S2, E3: Will tomorrow be made of plastic? We need to talk about eco-anxiety
In this episode of season two, We Need to Talk about Eco-Anxiety, Clover explores our world of plastic and its impact on people and the planet.
First up, Clover meets Melati Wijsen, founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags. Melati explains why our oceans are drowning in plastic, and the impact this has on both our environment and our mental health. We then hear from young people around the world experiencing eco-anxiety; our resident psychotherapist Caroline Hickman on how to harness our emotions in a rapidly changing world; and finally, VP of Dove, Alessandro Manfredi, on how global corporations are trying to clean up they mess they’ve helped create.
Featuring…
Melati Wijsen: Activist and Co-founder of Youthtopia and Bye Bye Plastic Bags
Melati Wijsen is an Indonesian/Dutch activist and change-maker. She founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister in 2013 and has successfully banned plastic bags, straws and styrofoam from their home island, Bali, as of 2019. She has also started the people movement One Island One Voice and the social enterprise, Mountain Mama's; she has spoken at TED and the United Nations; and has also been selected among Forbes top ten most inspiring women in the country.
In the episode, Melati shares:
How she manages her eco-anxiety by finding as much focus as possible;
For 99.9% of human history, we lived without plastic, but learning new behaviours can be difficult - and unlearning can be even more so; and
How communities in the Global South are living in waste created by the Global North.
Caroline Hickman, resident psychotherapist
Caroline is a psychotherapist from the University of Bath, who has spent years researching children and young people’s relationships with nature and feelings about the climate and ecological crisis. She has worked in the UK, Maldives, South Pacific and other communities already affected by rising sea levels.
In their conversation, Caroline and Clover discuss how the introduction of plastic has happened so rapidly and pervasively, yet our behaviour hasn't changed.
Alessandro Manfredi, Executive Vice President of Dove
Alessandro joined Unilever Italy 23 years ago. He has spent more than 14 years on Dove, where he contributed to the launch of the campaign for real beauty, one of the most awarded campaigns of the last few decades.
Alessandro also led creation of the Self Esteem Project, and is a strong believer of the fact that brands with purpose grow faster, and that it is possible to unashamedly combine profit with the fact of doing something good for others.
In their conversation, Clover and Alessandro discus how his eco-anxiety comes not so much from the problems, as people pretending the problems don't exist; as well as about the role of corporations in cleaning up a plastic mess they've helped create.
Quotes from the episode
"By 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish."
- Melati Wijsen
"Plastic is cheap, it's single-use, and then we forget about it once it's served its purpose. It's actually a really good symbol for all that is wrong with us."
- Melati Wijsen
With thanks this episode’s sponsor,
Dove
Interested in sponsoring Season 3? Email media@forceofnature.xyz
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Read the Bloom
Will tomorrow be made of plastic?
I have felt a connection to the earth since I was a child, growing lilies and hyacinths with my mother in her garden during the summertime; playing with…
Have you listened to season 1 yet?
In this 9-part series, Clover sits down with the people who are leading the charge: from the woman who started a global movement out of her backyard; to the lawyer responsible for the world’s most historic climate agreement; and a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
A Force of Nature and OneFinePlay production
Director: Clover Hogan
Studio: OneFinePlay
Executive producer: James Bishop
Editor & producer: Kasra Firouzyar
Producer & researcher: Connor Foley
Additional creative support: Selena Christofides
With special thanks to everyone who makes Force of Nature possible!
Phoebe Hanson, Kathleen Hamilton, Alejandra Arias, Sacha Wright, Julia Sams, Vida Han, Zineb Jaoudat and Rohan Shah.