When a generous New Canaan Library supporter suggested a lecture series in recognition of former director Lisa Oldham’s contribution to the building, the team there had just finished its sustainable new structure.
It was early 2023 and the library was working with “many groups in New Canaan that were concerned with the environment and climate change,” Oldham recalled.
“Tying this together with our mission to foster learning in the community, we decided the lecture series would focus on nature and the environment,” she told NewCanaanite.com.
Fast-forward about 18 months.
Katharine Hayhoe
The “Oldham Nature and Environment Lecture Series” will kick off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 with world-renowned climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe (register here).
As chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and author of the bestselling book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, as well as presenter of TED Talks viewed by more than 5 million people globally, “Hayhoe reveals a remarkable talent for translating complex climate issues into accessible public discourse,” library officials said in a press release announcing the Lecture Series.
“Katharine Hayhoe will discuss how the key to tackling climate change is to begin by understanding how any change to our environment naturally connects us,” the press release said. “Through the broad lens of sports, food, travel, faith, family, health, jobs, insurance or housing, Hayhoe creates common ground via a bridge-building approach to clarifying challenges and identifying possible solutions.”
It continued: “Dr. Hayhoe’s visit to New Canaan will include pre-arranged meetings with sustainability-minded teens and local thought leaders, to inspire progress on local issues.”
Oldham said she was “thrilled” that Hayhoe—who “contributes to U.S. and international climate research. Importantly she is extraordinarily talented at communicating the complexities of science for lay audiences”—would speak in the first lecture of the series.
“Her focus is positive and inspiring,” she said. “As a leading authority she is sought after by organizations from financial institutions to news outlets to faith groups.”
In addition to her position with The Nature Conservancy, Hayhoe is the Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University, the library said in the release.
“She is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and American Scientific Affiliation, and serves on advisory boards for organizations such as Netflix, UBS, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,” the release said. “She has been named a United Nations Champion of the Earth, the World Evangelical Alliance’s climate ambassador, and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.”
[Note: Lisa Oldham serves on the New Canaanite Editorial Advisory Council.]