LYDIA LAWRENCE

Director of Conservation, Nature Forward

Lydia is an environmental health professional and outdoor enthusiast, who has lived and worked in the Potomac watershed her entire life. Her journey toward environmental justice began as a nursing student, working at free clinics, helping not only with medical needs, but also with housing and food. While her work in healthcare enabled her to see the vast disparities for those living in wealthy counties, her hobby as a whitewater paddler allowed her see the intimate every day changes that climate change brings to our environment, such as flooding, water pollution and increased algal blooms. These two seemingly different lenses have enabled Lydia to directly build from this experience to become an environmental justice advocate. She started Fairfax NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Committee as well as Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s JEDI Committee. In less than 3yr of advocacy, Lydia successfully led campaigns to preserve parkland and significantly increase funding for parks as well as created a program that connected disfavored youth and families to their local environment. In addition to this work, she currently serves as a Gubernatorial Appointee for Virginia’s Council of Environmental Justice and sits on several county boards on climate and health. Lydia is an avid speaker and educator on environmental issues that affect vulnerable communities and how to partner with those communities to advocate for themselves. Ms Lawrence currently serves as Director of Conservation at Nature Forward.