By Lynette Cox
Isaac Wolfe Bernheim Climate Hero Awards Presented at RESTORE
Whitney Lewis, Dr. Libby Mims, and David Phemister were celebrated.
The 2026 Isaac Wolfe Bernheim Climate Hero Awards were presented on Saturday, April 18 at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum to three individuals who are leading the way in conservation and environmental stewardship. Whitney Lewis, Dr. Libby Mims, and David Phemister were this year’s recipients. Established in 2024, Bernheim’s climate hero awards recognize environmental stewards who are making a tangible impact and demonstrating meaningful action in the fight against climate change.
“We are pleased to honor these three individuals for their tremendous accomplishments and activism,” stated Dr. Mark K. Wourms, President and CEO at Bernheim Forest and Arboretum. “These climate leaders inspire us all to act.”
Whitney Lewis is the founder of Cleaner Kentucky Inc., a grassroots nonprofit committed to restoring and protecting the natural beauty of waterways. The journey began with a month-long challenge to collect 500 bags of trash across Kentucky in 2023. In less than a month, she had surpassed the goal and collected 757 bags or trash. Since then, she has traveled across Kentucky from her home in Nelson County. While hiking, paddling, wading and climbing, Lewis has personally removed 32,000 bags of garbage from waterways and natural areas.
Through her social media channel, Sun KYst Sticks and Stones, Lewis has inspired a movement that is now 8,000 volunteers strong, and resulted in more than 1 million bags of trash being removed from Kentucky’s ecosystem. She often posts photos of herself carrying bags of trash out of an area and encourages others to do the same. She now has 47,000 social media followers and is the admin of the Facebook group, A Cleaner Kentucky.
“Whitney’s conviction and care for the natural world is an inspiration for all,” explained Dr. Wourms. “Bernheim is pleased to honor Whitney as a climate hero.”
Libby Mims, MD, FAAP is a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatrics and the director of climate and environmental health for the division of general pediatrics at the University of Louisville. Through lectures, curriculum development, and her practice, Dr. Mims is raising awareness of climate change and its impact on children’s health. She also serves as the co-chair on the Child Health and Climate Advocates Task Force of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The goal of the committee is to engage pediatricians in Kentucky and promote climate and child health equity through counseling during well child visits.
“Libby’s passion, combined with her skills in education and advocacy, inspires us all to learn more and do better,” wrote Julia Richerson, MD, who nominated Mims.
Dr. Mims often advocates for environmental issues and their impact on health at government meetings and rallies physicians to take a stand on legislative issues.
David Phemister has served as Kentucky director of The Nature Conservancy since 2014. During his tenure, the program has conserved more than 100,000 acres in the Central Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee to protect biodiversity, sequester carbon, and connect lands for migrating wildlife. Working with partners, The Nature Conservancy in Kentucky has also removed three locks and dams from the Green River, restoring 200 miles of free-flowing waterway and improving water quality for fish, mussels, and other wildlife. The program has also leaned into addressing climate change by promoting properly sited utility scale solar projects, alongside rooftop community solar in eastern Kentucky.
“The world faces two intertwined crises: biodiversity loss and climate change. The Nature Conservancy is working here in Kentucky and around the world to bring pragmatic solutions to the table and secure a future with a livable climate, thriving nature, and healthy communities. I am proud to play a small part in that much larger effort,” said Phemister.
During the nomination process, Dottie Cordray wrote, “He has been at the helm of TNC in Kentucky for 12 years and has achieved numerous unprecedented wins by working with a multitude of partners and always inspires his board and his staff to do more in the name of conservation wins for people and the land and water on which we depend.”
