GoodLands is a non-profit organization seeking to help Catholic dioceses use their land more efficiently and sustainably.
Molly Burhans started this organization soon after the publication of Pope Francis' encyclical “Laudato si'.” It has remained a constant inspiration for the organization.
HOLLY BURHANS
Founder, GoodLands
“The second you ignore the environment, while you are caring for the most poor and vulnerable, you are also negatively impacting them. We understand now from the growing body of Academic literature that the land we use and how we maintain it can influence everything from violence to childhood development.”
Molly even managed to personally present some of the organization's work to Pope Francis during a Laudato si' conference; and to those participating in meetings regarding technology in the Vatican.
MOLLY BURHANS
Founder, GoodLands
“We are helping communities really understand the lay of their land. We use high-resolution data to understand the social, financial and the environmental potential of that land.”
One of their regenerative ecological agriculture project has even helped bring more jobs for the youth.
MOLLY BURHANS
Founder, GoodLands
“For me to go back and see these at-risk youth having jobs; and providing fresh food in a food desert. This one piece of property it was transformed by this project. The people felt ownership over this project and it connected them with the local ecosystems.”
The organization has found, through their studies, that if climate change is not tackled now, in the future there will be many uninhabitable parts of the world. They believe more intelligent use of land can help reduce the impact of climate change.