Difficult Sustainability Conversations
Difficult Sustainability Conversations
If you are passionate about sustainability, you may often find yourself in the middle of thorny interpersonal interactions. Here are just a few statements I’ve heard over the years in which I’ve tried – but miserably failed! – to bridge the gap between my opinions and the persons’ sitting in front of me:
“Environmental policies kill jobs.”
“God is omnipotent. He’ll take care of climate change.”
“Recycling is pointless. Why bother?”
Today I’m speaking with fellow podcaster Jaiko Celka. Jaiko is the host of Hopefully Sustainable, a weekly show in which Jaiko speaks with extraordinary people who are making the world a better place.
Jaiko is cool, calm, and collected (unlike me!) so she is the perfect person to offer advice on how to balance environmental passions in touchy interpersonal interactions.
Here’s a preview of our conversation:
[6:45] Why hope matters
[9:00] 5 tips for talking to naysayers about sustainability
[17:40] How to respond to the criticism that individual efforts don’t matter
[21:45] What to say when environmentalism and religion collide
[26:00] The common ground that exists between all of us when politics come into the mix
* This episode is sponsored by AeroGarden. Use code MINIMAL for 20% off your order!
* Want more episodes like this one? Check out #143: How to Discuss Climate Change (Without Discussing Politics).
* Social distancing is the *perfect* time to review your favorite podcasts! On the Apple Podcasts app, hit the Library tab, scroll allll the way to the bottom past all prior episodes, then click on the stars to leave a review. (Thank you!)
* Join our (free!) community here.
* Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
6 thoughts on “Difficult Sustainability Conversations”
Hi Stephanie:
I love your podcast and just bought your book. One thought on something you raised here. I think it is important to interrogate the impact of our personal actions (as you and your guest indicated) including its impact on spreading practices and normalizing activities. That said, given the scope of the climate crisis, I do think personal actions can cost us more (in energy, time, and money) and draw us away from desperately needed political advocacy. So, I love to see more acknowledgement (or even an episode) on the trade-off between personal actions vs. the political advocacy needed for change. Thank you for your work!
Hi Emily,
You bring up some solid points. I definitely agree that political advocacy is tantamount (and there’s a whole chapter dedicated to the topic in my book!). I’d argue also, however, that having conversations about sustainability doesn’t require the significant energy, time, or money you mentioned; further, doing so may bring others into the movement, which is absolutely vital for political change.
– Stephanie
I just wanted to say I agree! If you love God, you would respect his gift. Also, Revelations 11:18. “But the nations became wrathful, and your own wrath came, and the appointed time came for the dead to be judged and to reward your slaves the prophets and the holy ones and those fearing your name, the small and the great, and to bring to ruin those ruining the earth.”
Hi Skie, I appreciate your comment. Thank you for taking the time to leave it!
– Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
I love your podcast! I am a kindergarten teacher and while I listened to this episode, I couldn’t help but connect it to things I teach my class to be good citizens of our school. I have a book I read every year to my class called What If Everybody Did That? By Ellen Javernick. I feel that a good way to think about a “come back” for people who may come at you with arguments against sustainable/environmental topics (especially this one about “you’re just one person, what does it matter…what difference is it going to make”), is to just simplify it! Why do we have rules at all? And what if everybody did that (good and bad examples included)?
Hi Lauren, I love this! (Why didn’t I think of it?!) Asking “why do we have rules at all” simplifies it, but it also in some respects expands the conversation to a philosophical level. I’m also going to check out Javrnick’s book from the library for my kiddos. Thank you for the suggestion! – Stephanie
Comments are closed.