By Key Club International Trustee Elisa Williams
On Tuesday, February 3, Key Club International and Circle K International members had the opportunity to meet and learn about our new partner, The Nature Conservancy. Kate Ireland, the organization’s youth engagement director, shared their mission, our partnership plans and more. If you didn’t catch the kickoff, look no further — here’s a recap!
The webinar started with a video about The Nature Conservancy, which is a global organization working to conserve the lands and water that life depends on. This complicated mission focuses on the crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
Webinar attendees were asked to reflect on how these issues affected them. As a resident of Colorado, U.S., I know that ski slopes have seen record low snowfalls, national parks have experienced biodiversity loss — and so much more. Other students mentioned the extinction of their favorite animals and the drastic changes in outdoor places.
This event did not just ask members to reflect on problems, but to act on solutions. Thanks to our partnership, Key Clubs will work with local chapters of The Nature Conservancy to turn action into resolution. Toolkits and project ideas are in development, and in the meantime members can interact with the Nature Lab and explore externships to work directly in the field.
At the end of the webinar, I asked Key Club members to reflect on the future of our partnership with The Nature Conservancy. What does this mission look like locally? Virtually? Internationally?
“Key Club is already in action,” was a consistent answer. From educational festivals to beach cleanups to smaller daily activities such as creating birdhouses or composting, Key Clubs have been making environmental changes, and we are ready to expand those efforts.
Key Clubbers want to hear from scientists, create trail cleanups and hiking trips, educate others on what they have learned, and support future events featuring The Nature Conservancy. The future holds exciting new ways to serve your nation, world and community with an environmental twist.