Meet Gina Iliopoulos

We were lucky to catch up with Gina Iliopoulos recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Gina, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

I became enamored with the natural world after having spent a lot of time in laboratories. I was exposed to plant/ biotechnology and was so enthralled by the miracles of the natural world I wanted to be immersed in the industry. I returned to school for a certificate program, worked in the landscape industry to really hone my horticulture skills, and then realized that everyone should have access to the natural world, every community. Every environment needs to be sound and nurturing, where we work, live, play, heal. I felt compelled to spread this message and advocate for a connection to nature so I created a nonprofit to do just that.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

As the founder and executive director of Keeler Gardens, NFP. I advocate for environmental equity. Nature connections, whether it be nature spaces, artistic endeavors, or even views out of our windows, change the way we live and grow. There’s so much that we don’t know, but what we do know, what data shows is that when we are connected to nature, we are stronger, healthier, and maybe even smarter, as individuals and as communities. What’s most exciting about what I do is getting out into communities and talking to people, and showing them the data, showing them how communities can thrive. And we educate on all the steps, the studies, the data, the processes, and the different levels at which change can be made. We speak to the health of soil, we offer a myriad of ways to incorporate the natural world into our daily lives from hands on gardening to artistic creations. We also provide materials to help individuals and communities support this change, to a greener environment, to a naturally connected environment.

We are developing a new presentation to be used nationally and maybe even globally to incorporate our teachings into how communities are built. Our long-term goal is that the processes that we have identified and compiled will be used to develop standards used by developers, community planners, and lawmakers to ensure that this critical character in our story is properly represented.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

One of my most impactful qualities is my desire to learn. If there is an unanswered question, I’m compelled on a joyful path to find all the answers I can. So I learned a lot! Building a body of knowledge and a lot of different areas that I could then pull together for a compelling message.

And I am gifted with a combination of abilities, both right and left brain function, along with a personal drive that helped me take so much interesting information and line it up into a comprehensive presentation and plan. I can speak to parts of plan in detail, and share the bigger picture to inspire.

Truly believing in my mission creates a sense of peace, knowing that there will be a time when communities everywhere will have grand and beneficial connections with nature. Our communities will be built in a way that we will all reap the benefits of these nature connections, disparity will be balanced, the disinvested will see new opportunities, and sharing will be an everyday occurrence. Because I know this, I’m happy to keep at it no matter what. I may not necessarily see complete success happening in my lifetime for example, but it has to start somewhere so how about now?

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

We could really use some partners that are interested in the message of environmental equity, the concept of investing in the future of communities, and helping us grow so that this message and this movement can continue, beyond what I can do as an individual.

Any developers out there looking for an environmental aspect to their project interested in adding what we teach to their work?

We are a volunteer organization right now. One of our goals is to support our economy and create jobs. Anyone out there that’s great at fundraising? We would be so grateful to have the funds to create a roll, dedicated to fundraising.

Anyone interested in public relations or marketing for us? We could use video and audio content, and assistance redesigning our website.

And we can certainly use help at our site in Chicago. We have a few thousand square feet of nature space that we steward and are always looking for participants. Maybe there’s someone out there who can help us create jobs that will support that stewardship.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Edward Caplan- bio picture and silhouette.

All other photos are Gina Iliopoulos

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