Climate and Mental Health
Are you feeling the emotional weight of the climate crisis? Seeking community, tools for resilience, or ways to transform grief into active hope? You are not alone.
At the Biosphere Institute, we recognize that the climate crisis is not only an ecological and social challenge, but also a profound psychological one. Climate psychology highlights the anxiety, grief, and disconnection many of us experience in the face of environmental change. Yet within these feelings lies an invitation to deepen our connections—with ourselves, with others, and with the living world.
Inspired by Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, our approach creates space to acknowledge the pain of climate disruption while also cultivating gratitude, interconnection, and courage. Through guided practices, participants learn to transform difficult emotions into pathways toward healing and action, fostering what Macy calls Active Hope.
Arts-based eco art.
What does this work look like?
With the generous support of the Tamarack Institute, we have hosted participatory workshops on collective grief and climate anxiety. These sessions invited community members to share their experiences, process challenging emotions together, and explore resilience-building practices. Participants left with a renewed sense of belonging and a clearer path toward meaningful climate action.
Together, we are learning that grief can be a teacher, and that by facing our emotions in community, we open the door to courage, creativity, and hope.
Good Grief: Grieving Together
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
An evening for all who are grieving a loss. You are not alone. We are in this together.
This was a community-led event at Ralph Connor Memorial United Church that explored grief in all forms. The Biosphere Institute hosted a workshop that focused on climate grief and anxiety.
Fall in Love With the Earth… Again!
Thursday, May 1, 2025 | Rundle United Church
This was a community-led event that offered a free gathering to community members to celebrate, converse and meditate on our relationship with the Earth.
The Biosphere Institute hosted a mental health workshop informed by Joanna Macy’s work on collective grief, climate anxiety and active hope.
Active Hope: Navigating Climate Grief & Anxiety
Monday, May 5, 2025 | Wild Flour Cafe
As part of Banff’s Mental Health and Addictions Awareness Week, the Biosphere hosted a workshop with Daryl Kootenay on climate grief and anxiety. This participatory workshop explored climate grief and anxiety through the lens of Indigenous (Stoney Nakoda) worldviews and Climate Psychology. Drawing on Joanna Macy’s Work That Reconnects, we engaged in activities that helped participants process difficult emotions, reconnect with one another, and find hope through collective action.
Thank you to the Tamarack Institute for supporting this work. Together, we continue to cultivate resilience, courage, and active hope, transforming despair into meaningful steps toward healing and positive change for our planet.
We continue to look for ways of integrating mental health into our climate action work. Get in touch if you have an idea for a future collaboration!
