Climate Smart Pets is the passion project of Jenny Slepian, a lifelong lover of animals and the planet. Jenny has 10 years of experience in sustainability, climate planning, waste reduction, and environmental policy. She holds a Masters degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management from Harvard University, a Masters in Planning from University of Otago (New Zealand), and a Bachelors in Geology and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College. Her love of animals led her to the Oregon Humane Society where she volunteers every week, and has taken classes in Emergency Animal Sheltering and Disaster Relief through FEMA and the ASPCA.

The idea for Climate Smart Pets was borne from reading endless news stories about the difficult choices humans have to make for themselves and their companion animals when faced with the impacts of climate changes. Having participated in and managed climate action planning processes, Jenny became aware that the needs of companion animals and their humans are not included, despite the direct impacts on housing, emergency response, spread of disease, and shelter populations. Climate Smart Pets was created to bring stakeholders together to advocate for companion animals in climate planning and to minimize the downstream impacts on our social and environmental systems by not doing this.

In her spare time, Jenny loves running (with dogs), reading, spending as much time as possible outdoors, and enjoying a patio on a sunny day. She shares her home with her human partner, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and a family of possums and raccoons that live under the front porch.