What a great event!
It received excellent reviews and feedback from the post forum survey. And Susan’s and my presentations went down well too.
The forum showed people that there are lots of things that they can do to adapt to the effects of Climate Change events. For example, how to help people, their pets and gardens cope with the heat and water shortages that are coming.
Susan spoke on the practical aspects of retrofitting your home to prevent heat effects. She used examples from Footprint Garden Farm to demonstrate different forms of shading and using plants to help cool the air around the house.
She also spoke about how we manage our house in different weather situations. For example how we open appropriate windows to take advantage of local knowledge of prevailing cooling breezes, weather forecasts, temperature monitoring stations etc. Like sailing a yacht!
My presentation ”Promoting emotional resistance in the face of Climate Change” was one of the ones on health effects. Together with Emeritus Professor Helen Winefield we discussed the importance of acknowledging the emotional challenges of Climate Change and using exercise and relaxation to deal with them.
We noted the importance for children’s mental health (and adults) of actively working in climate mitigation and awareness – such as the School Strike 4 Climate action, which Susan and I attended for our grandchildren! And we provided skills and tips from the Australian Psychological Society booklets: “101 Things You Can Do to Help Address Climate Change”, “A Guide for Parents About the Climate Crisis” and the “Climate Change Empowerment Handbook” (with the ACTIVATE tip sheet).
We are happy to provide copies of our presentations and resources for a small administration fee. Please send us an email if you would like one.
Photo courtesy of Sam Ryan.
