For several years, Catholic Climate Covenant has been blessed to offer small grants to Catholic groups for creation care. These small grants have supported projects, programs, and events across U.S. Catholic communities that advance the spirit of Laudato Si’ and promoted diocesan, parish, and religious order Laudato Si’ and creation care activity across the U.S.
The Covenant recently reached out to small grant recipients from years past to learn more about the progress made on their creation care projects. Several of these grant recipients shared their stories with us.
The “Green & Woke” Show | Houston, Texas
In 2018, several Black Catholics and members of the Black community in Houston, Texas, had an idea: to produce a sustainability and environmental podcast for the Black community.
“We currently produce a podcast, Green & Woke, based out of Houston, Texas,” explained Soledad Haren, one of the board members of Green & Woke. “Grant funds are being used to develop our podcast into a television show. Funding, also, helps us do community outreach events, so that we can meet with the community at large to spread our message of sustainability. … The focus of our programming is sustainable living, health & wellness, and environmental/social justice.”
Haren, along with other board members James Haren, Ken Curtis, Carolina Curbelo, Ivette Aviles, and the late Paul Hefner, realized that such a podcast was needed, not just for the Houston community, but for the Black community nationwide. Soon, Haren and the board, as well as show host Kimberly Evans Ryans, and student volunteers from St. Agnes Academy (Haren’s alma mater), began promoting the show at environmental events, but the show needed more funding to get more publicity.
Haren and the producers of Green & Woke received a $1,000 Victory Noll Sisters Small Grant in 2021, and another $1,000 grant in 2022. Since then, the show has continued to see even greater success.
“We’re starting our Green & Woke television series with the creation of a pilot episode and 12 additional episodes,” Haren said. “The project is currently in development, and we hope to have it ready for placement on either a cable network or streaming service by 2025. In the meantime, we will be producing “shorts” for YouTube that will start airing this September on our Green & Woke and Build A Better Planet channels.”
Haren and the team have also promoted the show at several environmental events across Houston, and even publish a magazine called Green Living.
“We’ve taken part in Earth Day Houston for the past several years, as well as a water awareness event last October,” Haren said. “This October, we will be at the Greater Houston Environmental Summit.”
You can listen to the latest episode of Green & Woke here.
