Ending plastic pollution is topic

04/22/2024 

Once a hallmark of America’s bold future, plastics are now part of the country’s present, and not in a good way.

Kimberly Cameron ’95, a plant biologist, entrepreneur, educator and environmental activist who lives her own ideals, has quite a few ideas on what ordinary people can do about the significant human harm from plastics in their environment.

Cameron, a member of the national Beyond Plastics Volunteer Speakers Bureau, will discuss this and other various environmental topics on Wednesday, April 24.

Presented by the university’s Biology Club as part of Earth Day events at SUNY Cortland, Cameron’s lecture on "Plastic Pollution and the Road to Activism" runs from 6 to 7 p.m. in Bowers Hall, Room 1129.

The event is free and open to the campus community. RSVP is requested. An Earth Day-themed dessert will be served afterwards in Bowers Hall Lounge.

A former biology major at SUNY Cortland, Cameron earned a Ph.D. in plant physiology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in 2001. She has taught biology courses at SUNY Cortland and conducted post-doctoral research at Cornell University.

A resident of Tully, N.Y., she founded CNY Tutoring, LLC, a service that helps students in high school and college reach their educational goals. Her company has employed fellow SUNY Cortland alumni.

Cameron is also heavily involved in environmental education and advocacy. She founded Beyond Plastics Onondaga & Cortland Counties, an organization aimed at eliminating single-use plastic through education and legislative action. As one of the organization's trained speakers, she gives talks around the country educating the public about plastics.

Launched in January 2019, Beyond Plastics is a nationwide project based at Bennington College (Vermont) that pairs the knowledge and experience of environmental policy experts with the energy and creativity of grassroots advocates to build a vibrant and effective movement to end plastic pollution. Cameron completed the training to speak for the organization in 2022.

In her community, Cameron serves on the Climate Smart Community Committee, and is co-president of the League of Women Voters in Cortland County. On behalf of the League, she attended the U.N. Climate Conference in Dubai last December. She also is active with the Tully Free Library Board and the Song Lake Property Owners Association.

In her free time, Cameron loves to hike, camp, canoe and enjoy the outdoors, often traveling around the U.S. in a small trailer observing the effects of climate change.