Experiencing Climate Change at Emory
In 2023, Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives collected works of visual art, poetry, and music for inclusion in a Climate Art Addendum to Emory’s 2023 Climate Action Plan. This exhibit, titled "Experiencing Climate Change at Emory University," features selected visual artwork from the Climate Art Addendum created and submitted by Emory community members. The pieces are expressions of Emory community members’ relationship to and experience in a changing environment. Some of these pieces were submitted online by Emory community members, others were co-created by many community participants at Emory’s Farmers Market, and many others were created at a “Climate Craft” event hosted by Emory’s Office of Sustainability and Emory’s ArtsLab. The art pieces are accompanied by photos credited to Kay Hinton/Emory Photo Video. These photos were taken on Emory campus and represent the six entryways to sustainability featured in the Resilient Earth Exhibition: Care, Belonging, Empowerment, Openness, Resourcefulness, and Self-fulfillment.
About the Team
Anna Brachey joined Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives team in 2023 as Climate Solutions Fellow. In this role she facilitates the completion of Emory’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, collaborates with campus partners to plan for climate and resilience action, and supports Emory’s research into climate mitigation and adaptation innovations. In her role at Emory, Anna has explored the use of visual arts and creative expression to alleviate feelings of climate-related anxiety. She earned a B.A. in Anthropology and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Georgia in 2020, then graduated in the inaugural class of Columbia University’s Climate School with an M.A. in Climate and Society in 2022. In her work and research, Anna uses social and environmental sciences to better understand how climate and conservation solutions can be most effective and just in practice.
Cyrus Bhedwar joined Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives team in 2023. His career has focused on advancing energy efficiency and sustainability at the local, state, and regional levels. As the Director of Energy Efficiency Policy at the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, he worked with state and local policymakers to advance energy efficiency across the Southeast. He spends his time thinking hard about how we create the understanding, connections, and infrastructure needed to advance a clean energy future in a region where grits and/or sweet tea are in plentiful supply, truly a perfect fit for Emory! After 18 years of experience working in energy and sustainability, he’s an expert at stakeholder facilitation and strategic thinking, meaning that post-its, markers, and flip charts are on “subscribe and save". In between his busy work schedule, he finds time to give back to the community as a board member of the Decatur MLK Service Project.