anxiety Support Group”
Climate Grief Group, “The Times are urgent. Let’s slow down.”
All We Can Save Project, “Our mission: To nurture the leaderful climate community we need for a life-giving future”
Usurns Online, “10 Things To Know As The Community Grieves“
Climate Hope Website and their Extensive Resource List, “To Build your Toolkit for Thriving in the Climate Era”
To Read
- Books
Rebellious Mourning: The Collective Work of Grief, Cindy Milstein
Generation Dread, Britt Wray & its Free Newsletter
Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds, Thomas Hubl and Julie Jordan Avritt
Rehearsals for Living, Robin Maynard and Leanne Simpson
Fables and Spells: Collected and New Short Fiction and poetry, adrienne maree brown
Warmth, Daniel Sherrell
A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet, Sarah Jaquette Ray
- Newspaper article
Brooke Jarvis, “Did Covid Change How We Dream?”, New York Times, November 2021
To Listen
Reseed, “A podcast about repairing our relationship with nature.” Alice Irene Whitaker
“I will survive”, Gloria Gaynor, 1978
To-Dos
Come Tuesday 6 to the Community Vigil to Grieve the Rideau Canal Skateway hosted by Heart Land, in partnership with Community Deathcare Ottawa and Ecology Ottawa.
Join Stefania Maggi on Zoom every Wenesday from 9 to 10 am during Mochi4thePlanet’s Climate Café
Test the water to find a safe person/ group by gradually talking about climate change keeping in mind that experiences resonate more with people than labelling what you feel.
Develop intergenerational discussions around Climate Change by calling your grandparents and/ or elders that you know
Try to name your emotions and feelings and then take a look at the “Is This How You Feel?” initiative
Try not to listen to any climate news at night and ask your loved ones not to share them with you.
Let yourself write and “free” write, you might hit something thanks to a sentence, an image, a sound. The idea is to be creative; you may try a medium that you have never or not used a lot in the past and see how it might change your understanding of what you feel.
Create a vigil or space in your home for acknowledging losses and things we are mourning/ fighting for.
Try to relax by doing a creative activity like cooking and gardening alone or in a community group.
Please take a look at the Old Ottawa South Community Program and what the Ottawa WildFlower Seed Library is doing as it was suggested by one of the participants.