Climate Changed

Daddy Did We Hurt Them?

In this episode of the Climate Changed podcast, you will experience:
The Wall, a poem read by podcast guest Hannah Malcolm. It was written by David Benjamin Blower, a musician, writer, and podcaster. It comes from his 2019 album We Really Existed and We Really Did This, and it appears in the anthology, Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church, edited by Hannah Malcolm.
“Daddy, Did We Hurt Them?”, an audio essay written and voiced by co-host Ben Yosua-Davis and featuring his five year-old-son, Michael. Audio treatment by Peterson Toscano.
Two conversations about the essay:
Co-host Nicole Diroff and her father, Michael DiMonte. 
Hannah Malcolm and co-host Nicole Diroff 
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
About Hannah Malcolm
Hannah is an ordinand in the Church of England and is writing a PhD on a theology of climate and ecological grief. She is on the board of Operation Noah and regularly speaks and writes about climate justice and the church. She is the editor of Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church (SCM Press, 2020).
About Michael DiMonte
Michael DiMonte is a Christian, husband, father, and grandfather.  He was raised Catholic, but has also attended Presbyterian, UCC, and United Methodist churches.  He currently acts as a lay leader for the Working for Justice Ministry at St. Paul’s UMC near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While now retired, his professional career included working as an engineer, project manager, and executive in companies providing equipment to the electric power industry.  He holds engineering degrees from Bucknell University and Purdue University, and a management degree from the Hartford Graduate Center. 
Click here for full transcript of this episode
Some Highlights from the Conversation
“My children are the ones who keep me grounded and teach me joy. That's important for me. I work in climate, and I love my job. But sometimes, I have to stare into the abyss.”
 — Ben Yosua-Davis
“We don't know how to deal with problems that simply cannot be fixed. We have no way of hoping in the face of problems that cannot be fixed. Because hope for us must always be an expression of power. ” — Ben Yosua-Davis
“Don't be afraid to talk to people who may see things very differently. We need to garner  the courage to stick our necks out and engage people who see things differently.”
 — Michael DiMonte
“I found it very helpful to remember that in the Christian tradition, hope is a virtue, as much as it is a feeling that we can have that hope, like love is a virtue that, you know, you can't just have the virtue of hope by sort of wanting to be hopeful. You have to have the virtue of hope by practicing hopefulness; virtues come through the action of developing a habit.” — Hannah Malcolm
“There's quite a lot of danger in our grief becoming highly personalized. This kind of grief can make us nihilistic, it can make us selfish, it can make us behave in destructive ways, as well as compassionate ways. ” — Hannah Malcolm
 
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
Michael DiMonte says: 
“Vote! We need personal change. We need family, we need community change. We need systemic change too.”
“Don't be afraid to talk to people who may see things very differently. We need to garner the courage to stick our necks out and engage people who see things differently.”
Hannah Malcolm says:
“If you are a member of a religious community, whether Christian or otherwise, I think there's a couple of questions we can ask ourselves as we face up to what we're losing and what's coming ahead of us. And the first one is about this: how can my church community locally be a refuge for people in practical and spiritual ways? So how can we provide or facilitate support pastorally and spiritually for perhaps local climate activists, for young people, for those who are involved in local organizing, and then how can our building or our lands be a place of refuge, as people face increasingly precarious environments?“
“What kinds of assets does that denomination or religious council have in terms of land, in terms of investments? Are those things aligned with what we say we believe in terms of the goodness of the earth, in terms of our duty to care for or attend to what God has made?” 
Ben Yosua-Davis says:
“If you have a child in your life, you can find a way to talk to them about climate and our more than human community with them. Remembering that kids are capable of having much harder conversations than we adults give them credit for. Here are a couple places you could start: the next time you both see a bird, for instance, that catches your attention. Invite your child to imagine with you.” 
Nicole Diroff says: 
“As a way of connecting with all who are impacted, you could create a 72 hour emergency kit with a child in your life. In addition to the basics, you can customize it with suggestions from your child. These may include favorite snacks, games, books, and gifts to give to others. To learn more about 72 hour kits, visit ready.gov/kit.” 
Climate Changed is a podcast about pursuing faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world. Hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis, Climate Changed features guests who deepen the conversation while also stirring the waters. The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center. The show is produced by Peterson Toscano.

