Sustainability Now! | Climate Anxiety | Kirk Bartholomew, Marylena Mantas-Kourounis & Todd Matthews | 6-23-25

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, tackles the issue of climate anxiety amongst young people, with three experts who have just released a new study about this topic (https://www.sacredheart.edu/news-room/news-listing/poll-reveals-youth-concerned-about-climate-change-social-justice/). Today’s show features professors at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut: Kirk Bartholomew is the Director of the Institute for Sustainability & Social Justice at Sacred Heart (https://www.sacredheart.edu/offices--departments-directory/institute-for-sustainability--social-justice/). Kirk has been an active member of the Department of Biology at for the past 24 years, teaching an array of courses, maintaining an active undergraduate research program and leading several curriculum revision projects. Most recently, he took a lead role in facilitating the development of the Institute of Sustainability and Social Justice initiated as part of Sacred Heart’s response to Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical Laudato Sí that called for an integrated response by all people of good will to act on climate change and the systemic issues driving its acceleration. Marylena Mantas-Kourounis is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Global Affairs at Sacred Heart University. She studies education policy and politics, focusing on the enactment and implementation of civic education policies. Her current research projects center around youth political participation, civic engagement, and political trust. She is the author of The Politics of Civic Education: Local Reactions to National Initiatives and State Mandates (Lexington Books, 2024). Todd L. Matthews, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Sociology, Criminology, and Criminal Justice at Sacred Heart University. He joined the department in summer 2023. Dr. Matthews is a broadly trained social scientist and scholar-practitioner with particular interests in civic engagement and participatory democracy. His research has appeared in numerous book chapters, as well as the journals Organization Development Review, Organization Development Journal, Social Forces, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Review of Religious Research, Religions, Sociological Inquiry, Sociological Spectrum and many others. This groundbreaking nationwide survey reveals deep concern among young Americans about climate change, sustainability and social justice, along with a strong sense of responsibility and a call for institutional leadership, especially from higher education and government. The study surveyed U.S. residents aged 15 to 29 to better understand youth perceptions of climate anxiety, institutional trust and their expectations of government and universities. The findings show a generation emotionally engaged, valuing practical and personal skills to act and expecting higher education to respond. As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com