I’m thrilled to bring you a conversation with Ayana Young, a fierce warrior for the earth and fellow podcaster. I have learned so much from Ayana over the years about what it means to be alive in the Anthropocene (the Age of Man) and how to find hope in action. Ayana specializes in intersectional environmental and social justice, deep ecology and land-based restoration, and was a co-founder of the Environmental Working Group.

Together Ayana and I talk about how she lives her life today in the woods of northern California and her commitment to a new way of being in the Anthropocene. We dig into the psychological dimensions — the fear and grief and discomfort — of living in these times, not just with the world-wide pandemic, but in the midst of climate collapse and whatever else might be coming our way. It’s a heavy but important conversation, including about finding hope and action in this moment and in the future.

“There are so many beautiful chances for life to start teeming again if we just let the earth rest and help the earth with their own immune systems so they can heal themselves.” -Ayana Young

Resources:

  • I mention that I’ve heard Ayana speak in person at the Spirit Weavers Gathering
  • Ayana mentions one of her teachers, Joanna Macy, who has done a lot of work with looking at the behaviors of humans in time of environmental crisis

More from Ayana Young:

 

Episode #56: Hope in the Age of the Anthropocene with Ayana Young

Other Episodes

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