Kova JonesEach year, the Sustainability Champion Awards recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to sustainability at the University of Kentucky. Named a Sustainability Champion in 2025, Lauren E. Cagle, Ph.D., Tracy Farmer Institute director and associate professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies, has spent her career empowering students, fostering innovation, and turning environmental communication into tangible action across campus. Her work is not just about programs or policies; it is about connecting people to the planet and helping the next generation realize their own potential to make a difference.
Cagle didn’t always plan to be a sustainability champion. While many of her peers pursued careers in environmental research, she was in graduate school studying rhetoric, where she discovered a deep interest in environmental communication. Over time, that interest developed into a strong commitment to sustainability and shaped the path of her career.
Cagle formerly directed the Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ENS) Undergraduate Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, overseeing both the major and minor. During her time as Director, she focused on mentoring students and expanding internship and applied learning opportunities, enabling more students to gain hands-on experience in sustainability work.
For Cagle, sustainability is more than environmental action. It is about empowering students to recognize their ability to contribute and make meaningful changes. Students across disciplines from Environmental Sustainability Studies to Marketing, Economics, and Engineering consistently contribute to on-campus sustainability initiatives in meaningful ways. Projects such as campus pollinator gardens and The Thrifty Cat, a free store that keeps donated items out of landfills and back into the hands of students, demonstrate the creativity, dedication, and impact of students and highlight the importance of fostering student involvement.
Cagle’s influence has also extended beyond the classroom through research collaborations, such as a recent partnership with UK Recycling, where she and an undergraduate student, ENS major Finley Haight, helped develop surveys and strategies to assess campus recycling practices and improve communication, resulting in more effective waste diversion programs and measurable environmental outcomes.
In her current role as director of the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment (TFISE), a university-wide research institute in the UK Office of the Vice President for Research, Cagle leads the overall direction of the institute while continuing to grow interdisciplinary research focused on environmental challenges across Kentucky and beyond. She works closely with faculty, students, and community partners to build programs that are both innovative and practical, while also supporting and mentoring the next generation of environmental leaders.
In May 2026, the Tracy Farmer Institute announced $72,000 in funding to support the sustainability-related research of four undergraduate and eight graduate students.
“The Tracy Farmer Scholars represent the next generation of environmental and sustainability research in the Commonwealth,” said Cagle. “Our investment in scholars is an investment in an environmentally resilient and sustainable future.”
Cagle also focuses on strengthening partnerships that help turn research into real, visible impact, continuing to push forward sustainability efforts and expand the University of Kentucky’s presence in environmental research and community engagement.
“When you’re working at the scale of an institution like UK, sustainability isn’t just one initiative,” said Cagle. “It’s a constant, coordinated effort across systems, people and priorities, which makes the work both challenging and incredibly important.”
She works to connect efforts across campus, ensuring that sustainability initiatives are coordinated, visible, and accessible while remaining integrated into academic programs and operations.
From founding a high school recycling club to mentoring students, leading programs, conducting research and supporting campus-wide initiatives, Cagle has devoted her career to advancing environmental stewardship.
Through her teaching, mentorship, and advocacy, she continues to foster awareness, empower students, and help the University of Kentucky community work toward a more sustainable future.
