Sagan Goodpaster (she/her)

About Sagan's Community Action Project (CAP)

Sagan’s community action project will promote civic engagement through student and teacher involvement in Lexington’s stormwater management efforts. This project will facilitate both the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s goal to improve stormwater quality and the local school district’s goal to promote outdoor learning. Phase one of the project will include a teacher workshop that introduces local teachers to the city’s Stormwater Quality Incentive Grant (SQIG) program. Teachers will learn how they can apply for SQIG funds, which can be used to develop rain gardens on school grounds, and how to utilize such spaces for outdoor learning. Phase two will address summer maintenance of outdoor learning spaces at local schools through a paid internship program for high school students. Selected interns will undergo a weeklong training period to gain necessary skills, learn about Lexington’s stormwater issues, and shadow city grounds crews. Interns will then be matched to schools where they will assist with garden maintenance. As more teachers apply for the SQIG, more projects will be completed throughout the city to improve stormwater quality. Further, participating students will gain important career and civic engagement skills for the future. 

About Sagan

Sagan Goodpaster is an Environmental Educator for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in Lexington, Kentucky. She has worked in education for over 10 years, both as a formal educator in higher education and as a nonformal educator in K-12 classrooms. With a B.S. and M.S. in Biology and a Ph.D. in STEM Education, she has taught a variety of courses, worked in curriculum development, and conducted research in both education and biology. Sagan is passionate about promoting the inclusion of environmental education and outdoor learning in K-12 education, particularly through the integration of EE in STEM. Sagan believes that all children should have access to positive experiences in nature, and that incorporating outdoor learning in schools can allow for place-based contextualized learning of scientific concepts. In her free time, Sagan enjoys reading, baking, and hiking with her family. 

More About Me

What is your favorite memory of being in nature? 
I have so many wonderful memories in nature that it’s hard to pick just one. A standout would certainly be hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park with my husband and daughter and seeing snow in May!

What influential environmental book or author would you recommend other people read?
I recommend everyone read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s work.

What (or who) keeps you hopeful for the future?
My daughter, Adelyn, and my students keep me hopeful for the future.