If I can’t make a difference, then what do I do? Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles

In this episode of the Climate Changed podcast, you will experience:
Aram Mitchell leads a guided reflection called Flood on the Horizon
A conversation with Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
About Veronice Miles
The Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles is a preacher, teacher, scholar, mentor, and artist committed to a life of ministry in the church and in the academy. She serves as the Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching at the Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC. Answering the call to ordained ministry in 1994, she was licensed by the First Missionary Baptist Church, making her the first woman to be licensed without contestation in a Missionary Baptist Church, in Gainesville, Florida. She was ordained in 1999 at the Greater Bethany Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Miles has taught preaching for more than 16 years and has preached extensively. She has also contributed to various academic and church related journals, commentaries, and books. Her publication, Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection (CASCADE Books), explores the human capacity to live with Hope and the power and potential of preaching to amplify Hope’s resonance in our lives. Preaching, she believes, neither ignores nor concedes defeat to the despairing realities of life. Rather, preaching emboldens individuals and communities of faith to live with Hope and respond in the affirmative to God’s “yes” for creation and for our lives. With these thoughts as foci, her research highlights the formative and transformative potential of preaching, including the role of preaching in redressing persistently threatening challenges that pervade U.S. culture.
As a lifelong learner, Dr. Miles has earned several degrees, including the Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Education and Homiletics from Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion in Atlanta, GA, and a Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University with certificates in Religious Education and Black Church Studies. She also earned the Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Education in Counseling, and Education Specialist in Student Personnel Services, all from the University of Florida.
Grounded in the belief that God still anoints women and men “to bring good news to the poor... to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19), Dr. Miles endeavors to embody these practices in her life and ministry.
Click here for full transcript of this episode
Some Highlights from the Conversation
“The people in my congregation are only the people in my community, but the world is our neighbor. And if we were to preserve, personify the earth and the environment, I feel like we almost have to, then the earth, these hands, and neighbor as well, is in the same care, compassion, concern that we have for one another.” — Veronice Miles
“It is an incarnational kind of understanding of hope, that hope is within us. It's not something that we go and get from a place out there somewhere. It's not even something that is motivated by whether or not things are well in this moment, or terrible in this moment.” — Veronice Miles
“So what happens if we get off the consumptive hamster wheel, and we have to start purchasing less things? What fills those spaces when we are no longer able to be addicted to our stuff, and it's actually beautiful things fill that space? It’s nature, it’s friends, it’s community, it’s art, it’s spaciousness?” — Ben Yosua-Davis
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
Nicole wants to recommend a book that has helped her understand what is going on. The Story of More by Hope Jahren. Jahren walks through many aspects of climate change and how it's affecting our world. It is very accessible and helped Nicole build her own knowledge base. 
Check out the on-line workshop Pursuing our Passions in a Climate Changed World, which is available for free through The BTS Center’s Leadership Commons. It was created by this podcast’s producer, Peterson Toscano. You will begin a process of discovering how to imagine a better world and use what they love to get there. This can be done on your own, but it is especially designed for groups. You will find a full facilitator’s guide, video, and more. 
Rob Hopkins’ book From What is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want. He outlines ways in which humans are inherently imaginative beings, and he points out how important it is to tap into the imaginative capacity today. 
Come to the on-line Convocation 2022: Imagination and Collective Liberation for a Climate-Changed World October 6 - 7, 2022. You will hear presentations with Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles, Rob Hopkins, and more. There will also be opportunities to connect with other participants in affinity groups and break-out sessions.  
Create 72-hour disaster supply kits for neighbors. According to ready.gov: “After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days. Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days. A disaster supply kit is a collection of basic items your household may need in the event of an emergency.” They provide a full list of the basics you want to have in your kit. And they suggest, “Once you take a look at the basic items, consider what unique needs your family might have, such as supplies for pets or seniors.” Creating a 72-hour kit for a neighbor is a practical way of showing love and building community. It will also help you to learn more about your neighbors as you talk to them about what they would like in their kit. Learn more at ready.gov/kit. 
Climate Changed is a podcast about pursuing faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world. Hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis. Climate Changed features guests who deepen the conversation while also stirring the waters. The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center. The show is produced by Peterson Toscano.
 

