Weekend Eco-retreat

Written by: Jake Berkowitz and Kara Symbolic

A weekend eco-retreat provides weary environmental activists with the chance to reflect and rejuvenate.

Reading the list of ecoPerth's activities is like reading a primer on possible community-based environmental projects. Even with more than 100 volunteers, it's a range of activities to challenge even the most energetic environmental activists. Which is why ecoPerth teamed up with the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition (OHCC) to create an eco-retreat to help local environmental volunteers recharge their batteries.

"One of the issues for ecoPerth, and other local environmental groups, is that often there are too few people trying to do too many things. And one of the problems this leads to is burn out," says Bob Argue, ecoPerth's executive director.

The Perth, Ontario group has a clear and ambitious goal: to reduce the town's greenhouse gas emissions by 20-per cent through a broad community-based effort. To achieve this ecoPerth has spearheaded activities from water conservation and urban reforestation to a bicycle users group and encouraging the purchase of locally grown foods. It's a range of energy-efficiency boosting activities that sometimes leaves local activists feeling drained of energy themselves.

During a conversation about the vagaries of environmental activism a group of Perth-area environmentalists came up with the idea of an event that would help them and others balance their environmental zeal and personal health. The event's motto would be "The best way to protect the environment is to protect the environmentalists.

To develop and deliver the Sustaining the Environmentalist week-end retreat the activists turned to Perth-based ecological psychologist Dr. Andy Fisher and local OHCC community animator Kara Symbolic. OHCC delivers community capacity building services through a group of eight community animators, or facilitators.

"We're unlikely to build a sustainable world if our personal lives are unsustainable," says Symbolic. "So the retreat was designed to help participants find ways to find a balance between looking after the health of the world and their own health."

Dr. Fisher led the 16 participants through a series of group therapy style sessions that explored techniques for maintaining a healthy emotional and spiritual life, and how participants' activism plays a part in their daily stress.

"A lot of people were really wrestling with questions around why they're activists, and how their activism work plays into their mental health," says Symbolic. "For some, it's such a tragedy to see what's happening with climate change, and with the issues that people have a passion for, that it really endangers their health."

Designed as a pilot project that could be a model for other environmental groups, the eco-retreat received very positive feedback from participants, says Argue. Now it's another creative project that can be shared with other environmental and health groups in eastern Ontario and beyond.

Says Argue: "Part of ecoPerth's mandate is to share our message and approach beyond the local area, and Kara Symbolic's role as a highly networked community animator is important in taking our message beyond the Perth boundary."

Learn more about ecoPerth's projects visit www.ecoperth.on.ca