SheSapiens

Empowering Female Founders

jessica-kleczka

@ Jessica Kleczka

Blog author

Jessica is a climate justice activist and social scientist based in the UK working in climate change policy. With a background in psychology and environmental science, her previous research has focused on climate communication and values-based approaches to societal change. She is an advocate for intersectionality and mental health awareness, and works as a researcher to help the UK shift away from fossil fuels. In her free time, she is a pianist and educator, using social media to make environmental issues more accessible.

Member since July 2020

Posts

Article

How to look after your mental health as an activist

From the climate crisis, to the pandemic and criminalisation of protest – 2021 has been a difficult year. The winter months are a good time to reflect on how activism affects our mental health, and what practices we should engage in to make our journey as campaigners more sustainable.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

After COP26: Moving away from the binary of success and failure

Since the Glasgow Climate Pact was signed, media portrayals of COP26 have been polarised between framings of success and failure. But in order to sustain and increase political pressure, we must move away from binary thinking and bring more nuance into our communication.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Visions of Alternative Futures: Brithdir Mawr, Wales

A low-impact eco-community near the picturesque coast of Pembrokeshire in South Wales. It uses renewable energy, grows its own food and lives in harmony with nature according to permaculture principles. Learn more about the history of this fascinating community, their present-day work and uncertain future.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Visions of Alternative Futures: Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland

Findhorn is a spiritual community and eco-village which has inspired thousands of people since its beginnings almost sixty years ago. Rooted in an intimate connection with nature, it is a global centre of sustainability education which demonstrates how we can live in harmony with the land.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Visions of Alternative Futures: Braziers Park, Oxfordshire

Braziers Park is a unique intentional community taking a progressive approach to education through creation. At 70 years, it is the oldest surviving secular community in the UK. Learn more about this magical place in Oxfordshire, its history and philosophy in this new series.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Why ‘Kill the Bill’ is a Feminist Issue

In recent weeks, people across the UK have been taking to the streets to fight against the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill. How does the police crackdown bill affect women and why is it important to take action now?

Jessica Kleczka

Video

In Conversation: The Roots of Climate Change Denial

Climate change denial is still high despite an established scientific consensus. What are the underlying psychological reasons for climate denial and what can we do to tackle it? Two young environmentalists share their experiences.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Climate Census UK: How you can take climate action from home

The Covid-19 pandemic has limited our ability to protest for climate action – Climate Census is an exciting new opportunity to make your voice heard in the upcoming UK census. Read more about the census and upcoming mass digital action here.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

Are our cultural identities in the way of climate action?

Five years after the Paris agreement, many of us still avoid taking climate change seriously. What role do cultural identity and psychology play in climate denial and how can we inspire the changes we need to see?

Jessica Kleczka

Interview

Talking Mental Health with Karolina from London Wildlife Trust

Spending time outdoors has been scientifically proven to benefit our wellbeing. I had the pleasure of speaking to Karolina from London Wildlife Trust. In our interview, she speaks about the importance of socialising in outdoor settings and the effects of this on mental health.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

How to cope with Ecological Grief

Wildfires, a melting arctic, rising sea levels – many will recognise the deep unease these headlines create within ourselves. While concern about the future is a normal response, an increasing number of people experience profound feelings of depression and grief relating to the environment.

Jessica Kleczka

Article

An Introduction to Intersectional Ecopsychology

In recent decades, rates of depression have exponentially risen to become the second leading cause of disability worldwide, closely followed by anxiety. At the same time, we are faced with the pressing issues of social inequality, environmental destruction and climate change.

Jessica Kleczka

Trusted Brands

Self-care

Object Beauty -

Zero waste shampoo

Jessica Kleczka

Fashion

WUKA -

Sustainable period pants

Jessica Kleczka

Destinations

Retreat

Brithdir Mawr Eco-Camping

Brithdir Mawr Wild and Eco Camping is a quiet site in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, at the foot of Carningli, two miles from the sea and about five minutes’ drive from Newport. Stays here are in a designated field that’s part of a well-established eco community set up in 1994 on an 80-acre restored farm. The whole place is off-grid for electricity and uses water from mountain springs; recycling even stretches to toilet waste, which is composted to feed the site’s fruit trees.

Jessica Kleczka

Retreat

Findhorn Ecovillage

Come to the iconic Findhorn Spiritual Community and enjoy a personal self-styled retreat by yourself or with your family and friends* while soaking up the energy of this sacred land and transformational field. Findhorn’s principles of inner listening, co-creation with nature and work as love in action have inspired countless authors, activists, change-makers, spiritual teachers and leaders including Robert Holden, Caroline Myss, Charles Eisenstein, Joanna Macy and countless more.

Jessica Kleczka

Recommendations

The Myth Gap

The True Cost

Merchants of Doubt

Thinking, Fast and Slow

The YIKES Podcast

We Have a Dream

We Will Not Cancel Us

Feminism, Interrupted

Doughnut Economics