This story originally appeared in Encore Magazine here and is reprinted in Second Wave through the cooperation of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative.
Although Jenny Doezema is the new executive director of the Kalamazoo Climate Crisis Coalition, she is hardly a newcomer to the organization, having been part of it since its genesis in 2019. The 46-year-old was tapped to lead the nonprofit organization in January, in part to help manage a countywide project to upgrade 300 single-family homes to be more energy-efficient, support 150 participants' completion of pre-employment training focused in basic electric and construction trades and invest in four neighborhood centers. In partnership with Kalamazoo County, the KCCC was awarded nearly $19 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2024.
“The project will prevent the release of an estimated 700 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, along with increasing home value and extending their longevity, which contributes to generational wealth,” Doezema says.
Additionally, significant funding is allocated to workforce development and job creation and investment in neighborhood community centers to make Kalamazoo safer in light of increases in extreme weather. Unfortunately, the project, designed to accelerate environmental resilience, is now in limbo after the EPA announced in March that it would cancel $1.6 billion dollars in grants.
The organization is also a key partner with the county in developing a Climate Action and Climate Justice Plan to accelerate environmental justice and climate action planning and implementation, supported by a three-year grant from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE).
How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised here and have lived in the same square mile on the north end of Kalamazoo my entire life. I was born at home on North Westnedge Avenue, where I lived until adulthood. At 20, I moved less than a half mile away, where I have been ever since. I was lucky to be part of an outdoor family that camped, fished, canoed and hiked — the best entertainment one could ask for. The outdoors represented joy, safety, freedom and curiosity.
At the end of our road, people dumped piles of trash. Our backyard, by contrast, was a giant garden where my dad harvested green beans and tomatoes. We spent summer days floating down the nearby river, though we knew not to eat the fish — and sometimes wondered if we should touch the water. These experiences ignited my passion for protecting the environment. My parents instilled an ethic of care, insisting we respect the places where we spent our time. "Leave only footprints" was ingrained in me.
I attended Kalamazoo Public Schools and worked on a community gardens initiative before going to college. I knew I wanted to help facilitate better care for our planet and got a teaching degree in environmental science at Western Michigan University. I taught at Milwood Middle School and was a sustainability curriculum consultant for Woodward Elementary School. I worked at the Adventure Centre at Pretty Lake, running ropes courses and ran the organization's farm-building program, growing food that was then served in the cafeteria.
In 2017, I joined the Kalamazoo Nature Center as director and lead instructor for the Heronwood Conservation Biology Program, which looks at environmental stewardship like a trade, teaching land management and conservation skills. I then became the vice president of learning and engagement, supervising all KNC’s education programs, a job I left to start here.
What had been the focus of the KCCC before this big grant?
We work by networking with local nonprofits, churches, educational institutions, businesses and individuals. We’ve mainly been focused on advocacy, providing input on municipal climate plans and supporting climate emergency declarations in Kalamazoo County. We run an educational speaker series, Fridays for Future, which is available on our website. We work to build awareness and facilitate discussions about building resilience and adaptation around climate change and how to move faster on climate protection. Our shift to on-the-ground action will continue to expand our network and model what a climate-resilient community driven by grassroots efforts can look like.
Our mission is to mobilize rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adoption of renewable energy grounded in social, racial, economic and environmental justice. This project does both of those, along with making homes healthier for those living in them. It will also expand two existing workforce training programs in basic construction and electrician skills so enrollees can support the project work and increase skilled trades people in our regional workforce. Last, it makes neighborhood association facilities energy independent and energy efficient and sets them up to become emergency shelters in extreme weather.
What keeps you up at night?
I would say the fear of increased injustice against people who are already experiencing such deep injustice in our society. This community has long struggled with racial and socio-economic disparities. Growing up at the heart of it, I saw firsthand how life can look drastically different for different people. I saw how poverty can devastate a family.
I also saw how much we lose as a community when we fail to recognize and value the gifts that each person has to offer. Now climate change, increasing chaotic weather and pollution threaten to further widen those disparities. A healthy environment is essential. Likewise, a safe, stable home should be a fundamental human right.
This work helps me feel like we are addressing these disparities. My hope is that funding comes through and we can do our very best work to address climate change with a thoughtful, community-driven eye on people who will be most impacted by it.
What keeps you going every day?
I try to spend time outside every day, and every time I get out in nature, I just fall in love with this world that we live in. And the giant web of people in this community who work their butts off to make this community better. That makes it easier when you have hard days to say, ‘OK, there’s a lot of us working out here.’ My family is a light for me. I am a daughter, sister, mother, and grandmother. I am part of a big-hearted extended family. I am grateful to all of them.
— Interview by Katie Houston, edited for length and clarity
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This story is part of the Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative’s coverage of equitable community development. SWMJC is a group of 12 regional organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism. Visit our website to learn more.