Wendy Abrams

Born: 1965

Country of Birth: USA

Nationality: USA

Ethnicity: White

Brown University BA 1987; Kellogg School of Management MBA 1990

""I never considered myself an environmentalist. To me, an environmentalist was a guy in a raft protesting to save the whales as he drifted in the Pacific. But in 2001, that changed when I casually stumbled upon a Time magazine article about global warming, depicting potentially catastrophic consequences within the century. As a mother of four, this hit a nerve – the next century is my children’s lifetime. I was suddenly motivated to act and spent the next five years educating myself by joining environmental groups, attending conferences, meeting with scientists and becoming engaged in the political debate." (coolglobes.org); "The idea was to put sculptures on the sidewalk, each depicting a solution to climate change, forcing people to confront the issue, but in a non-threatening manner." (goodglobes.org); "I did not get involved with the environmental movement to promote a political agenda; on the contrary, I got involved with politics to promote a nonpartisan environmental agenda," (chicagomag.com); “homelessness is a heart-wrenching and complicated problem. I don’t pretend to have the answers, and this exhibit is not intended to tell viewers what to do. Art has the power to make you think; this exhibit (Invisible Words) was put together to do that, to see things you didn’t see before, or see them through a different lens.” (ivcusa.org); "

— Wendy Abrams

Field of Study: Environmental Activist

Institution/Corporation: Brown University

Degrees & Memberships: Member: Environmental Defense's National Council (2002);

Awards: 2010 Women's History Month Honoree; 2019 Ripple of Hope Laureate, RFK Human Rights

Achievements: 2006 founder & president of Cool Globes, In a global nonprofit to raise awareness of global warming & inspire solutions through public art & education; 2011 established the Abrams Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School; substantive critic of the Keystone Pipeline and urged voters to oppose it; with husband, Jim, established The Eleven Eleven Foundation dedicated to environment, healthcare and social justice; established the Abrams Sustainable Business Challenge at Loyola University in Chicago;