Believe

In this episode, Katie explores another of the pillars of the making design circular framework – Believe. The idea that we need to bring about change and that we need to believe that it's possible, but as ever it’s easier said than done. Maintaining hope, and believing that we can sort all this out, is the work. It’s one of the hardest things we have to do as environmentalists so Katie is diving into how to maintain that stubborn optimism, how to cultivate hope in the face of the climate crisis through feeling, naming and acknowledging your feelings, rebuilding your connection with the natural world and to taking aligned action. 

Katie has built a three-part mini course around this subject,are you ready to cultivate hope in the face of the climate crisis? Sign up to her three-part free mini course that will help you move through feelings of helplessness, reconnect with nature and take aligned action. Cultivating Hope | Katie Treggiden

Here are some highlights:

Where it all started

“We'd hit 40 degrees for the first time, you know, there was this sense of I can't even enjoy the sunny weather because of this sense of impending doom that comes with it. And my husband and I went camping that weekend. And I just felt so down. I remember feeling that I had the rare sort of privilege and space and luxury of just being allowed to feel my feelings. So we went camping and I just spent a couple of days feeling properly gloomy about the future of our species. You know, the state of the planet what as humans, you know, the damage we’re racking on this planet. And I just allowed myself to feel those feelings. And then because we were in the countryside camping, I was just accidentally more connected to nature than I would normally have been.”

Name those feelings

“…name, acknowledge, and really feel your feelings. So cultivating hope is not about toxic positivity. It's not about emotional bypassing, the only way out is through. So the first thing that we have to do is make space for those emotions… And, you know, in the middle of a busy life, it's not easy, it's not always easy to carve out that time to feel hard feelings, but it is necessary. So if you are feeling overwhelmed by the news cycle, you know, if you're feeling helpless, if you're feeling sad, if you're feeling angry, the first thing to do is to carve out a little bit of space, and name those feelings.”

Rebuild your connection with the natural world

“It's not that being in nature does something magical, it's that being separated from nature is inherently bad for us, we are supposed to be connected… and not only will that do your emotional well being the world of good there's also evidence that shows that people who are more connected with nature in whatever way are more likely to take actions that are good for the planet. So there's a sense of just by reconnecting with nature in ways that make us feel good, help us to take more planet positive actions. And then once you're in that space, once you've moved through those feelings, and reconnected with the natural world, you're ready to take action.”

Resources & Quotes mentioned:

Cultivating Hope, 3 part mini-course

Are you ready to cultivate hope in the face of the climate crisis? Sign up to Katie’s three-part free mini course that will help you move through feelings of helplessness, reconnect with nature and take aligned action - Cultivating Hope | Katie Treggiden

Find out more about The Seed, Katie’s online course to help you Identify your unique contribution to environmentalism – either as a self-paced course or live digital course running in May 2023.

“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would become religious overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead the stars come out every night, and we watch television.”
― Paul Hawken

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About Katie:
Katie Treggiden is a purpose-driven journalist, author, podcaster and keynote speaker championing a circular approach to design – because Planet Earth needs better stories. With 20 years' experience in the creative industries, she regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine, Design Milk and Monocle24. She is currently exploring the question ‘can craft save the world?’ through an emerging body of work that includes her fifth book, Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure (Ludion, 2020), and this podcast.

About our partners:

Inhabit hotels, located in the Bayswater area of London, offer restorative environmentally and socially conscious places to stay in the city. Wellness and well-being also play a major part in the brand's ethos Mindfully designed for the modern traveller, everything at this new hotel has been considered with a genuine commitment to environmental initiatives and meaningful community partnerships. To find out more please check out our Instagram @inhabit_hotels.

Surfers Against Sewage is a grassroots environmental charity that campaigns to protect the ocean and everything that the ocean makes possible. They campaign against everything that threatens the ocean; plastic pollution, the climate emergency, industrial exploitation, and water quality, by taking action on the ground, that triggers change from the top. If like me, you'd like to support surfers against sewage, head over to https://www.sas.org.uk/