Wise Climate Actions & Sacred Activism

​Mind & Life Think Tanks are intimate, two- to three-day, self-organized gatherings designed to advance a particular project or problem within the contemplative sciences. Grants support the travel, accommodations and general organization of Think Tanks to convene small groups of collaborators including scientists, scholars, humanitarian leaders and changemakers, contemplative practitioners, educators and applied professionals to workshop a coherent topic with well-defined deliverables/outcomes and potentially high impact.

Organizers: 
​Vivian Valentin (grantee), Radhule Weininger, Michael Kearney, John Foran, Kevin M Gallagher

Invited Participants: Leila Cavallho, Monique Myers, Stacy Pulice, Shawn VanValkenburgh, Kristen Goodrich, Joanna Macy, Catherine Gautier, Jose Caballero, Linda Buzzell-Saltzman, Martin Wagner, Yemaya Renuka Duby, Jessica Alvarez Parfrey, Ken Hiltner, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Summer M. Gray, Sarah Ray, Maithilee Kanthi, Bill McKibben, Emiliano Campobello, David Pellow

Proposed Meeting Date: August 2020
Location: Santa Barbara, CA

How do we motivate people, especially young adults, to deal with climate-change issues when they are remote from its effects, leaving them unmoved, or conversely, when they are on the receiving end of a catastrophe, leaving them overwhelmed? The standard motivator for climate activism has been fear, but it cannot sustain our actions in the long-term. Furthermore, the scale and immediacy of the problem is so great that the fear generated can paralyze or isolate us. We see the need to ground climate adaptation, activism and education in contemplative practice. Mindfulness, compassion and nature-connection practices can awaken a sense of interconnectedness and belonging with nature. This in turn fosters creativity and sustainable motivation to act from love for the welfare of all beings. We will develop ways to support our youth and climate-change professionals, create community structures that integrate contemplative practices into climate action, and nurture Sacred Activism.