What is Wrong with Me? with Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer and Sherri Mitchell

What is Wrong with Me? with Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sherri Mitchell 
In this episode of the Climate Changed podcast, you will experience:
A centering practice: Sean Dague helps us envision a world without fossil fuels. 
A conversation with Keyana Pardilla
Excerpts from live BTS Center Zoom programs featuring Robin Wall Kimmerer and Sherri Mitchell
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
About Keyana Pardilla
Keyana Pardilla graduated in 2020 from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in marine science. She grew up on a Penobscot reservation where she continues to live. Her current work is in the Youth Engagement Division at Wabanaki public health and wellness.
Keyana describes herself this way: “My name is Keyana Pardilla and my pronouns are she/her. I belong to where the rocks widen otherwise known as the Penobscot Nation. I come from an indigenous background. I love science and education. I also practice some traditional forms of art, like beading. I love to paint, and I also am starting to learn how to weave some baskets, some traditional baskets. I am also a dog mom of two rescue pups. I love to go outdoors and explore nature. I have a bachelor's degree in marine science. I'm very passionate about the ocean and how we can combat climate change.”
About Robin Wall Kimmerer
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the widely acclaimed book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants. Her first book, Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing, and her other work has appeared in Orion, Whole Terrain, and numerous scientific journals. 
She tours widely and has been featured on NPR’s On Being with Krista Trippett. In 2015, she addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations on the topic of “Healing Our Relationship with Nature.” Kimmerer lives in Syracuse, New York, where she is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology, and the founder and director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Learn more about Robin Wall Kimmerer and view her portrait as part of Rob Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series.
About Sherri Mitchell
Sherri Mitchell – Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset, is a Native American attorney, teacher, activist and change maker who grew up on the Penobscot Indian Reservation. She is the author of the award-winning book Sacred Instructions; Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, and is the visionary behind the global healing ceremony Healing the Wounds of Turtle Island, which has brought people together from six continents with a commitment to heal our collective wounds and forge a unified path forward.
Sherri is the founding director of the Land Peace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the protection of Indigenous land, water, and religious rights, and the preservation of the Indigenous way of life. She is an alumna of the American Indian Ambassador Program and the Udall Native American Congressional Internship Program. Her rights-based work has earned her the Mahoney Dunn International Human Rights and Humanitarian Award, the Spirit of Maine Award for International Human Rights, and the Peace and Justice Center’s Hands of Peace award.
Sherri has been a longtime advisor to the American Indian Institute’s Traditional Circle of Indian Elders and Youth and was a program coordinator for their Healing the Future Program. She has also served as an advisor to the Indigenous Elders and Medicine People’s Council of North and South America for the past 20 years and is a consultant and Advisory Committee member for Nia Tero’s International Indigenous Land Guardianship Program.
Sherri works at the intersections of our times, where she artfully weaves complex concepts into one unifying whole.  She currently speaks and teaches around the world on a multitude of issues, including: Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and Spirit-Based Change.
Click here for a full transcript of this episode. 
Some Highlights from the Conversation
“Just imagine this whole new world. Because if we can't imagine this world, we can't create it.” – Sean Dague, Citizens Climate Lobby.  
As part of the Centering Practice, Sean leads us through a thought experiment about envisioning a world without fossil fuels. He invites us to engage each one of our senses to see, smell, hear, and feel the world in a new way. 
 
“I would pick up on these feeling of melancholy, because their stories would always end up with, ‘But that's not how we do it anymore, or what we can't go there anymore, or simply just a lot has changed since then.’” –Keyana Pardilla  
Growing up in the Penobscot Nation, otherwise known as Indian Island, a small island located in Old Town Maine, Keyana speaks with elders as she seeks to find what was lost and bring this awareness to younger people. 
 
“But we are embedded In a world of relatives, relatives, not natural resources.” –Robin Wall Kimmerer
In talking about gratitude, Kimmerer shares a way to connect with all living things that is built on relationships, love, and care. She invites us to expand our spiritual imaginations. 
 
“…the process of feeling the pain, the process of feeling the anxiety, the process of feeling the grief, the process of feeling the loneliness, is part of our connectivity to life, where the natural world is really amplifying the signal so that we once again feel our connection to the rest of life…” –Sherri Mitchell
The title of this episode, What is Wrong with Me? comes from an observation Mitchell made during the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In a society that seeks to alleviate negative feelings, she invites us to consider how these strong emotions of pain, grief, and loneliness may be echoes of distress from the natural world.
 
