Fairfield approves new sustainability coordinator

The Fairfield City Council unanimously passed a resolution during its meeting Monday, Nov. 13 to approve Faith Reeves as the new Sustainability Coordinator.

The Sustainability Coordinator will provide leadership and direction for the Resilient Fairfield Initiative under Doug Reinert, the Fairfield City Administrator.

The Resilient Fairfield Initiative is a three-year community-led effort to build a resilient and flourishing future model for Fairfield that provides direction to the community through the next decade, ensuring a thriving and healthy future. Since 2022, the City of Fairfield, Maharishi International University (MIU) and the SE Iowa Sierra Club have joined forces to create a Resilient Fairfield Management Team. Through their collective efforts, the Management Team secured funding pledges from MIU, the City of Fairfield and the broader community to support a Sustainability Coordinator for three years.

After an extensive search, Faith was selected by the City of Fairfield to lead the charge.

“Having the opportunity to expand my work into the field of resiliency is truly thrilling,” Faith said. “It allows me to broaden my horizons and contribute to creating a community that can thrive amidst the ever-changing landscape of challenges and opportunities.”

Through the years, Faith has volunteered with local organizations to help educate and support other farmers and community members. Recently, as the program coordinator for the Fairfield Garden Initiative and through her ongoing work with the Sustainable Living Coalition, she has been expanding her understanding of the need for local food systems' resilience.

Since 2021, Faith has been a freelance soil health consultant and community educator working with farmers, homesteaders, and individuals to help them adopt regenerative practices that improve soil health, increase biodiversity, increase the nutrient integrity of the food they grow. Faith is also a passionate speaker and writer, sharing her knowledge and insights about regenerative agriculture with a broader audience.

Faith will take on an important leadership role in a process already underway. Earlier in 2023, the Resilient Action Committee (RAC) was formed. Today the RAC is a thriving entity with over 35 community members participating in the future resilience planning process.

The purpose of the RAC is to develop a set of recommendations to be implemented through public/private partnerships in six thematic areas: Energy and Buildings, Foodways, Enterprise Solutions and Community Connectivity, Land Use, Waste Management, and Ecosystems. Faith will be supported by two Green Iowa America Members, Alison Stimson and June Breffle, that have been contracted by the City of Fairfield and the University of Northern Iowa to join the team in developing a new community-based Resilience Action Plan.

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