Earth Day Spotlight: Environmental justice champion Shahzad Hussain

Photos courtesy of Faith in Place

Muhammad Shahzad Hussain, Faith in Place’s multifaith outreach coordinator, supports diverse faith groups’ work in stewardship of the earth and environmental justice.

“You might see him at a synagogue; you might see him at a church. You’ll see him at all different community events. It’s incredible—sometimes it seems like he’s everywhere!” said Laura Lane, Faith in Place Wisconsin Outreach Coordinator, about her colleague Muhammad Shahzad Hussain of Wauwatosa.

Faith in Place, a Chicago-based nonprofit with a new presence in Wisconsin, works at the intersection of faith and environmental justice. Hussain is the nonprofit’s Multifaith Outreach Coordinator. “He’s been instrumental in laying the foundation for our work in Wisconsin,” Lane said.

On Earth Day 2025, Wisconsin Muslim Journal is spotlighting Hussain, a champion of environmental justice. Hussain and Lane will speak at the Muslim Women’s Coalition’s Networking Brunch this Friday about how Faith in Place empowers people of faith to advance environmental and racial justice. 

The brunch will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Islamic Resource Center, 5235 S. 27th St., Greenfield. Register here. Payment of $15 for lunch will be taken at the door.

(Left to right) Faith in Place’s former Wisconsin policy coordinator Alexander Malchew and its current multifaith outreach coordinator Muhammad Shahzad pose in 2024 while promoting CAC’s electric bus.

Building Wisconsin’s environmental justice movement

“Right now, our work in Wisconsin is a lot of building from the ground up and Shahzad has been instrumental,” Lane explained. “Our mission is to mobilize faith communities to become leaders in advancing environmental justice and creating healthier communities. The way we do this is through our Green Team Program. 

“Shahzad connects with houses of worship across diverse faith traditions, and helps form Green Teams. Usually, three or more people come together and provide education, action opportunities and projects for their members. Shahzad has excelled at building relationships, meeting people and establishing connections,” she said.

Faith in Place was founded in 1999 by Clare Butterfield, a Unitarian minister in Chicago. It grew in Illinois and expanded into Wisconsin and Indiana in 2022.

Lane said its Green Team model is based on the belief that small groups of people working together can have a great impact. Today, it has a network of over 280 Green Teams in its tri-state area.

The right person for the job

Lane, an attorney in Madison who has advocated on local, state and federal environmental issues, joined Faith in Place in 2024. “Although I haven’t known him long, I can say Shahzad is absolutely delightful,” she said.

“He’s extremely accomplished, and he might not say that because he is also extremely humble, but he speaks several languages, he’s highly intelligent and he’s incredibly curious. His curiosity and intelligence always shine through. And he’s very kind.”

Hussain earned a master’s degree in Global Affairs from the University of Notre Dame, specializing in International Peace Studies.

As a degree requirement, he did a six-month internship in 2022 at the World Hunger Relief Institute in Waco, Texas, which launched his passion for regenerative practices and sustainability.

Meanwhile, he co-founded Hara Bhara Haripur (Green Haripur, named for his hometown), a social media campaign to raise awareness in Pakistan about plastic waste and climate change.

“It’s my experience that he connects with people very, very easily and is always genuinely interested in learning more about people and finding ways that Faith in Place can connect with houses of worship and how we can support what they are doing,” Lane said. “He’s a pleasure to work with.

When you meet Hussain, he will probably ask you lots of questions, she predicted. “Shahzad has a great interest in learning about other people and other faith traditions. And, with a little prompting, he’ll share his.

“In my experience, he’s very humble. He would not be one to put himself forward first but if you ask him about his background and experiences, his own faith tradition and being Muslim, he’s incredibly open and willing to share.

“He’s a very inspiring person and he’s got a wonderful story!”

An interview with Muhammad Shahzad Hussain

In a two-hour interview last week, WMJ gleaned a bit about Hussain’s rich life story and his passion for environmental justice. Here are the highlights:

It appears that a quick mind and an insatiable curiosity led Hussain from one learning opportunity to another until he found himself in his dream job at Faith in Place.

At 15 years old, Hussain left traditional schooling to study in a seminary. For eight years, he was enrolled in Wifaq ul Madaris, a seminary system that presides over thousands of seminaries in Pakistan, he explained. He graduated in 2015 and went to do research for a nonprofit in Pakistan that dealt with blasphemy law and sectarian violence. At the same time, he pursued a master’s degree in Islamic Studies.

Shahzad Hussain represented Faith in Place at Wisconsin Advocacy Day in Madison

Next, he taught Urdu, English and mathematics in a high school in northern Pakistan for three years. Again, he worked and studied. He heard about a three-year online program offered by the University of Notre Dame, Madrasa Discourses, it introduced him to new topics—feminism, democracy and the science vs. Islam debate. 

“The idea was to introduce modern concepts about the world to madrasa students, or seminary students, because they live in their own bubble and were not familiar with anything happening outside of those walls. 

“This was true of me. The program opened my world to all these ideas. This experience sparked my interest in pursuing education at a western university.”

Hussain decided to go abroad for Ph.D. studies. That was 2018. “I applied and applied, again and again, getting all these rejections. “I said to myself, ‘No worries. I’ll apply again.’ Because in Pakistan there are few universities with accreditations recognized around the world, going to a western university became my dream.”

In 2021, he finally got that opportunity. A mentor advised him to apply to a master’s program and acceptance came more easily. He began with a broad interest in studying “something related to religion” and his interest in the relationship between science and Islam had grown, but a six-month internship with World Hunger Relief in Waco, Texas, sharpened his focus on sustainable agriculture. In Waco, he met theologians “who were working on regenerative agriculture at the intersectionality of theology and food and environmental justice.

“I was blown away by bringing these aspects together,” Hussain said. “It was very motivational for me, shaking my world view and opening new possibilities. In Pakistan, the stereotype is if you are working in theology, that’s the only thing you need to do. You are not supposed to work in any other field.”

When Hussain finished his master’s degree in 2023, he knew that this intersection between religion and the environment is where he wanted to be. “I feel blessed to have found Faith in Place because, honestly, this was my dream.”

Faith in Place participated in Climate Action’s 2024 Advocacy Day at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

He said he is thankful to be able to help people of faith pursue their environmental justice goals. “All faiths say something about the importance of stewardship, of taking care of the earth,” Hussain noted. “Our mantra at Faith in Place is to help people ‘Get in where you fit in.’”

From his own Islamic faith tradition, Hussain finds guidance instructing him to care for the world and its people. He recalled a hadith, a teaching of the Prophet Muhammad, that he said shows the importance of environmental stewardship. 

It says: “If the Final Hour comes while you have a shoot of a plant in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.”

Shahzad Hussain volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in the June 2024 construction of a “Faith House” in Milwaukee. A Faith House project is one when volunteers from different houses of worship come together to build someone a home.

Shahzad Hussain attended the 2025 Interfaith Sedar 2025 at Congregation Shalom in Milwaukee.