My name is Aiden Meyer and I am the senior data and operations manager for Faith in Place, an organization dedicated to cultivating a powerful multifaith movement that works for environmental justice through connection, education and advocacy.
We achieve this by partnering with communities of faith from diverse religious traditions across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana as well as with individuals who identify as spiritual or motivated by justice but don’t identify with a specific faith tradition. Ultimately, we hope to see spiritual communities leading the way in healing our relationships with one another and the Earth, thereby building just, resilient and thriving communities.
Our Green Teams are at the heart of our organization, and for the past three years, before my current role, I served as our central Illinois outreach coordinator, responsible for connecting with local houses of worship to coach these Green Teams. Green Teams are groups of three or more people from a house of worship who meet regularly to connect their faith community’s spiritual practices and traditions with solutions for climate change and other environmental justice issues. Green Teams educate their members, motivate their faith community to incorporate environmental consciousness into all activities, and celebrate accomplishments. My region of Green Teams ranged from Springfield to Peoria, Bloomington/Normal, Jacksonville and a few smaller towns nearby, totaling around 25 different houses of worship.
Throughout my career at Faith in Place, I have had the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Rosa Harper-Davis, a community organizer with the local faith-based nonprofit Faith Coalition for the Common Good. Together, we recognized that our organizations provided crucial resources that, in turn, we could distribute to others. In preparation for these ideas to come to fruition, we have met monthly as an Environmental Justice Taskforce. This consists of community members with professional backgrounds in environmental education and relevant experience. We all motivate and inspire one another on how we can take our profession and apply that knowledge to better our community. As a result, our nonprofits have provided free resources, grant opportunities, educational workshops, nature walks, meetings with our legislators and opportunities to come together with like-minded individuals who care about the environment and its intersectionality in our community.
For example, the EJ Taskforce hosted an outdoor EJ Expo last year at Calvary Baptist Church, one of our current Green Teams in Springfield. We had numerous local vendors tabling, offering free food, music and interactive games for children with the goal of bringing people together for a fun-filled day outdoors. We discussed the importance of our environment, including clean air, clean water, access to green spaces and clean energy incentives – the list goes on.
Members of the Taskforce and the Green Teams continually strive to expand our reach and connect with more community members. We want to hear from the people we serve! It’s through the stories and experiences of our neighbors that we strengthen our empathy and compassion. We want to hear about your struggles and needs, as well as your accomplishments and highlights. We can’t make our community thrive if we don’t hear from the community itself. If you are interested in becoming involved in our events or are part of a house of worship that wishes to establish a Green Team, please do not hesitate to contact Faith In Place and the Faith Coalition’s organizers. We would be more than happy to speak to you, get to know you and help you in any way we can. It’s an honor to serve the community and give back to those who want to see its goodness in any way possible. I’m grateful for the opportunities I have had in this role, as well as the friendship and work I’ve had the chance to do with Rosa.
Join us Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Westminster Presbyterian Church for Faith Coalition’s annual Breakfast Come and See event. The program starts at 7:30 a.m. (doors open at 7 a.m.). See the work of the coalition and learn how to get involved. That evening, Faith Coalition will be at the Springfield City Council meeting, speaking in support of the landlord Inspection and licensing ordinance for passing an advisory referendum. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Join the Faith Coalition in action.
Aiden Meyer is the senior data and operations manager for Faith in Place. Faith in Place and Faith Coalition have participated in community partnership through shared environmental justice issues. If you have any questions or want more information on how to get involved, email rosad@faithcoalition-il.org or visit https://faithcoalition-il.org/.