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
Share this conversation with someone who you think will appreciate it. Email or text them a link to today’s episode or post it on social media. If what you heard here today moved you, likely it will also move one of your friends. And as a trusted source, your opinion matters to your friends. 
You can make a difference by making a donation. we suggest Wabanaki Reach, a powerful organization that advocates for the Wabanaki tribes in Maine through education, truth telling restorative justice, and restorative practices
Climate Changed is a podcast about pursuing faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world. Hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis. Climate Changed features guests who deepen the conversation while also stirring the waters. The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center. The show is produced by Peterson Toscano.

What Do We Tell the Children? with Craig Santos Perez

In this episode of the Climate Changed podcast, you will experience:
A centering practice as Craig Santos Perez reads his poem, “Thanksgiving in the Anthropocene” from his book of poetry Habitat Threshold. Music: Hymn for the Brave by Miles Avida.
Ben Yosua-Davis and poet Craig Santos Perez have a moving conversation about raising children in a time of climate change. Craig also reads two of his original poems.
Ben and Nicole’s discussion and reflections about the conversation. 
Next Steps for Engaged Hope.
About Craig Santos Perez
Dr. Craig Santos Perez is an indigenous Chamoru from Guam. He is the co-editor of five anthologies and the author of five books of poetry and the academic monograph, Navigating Chamoru Poetry: Indigeneity, Aesthetics, and Decolonization. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the U of San Francisco and a PhD in Ethnic Studies from the U of California, Berkeley. He is a professor in the English department, and affiliate faculty with the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, at the U of Hawai'i at Manoa, where he teaches Pacific literature, creative writing, and eco-poetry. 
Click here for a full transcript of this episode. 
Some Highlights from the Conversation
“Butterball, Butterball, Butterball,” a line from “Thanksgiving in the Anthropocene”
One of the major themes Craig writes about is food, as well as agriculture and food supply systems. “I think food is such a wonderful way for us to think about these larger issues and think about diet and the ethics of eating, the use of plastic and other packaging materials, the routes that the food takes to get to our plate, the animals that are slaughtered, as well as the workers who are often exploited.” The poem offers a searing commentary, but Ben notes, “However, there's also something incredibly playful about the poem in the reading.”
"What am I supposed to do with this damaged future that I'm giving them?" — Ben Yosua-Davis
Ben and Craig pull back the curtains on parenting and reveal their own fears and concerns about possibly sharing too much too soon with their young children. When and how do you tell your children that the more-than-human world they love is at great risk? When do you shelter a child with silence and when do you begin the conversation?
“...it gives them a space for creative expression and for healing.” — Craig Santos Perez
Criag talks about his university students and how writing poetry that takes on ecological disasters helps them come closer to the issues and find a path forward. Craig explains, “I've also noticed how, you know, once students learn about these issues, once they write their own poetry about what is happening, they're much more inclined to actually, you know, go to a beach cleanup, or to march in the climate change rally or to attend other environmental events.”
“Knowing how to grieve teaches us how to love.” — Nicole Diroff 
Nicole Diroff joins Ben to discuss the themes that came up in the conversation. She explains the ways she talks to her eight-year-old, Elliot. “I've made a real commitment to finding the right language, because my child may be five, or six, or eight, or 12, to find the right language to have the conversation, but making sure that that my son knows that I'm the sort of person to talk about these topics with that I'm desiring to learn and live in this world at the same time that he is. It's really important with our children, and I say with our children, but I kind of mean just with other people to allow the space for authentic expression of emotion.”
 
