Lexi McKee-Hemenway, Campaign Organizer, Iowa Environmental Council

Volunteer:

NW IA Group Sierra Club Executive Committee Member

Food Not Bombs

Grassroots Action Night 

Agape Community Garden

What are you passionate about, and how do you use your voice/talent to make a difference?

It might be a cliché, but I am passionate about making the world a better place. I use my voice to advocate, educate, and move people to take action on environmental issues. Everything I do is to ensure my community makes strides in creating a healthier, happier world, and that means tackling climate issues. The most important part of what I do is listening and learning from the people around me; they shape who I am and what projects I take on. I couldn’t do any of this work without them!

What is your vision for the future of Siouxland? 

My vision for Siouxland is better community connectivity and a healthy place to live. Siouxland has the best people, but we aren’t always connected and aligned on where we want our community to go. I would love to see more collaboration and working together to fix some of the issues we see in our area. The most important part of this vision, to me, is that we live in a healthy and happy environment. Iowa is suffering from a number of environmental risk factors that could be fixed if communities like our own worked together to hold polluters accountable. 

What are you doing to make that happen?

I work on a campaign that educates and mobilizes local folks and Iowans across the state on the dangers of coal plant pollution. In addition to education, I helped place a handful of monitors around Sioux City, Sergeant Bluff, Salix, and Council Bluffs. The data collected is useful for locals who are concerned about our poor air quality and gives them the evidence to guide their decisions on what next steps need to be taken here.

How can people help you make that happen? 

People can help me make Siouxland a healthier/happier place to live by getting more involved in local groups like Sierra Club, Food Not Bombs, or following Clean Up MidAm. The best way to make change is to see it in yourself, so why not do that with cool people? Another way to help make this happen is to get outside and explore what we have in Siouxland; seeing firsthand what we have to lose is one of the biggest motivators to protect and defend what we have to lose. 

What quote inspires you? 

“Protect what you love, explore what you don’t know, and never give up on expanding your world.”- Jacques Cousteau