Shortly after Birk passed away, his UGA Office of Sustainability community organized and held the first Turtle Trot 5K 🐢. Birk had started running in Costa Rica during his study abroad when he could not cycle and in the months prior to his passing he ran his first half-marathon in Athens and full marathon in Atlanta.
Athens Area Community Foundation Partnership
As we continue to roll out the Birkley Heynen Environmental Foundation’s initial set of partners, we want to acknowledge our gratitude for the support of the Athens Area Community Foundation (AACF).
UGA’s Office of Sustainability initiates Annual “Birkley Heynen Whale Fall Award”
When Birkley unexpectedly passed away, many people began to recognize and talk about the impacts he had on their lives and the way they thought about environmental issues. The conversations we started to have helped us understand how much of an impact he had on the people around him and in part inspired our effort to create the Birkley Heynen Environmental Foundation.
