Facing the Climate Crisis with Grit and Grace

Apocalypse. Ecocide. Armageddon. Annihilation. No wonder we feel frightened and overwhelmed by the enormity of climate change. And no wonder those of us who have been working for decades on these issues feel frustrated at the continued apathy, complacency, and inadequacy of the response in our wider culture and government.

Tallessyn Zawn Grenfell-Lee, PhD, is a Climate Chaplain and Coach who helps communities wrap their minds around the grief, fear, rage, and overwhelm associated with climate change, such that they can move toward a place of Grounded Focus. Using tools from secular and faith traditions as well as ethics, social psychology, and project management, she outlines strategies to build a Resilience Mindset. This mindset provides a foundation that enables us to process the enormity of this challenge as we participate in sustained practices of healing and strategic engagement.

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Tallessyn Zawn Grenfell-Lee holds a Ph.D. in social and ecological ethics from the Boston University School of Theology. In addition to her work as a climate chaplain and coach, she is certified in permaculture design and teaches and publishes about the intersections of ecofeminism, climate ethics, grief, and nature connection. She previously did graduate research on Alzheimer’s Disease and preventive research on ovarian cancer. She received a B.Sc. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.A. in molecular biology from Harvard University, and an M.Div. from the Boston University School of Theology. She lives in central Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters, and enjoys gardening, canoeing, learning about medicinal and edible wild plants, and rewriting old hymns to make them more inclusive.

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Tallessyn will be joined today by her daughter Telynia Jeansun Grenfell-Lee. Telynia is in her final year of high school at the Macomber Center for Self-Directed Learning in Framingham, MA. She has experienced a wide variety of educational contexts, including a Massachusetts public school; a community-oriented private school; both a democratic school and an international school in Basel, Switzerland; and most recently, the self-directed homeschooling center where she now attends part-time. Telynia cares deeply about social justice and is considering a career path that combines urban climate resilience with photography/videography and writing.

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• What to bring

An item of food or drink to share, tending to the healthy and organic.

• Important to know

Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is a small non-profit so a $10 donation is requested.

To get to Helen Snively's house take the MBTA red line to Central Square; on-street parking is free on Sunday if you prefer to drive. The house is at One Fayette Park, immediately past the first driveway on the right. It's a green 4-family. Come up to the first porch and look for a number 1 on the door. If you have questions please post to this Meetup, or call Helen at 617-547-1326.