Rachel HenryThe KYCC was created in 2018 by Drs. Lauren Cagle and Carmen Agouridis at the University of Kentucky. The Kentucky Climate Consortium (KYCC) is a collective of researchers and teachers in secondary education across Kentucky who work with the climate in some capacity. Its mission is to connect these climate scholars and allow them to network and collaborate to pursue climate-related research, teaching, and public outreach. Ultimately, the goal is to empower Kentuckians to be environmental stewards with access to reliable climate-related information. We have more than 50 individual members from over 14 institutions across the state.
The KYCC provides a variety of benefits to its members. Once a month, we hold a “Climate Chat” where we invite either a KYCC member or a non-organization member to speak about a topic related to climate. Some examples of past climate chats we have had include organic farming and its CO2 emissions compared to regular farming, a talk about the Air Justice Project in Louisville, and two Kentucky-based journalists who discussed how climate change can be talked about with the public. KYCC members also receive a biweekly newsletter that details upcoming events that may be of interest to members, general announcements, funding opportunities, and member publications. Additionally, the KYCC holds an annual hybrid meeting that allows members to meet and discuss the work done over the course of the year, as well as the path forward for the organization.
I began working with the KYCC as an intern in the fall of 2021. My responsibilities include scheduling and moderating the climate chats, making the biweekly newsletter, creating bios for new members, updating the website, and helping to plan the annual meeting. I also seek out new potential members to help to grow the organization. The KYCC has grown rapidly over the past couple of years, with close to twenty new members joining the consortium.
The consortium has also accepted grants for several projects. One such project is an oral history project where twenty interviewers were recruited to conduct two interviews apiece. These interviews are with people who work with climate change in some capacity and interviewees include researchers, activists, and professors. The interviews will be stored at the Louie B. Nunn Center at the University of Kentucky and will fill a gap in the current oral history archive regarding climate change in Kentucky.
Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Kentucky Climate Consortium. I believe that it is meaningful work that will benefit all Kentuckians.
To learn more about the KYCC, visit their website HERE.
