Jennifer Embree (she/hers)

About Jennifer's Community Action Project (CAP)

Jen plans to create a six-week environmental education program called Sprout & About: Hands-on Sustainability Adventures for Little Learners & Their Families, designed for PreK students (ages 4–5) and their families in her local community. With plans to partner with local educators and school librarians, the program will introduce students to sustainability concepts, such as composting, gardening, recycling, and wildlife conservation, through interactive lessons, play-based activities, and family engagement. Each session includes structured learning followed by open exploration to encourage curiosity and collaboration between children and caregivers.

This initiative seeks to build early eco-literacy, equip families with practical sustainability skills, and strengthen connections between schools and their surrounding communities. It will also include the curation of environmental book collections for school libraries and a public resource guide to support replication in other districts. By fostering hands-on learning and community participation, Sprout & About aims to foster hands-on learning, build community trust, and create a foundation for long-term environmental stewardship in young children. 

About Jennifer

Jennifer is the Subject Librarian for Biology, Psychology, Comparative Literature, Translation Research, and Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies at Binghamton University in Upstate New York. She is also the co-founder and co-coordinator of the Binghamton University Libraries’ Sustainability Hub, where she develops collaborative programming, curates sustainability-focused collections, and fosters partnerships with campus and community organizations. Through this work, she has helped organize 50+ events with more than 15 different community partners, ranging from local libraries and nonprofits to student-led groups and cultural centers. 

Along with her professional interests in sustainability education and engagement, Jen also loves conducting research related to seed libraries, colonial botany, and botanical garden collections. Before becoming an academic librarian, she also worked as a Children’s Librarian at a public library in the Philadelphia area for two years. Outside of work, Jen enjoys gardening, reading literally any book about plants, hiking, and binge-watching British comedy shows.

More About Me

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
I wanted to be a paleontologist, specifically, Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park!

What is your favorite memory of being in nature? 
My favorite memories of being in nature these days are the ones I share with my two-year-old son. It is so incredible to see the simple wonder and joy that he experiences when interacting with nature, whether it be searching for salamanders and frogs under rocks in the woods, finding different-shaped leaves in the forest, camping in local parks, or planting and picking out vegetables from our garden. I love being able to create these memories with him!

What influential environmental book or author would you recommend other people read?
All We Can Save: Truth Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Katharine K. Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. I think this book can be an absolutely life-changing read. It is also such a beautiful, optimistic, and inspiring balm for those that are feeling particularly anxious about our environmental future. There are amazing people out there doing amazing things, and this book really highlights this great work.