Choosing childfree for the climate
More about Rachael:
Rachael Renee’ first picked up a camera in 1998 and began shooting on film. She photographed her ever changing hometown of Portland, Oregon, her solo travels to France and Russia, trips around Oregon with her husband, and touring the American West with her band, The Moonshine. Photography was purely a meditative act, and a way to fully absorb herself in the sights she saw in her travels.
Rachael loves helping architects, interior designers, developers and business owners grow their business by showcasing their hard work, and beautiful spaces and products. Rachael lives in Athens, Georgia with her husband, Michael; her horse, Bella and two cats, Cecelia and Buddy.
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I get scared sometimes about the state of the world. No matter which way I turn there’s hate and turmoil and corruption and climate disasters. Most of the time I can square my shoulders and keep fighting, but sometimes I want to crawl under the covers and never come out. In those moments of hopelessness I think about what it must be like to bring a child into this moment in history. I think about the children in my life who are living through it, and I wonder what their future will look like. I wonder if there will be anything left for them.
This week on the show I chat with Rachael Levasseur about choosing not to bring a child into a bleak future. This topic doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the conversation around being childfree. There are plenty of people who have chosen not to have kids because they’re buried under a mountain of student debt and health insurance premiums. And there are plenty more people who are afraid for the state of the planet and aren’t sure their child will have much of a future. It’s easy to brush these folks off as pessimists or killjoys. But the despair is real. We all feel it sometimes. It’s important to acknowledge that the future can look uncertain enough to influence your choices.
But just so we’re clear, and just in case you’re tempted to skip this one: my conversation with Rachel isn’t all hopelessness and despair. There’s plenty of optimism left in both of us.
Discussed in episode 34 with Rachael Levasseur
The collision of bodily autonomy and politics, especially for women who do not want children
How growing up in a single parent household affected Rachael's view on motherhood
Rachael needing the right circumstances to have a child
Finances and choosing to be child free
Bringing children into this world at this point in the climate crisis
The privilege of having a child, while also being able to make the choice to not have a child