Sunday, March 10 11a.m. In-Person and Online
“Of meadows and butterflies — bridging the climate divide”
Andrea McGimsey of Sustainability Matters
Fair are the Meadows
The peace and beauty of a wildflower meadow draws us into the wonders of nature. It’s a place where we can watch the elegant flight of a butterfly, listen to the buzzing and chirping of a myriad of creatures, and smell the spice and sweetness of our native plants. But alas, across our country, native habitats are being replaced with urban growth and invasive species. Caring for our native plants and wildlife has become an increasingly urgent calling for many of us, even as the serenity of the meadows center us.
Andrea has loved the outdoors since she was a child helping build the Appalachian Trail alongside her father. Later, when performing Shakespeare in college at MIT, it was fitting that she’d bring her love of nature to the stage by portraying Titania, Queen of the Fairies. During a brief sojourn in the corporate sector, Andrea was inspired by a climate scientist friend to switch careers, and she’s been working to help the environment ever since. A former member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Andrea has over twenty years of nonprofit leadership experience with organizations dedicated to conservation, historic preservation, and climate solutions. One of her proudest achievements was leading a grassroots campaign to protect 200,000 acres of rural land in Loudoun County from development.