Good Grief: Honouring a Climate Range of Emotions for Active Hope

Hosted by MAEEC program head, associate professor and ecopsychologist, Dr. Hilary Leighton, RCC.

Most students come to class already knowing about the troubles we are in: Carbon dioxide, sea level rise, melting polar ice, acidification of the oceans, racism and genocide, and mass extinction. But few of us know how to move through a climate range of emotions, how to breathe through loss, and how to live with the knowledge of our own personal and planetary mortality.

While environmental education and communication can be approached theoretically, it is primarily about relationships – with places, with other human communities, with fellow creatures and with our own souls. At its best, it counters systemic separation between us and the natural world. This unity of people and place is necessary for us to handle the world’s pressing problems because when we see ourselves as relatives to all life, we are moved to act on behalf of what we love to protect it. Our grief is proof of that love and is a natural response to these times. Grief beckons us to turn toward, not away from what is difficult to see, and is the energy we need to do the transformative work of world-changing.

In this webinar, join Dr. Hilary Leighton, Program Head of the Master of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication program, as she delves into honouring the range of emotions that comes along with protecting our planet. This webinar will also provide you with information about the program, application requirements and the opportunity to ask questions.

Can’t make it? Register to receive a link to the recording.