Voices of the Earth — A Faith in Place Podcast

On today’s episode, Lauren and Katie discuss how everyone has an important role to play in protecting the climate and advocating for climate justice. We hope to inspire young people who are figuring out how they can have a positive impact on the world. Katie also makes a big announcement! Take a listen! 

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy via Fiverr. 

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate. 

**Resources we mentioned in this episode!** 

Get involved with our Eco-Ambassador Youth Program: https://www.faithinplace.org/youth-empowerment

Help our Youth leaders afford college: https://www.faithinplace.org/scholarship-fund  

Watch Leah Thomas talk about why it is so important for all ages to be educated on climate change, especially young Black girls on In The Know. 

On today’s episode, Lauren and Katie chat about air pollution and the adverse impacts it has on both the mental and physical health of millions of U.S. residents. They highlight research showing the correlation between air pollution and health and they connect the dots to racism and injustice, focusing especially on regions where Faith in Place works. Aiding their conversation is an article recently published by The Guardian that revealed the top 10 worst places in the U.S. for air quality. The team also shares stories from their lived experiences that add depth to a topic that can be broad and ambiguous.  

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy via Fiverr. 

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. 

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate. 

Calling all Illinois residents to advocate for cleaner air. Call Governor Pritzker and urge him to address heavy-duty truck pollution in Illinois, today! 

**Resources we mentioned in this episode!** 

https://www.lung.org/getmedia/cfe2481d-1478-4cea-8a77-1ac3eb112e71/what-you-should-know-ways.pdf  

https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10.1289/EHP8584  

2023 “State of the Air” Report landing page and Key Findings 

“Calumet Voices, National Stories” 

American Psychiatric Association: Air Pollution’s Impact on Mental Health 

https://fieldguides.fieldmuseum.org/sites/default/files/rapid-color-guides-pdfs/821_usa-calumet_botanic_heritage.pdf  

https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/new-report-transition-to-zero-emission-trucks-cou

In today’s episode, your hosts Katie Maxwell and Lauren Paris discuss natural burial from a US perspective. We describe the basics of green burial and cite many experts and their resources for learning about the topic further. We had so many links we wanted to share and not enough room to share them here in the caption that we decided to make a blog post where you can find all of them. Read that blog here: https://www.faithinplace.org/post/what-is-natural-burial.

A few important disclaimers: Please note that the discussion does generally cover what happens to a body when someone dies. We also intentionally created this space to be one that is affirming of any choice that you or a loved one has made about burial. We are not here to pass judgment, but rather to provide an informational resource so that you, the listener, can make the most informed decision about what you want to have happen to your body when you die.

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy via Fiverr.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

On today’s episode, Katie and Lauren chat about eco-anxiety.

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy via Fiverr.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

**Resources we mentioned in this episode!**

Advice on gifts that will keep giving | Dr. Nora Williams | TEDxWUSTL

“4 Ways Weighted Blankets Can Actually Help You”

Climate Change Taking a Toll on Your Mental Health? How to Cope With ‘Eco-Anxiety’

“Therapists Are Reckoning with Eco-anxiety"

On today’s episode, Katie and Lauren chat with Alexander Malchow about the Climate Action Campaign.

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy via Fiverr.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

**Resources we mentioned in this episode!**

Volunteer with the Climate Action Campaign in Wisconsin: https://bit.ly/WI-Volunteer

Call on your legislators to finalize the strongest possible protections to cut methane and other pollution from the oil and gas industry! Sign the petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/submit-your-comment-to-the-epa-on-methane/?source=WI-FIP

Sign our Solutions to Pollution Petition, calling on President Biden to accelerate the transition to clean energy: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/an-open-letter-to-president-biden/?source=WI-FIP

Try Alexander’s favorite dish, Zaalouk! https://www.thespruceeats.com/moroccan-zaalouk-eggplant-and-tomato-salad-2394866

On today’s episode, Lauren and Katie learn about how to prepare trees and gardens for the fall and winter months with Princess Harris and Ginnie Judd.

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

**Resources we mentioned in this episode!**

“The Impact of Green Space on Violent Crime in Urban Environments: An Evidence Synthesis”  https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/24/5119

“In extreme heat, trees can help cool neighborhoods. But a Tribune investigation found the city has planted more trees in wealthier, whiter areas”

Chicago region Tree Initiative: https://chicagorti.org/maps/

Openlands’ TreeKeepers program: https://openlands.org/what-we-do/trees/treekeepers/

On today’s episode, your hosts, Katie Maxwell and Lauren Paris—two twenty-somethings who very much do not have kids—chat with two of their colleagues who do!

Rev. Brian Sauder—our trusty Executive Director—joins us for the first time on the pod to talk with us about how parenthood has shaped his work on climate justice. He recently wrote an article for Crain’s Chicago Business which you can read here: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-forum-energy/climate-equitable-jobs-act-answer-illinois-energy-needs-minister-writes

Returning guest, Christina Krost, joins us first to break down how the current political climate is affecting her own family.

