Explore practical tools for climate grief, stories of resilience from Puerto Rico, and the vital intersection of racial inequities and climate justice.
Welcome back, everyone!
Thanks for waiting as we gathered up our mics and agonized over the editing software. While Matt is visiting his old stomping grounds in China, I (Hannah) am producing this show all on my lonesome. That’s why you’ve experienced a woeful gap during April. But now, fret not! We’re bringing you belated Earth Day content with a whole episode on ~Climate Anxiety~, tools for resilience, and vulnerable conversations on growing as activists.
This conversation covers:
What is climate anxiety?
The “Window of Tolerance” that balances our nervous system
How to cultivate resilience
Stories of climate resilience in Puerto Rico
Identifying racial inequities in climate justice
Tools for working through climate anxiety and climate grief
I hope you enjoy it! Like, SUBCRIBE to the Substack, and leave some lil’ comments to let me know what you think and what you’d like to see more of.
Saddle up, because this summer we’ve got a bunch of excellent content lined up. We’re bringing you everything from welcoming back the river dolphins to the healing power of drum circles right here on Root Shock.
Thanks for listening!
-Hannah
Resources
Climate Mental Health Network Toolkit: https://www.climatementalhealth.net/climate-emotions-toolkit
Environmental Amnesia: https://rebeccalexa.com/environmental-generational-amnesia/
Cited Works
For more information on Viques, PR: https://www.proquest.com/openview/ccc2ba278f5f68dd62ceaab09dad82ca/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Viques, PR (higher cancer rates): https://fxb.harvard.edu/blog/calendar_event/the-environmental-legacy-of-war-human-environmental-health-consequences-on-vieques-puerto-rico/
The Eternal Song Series: https://theeternalsong.org/the-films/
Naomi Klein, This Changes Everything: https://thischangeseverything.org/the-documentary/
People
Bayo Akomolafe: https://www.bayoakomolafe.net/
Janelle Baker: https://www.athabascau.ca/humanities-and-social-sciences/our-people/janelle-baker.html; https://orionmagazine.org/article/the-snarled-lines-of-justice/
Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove: https://www.mindyfullilove.com/root-shock
Dr. Arturo Ornelas: https://www.jstor.org/content/pdf/oa_chapter_monograph/j.ctt13x0pzq.11
Guest
Dr. Jen Myers earned her PhD in Sustainability Education from Prescott College, with a focus on environmental psychology. Her doctoral fieldwork in Puerto Rico explored place-based identity and resilience, examining how communities in colonized contexts navigate and adapt to climate change.
She is a sustainability educator who lives and works at the EcoVillage in Ithaca, New York, where she serves as Project Director of the Thrive Ithaca EcoVillage Education Center, part of the Center for Transformative Action
In addition to her work in Ithaca, Dr. Myers collaborates with the Global Ecovillage Network on climate resilience initiatives—developing climate action plans for ecovillages and facilitating workshops on climate anxiety, with a focus on how communities can support one another and cultivate resilience in the face of ecological polycrisis.
