We bring people together to understand Earth's health and the interconnectedness to human health. We work together to repair harm towards water, food, land, and urban ecology. Through gardens, bike rides, clean-up days, panel discussions, movie nights, and other community solution-oriented programs, we bring people together to learn how we can take actions together.

ONE EARTH FILM FESTIVAL
Bronzeville Watch Party

Organic Oneness convened Bronzeville organizations to host a One Earth Film Festival Watch Party for Earth Day. On Sunday, April 21, 2024 at Illinois Tech Tower, 10 W. 35th, participants watched "Common Ground" and met community leaders and organizations that are dedicated to Earth Justice in Bronzeville.

FILM DESCRIPTION: From the filmmakers of “Kiss the Ground” (Netflix) comes the follow-up documentary “Common Ground,” winner of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Common Ground” is an important new documentary film featuring Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Woody Harrelson, Ian Somerhalder, Donald Glover, Rosario Dawson, Mark Hyman, Gabe Brown, and many others. This film provides hope for future generations with concrete ways to fix a broken planetary system. “Common Ground” explores how regenerative agriculture can help heal the soil, our health and the planet. This film was a winner of the Tribeca Film Festival’s 2023 Human/Nature Award and the Best Documentary Award at the EMA Film Festival.

REVISE Equity Center

Organic Oneness was chosen to collaborate with TERC to develop the REVISE Center, Re-imagining Equity and Values in Informal STEM Education.

TERC is the hosting and main award recipient for this initiative and has worked closely with our Senior Director of Environmental Justice, Selene Gonzalez Carrillo, in this joint venture for 12 months.

The REVISE Center seeks to be a new equity resource center supported through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation’s Advancement of Informal STEM Learning (NSF-AISL) program.  This Center will expand on the foundational work conducted by the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) to enhance access and equity-centered practices in informal STEM education (ISE). 

Monarch Palooza 

On August 27, 2022, we celebrated the start of the monarch migration with North Park Village Nature Center during their annual Monarch Palooza. The indigenous Purépecha group from Michoacán, Mexico,  Chi Nations Youth Council, and many other partners came together for the fourth generation migration of the incredible, symbolic, endangered monarch butterflies.

Art as Healing:LeClaire Hearst Community

On June 24, 2021 Organic Oneness (OO), Academy for Global Citizens (AGC), and community partners used art to co-created a space for healing together after being isolated and on-line all year due to Covid-19. This community project activated vibrant spaces for outdoor classrooms and events. While the end product is beautiful, AGC and OO were excited about the process. We see art as a healing process which will help us establish relationships amongst community members. We believe that through service, solidarity and unity in the community, we can achieve connections, empathy and compassion. Watch this short video to see everyone in creating this beautiful space together!

Day of Service for Teens in Bronzeville

Organic Oneness is a part of the Bronzeville/South Lakefront My Chi My Future cohort. Spring Forward: Day of Service was a city-wide initiative in various neighborhoods for teens to conduct service projects during spring break. We conducted outdoor clean up projects at Ellis Park and Mandrake Park. All teens involved were able to get exclusive access to a Spring Break party at the Navy Pier Ballroom.

First Nation Community Garden

Organic Oneness partnered with the American Indian Center, Chi-Nations Youth Council, Environmentalist of Color, and Chicago Grows Food on Saturday, August 29, 2020 to learn about the First Nations Community Garden, importance of outdoor healing spaces, and organizing in Native urban communities. Participants also received a food toolkit to begin growing vegetables at home.

The mission of the First Nations Community Garden is to provide a healing space for the Inter-tribal Native Community of Chicago, to promote public knowledge and appreciation of Chicago’s Indigenous landscape, native plants, gardens and the environment.

Caring for the Earth

Such an amazing experience to witness children interacting with nature as we celebrated Earth Day with Webster Elementary, North Lawndale!  Nilufar and youth organized a day of cleanup and gardening with prekindergarten-8th graders. Classrooms rotated throughout the day and worked on garden beds to clean, turn soil, and plant seeds.

We were honored to be among Openlands, Nordson Green Earth Foundation and all the children and staff of Webster Elementary for this day of service.