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
Even if we are not poets like Craig, it is always helpful to do creative work around these topics. I imagine there are listeners who will benefit from writing a poem about one of the topics that came up in the podcast. If you write the poem, you can share it with others through social media or face to face with family or friends. You can even send us a copy. 
Craig suggests, “Spend some time those dawn and dusk hours outside with loved ones, with a favorite beverage to really just be in that moment and to connect to the deeper spirit of things.”
For any of you who are interested in playing with painting as compared to poetry, Nicole invites you to go to look at the Earthbound Practices on The BTS Center website.  There you learn about the creativity practices, led by our friend Bronwen Mayer Henry, where she invites you to take out some coloured pencils, or chalk, or pens, and play with a notebook.
To check out more of Craig Santos Perez's work, you can visit his website. You will find links to his books, including Habitat Threshold, which was published in 2020. You can also see videos, read essays, and learn more about his research.
Climate Changed is a brand new podcast about pursuing faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world. Hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis. Climate Changed features guests who deepen the conversation while also stirring the waters. The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center. The show is produced by Peterson Toscano

How Do We Stop Doing Things That Make No Sense? with special guest Rev. Mariama White-Hammond

In this very first episode of the new Climate Changed podcast you will experience:
Introductions by the co-hosts, Nicole Diroff & Ben Yosua-Davis
A centering practice led by Peterson Toscano
Remarks about the state of our world and churches by Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Ben and Nicole’s deep and moving discussion about those remarks
Next Steps
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
Hear more of Rev. Mariama White-Hammond from the 2021 Convocation
Do one small thing to defy the powers that be
Stage a small protest at a street corner
Hand out cookies or free bottles of water
Greet a stranger or knock on a neighbor’s door and introduce yourself or just say hello
Journal or write an email to a friend as you reflect on the following prompt:  Imagine you must evacuate your home in 5 minutes from an extreme weather event. Besides loved ones and pets, what will you take with you and why? Once you answer, I encourage you to share the prompt and your answer through Facebook or some other social media and invite others to share their answers.
Links
Climate Changed podcast: https://climatechanged.podbean.com/
The BTS Center: https://thebtscenter.org/
Convocation 2021 Mariama White-Hammond keynote address: https://vimeo.com/620459476
“I used to think the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and climate change. I thought that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems. But I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy... and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural transformation...” — James “Gus” Speth
About Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond is a pastor, advocate, facilitator, and farmer whose work spans issues and sectors as she seeks to create a more just and sustainable world.
She was recently appointed Chief of Energy, Environment and Open Spaces for the City of Boston under Mayor Kim Janey. In that role she oversees everything from Archeology to Animal Control. In particular, she is focused on what Boston can do to combat climate change, reduce environmental inequities and protect Boston’s urban ecosystem for everyone to enjoy. She is the founding pastor of New Roots AME Church, a multi-racial, multi-class community that is innovating new ways of doing church.
Rev. Mariama uses an intersectional lens in her ecological work, challenging folks to see the connections between immigration and climate change or the relationship between energy policy and economic justice. She was a fellow with the Green Justice Coalition, which brings together eight social/environmental justice groups from around Massachusetts. She is the chair of the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund and the co-chair of RENEW New England.
 

