Be part of the Climate Change Quilt project

To help raise awareness for climate action across the United States, the Lewis Honors College, the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment, and the Student Sustainability Council are sponsoring the Climate Change Quilt project Feb. 17. The University of Kentucky community is invited to participate.

Pamela Mischen, Ph.D., Binghamton University chief sustainability officer and professor of environmental studies, will speak 11 a.m.-noon on “The Hidden Consensus on Climate Change” and provide a history of the quilting project inspired by the AIDS Quilt Project from the 1980s. The presentation will be in the William T. Young Library Alumni Gallery. From 2-4 p.m. in the Lewis Scholars Lounge, Mischen will lead a workshop on quilting “to amplify the voices of all those concerned about climate change.”

Shane Tedder, UK Facilities Services & Sustainability director, met Mischen during the 2025 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference & Expo at the University of Minnesota.

“Dr. Mischen and her team engaged conference attendees with climate change-related prompts and questions through the collective act of making a quilt,” Tedder said. “It was a refreshingly hands-on activity and led to some great screen-free conversations,”

Honors freshman Kelsey Helton participated in the conference and contributed to the quilt.

“I believe that projects like the Climate Quilt are necessary to further the integration of arts into environmentalism, making it accessible to all,” she said.

For Senior Lewis Lecturer Kenton Sena, Ph.D., this project hits close to home.

“I’m so excited for the Climate Quilt Project to come to UK,” Sena said. “My mom has quilted for as long as I can remember, so quilting is special to me.”

Beyond a personal connection, Sena believes honors students will benefit.

“Honors education is all about making connections across disciplinary boundaries, pushing past a surface-level understanding of the world around us and actively, collaboratively participating in learning and meaning-making,” he said. “How better to do that than through a collaborative community quilt project?"

Although all quilting supplies will be provided, UK Sustainability Program Coordinator Carlie Laughlin said that since quilts often preserve memories and tell stories, participants can bring their own fabric “if it is sentimental to them.”

Light refreshments will be provided by the Tracy Farmer Institute for Sustainability and the Environment.

Mischen has a Bachelor of Science in international agriculture and rural development from Cornell University, a Master of Science in agribusiness and a Ph.D. in public administration from Arizona State University. Her research focuses on sustainability in rural areas and what motivates individuals to engage in sustainable behaviors.