(Starting a compilation of online, worldwide groups that are supporting people emotionally/spiritually regarding the eco/social crisis. This support helps us to become more effective in nurturing and supporting our local communities.)
Very important note: Online may be your/our best hope of connecting with the grassroots green mobilization, for many reasons. So please do check out the online channels I list here.
However, there is no substitute for actually going out in your local area and meeting people. Take walks through your neighborhood, and talk with other people who happen to be out. Even if you just say hi in passing. Do this over time; you’ll get to recognize people’s faces and I’ll get to recognize yours.
We cannot afford to not be connected with people. The idea that this is even possible is an anomaly of modern-day consumerist affluenza. No previous time since the dawn of human history has it been at all viable for a human being to feel like they don’t have anybody around them who has anything in common with them.
No, by no means will all the people you meet in your immediate area have much in common with you. But you can’t assume, without talking with people, that you don’t have things in common. Lots of people have been falling into this grandiose isolationism; I keep hearing from people who feel like they alone are this isolated dot in a sea of oppositely thinking people.
OK! So in addition to cultivating local connections, tap into these online groups (sorry, the private groups I am unable to paste links for, so you just have to type their name into your search field):
Groups (these are on Facebook, except the ones for your local region — which could also be on Facebook):
Degrowth – it’s urgent; Degrowth – join the revolution; Deep Adaptation; Riot for Austerity (90% Reduction Challenge) (the one I bring up in my talks and so on).
Transition Towns, your local permaculture guild, your local bioregional organization.
Journey to zero waste; Zero waste zero judgment; Non-consumerist advocate.
Various textile upcycling groups. Your local buy-nothing group.
Here’s a recent thing I heard about: Search “underconsumerism core” in any app. Sort of a riff on “cottage core,” with an emphasis on repairing and reusing, and appreciating the aesthetic of loved and worn-out objects.
Online meetups:
1. Collapse Club (The following is from Collapse Club’s website)
“At Collapse Club, we gather to answer the question: “How are we to live in the time of collapse?”
“To Attend a Meeting
“If you have not already attended a meeting, please sign up to receive the Zoom link. If you have already attended a meeting, you’ll get the link in a reminder email.
“A Sense of Belonging
“In this time of crisis and catastrophe, our comfort is to be with other people who understand what we’re going through. In a Collapse Club meeting, you will join like-minded people in a safe, structured space to share your experience of collapse and to cultivate communal wisdom.
“We hold three meetings per week, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You are welcome at any or all. Meetings are free and without obligation.
“Benefits of a Collapse Club meeting:
- Relief from isolation: You are not alone.
- Be heard: Express and process your feelings.
- Receive empathy and support: We are people who understand.
- Learn from others’ experience: We’re going through it, too.
- Participate in a communal search for meaning: We’re all on the path.
How do meetings work?
We have a simple agenda built around questions which invite you to share your personal experience of collapse:
- Check-In – What have you noticed about collapse this week?
- Circles – How are you living with collapse?
- Glimmers – What brings you joy in the midst of collapse?
In our meetings, we want to hear about your personal lived experience. We are not discussing theories or politics, and if we talk about the news we focus on how it impacts our personal lives. We are interested in you personally, because it is from your personal lived experience that all thinking and action emerge.
For a detailed description of how our meetings work, please visit our Meeting Flow page.
Search tag: CollapseClub”