Where Do You Find Hope? with Corina Newsome

In this episode of the Climate Changed podcast you will experience:
A centering practice led by poet, Maya Williams.  You will hear Maya read Emily Dickinson’s Hope followed by one of Maya’s original poems, Religious Imposters. 
Nicole Diroff has a deep and incredibly honest conversation with Corina Newsome
Ben and Nicole’s deep and moving discussion about those remarks
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
About Corina Newsome
Corina Newsome is the Associate Conservation Scientist at the National Wildlife Federation and a recent graduate from Georgia Southern University with a Master of Science in Biology. Corina, who began in the field of wildlife science as an animal care professional, specializes in avian conservation and passionately connects people with the natural world through birds.
Having experienced the hurdles faced by marginalized communities in wildlife conservation, Corina’s mission is to center the perspectives and leadership of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in wildlife conservation, environmental education, and exploration of the natural world. Corina is also one of the co-organizers of the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek   
About Maya Williams and Their poem, Religious Imposters
From Mayawilliamspoet.com: Maya Williams (she/hers, they/them, and ey/em) is a religious nonbinary Black multiracial suicide survivor constantly writing poems. Maya is the seventh Poet Laureate of Portland, Maine.  Maya's content covers suicide awareness, mental health, the prison industrial complex, faith, entertainment media, grief, and healing.
About the poem, Religious Imposters, Maya writes: It is inspired by Baháʼí poet Anis Mojgani's poem "Shake the Dust." His poem is a call for so many different types of human beings to "shake the dust" and come into their own because of how there's so much to admire about them. I created this poem as an expression of love towards religious and non-religious people to let go of imposter syndrome (shake that dust, if you will). There's so much to admire about folks coming into their own worldview.
As a Christian writer, I cannot separate my writing process from my faith (especially when I write my prayers in my private journal). There is a sense of sacredness and desire for a community when I engage in writing a poem similar to this one. 
Religious Imposters was published in Frost Meadow Review and then shared on the Interfaith Youth Core. 
The Conversation
“Faith journeys are not soundbites” -Nicole Diroff
Corina reveals how taking on racial injustice directly through activism has challenged the straight-forward faith she developed as a child at her church in Philadelphia. The outrage she has felt along with her commitment to engage in the struggle causes her to ask questions about her faith. She is wondering about Jesus as the great community organizer, as Dr. Heber Brown, has preached. To address the overwhelming anger along Corina chooses to engage in the process of deconstructing and reconstructing her faith. Through the process, she feels like a new person—back in touch with God and experiencing a new type of freedom.  She and Nicole talk about this messy and essential process. 
“I decided to I would make a career out of my desire to look closely. -Corina Newsome from A Thing with Feathers
Nicole first learned about Corina through the essay, The Thing with Feathers. Corina shared the essay in Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis, an anthology edited by  Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade and Rev. Dr. Margaret Bullitt-Jonas. In the essay Corina stresses the vial importance of looking closely. 
Nicole and Corina talk about the process of paying attention. Coming from a low-wealth background, Corina Newsome, discovered the power of connecting to our life source. Resource deprivation opened her up to the rich resources in nature, even in the city of Philadelphia. She says, “You can feel the difference it makes in your body as far as the stress levels and the constant tension that exists from not knowing and having to ration constantly. That is just such a taxing way to live. The moment you stop for 30 seconds and watch a living thing, something lifts inside of you…life just feels lighter somehow…Looking closely is very much a necessary opportunity that everyone needs to do, but you don’t know if it is there unless you’ve been taught.”
You can hear Corina read the essay in the podcast The Art House, a project of Citizens Climate Radio and Artists and Climate Change.
Corina also talks about how Black faith communities are now addressing resource inequity and depletion in relation to food sovereignty including  the Black Church Food Security Network. These efforts not only address some of the injustice issues faced in food deserts, they also help people connect to nature right in their neighborhoods through the foods they grow. 
They also talk about hope, and the near obsession that many church communities have around the source of hope. Many are asking, Where do we find hope? It was in studying birds, Corina finds hope in these birds. Corina says, “There’s nowhere just about where you can go where there aren’t birds.” Even in the most polluted spaces, you still find birds, ways for life to exist and even thrive. In places where the environment is clearer and birds have a richer habitat, that is where you see them benefit from diversity. 
Birds, with hollow bones and delicate bodies, like many marginalized people oppressed by injustices, may appear fragile, but they prove to be much stronger than many people can imagine. “They think we are fragile…”
Nicole and Corina spoke with each other for nearly an hour.  Click here to hear longer version of the conversation.
Next Steps for Engaged Hope
If you want to make your home more bird friendly, Corina links to an article from American Bird Conservancy. Glass collisions kill up to 1 billion birds in the U.S. each year, and almost half happen at home windows. And there is something we can do today to address this! Learn How to Keep Birds from Hitting Your Windows. 
You can make a difference by making a donation to Freedom Birders. Freedom Birders is a racial justice education project built on inspiration from the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and #BlackBirdersWeek. 
If you’re looking for an organization to help out with, I’d actually suggest the one that Corinna mentioned, which is the Black Church Food Security Network. Their national organizer, Rev. Heber Brown co-led a presentation for us on imagination back in 2021. Another great place is The Boston Food Forest Coalition, which starts and tends urban food forests throughout Boston. 
On-line Trailside Practices facilitated by Aram Mitchell. Wherever you are—looking out the window, strolling through the woods, sitting on a bench in the park—here are some brief invitations to spiritual practice that you can integrate into your day.
 

