Building a green talent pipeline: A Q&A with Abby Butler

This Q&A series highlights McKinney Climate Fellows alumni and their professional journeys within Indiana and beyond. The McKinney Climate Fellows program, administered by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute, connects IU undergraduate and graduate students interested in climate, sustainability, and community resilience with career experiences.

As an environmental management student at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Abby Butler connected her rural upbringing and interest in agriculture with a career in sustainability. 

In summer 2024, Butler became a McKinney Climate Fellow with Solar United Neighbors, where she educated community members about solar energy and tabled events across Indiana. She later extended her fellowship and continued working with the organization through graduation. 

After completing her degree, Butler joined Solar United Neighbors full time as an Indiana rural organizing associate, where she works on large-scale solar education, outreach, and organizing. 

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

What originally drew you to climate and sustainability work? 

I grew up on a farm out in the boonies, and I was what you would call a creek kid. I spent a lot of time romping around the woods and finding turtles. 

Growing up on a farm, I was exposed to a lot of monoculture agriculture, and I always felt like there was something a little wrong about the soil being sprayed with chemicals and the topsoil crumbling and blowing away. At the same time, I knew a lot of farmers, and I understood they were doing the best with what they knew and the resources they had. 

I actually started at IU in the Kelley School of Business, but by the middle of my first semester, I knew I did not want to be there. I took a class called "People and the Environment," and that helped me realize I wanted to work in the environmental field. 

What was your experience like as a McKinney Climate Fellow? 

I was a McKinney Climate Fellow in summer 2024 with Solar United Neighbors, and then I extended my fellowship through December, until I graduated. 

My main responsibility was tabling at community events. I learned a lot about solar energy, but I also learned a lot about why people care about solar. Some people care about climate, some care about saving money, and some are just passionate about green technology. 

I also learned that some people are opposed to solar for different reasons. Some had heard stories about scammy businesses. Others were concerned about large-scale solar and farmland in Indiana. 

That taught me how important it is to have conversations with people I do not necessarily agree with, relate to them, and empathize with them. You are never going to bring someone to your side if they feel from the beginning that you do not respect them. 

Was there a specific project during your fellowship that shaped your perspective? 

The big project I did was write a blog about agrivoltaics, or the co-location of solar and agriculture. When I started my fellowship, I did not know anything about solar energy, but I had taken classes related to agriculture and grew up on a farm. 

My supervisor asked about my interests, and when I mentioned agriculture, he asked if I had heard of agrivoltaics. I had not, but I ended up researching it and writing a blog post about it. 

Learning about agrivoltaics really shaped how I relate to solar because it connected solar energy with regenerative agriculture and rural communities. Now I have kind of become the agrivoltaics person at Solar United Neighbors because I am so interested in it.

What is your current position and what are your responsibilities? 

I work full time for Solar United Neighbors. My title is Indiana rural organizing associate. 

Day to day, I do a lot of research. My job is educating people on large-scale solar and myth-busting misinformation. I also organize Hoosiers to support solar development in their counties. 

That means working with people who believe moving away from fossil fuels is a crucial step in fighting for our future, but also with landowners who believe they deserve economic choice for their property. 

What do you like about your current position? 

I really love the people. I love not only the people I work with at Solar United Neighbors, but also the people we bring into our network. 

I like talking to people, and I like doing research at the county level, which involves a lot of Facebook sleuthing. I also like knowing that I am making a difference. 

I am a Hoosier through and through. At one point in college, I thought maybe I would go to Michigan or the East Coast, where there are more favorable policy environments. But the fact that Indiana has not made all those steps yet is a big reason why I want to stay here. 

I think I can make the biggest impact here. I want my son to grow up and be able to do the things I did as a kid: romp in the woods and have a clean future. 

How did the fellowship bridge the gap between classroom learning and professional work? 

It really goes back to having conversations with people. You can learn environmental policy all day long and sit in a classroom memorizing things, but if you are going to be out in the field organizing people, you have to know how to have conversations. 

Doing tabling work forced me to make those connections with people. That is something that can be lost in college or in the classroom setting, especially for young people in a more digital age. 

What skills are most important for students hoping to enter the green workforce? 

The first thing that comes to mind is flexibility. Keep your mind open, and do not close yourself off to any sector of the environmental field. 

Before my fellowship, I did not have any plans to work in clean energy. I never imagined myself working in clean energy, but because I accepted the fellowship, I ended up in my current position. 

Another thing is saying yes to opportunities, at least to a point. Do not overcommit yourself, but be willing to take on new projects even if you do not know exactly what you are getting into. And do not be afraid to ask for help. 

What advice would you give young professionals considering work in this field? 

Do not close yourself off to any sector of environmental work. More broadly, do not close your mind to new perspectives or hard conversations with people. 

You will never be worse off for having those conversations. Even if, at the end of the day, you still fundamentally disagree with someone, you will have new insight into how other people think and a new way to approach your work. 

About the Environmental Resilience Institute

Indiana University's Environmental Resilience Institute bridges academia, applied research, and community resilience to deliver the science-informed, equity-centered solutions needed to flourish in a changing climate. Through community partnerships, transformative research, and immersive learning, ERI is creating a more sustainable and prosperous future. Learn more at eri.iu.edu.