Missing Narratives: How Climate Actions Are Producing Winners and Losers

On November 4, 2021, Organic Oneness UIUC hosted the second event in our Exchange 4 Justice Speaker Series. We collaborated with 5 other registered student organization to bring together 40+ students and community members for a conversation led by environmental justice panelist Oboi Reed, Amaris Alanis-Riberio, and Anthony Tamez- Pochel. Together they led an important discussion centered on how climate actions are affecting the world we live in today and how it is impacting marginalized groups who impacted by systems such as capitalism and racism.  (Click here for media coverage of this event written in the Daily Illini)

Bike, Breath + Environment Justice

On October 2nd, Organic Oneness  and several Chicago-based social justice groups teamed up with the transportation equity organization Equiticity to host a ride through Humboldt Park and Hermosa entitled Bikes, Breath + Environmental Justice: Celebrating the African Diaspora in the Americas on Two Wheels.

The ride webpage explained that the purpose of the Near West Side ride was to “Celebrate on two wheels the culture of the African diaspora in the Americas. Through a profound historical journey, explore spirit, dance, and the drum and their inextricable connection in the fight for survival, freedom, and prosperity of Afro LatinX people across two continents.” The event started at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Humboldt Park, and began with meditation and intention-setting, led by Black Brown + Breathing. Read more about this event on StreetsBlog.

Co-hosting groups included, De Colores + Cultura, Black Brown + Breathing, Music Moves Chicago (a program of the Old Town School of Folk music), Paseo Boricua Tour Company, Environmentalists of Color, and The Honeycomb Network.

Movie in the Park

On August 15th Organic Oneness provided a movie night for families that focused on the environment. We partnered with Ken-Well Park Advisory Council and Representative Will Guzzardi and watched Raya and the Last Dragon with approximately 75 residents of Hermosa, Avondale, Logan Square, and Old Irving Park.

Bikes, Birds, & Environmental Justice

On October 17, 2020 approximately 150 community members, environmentalists, healers, justice activists, and bicycle enthusiasts joined Environmentalist of Color, Equiticity, Organic Oneness and partners for a day of solidarity, healing and justice.

The goal of this event was to build solidarity between Black and Brown communities, bring awareness to the intersectionality of environmentalism, and advocate for environmental justice.

Attendees participated in birding activities followed by a Land Acknowledgment, inspirational words, and bicycle tour. Throughout the eight-mile journey, riders visited the African Heritage Garden in North Lawndale that highlights plants originating from the African continent. Riders also visited Semillas de Justicia garden (Seeds of Justice) and the Hilco sites to learn about Little Village Environmental Organization's (LVEJO) journey to bring about food and environmental justice to the community. The day ended with a healthy lunch, positive music, and people expanding their networks with neighbors from both communities.

This event was inspired by the One Earth Film Festival and Environmentalists of Color Outdoors
While Black: Unpacking History, Redefining Safety, and Taking Action.

Watch this presentation to learn about partners coming together and their unique process on planning this event.
Read more about this event from a Baha'i perspective.

Environmentalist of Color, EOC

On October 21st, Organic Oneness and EOC hosted the 3rd annual gathering at the river front downtown at the beautiful McCormick Bridgehouse Museum.

This gathering was a BIPOC safe space to amplify, connect and support members in this network to be leaders and thrive in this field.

EOC is an interdisciplinary network of leaders of color who are passionate about an array of critical environmental issues, ranging from habitat conservation to environmental justice. We cultivate opportunities for community, support, and joy so members can thrive.

After the Be the Healing conferences, Syda (Executive Director of Organic Oneness) met with attendees to reflect on lessons learned.  She then connected participants that had like-minded solutions and assisted with co-creating their own events for continued learning and healing. This community-building process ignited the thoughts of creating Organic Oneness.

 Heal the Healers Retreat

June of 2017 Environmentalist of Color, Chicago Botanic Garden, Faith in Place, and the Bahá'í Temple all felt the need to create a space for Caregivers of the Earth to rejuvenate.  Hour long seminars gave tips on mediation, massaging, breathing, mindfulness, so participants can combat compassion fatigue and burnout.  A vegan lunch nourished bodies while friendships developed among people from various neighborhoods in Chicago and north suburbs. Concluding the day was artist and author, Misha Maynerick Blaise that debuted her book, This Phenomenal Life: The Amazing Ways Are Connected With Our Universe.