Christ Church Green Team - Who Are We?

The Christ Church Green Team began this fall with the goal of practicing environmental stewardship—and encouraging other Christians to do the same. Here’s a look at our members and the different things that are important to us in our various journeys toward greener living:

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Keely Farris

Keely’s road to green began in a seventh-grade science class when a substitute teacher explained how long it took Styrofoam to decompose. Years later, she read Green Baby, Sage Mom and says it changed her life. She now avidly supports organic products and volunteers as a Green Cleaning Parties host, helping people who want to make their own green cleaning products. Keely’s first step to being green started with buying organic baby food, followed by buying cleaning products at health food stores and our local green grocery. Her family began recycling, and now she makes own cleaning products. She and her husband Heath have two children: Ian, 4, and Lilah, 2.

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Jennifer Hobbs

Jennifer’s family really started thinking green earlier this year when she and her sister decorated a "green" table for the CUMC Mad Hatter's Tea—everything on the table could be recycled or was recycled. This caused her to think about all stuff we waste and throw away: Did it have another purpose? Her family now recycles and tries to consume less. She uses only homemade cleaners and makes her own body wash; she says her son, who is prone to chronic sinus infections and nosebleeds, has been more healthy since she stopped using harsh cleaners at home. Jennifer’s next goal is to start composting. She is married to Jason Hobbs, and they have two children: Noah, 6, and Sarah, 3.

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Julene Simmons

Julene’s passion is recycling and trying to keep items out of landfills. She says her sons love to help with recycling and are always proud to help someone else out by giving away items we don't need on Freecycle. (And Julene’s friends are always amazed at the freebies she finds through Freecycle!) She believes it’s important to know that even as “just” one family, she—and all of us—can make a difference! Julene is also active in the Christ Church music ministry. She and her husband Ben have two sons: Alex, 4, and Paxton, 3.

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Cathy Turner

Dr. Cathy Robbs Turner is the Christ United Methodist Church Director of Education and serves as the God is Green coordinator. Cathy considers herself "light green" when it comes to the eco movement and is eagerly learning and growing as an environmental steward. She believes that the world God created has been entrusted to us. We show respect for our Creator by our care for creation. Her e-stewardship journey has begun with an effort to go paperless by paying bills online, forgo plastic water bottles, and recycle paper.

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LeeAnne Viall

LeeAnne became a reluctant recycler about 10 years ago when her mother guilted her into it, but she's since become a bit obsessed about the issue. She and her family now recycle everything, even swapping with out-of-state family to ensure items not accepted in Chattanooga still get recycled. She has also switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs and all-natural cleaning products, tries to purchase organic, locally grown food as much as possible, and has bought reusable shopping bags (and quickly learned that the bags only help when you actually remember to take them inside the store ...). LeeAnne believes that Christians have a unique responsibility to care for the earth God created and is thrilled to have found other folks at Christ Church who feel the same way. Her next goal is to eliminate two things from her life: plastic bags and heavily processed foods. She is married to Bobby Viall, and they have one daughter: Maggie, 5.