Eco-Anxiety: How to Talk About It and What to Do About It
Episode 2 – Deep Dive series
In this episode, we talk about our own experiences with eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is defined by the Climate Psychology Alliance as the heightened emotional and mental distress in response to dangerous changes in the climate system. We’ve all felt it at one point or another, and if you haven’t, maybe your climate bubble just hasn't popped yet. Eco-anxiety can be difficult to talk about, but the more you talk about it, the less anxious you’ll feel. And if you don’t have anyone to talk about it with, then sit back and listen to us talk about it – it might relieve some of your worries to know that you’re not feeling this alone.
We share when we first started feeling eco-anxious and the emotions we’ve felt while experiencing eco-anxiety, and we learn a new term: “solastalgia,” the pain or distress caused by the loss of a comforting place, the isolation one feels when their home or land is lost. We move into talking about eco-anxiety, and ways you can relieve your eco-anxiety through small tangible actions like composting, saving the cold water that comes out of your faucet, and connecting with the earth. And lastly, both educators and students can bring this discussion into their classrooms by opening up real and honest conversations about climate change and eco anxiety. We discuss how educators can prompt more solutions-based projects, and how students can choose to center their class projects around climate change (whether it’s explicitly assigned or not).
Resources
Deep Dive is a Climify miniseries that explores opportunities for climate education through the eyes of recent design students. As new grads now working the 9-to-5, we’ll discuss themes centering around climate design and what educators can do to approach these topics. The classroom needs to see more intersectionality between design and climate, and we’re here to advocate for that.
About our hosts
Rachel Cifarelli
Rachel is a freelance graphic designer and researcher using her skills to support and uplift those who are making the world a more sustainable place.
She received her B.A. in communication design from Elon University, where she realized she was actually good at designing content more extensive than birthday cards. Rachel also always knew she was an environmentalist, but it took her a long time to figure out how to blend these two passions of design and sustainability together. It wasn't until she discovered Climate Designers that she saw a whole new career path unfold in front of her, one where she could make a living doing something she loves. Today Rachel works with environmentally-minded organizations and businesses on projects like branding, fact sheets, promotional materials, and digital assets. Some of her clients include Sierra Club, Bedford 2030, and Brooklyn Organic Kitchen.
Rachel is also a researcher working on New Wave, a joint project with Climate Designers. What originally started as a class project during undergrad has grown into a sponsored research project that has garnered lots of support and participation. The goal of this research is to inform design educators how student designers understand sustainability in the design field and how they might like to see sustainability incorporated into their design curriculum. She wants to be part of establishing the climate design education in undergraduate universities that she never got from her own.
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys reading, taking walks around her neighborhood, and visiting the best local eateries and breweries in her town.
linkedin.com/in/rachelcifarelli
Grace Turcich
Grace is a Chicago-based graphic designer working at a marketing agency. She earned her BFA from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Graphic Design. Since Grace’s transition from a full-time student to a full-time employee, she wants to know what else she can do for the climate. As a new climate designer, she is constantly learning how design and climate are intersectional. Grace hopes to discover new ways of learning, how to challenge the status quo, and become part of the solution within the fight for climate action.
In her freetime, when she is not fighting for the planet, Grace is painting nail art, hiking, and baking a new recipe.
Follow Grace’s climate design blog on instagram @unearthclimatedesign and her website grace-turcich.com.
