Most of the collaborators met in the lovely Helsinki summer in June for filming indoors and outdoors.
Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is quite far up in the North: on the level of Alaska, actually. But thanks to the North Atlantic Gulf Stream, there has been much more warmth in Finland – at least so far. (Changes to those sea streams are actually one of the major threats of global warming for Finns.)
Elin Kelsey had already visited Finland a couple of times, and she co-operated with Panu Pihkala with funding from the Kone Foundation in winter 2022. But for the others, this was the first time they came to this remote but lively corner of Europe.
The weather was favorable, and the team filmed much material outdoors. Friday was devoted to How Are You, Really?, with interviews of Panu, Elin, Isaias Hernandez (QueerBrownVegan), and young Finnish eco-psychologist Juni Sinkkonen. Tehya Jennett and Maxfield Biggs had scouted filming locations in Helsinki earlier during the week, and got a chance to film climate activism on the streets of Helsinki. On Saturday, Isaias and Panu engaged in deep discussions on climate emotions and the Process Model for Teaching Climate Together.
The team was able to visit several striking locations in Helsinki, such as the city library Oodi and Puistokatu 4, a hub of environmental science, arts, and hope. In these few days, lots of ideas were exchanged and connections established, before the international team continued to other European countries for engagements (we try to organize our travels wisely, to minimize carbon emissions).