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

**Bios!**

Christina Krost (long o, rhymes with "most") grew up in suburban Detroit and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Albion College and an MAT from Marygrove College.

She taught in both public and private schools in Illinois and Michigan for 10 years before starting her ministry in creation justice. She joined Faith in Place in March 2015 to organize Houses of Worship around smart energy programs in Central and Southern Illinois. In addition to her work at Faith in Place, she is Vice President of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference United Methodist Women and Chair of her conference's Church & Society board.

She is married to Todd, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, and has 3 daughters. The family lives in Mattoon, IL.

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Rev. Sauder serves Faith in Place out of the Chicago office as the President & Executive Director. The entrepreneurial vision and confident leadership of Rev. Sauder is exponentially growing the impact of Faith in Place’s mission to empower people of all faiths across Illinois to be leaders for cleaner environments and healthier communities.

Rev. Sauder’s passion is empowering faith communities across Illinois to take measurable steps to connect the dots between faith, environmental justice, poverty, mass incarceration, race, violence, class, and health.

His leadership is recognized as an award recipient of the University of Illinois's Business School's Community Scholar and a Central IL Business 40 Under 40 winner as well as a 2019 Midwest Energy News' 40 Under 40.

He grew up in Illinois in rural Tazewell County and received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Master of Arts in Religion from Urbana Theological Seminary, and Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois. Rev. Sauder is ordained by the Mennonite Church U.S.A. and worships with Chicago Community Mennonite Church in East Garfield Park.

Rev. Sauder also serves as an Adjunct Professor at both McCormick Theological Seminary and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, teaching public ministry courses for future clergy and faith-based leaders on organizing for environmental justice.

Today your hosts, Katie Maxwell and Lauren Paris—two urbanites from Chicago, are trying to "Understand Southern Illinois" better with our guest: Southern IL Outreach Coordinator Rev. Wade Halva!

Wade grew up in Raleigh, NC at the end of a half-mile long dead-end dirt road. The back property line was a creek, and Wade’s early playground was the woods. His roots in the forest continue to ground his care for creation.

Wade received his Bachelor of Arts in history and religious studies from the College of Wooster, a Master’s in Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. He has served in parish ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Illinois and Utah. For rest and relaxation, Wade enjoys the mountains and the beach, the forests and the bluffs. Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia hold a special place in his heart.

For more information of what’s going on with Illinois’ energy grid, read our blog: https://www.faithinplace.org/post/what-s-going-on-with-illinois-energy-grid

This week’s episode was produced by Brógan Malloy.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

Today’s episode features Elena Canler, Faith in Place’s Deputy Director, and Rev. Veronica M. Johnson, our Outreach Director. We're talking about what the word "resilience" means for Faith in Place and digging into why the word can also be triggering for people of color. Join us and our guests for this conversation! 

Elena's passion for environmental justice grew from time working in community health in the US, Latin American, and the Middle East, and from their own experience as a queer Latine. They are passionate about honoring the intersectional nature of environmental health and supporting Faith in Place as they address the social, racial, and economic roots of the climate crisis.

Rev. Veronica M. Johnson was born in Chicago, IL and raised in Maywood, IL. She attended the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering, with honors. She worked in the fields of engineering and project management for several Fortune 500 companies for 20 years prior to answering her call to ministry in 2006. She earned a Master of Divinity Degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2012, graduating with academic commendation.

Your Hosts are Katie Maxwell and Lauren Paris.

This week’s episode was produced by Brogan Malloy.

Check out our blog “Rooted for Resilience in 2022” here: https://www.faithinplace.org/post/rooted-for-resilience-in-2022

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.

Today we're talking about one of our favorite topics: FOOD! Take a listen to hear about some of Lauren and Katie's favorite recipes and how food sustainability is important to each of us. We also dive into a deeper discussion with our guest, Kira Dault, on how the sustainable food movement could be more inclusive for people who are low-income, neurodiverse, disabled, and/or many other reasons! 

Kira serves as the Communications Director for Faith in Place. Her personal mission statement is “To wield empathy, creativity, and collaboration to advance positive change and justice in the world.” She has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Allegheny College and a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University.

Kira spent her early career as a hospital chaplain for a pediatric trauma center. That early work in chaplaincy continues to inform her work in nonprofit communications. Kira brings more than a decade of eclectic experience to her role at Faith in Place including communications strategy, digital communications, and advocacy strategy.

Kira’s passion for environmental justice stems from her passion for democracy, abolition, and racial justice. She lives the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago with her family, including her husband and two children.

Check out our Faith in Place Cookbook: https://www.faithinplace.org/sustainable-food

The other cookbook we referenced was Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown: https://www.leannebrown.com/

Your Hosts are Katie Maxwell and Lauren Paris.

This week’s episode was produced by Brogan Malloy.

Please rate, review, or share this podcast with someone who might enjoy it. We can be found on all the major platforms including: iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

If you enjoy this podcast, please support the work of Faith in Place by donating! Please go to https://www.faithinplace.org/donate.