Sustainable(ish)

[184] How to be more activist with Clover Hogan

Apr 12, 2024

Climate activist Clover Hogan discusses the importance of mindset and resilience in sustaining climate action. They explore the diverse forms of activism, highlighting the debate between individual and systemic change. The conversation focuses on empowering young activists and creating safe spaces for their voices. They also delve into eco-anxiety, burnout culture, and the emotional toll on activists, emphasizing the need for inclusivity and collaboration in addressing climate issues.

01:05:39

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Episode guests

Clover Hogan

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Youth activism is vital for climate action, empowering young individuals to drive change through collective efforts.

Activism encompasses various forms beyond extreme actions, emphasizing the importance of diverse approaches and community engagement.

Balanced activism combines individual actions with systemic change, fostering a sense of collective empowerment and community engagement.

Visible role models on social media inspire and motivate young people in climate activism, encouraging excitement and aspiration over fear.

Deep dives

Clover Hogan's Activism Journey and Youth Engagement

Clover Hogan, a 24-year-old climate activist and founder of the youth nonprofit Force of Nature, shares her early activism journey that began at age 11 after watching impactful documentaries. Engaging in global negotiations and decision-making spaces at a young age, Hogan's focus shifted to guiding people through the feelings of powerlessness towards climate action. She emphasizes the importance of youth activism and enabling young people to recognize their agency in creating change, advocating for intergenerational conversations and a shift towards collective action.

Introduction

4min

Exploring Climate Activism and Mental Health Intersection

4min

Exploring the Dimensions of Activism

15min

Empowering Young Activists

22min

Navigating Climate Activism Challenges

10min

Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Activism

2min

Navigating Eco-Anxiety and Climate Crisis Impact

3min

Unseen Activism and Aligning Values

5min

Hello and welcome to episode 184, and as it turns out, the last episode of the Sustainable(ish) podcast! I wanted to try and get to 200, and I’m annoyed not even to be ending on a nice round number like 185, but often in life things aren’t tied up in a nice neat bow. Long term listeners will know that at times the podcast has been very stop start, and the time has come for an intentional stop. For now at at least. I’m not going to say that it will never be back in some form, as I genuinely love having these conversations and will miss the opportunities that the podcast has given me to speak to so many extraordinary and inspiring people. However it’s reached the point where the joy of the conversations is starting to be outweighed by the work involved organising and scheduling everything, editing it all, creating the blog posts and the socials etc etc, so time to put this particular project to bed, for a while at least.

I am so delighted to be going out with such a bang and having the amazing opportunity to interview one of my absolute heroes, Clover Hogan.
Clover is a 24-year-old climate activist and the founding Executive Director of Force of Nature - the youth non-profit mobilising mindsets for climate action. She has worked alongside the world’s leading authorities on sustainability, consulted within the boardrooms of Fortune 50 companies, and counselled heads of state. Her TED talk, 'What to do when climate change feels unstoppable', has been viewed 2 million times. As we’ll hear in the chat, she started her activist journey at the age of just 11, and attended the instrumental Paris COP in 2015 at the age of just 15. She genuinely is a force of nature, and is the kind of person who you just want to be able to download everything that is in their head. We talk about her own journey, what we can do as parents to support our young people, and what we can do ourselves to move beyond individual action and to be a bit more activist. We discuss what the word activist even means, acknowledging that it’s an uncomfortable word for many, but that it encompasses such a wide range of things, and that an ‘in’ for many people is thinking about their workplace and what they might be able to to do to encourage their workplace on a sustainability journey.

I’m pretty sure it’s obvious from the chat, but this was a massive fan-girl moment for me, I loved this chat and totally want Clover to be my new BFF. Ooh and just a quick warning if you tend to listen with kids around, I do drop an F-bomb towards the end – apologies in advance.

Enjoy!