19. Faith, Food, and the Future: Sustainability with Purpose at Sustaining Way

19. Faith, Food, and the Future: Sustainability with Purpose at Sustaining Way

Author: Jenn Galler October 10, 2025 Duration: 21:29

Today, we're joined by Michael Brown, Executive Director of Sustaining Way, a nonprofit based in Greenville, South Carolina, that’s redefining sustainability through equity, education, and faith. 


Through powerful community programs like Annie’s House, youth leadership initiatives, and resilient home interventions, Sustaining Way brings together environmental justice, interfaith values, and hands-on action. I’m excited to dive into how they’re creating a more sustainable and just future.


hello@sustainingway.com

https://sustainingway.org/


Hosted by Jenn Galler, In Our Backyard Podcast is the voice of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, bringing urgent local stories to the forefront. This isn't about abstract global debates; it's a grounded conversation focused on the very real industrial pressures facing specific towns and neighborhoods. Each episode examines a particular threat, from active coal plants and fracking operations to the routing of new pipelines, unpacking the complex realities behind the headlines. You'll hear directly from the residents and organizers who are living these fights, sharing their personal struggles and strategies for safeguarding both community health and the local environment. The discussions are detailed and thoughtful, prioritizing the experiences of those on the ground. Tuning into this podcast means connecting with the persistent, often overlooked work of environmental justice, understanding that the most critical battles for planetary protection frequently begin just outside our own doors.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

In Our Backyard Podcast
Podcast Episodes
23. Fish On: Protecting Fisheries, Communities, and Coastlines [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:34
My guest is Anupa Asokan, executive director of Fish On, an organization working to ensure that coastal communities and the ecosystems they rely on can thrive for generations to come. Fish On is all about empowering the…
21. Seeds of Change: Empowering the Next Wave of Climate Leaders [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:15
Today, we’re joined by Mona Shomali, Director of the New Leaders Initiative at the Earth Island Institute, the organization behind the annual Brower Youth Awards, which recognize some of the most inspiring young environm…
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Duration: 24:27
Today, we’re joined by Marquita Bradshaw who is an environmental justice organizer, community advocate, and Executive Director of Sowing Justice.Marquita made history as the first African American woman to win a major pa…
18. Storm Damage: How Insurance Companies Fuel the Climate Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:17
Today, we’re diving into a crisis that’s hitting close to home for many North Carolinians, one that sits at the intersection of climate change, corporate accountability, and financial survival: the insurance crisis unfol…
17. Climate Realities in the Arctic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:34
Today we’re talking with Romain Chuffart is with the Arctic Institute. We’re turning our attention to one of the most fragile and rapidly changing regions on Earth — the Arctic.This vast, icy expanse at the top of the wo…
16. The First Legal Challenge Against a U.S. Small Nuclear Reactor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:27
Today, we’re talking with Diane Wilson, the Executive Director of the San Antonio Bay Waterkeeper, about a nuclear proposal that’s raising red flags across the Gulf Coast of Texas.A company called Dow/Union Carbide wants…
15. Frontline Voices: Environmental Justice in North Carolina [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:30
Today we’re diving deep into the fight for environmental justice right here in North Carolina.Our guest is Dr. Rania Masri, Co-Director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, or NCEJN. It's a powerful grass…
13. Solar at a Cost: Community Voices from Northampton County PT. 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:11
Today’s episode we're back to Northampton County, North Carolina, where a quiet but critical debate is heating up over the future of farmland and solar energy.On April 7, 2025, community advocates Sylvia Vincent, Debbie…