A Personal Toll: Working in Sustainability & Climate Change

Last month I attended a retreat for sustainability professionals. While this might not seem like an earth shattering event, it turned out to be very cathartic. The retreat allowed sustainability and climate change professionals to bond over our mutual feelings of stress and despair brought on us by our work.

Keep in mind that most of us working in this space have a personal passion and dedication to help save the world while working in organizations that largely do not understand who we are or what we do. It can really suck. Through this retreat journey we found ourselves laughing and crying about how much we love our work but also how lonely and soul crushing it can be...the emotional carnage and labor of our career choice.

Are we as a profession alone? While many people will experience stress in their careers, there is an interesting distinction for those of us working in a field with such immense implications for our planetary well-being. I do not compare myself to folks saving lives, protecting freedom, curing disease, caring for the sick, etc., there exists a palpable difference and sense of burden that we feel. The following article recent posted my Mother Jones highlights the REAL struggle and emotional toll of working in this field.

It's the End of the World as They Know It