Education Committee
Public Health Voices on Climate Change
Healthy Air and Water Colorado health professional Advocates serve our communities every day – not just in their day jobs, but also as strong advocates to highlight the public health impacts of climate change. Our Education Committee is a peer-led group working to elevate awareness and inspire action to address these growing threats.
Read below to find resources from HAWC and allied organizations, request a presentation, and more!
Resources
HAWC Presentations
HAWC Reports
- Mountainous Methane: Science and Smart Solutions for Colorado to Lead on Landfills - In partnership with Industrious Labs, December 2024
- Colorado Cooling Report - Merciless Heat: How State and Local Lawmakers Can Protect At-Risk Households - In partnership with RMI, March 2024
- Extreme Heat in Denver: A Report to the Community - 2023
Healthy Air and Water Colorado is the state affiliate for the
Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health (MSCCH). MSCCH and our fellow affiliates produce and share valuable information on the intersection between climate change and public health.
Visit this link for a larger list of resources from other organizations.
Request a Presentation
HAWC Advocates are available to present to organizations, associations, classrooms, community groups, and more about the growing threats to our health. We are happy to work with you to customize a presentation that meets your needs. Example topics include:
- Climate Science Basics
- Health Effects like:
- Extreme Heat
- Pollen/Allergens
- Air Pollution
- Extreme Weather Events including Wildfires
- Vector Borne Diseases
- Mental Health Challenges
- Issues Impacting Vulnerable Communities - BIPOC, children, aging populations, those with pre-existing conditions, etc.
- Climate Solutions
- Clean Energy Solutions
- What we can do as individuals
- How to Advocate in your community, at the State Capitol, and in the press
Education Committee Members
Dr. Sara Carpenter
Presentation Topics: Education, General Climate Health, Fossil Fuel Advocacy, Plastics, Child Health, Communication, Community Health Centers
Sara Carpenter is a pediatrician with a longstanding commitment to caring for vulnerable populations. Her professional interests include environmental and public health advocacy with a particular focus on climate change, health equity, and early childhood learning differences. She is enrolled in the Diploma in Climate Medicine Program at the University of Colorado, with a planned completion in April 2025. While not currently in clinical practice, she formerly directed both the Foster Care Clinic and the International Adoption Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is a past member and chair of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus. She currently serves as the Chair of the Denver Community Health Services Board, which oversees the Community Health Centers at Denver Health Medical Center.
A native of New York, Sara has called Denver home for 30 years. She has a BA in Biology from Columbia University, received her MD degree from the University of California, San Francisco, and an MSPH from the University of Colorado. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital Colorado where she was also a Chief Resident. While in medical school, Sara was fortunate to spend a year working on international health projects in Rwanda and Nepal. In her free time she enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, and camping with her husband and three children, or curling up with a good book and her dogs.
Dr. Kate Jennings
Presentation Topics: Education, Policy Advocacy, Palliative Care (Anxiety and Loss - Impact on Death & Dying)
Dr. Clare Burchenal
Presentation Topics: Child Health, Air Quality, Pollution, Fossil Fuel, Environmental Health, Plastics, Mental Health