5: How to Navigate Climate Emotions and Build Community Around You (with Jen Knoch)
- Author
- Sarah Robertson-Barnes
- Published
- Tue 17 Jun 2025
- Episode Link
- https://sustainableinthesuburbs.com/links/
How do we hold the grief, rage, and love that come with caring deeply about the climate crisis and still keep going? In this conversation, I’m joined by my friend Jen Knoch, a Toronto-based sustainability advocate and the creator of the Climate Emotions Retreat, to explore what it looks like to feel these emotions fully, stay rooted in care, and take meaningful action alongside others.
Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed, inspired, or somewhere in between, this episode is a reminder that you don’t have to hold it all alone — and that small acts of tending and care really do matter.
Takeaways
- How naming and sharing climate emotions like grief, anger, and fear can help us stay connected and engaged.
- The community care practices that sustain Jen’s work — from food rescue to plant swaps.
- The impact of Ontario’s Bill 5 and what it reveals about climate grief and resistance.
- How rescued plants, slow walks, and seed libraries remind us that small acts of care can build connections and sustain a movement.
One Small Shift
Go for a bike ride and notice what’s blooming around you.
Books
Facing the Climate Emergency – Margaret Klein Salamon
Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer
The Serviceberry – Robin Wall Kimmerer
Organizations
Ontario Nature
Mutual Aid & Local Resources
Connect with Jen
Five Minutes for the Planet (Jen’s Substack)
Connect With Me
Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio
If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.
