Climate Heroes

Christina Lee Brown, a Louisville resident since 1968, co-founded the Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville to study environmental and social effects on clinical health. The Institute operates under a new vision of health, viewing it as a collective social phenomenon, arising from a confluence of nutritional, economic, environmental, psychological, intellectual, spiritual, cultural, and physical health of individuals. The institute is also a pioneer in Implementation Science, using research as a means for improving and modeling urban health with community partners. 
 
Christy Brown serves on the boards of the Sustainable Food Trust in England, The Berry Center, The Center for Interfaith Relations, The Louisville Orchestra, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation and supports many charitable causes that cultivate health and sustainability in Kentucky – including Bernheim Forest! At the heart of Christy Brown’s new vision of health is the commitment to protect and restore healthy air, water, and soil for present and future generations. She advocates for science and nature-based strategies, emphasizing that we all must become part of the solution. Her partnerships with Bernheim, Kentucky Natural Land Trust, Ohio River Way, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and many more partners amplify this cause. Together, they emphasize the need to protect our precious waterways, conserve globally significant forests, and cultivate care for our common home, including the preservation of agrarian culture.   

Jody and Mariah, who collectively make up Beargrass Thunder, do outstanding advocacy work to improve our built environment, make communities and transportation accessible, and promote urban biodiversity and agriculture. They run the Louisville Seedbank Program, which focuses on finding and distributing heat-resistant vegetable seeds that can survive in the urban heat island neighborhoods of Louisville. Jody and Mariah successfully advocated for ‘yarden‘ legislation in Louisville, making it legal to have edible and native gardens in front yards instead of only lawns. They also promote New Urbanist principles like adding trees to the streetscape, rezoning so different amenities can coexist in the same neighborhood, walkability, and public transit. Jody and Mariah are always positive and delightful to be around, even when the issues are discouraging and unjust. They lead by example, always at the front of an event or workshop, or with their hands in the dirt planting native plants,  removing invasive species, or cleaning waterways. They are always open to community input and work in a coalition and consensus model, inspiring others to join them on the journey. Through their work with Beargrass Thunder, Jody and Mariah are taking climate action one yarden at a time. 

Kentucky Resources Council is a statewide nonprofit organization that has become a cornerstone of environmental advocacy in the Bluegrass. Since its creation in 1984, KRC has led decades of impactful work to defend the health of Kentucky’s natural environment and communities. KRC informs and empowers the public to protect the environment and foster healthy communities, and they provide free legal assistance to those living “downwind, downstream, and downhill” of environmental problems. Through KRC’s vision and dedication, people from across the Commonwealth are inspired to engage in collective action and be a part of the solution on local and state levels. Legislative victories, such as raising landfill standards and promoting renewable energy initiatives, have directly improved the health of Kentucky’s communities. KRC’s legal team currently represents the Bernheim Foundation in fighting the gas pipeline that seeks to cut through Bernheim Forest, and a coalition of allied groups in cases before the Kentucky Public Service Commission, helping to chart a more clean and equitable energy future for Kentucky. 

Sarah Lynn Cunningham is known for her commitment to environmental stewardship in both her personal and professional life. After a career in civil service, she co-founded the Louisville Climate Action Network (LCAN) where she currently serves as Executive Director. Sarah Lynn advocates for both energy efficiency and alternative energy as inseparably key solutions to the climate crisis. She established LCAN to build a web of partnerships between businesses, faith organizations, and community groups – including Bernheim Forest – to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy goals. LCAN offers reliable climate-action tips to renters, homeowners, and small businesses; advocates for smarter public policies; and provides independent technical assistance to other nonprofits. To acknowledge the gap created by red-lining and improve partners’ environmental, economic, and social sustainability, Sarah Lynn created LCAN’s Urban Energy Partnership. This provides nonprofits that primarily serve Louisville’s BIPOC communities with free services to cut carbon consumption and utility costs, so they can spend less on utilities and more on their missions. 

KSEC connects and empowers young Kentuckians to take action for a just and environmentally sustainable Kentucky through training, leadership development, and community engagement. The group of young people has organized door-to-door canvassing for climate action in several Kentucky counties, including in Bullitt County to raise awareness and opposition to the proposed natural gas pipeline across Bernheim land that is protected by a conservation easement. They inspire people of all ages by their commitment to justice and environmentalism. The group has created and distributed informative, creative zines about climate justice and convenes young people through their annual week-long summer camp, Catalyst. They also support other advocacy groups – including the Save Bernheim Now Coalition, Building Communities Not Prisons, and the Just Transition Coalition – providing fresh ideas for organizing and deep knowledge of how to mobilize people. 

In 2005, Sister Claire McGowan founded New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future with a mission to promote sustainability in rural communities, emphasizing the spiritual and moral obligation to care for the Earth and uphold social justice. Through her leadership in the faith community, Sister Claire brought a unique perspective to environmental advocacy, ensuring that the voices and needs of local communities are at the forefront of the fight against climate change.

Over nearly two decades, New Pioneers has driven community action by initiatives like the Green Pioneer Home effort, opposition to the proposed Bluegrass Pipeline, and providing locally-based educational programs. Today, the organization continues Sister Claire’s legacy, positioning itself as “the voice for sustainability in central Kentucky” with a newly released strategic plan aimed at fostering education and systemic change to transform the region into a model of sustainability.