Beyond the classroom
Helping build a movement that outlasts us
Classes and camps are where we begin — not where we end. AWI's deeper work is seeding a lasting Muslim environmental movement: greener institutions, a curriculum others can build on, a pipeline of new educators, and a voice for stewardship in the community and the field.
The Green Masjid Initiative
Greening our institutions
Change that outlives any single class: our Green Team walks masjids through audits, sustainable swaps, and stewardship recognition — building environmental practice into the institutions at the heart of Muslim community life, in California and beyond.
Khulafa Al-Ard & Mud-Rasa
A curriculum the community can build on
We've developed a working model of Islamic nature education — reflecting on creation, thikr on the trail, the 99 Names discovered outdoors. It's a template other communities ask about and learn from: proof that faith formation and environmental education strengthen each other.
Scholarship, art & advocacy
A voice for the field
Our co-founder Sama Wareh has carried this work to the United Nations and the TEDx stage, authored field guides including "How to Draw 60 Native CA Plants and Animals" and "The Legend of Redwood Raven," and received the AEOE's Top Southern California Educator Award. Dr. Khadeeja Abdullah brings a UCLA doctorate in Environmental Science & Engineering to the movement's scholarship.
The mentorship pipeline
Raising the next generation of leaders
Students grow through a 4–5 year mentorship, return as camp counselors, and some become instructors — a home-grown pipeline of Muslim environmental educators. Our student-run newsletter, The Wild Explorer, has published young naturalists' writing and art since 2022.
Environmental justice education
Stewardship joined to justice
We teach that care for the earth is inseparable from care for people — from leading hikes for elders and assisting refugees to sourced education on ecological harm and accountability.
Partners across the community
A growing network
We work alongside organizations like Sabil, Duha, Fitrah Outdoors, Olive Community Services, the Shura Council, and conservation partners like the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy — connecting the Muslim community with the broader environmental world.
Join the work
Movements are built together
Whether you're a masjid ready to go green, an educator who wants to learn our model, a family looking for community, or a supporter who believes in this work — there's a place for you in it.