I am so glad that you made the courageous and wise decision to have a child. I fully understand your worries, but there are so many ways we can solve the climate crisis and also be parents - one of life's most beautiful experiences. We can - as a society - focus on reducing our consumption, so that there is space on this planet for us all, and our children. Since 1950, our energy consumption per person has doubled. And that's a global average, so in richer countries, read "more than doubled". In those same countries, we lived well in the 1950s. So, let's focus our efforts on pushing our societies to consume less, so that lovely young people can have families and feel good about doing so.
Thanks for these great points and reminders Alasdair, you are of course right that we in high income nations especially should all be doing much more of exactly that.
Thanks for sharing this, Britt. As I live through my own sandwiching experience of the past 2 years, I worry about how this kind of situation saps energy from folks who are otherwise most able to effect meaningful change. So I'm glad for the growth of your family, and for your return to this conversation.
Thanks Nathan, and good to see you here. I think about that a lot. How the domestic trappings of sky high responsibilities that come online while just parenting or sandwiching thwart, dull or full on stop collective actions for so many - - - it's just too much for many to hold and juggle at once, understandably. But dang, gotta find a way to do both.
thanks Mandy! Lovely seeing you pop up here. Going to check out your Substack. I hear we're connected in more ways than just the Climate Wayfinding experience (Rookie>>Sara U). Nice small world.
I just found your work and I’m so happy I did. I’ve been struggling for some time and just knowing there are others and that we can still take action to avert the worst of the collapse gives me hope. Thanks for sharing and I wish you the best with your family.
Britt, thanks for the update and congrats on the new baby.
I missed hearing from you but understand your plate is full. Thanks for continuing to share your learnings and insights so generously.
Your work has influenced my thinking and actions over the years.
I’m a fellow Canadian who is taking a year long break from my conscient podcast to do more zen and figure out what comes next in and around art and the ecological crisis.
Our kids are grown up (a scientist and a historian) and I do this work for them and future generations with a firm belief that what seems ‘unthinkable’ now (an ecologically balanced world) might one day be possible.
Welcome baby two! I hope you can find a sound balance of parenting and work. It's hard when your dad struggles too. Wishing you the best.
I've been appreciating the research behind the evolved nest by Darcia Narvaez, to understand where violence, greed, disconnect from nature and nurture comes from. The early childhood. I think we'll save a lot of environmental and justice problems if we support prenatal wellbeing, breastfeeding for years, mix aged play, free play, deep nature connection, alloparents. This is the human healthy baseline, how we lived egalitarian and kind for 95 percent of our history. Trauma inducing parenting has been normalized, like that babies are supposed to cry, can cry to sleep, spend hours in a car seat or playpen.
Pregnancy, birth, childrearing has been coded female and thus low importance, low status. But check data on what difference nurturing childhoods make!
From dysfunctional childhoods, we forgot how a healthy nervous system operates, which is play! Like Gabriel Kram's research shows. How can we address any meta crises from a trauma state...
Just wanna thank you for sharing your recent struggles and for keeping writing this newsletter, in spite of everything you're going through.
Your words and your work are always inspiring to me. Good luck for the coming months.
Kind regards from France.
thank you so much, that's really kind of you.
Dear Britt,
I am so glad that you made the courageous and wise decision to have a child. I fully understand your worries, but there are so many ways we can solve the climate crisis and also be parents - one of life's most beautiful experiences. We can - as a society - focus on reducing our consumption, so that there is space on this planet for us all, and our children. Since 1950, our energy consumption per person has doubled. And that's a global average, so in richer countries, read "more than doubled". In those same countries, we lived well in the 1950s. So, let's focus our efforts on pushing our societies to consume less, so that lovely young people can have families and feel good about doing so.
Best wishes,
Alasdair
Thanks for these great points and reminders Alasdair, you are of course right that we in high income nations especially should all be doing much more of exactly that.
Thanks for sharing this, Britt. As I live through my own sandwiching experience of the past 2 years, I worry about how this kind of situation saps energy from folks who are otherwise most able to effect meaningful change. So I'm glad for the growth of your family, and for your return to this conversation.
Thanks Nathan, and good to see you here. I think about that a lot. How the domestic trappings of sky high responsibilities that come online while just parenting or sandwiching thwart, dull or full on stop collective actions for so many - - - it's just too much for many to hold and juggle at once, understandably. But dang, gotta find a way to do both.
What a tough time you're in! Looking forward to this next iteration of your work. And sending a hug <3
thanks Mandy! Lovely seeing you pop up here. Going to check out your Substack. I hear we're connected in more ways than just the Climate Wayfinding experience (Rookie>>Sara U). Nice small world.
yes! I saw Sara a couple weeks ago and was delighted to find out you guys were friends :)
Thank you so much for all you do and everyone you support, Britt. Please take good care of your own health too! 💚💚💚
thanks Kim! will do. And same to you. I owe you a voice note~
I just found your work and I’m so happy I did. I’ve been struggling for some time and just knowing there are others and that we can still take action to avert the worst of the collapse gives me hope. Thanks for sharing and I wish you the best with your family.
Thanks so much James. Really glad you found it and grateful for your support.
Britt, thanks for the update and congrats on the new baby.
I missed hearing from you but understand your plate is full. Thanks for continuing to share your learnings and insights so generously.
Your work has influenced my thinking and actions over the years.
I’m a fellow Canadian who is taking a year long break from my conscient podcast to do more zen and figure out what comes next in and around art and the ecological crisis.
Our kids are grown up (a scientist and a historian) and I do this work for them and future generations with a firm belief that what seems ‘unthinkable’ now (an ecologically balanced world) might one day be possible.
All the best
Welcome baby two! I hope you can find a sound balance of parenting and work. It's hard when your dad struggles too. Wishing you the best.
I've been appreciating the research behind the evolved nest by Darcia Narvaez, to understand where violence, greed, disconnect from nature and nurture comes from. The early childhood. I think we'll save a lot of environmental and justice problems if we support prenatal wellbeing, breastfeeding for years, mix aged play, free play, deep nature connection, alloparents. This is the human healthy baseline, how we lived egalitarian and kind for 95 percent of our history. Trauma inducing parenting has been normalized, like that babies are supposed to cry, can cry to sleep, spend hours in a car seat or playpen.
Pregnancy, birth, childrearing has been coded female and thus low importance, low status. But check data on what difference nurturing childhoods make!
From dysfunctional childhoods, we forgot how a healthy nervous system operates, which is play! Like Gabriel Kram's research shows. How can we address any meta crises from a trauma state...
It's ok to be a mom even in anthropocene.