Last Monday, I attended a Table Talk on Eco-Anxiety. Eco-anxiety can refer to multiple things, such as the predilection for traumatic climate events such as hurricanes and food shortages to provoke other mental illnesses, but we discussed eco-anxiety as a manifestation of a unique concern concerning our climate and the impact our actions can have (or the lack thereof). We began the discussion by talking about this article and sharing our reactions and criticisms of the radical suggestion put forth by the article. Someone suggested that this article ignores the economic privilege required to be able to afford a vegetarian lifestyle, both in terms of money and time (although meat is often more expensive than produce, the time required to prepare vegetarian meals may be too much for families in which the parents must work multiple jobs, and fast food is both cheap and full of meat). We also discussed the unpredictable economic and social ramifications of the entire population switching from beef to beans, including the shockwave it could send through the agriculture and livestock industry.

After agreeing the article was interesting but idealistic, we moved on to discussing eco-anxiety in our own lives. People shared their experiences, including why they chose why or why not to be vegetarian and how they sustain that lifestyle. The subject of our individual contributions to minimizing climate change came up, and one person shared a story of her friend’s choice to go vegan and how that friend in turn inspired several others to go vegan as well. It was a small but powerful reminder that an individual can make a larger impact and that we shouldn’t feel completely powerless when thinking about climate change.