Coming Soon: Climate Changed Podcast

Peterson Toscano, host of Citizens Climate Radio, produces the new Climate Changed podcast. He finds hosts, Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis, the perfect friends to talk him down when he is feeling overwhelmed by climate change. Their honesty, vulnerability, and resourcefulness provide him with fresh perspectives and much needed determination. 
Episodes One and Two premiere June 2022
Episode 1: How Do We Stop Doing Things that Make No Sense? With Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Episode 2: Where Do You Find Hope? With Corina Newsome
Episode 3: What Do We Tell the Children? With Craig Santos Perez
Episode 4: What is Wrong with Me? With Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sherri Mitchell
Episode 5: If I Can’t Make a Difference, then What Do I Do? With Veronice Miles
Episode 6: Daddy, Did We Hurt Them? With Ben Yosua-Davis

Season One Promo: Parenting in a Climate Changed World

Ben Yosua-Davis and Nicole Diroff are the hosts of the new Climate Changed podcast. They also have something else in common. They are both parents.
Ben is a father to two amazing children. Michael, is his six year-old creative social butterfly. Genevieve is his sweet and ferocious two year old."
Nicole is a mother to a second grader.
Parenting comes with so many unique joys and challenges, and parenting in a climate-changed world in particular, raises so many questions for us. 
As our children are discovering the wonders of the natural world, How much do we tell them about the ecological disasters happening all around us?
How do we create space for their grief and anger?
How do we prepare them to live in a world that is already different from the one we knew as children?
How do we raise resilient children who are prepared for the trauma that’s predicted for their lifetimes?
How do we instill in them empathy and love for all earthlings? 
As parents, Christians, citizens, and friends, we talk a lot about these issues, so we decided to bring others into the conversation. 
In the first season of Climate Changed we connect with thought leaders, ministers, activists, and other parents who are considering similar questions. 
People like
Corina Newsome, one of co-organizers of the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek
Keyana Pardilla, a young Penobscot woman in Maine who connects modern science with ancient indigenous practices
Pacific Islander and poet Craig Santos-Perez
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, a pastor, gardener, and spiritual entrepreneur within the African Methodist Episcopal tradition
We do not pretend to have all the answers. In fact, we have many more questions than answers - but we want to share them with you, and invite you to join us, as we wrestle with these big issues. 
Subscribe today to Climate Changed Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. Season one premieres June 2022.
The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center in beautiful Portland, Maine.
Episode 1: How Do We Stop Doing Things that Make No Sense? With Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Episode 2: Where Do You Find Hope? With Corina Newsome
Episode 3: What Do We Tell the Children? With Craig Santos Perez
Episode 4: What is Wrong with Me? With Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sherri Mitchell
Episode 5: If I Can’t Make a Difference, then What Do I Do? With Veronice Miles
Episode 6: Daddy, Did We Hurt Them? With Ben Yosua-Davis

Announcing Climate Changed! A short preview of season one

Climate Changed is a brand new podcast about pursuing faith, life, and love in a climate-changed world. Hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis. Climate Changed features guests who deepen the conversation while also stirring the waters. The Climate Changed podcast is a project of The BTS Center. 
In this extended promo you will about the podcast and from some of the guests who will appear on Season One including
Corina Newsome, one of co-organizers of the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek
Keyana Pardilla, a young Penobscot woman in Maine who connects modern science with ancient indigenous practices
Pacific Islander, poet Craig Santos-Perez
Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, a pastor, gardener, and spiritual entrepreneur within the African Methodist Episcopal tradition
Each episode includes a moment to help you center–even if you are jogging or folding laundry! 
In each episode you will also hear about meaningful, realistic, and achievable next steps you can take to learn more about the topics we discuss or to take action. 
We are thrilled to invite you on a journey of learning as Ben and Nicole share and reflect on their conversations with people who are dedicating their lives to making sense of life in a climate changed world. 
Season one of Climate Changed premieres in June of 2022
Episode 1: How Do We Stop Doing Things that Make No Sense? With Rev. Mariama White-Hammond
Episode 2: Where Do You Find Hope? With Corina Newsome
Episode 3: What Do We Tell the Children? With Craig Santos Perez
Episode 4: What is Wrong with Me? With Keyana Pardilla, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sherri Mitchell
Episode 5: If I Can’t Make a Difference, then What Do I Do? With Veronice Miles
Episode 6: Daddy, Did We Hurt Them? With Ben Yosua-Davis