In this special episode of Climate Changed, we’re delighted to share an episode from Religion & Justice, a podcast produced by our partners at the Wendland-Cook Program in Religion and Justice at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Hosted by Gabriella Lisi (she/they/he) and George Schmidt (he/him/ours), Religion & Justice explores the intersections of class, religion, labor, and ecology. In this featured episode, titled “Deep Solidarity and Moralizing”, they sit down with theologian Dr. Joerg Rieger to discuss the relationship between economic power structures, ecological devastation, and the role of religion in building alternative systems grounded in deep solidarity.

Dr. Rieger introduces key distinctions between privilege and power, critiques individualistic approaches to climate action, and invites us to imagine economic and spiritual solidarity that moves from the grassroots upward. He explores how worker co-ops, solidarity economies, and faith-rooted organizing might form the foundation of a more just and life-giving future.

🌱 To learn more about the Wendland-Cook Program and their offerings—including their Solidarity Circles for faith leaders—visit: https://www.religionandjustice.org

📖 Read Dr. Rieger’s article “Theology in the Capitalocene”: https://www.religionandjustice.org/interventions-forum-on-privilege-and-power-in-the-capitalocene

We invite you to reflect on how this conversation resonates with your work in a climate-changed world. Share your thoughts with us by text or voicemail at (207) 200-6986 or by email at podcast@thebtscenter.org.

In this deeply personal episode, Harvard Divinity School student and BTS Center intern Jessica David hosts a heartfelt conversation with BTS Center leaders Rev. Nicole Diroff and Rev. Alison Cornish about lament's essential, uncomfortable, and ultimately connective role in our climate-changed world.

Together, they explore the collective practice of ecological grief — not as something to fix or diagnose, but as a sacred response to real, ongoing loss. They reflect on lament’s roots in ancestral spiritual traditions, its embodied and communal expressions, and its relevance for today’s spiritual leaders navigating climate breakdown.

Rev. Nicole Diroff is Associate Director of The BTS Center. Ordained in the United Church of Christ, she is a Maine Master Naturalist, a facilitator, and a DEI leader. She brings heart and strategic insight to the Center’s public programming.

Rev. Alison Cornish coordinates The BTS Center’s Chaplaincy Initiative and has long practiced ecological theology and interfaith facilitation. She draws from traditions such as Joanna Macy’s The Work That Reconnects and community grief rituals to support climate spiritual care.

Ecological Grief Is Real and Sacred Ecological grief encompasses present and anticipated losses from disappearing ice rinks to contaminated farmland. It's not a problem to be fixed, but a response rooted in love.

Lament Is Embodied, Collective, and Ancestral The guests draw on ancient practices—from ripped cloth and psalms to community rituals—to normalize grief and reclaim lament as a spiritually rich, communal act.

Grief Connects Across Time Grief opens connection channels: across communities, generations, species, and histories. When practiced communally, it fosters honesty, solidarity, and renewed purpose.

Lament Is an Act of Witness and Turning The movements of lament include naming harm, expressing sorrow, repenting of complicity, and stepping into something larger — sometimes praise, sometimes action.

"How will your heart break? Will it break into a thousand pieces, or will it break open?" — Shared by Alison, from a rabbi friend

Referenced in the episode:

• Words for a Dying World: Stories of Grief and Courage from the Global Church – edited by Hannah Malcolm
• Season 1, Episode 6 of Climate Changed featuring Hannah Malcolm
• The Work That Reconnects – from Joanna Macy
• The Many – “Is This How the World Ends?” (song featured in Lament with Earth)
• Lament with Earth – Seasonal online grief gatherings hosted by The BTS Center
• Earth Hospice Rites – A twice-monthly global grief space led by Alison Cornish
• Teachings from Vincent Harding, Johnson (unclear exact reference; likely Howard Thurman or Luke Powery-adjacent figures)
• Elizabeth Kübler-Ross – pioneer in grief studies
• “Terraforming” – discussed in context of climate manipulation and river systems, detailed in The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis by Amitav Ghosh
• Spiritual practices like the psalms, lamentations, public ritual, and intergenerational liturgies

How do you practice lament? How does grief show up in your life and leadership? Email us: podcast@thebtscenter.org Leave a voice message: 207-200-6986

About the Podcast

Climate Changed is a project of The BTS Center, a spiritual leadership organization based in Portland, Maine. Produced by Peterson Toscano. Music by EpidemicSound.com.

Find more episodes and transcripts at climatechangedpodcast.org

In this thoughtful second interim episode, host Jessica David talks deeply and candidly with The BTS Center team members Ben Yosua-Davis and Madeline Bugeau-Heartt about hope's complex and nuanced nature in our climate-changed world. They explore what it means to hold hope amidst uncertainty, loss, and the ongoing climate crisis.

Meet the Host and the Guests:

Jessica David is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School, a community consultant, and an advocate for local investment and social change.

Ben Yosua-Davis is the Director of Applied Research at The BTS Center, shaping their research agenda to support climate-informed spiritual leadership. Ben previously founded innovative spiritual communities and is passionate about building communities and promoting climate resilience.

Madeline Bugeau-Heartt serves as a Program Associate at The BTS Center. With a background in experimental theater and filmmaking, Madeline brings creative imagination and community organizing expertise to exploring how we navigate a radically changing world.

Main Conversation and Themes:

Guests discuss shifting perspectives away from oversimplified solutions towards a deeper understanding of hope.

Ben Yosua-Davis challenges traditional views:

"If by hope you mean am I hopeful that there is a technological or political solution that will fix climate change... the answer is no. But do I believe life can be full of meaning, beauty, and joy regardless? Absolutely."

Madeline Bugeau-Heartt expands the concept:

"Hope isn't an antidote to despair... but I am hopeful that the mystery of the day, spontaneous beauty, and love between people can always be found."

Ben and Madeline explore embracing change through metaphors of hospice and midwifery, recognizing endings and nurturing new beginnings.

Madeline Bugeau-Heartt articulates the dual practice:

"What are we choosing to hospice, and what are we choosing to midwife into being?... It's about being part of what the world is already doing."

Ben Yosua-Davis reflects on communal acceptance:

"When people hit the point [of hospice], there's peace and joy that leads to hope—focusing on living, enjoying, appreciating those closest to us."

The conversation emphasizes hope as fundamentally collective and relational.

Ben Yosua-Davis emphasizes community:

"I don't think you can practice hope individually... humans were not built to be hopeful without community."

Madeline Bugeau-Heartt underscores collective action:

"In community, hope gains muscle… I hope for different things in collective than when I'm by myself, longing for things way beyond myself."

Additional Resources:

• The BTS Center's Research Collaborative – Exploring how faith communities can authentically respond to the climate crisis through grounded, applied research.
• Reports From the Spiritual Frontier – Ben’s podcast chronicling new forms of spiritual community and innovative leadership.

Join the Conversation:

Where do you fall on the hope spectrum? What practices do you use to cultivate hope—or maybe you don't?

Share your reflections via email at podcast@thebtscenter.org or leave a voicemail at 207-200-6986.

Climate Changed Podcast is a project of The BTS Center in Portland, Maine. Produced by Peterson Toscano. Music comes from EpidemicSound.com. Closing song: Home by Ludlow. Visit climatechangedpodcast.org for more episodes of the Climate Changed podcast.