Environmental Studies student explores impact of climate change on older adults

Melissa Damico, a second-year Ohio University Honors Tutorial College (HTC) environmental studies student, was recently featured in online publication, The Athens Effect, regarding her initiative, the Grey-Green Alliance. 

Damico is a research apprentice through HTC, where she works alongside Dr. Geoffrey Dabelko, professor at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. After taking an interest in the impact of climate change on older adults, Damico founded the Grey-Green Alliance, a resource of climate change knowledge and emergency preparedness for older adults living in Franklin County, Ohio. 

“I provide them with a checklist … and tools to effectively work through that checklist so they weren’t overwhelmed,” she told The Athens Effect. “Every time you look at an emergency preparedness guide, I feel like you’d get so overwhelmed when you’re an older adult trying to prepare.” 

Damico is currently working to broaden the reach of the Grey-Green Alliance to Athens and more. Her goal is to turn it into a nonprofit by the time she graduates in 2022. 

To read the full article, view here. 

To watch a video about the Grey-Green Alliance, view here.