Environmental Network in Ferguson
- Published on Monday May 15th, 2023
Author: Carlton Stock, Ferguson Eco Team
Ferguson, Missouri, is known far and wide as the site of Michael Brown’s shooting in 2014, but many do not know it is also involved in environmental sustainability as well. The umbrella network is called the Ferguson Green Collaborative and is composed of eleven local organizations engaged in various ways with care for Mother Earth.
The purpose of the collaborative is three-fold: to share with and support one another in our environmental work in the Ferguson area; to be ready to carry out needed action as a whole body rather than as separate organizations; and to exert more political/social influence on policies and practices that further environmental sustainability in the Ferguson area and beyond.
As an example of this work, the collaborative recently supported a recommendation from one of the groups to the Ferguson City Council to make a change in the way mosquito control is done so that it is safer and more effective.
I (Carleton Stock) am co-moderator of the Ferguson Eco Team (FET), one of the eleven organizations of the Ferguson Green Collaborative. Initiated in 2012 after a seminar called “Dreaming the Dream,” FET’s mission is to enable a positive human presence on the planet that is environmentally sustainable, socially just for all, and spiritually fulfilling. The tasks of the group are to raise awareness of the current climate crisis, network with like-minded groups, and be advocates for the environment and the people hurt first and most by harmful environmental policies and practices.
FET hosts a booth once a month, year-round at the Ferguson Farmers Market, shows environmental films January through April, and cleans up litter quarterly on West Florissant Avenue as a part of the county’s Adopt-a-Highway program. The group also has advocated for cleaning up the radioactive waste dumped in North St. Louis County decades ago. The goal is to create self-reliant, resilient local communities that can address the current climate crisis in conjunction with others at all levels.
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