Climate Change Solstice Discussion Stimulates Thought

Great event last night at COC. COC and Carlson Communications hosted a welcome Leslie Carlson event and a presentation by Renee Lertzman, PhD. Renee spoke on the Myth of Apathy: Psychosocial Dimensions of Climate Change. She is a Visiting Fellow with the Portland State University Center for Public Humanities and communications consultant, and writes about environmental issues from an psychosocial perspective. Dr. Lertzman’s work has been featured in the New York Times’ Dot Earth blog; The Ecologist and as an invited blogger for environmental communications sites such as the World Wildlife Fund UK’s Identity Campaign work and the UK Green Awards. (see links below)

The 20 participants represented diverse sectors of non-profit, business and public agency and share a common interest in how to communicate effectively about climate change and what the implications are for effective engagement strategies.

Renee asks us to consider – not at the preclusion of other strategies – but in association with them – holding space to recognize people’s diverse and sometimes conflicting emotions and reactions to climate change. I believe that out of individuals’ unique perspective and innate creativity, powerful personal and social transformation will arise if and as supported by clear invitation. Douglas Tsoi of Partners for a Sustainable Washington County noted that many of the solutions offered for climate change action do not currently reach a sufficiently broad audience and therefore could continue to fall short of needed goals if we aren’t more deliberate about listening to many diverse perspectives and soliciting their ideas for creative and meaningful solutions.

Our group only got into the tip of the topic this evening. Questions and comments were expressed about youth involvement and associated strategies, the role of the personal realm and church/spiritual settings; how to allow people to express fear, loss, anxiety and a host of other emotions without leaving them there; the need to identify a common course of action; and moving to solutions.

Please let us know what you think and whether you are interested in a further conversation. And thanks again to Dr. Lertzman. This is definitely a conversation worth having.

Links to some of Renee’s articles.
New York Times: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/shrinking-the-climate-problem

The Ecologist: http://www.theecologist.org/blogs_and_comments/commentators/other_comments/269433/the_myth_of_apathy.html

http://www.identitycampaigning.org/ http://www.greenawards.co.uk/about/blog?item=environmental_anxiety:_moving_from_flight_to_fight

Find Leslie Carlson at www.carlson-communications.com. Renee can be reached at rlertzman@igc.org.

Happy Holidays!