Equity for
Sustainability
Together for Nature recognizes that historically Western environmentalism has perpetuated harm on communities of color. For that reason, our organization is committed to advancing Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in all of our programs.
Envisioning Pathways for Equitable Sustainability Webinar Series.
Together for Nature believes in the power of sustainability to uphold equity as it will transform all aspects of society.
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Responding to the global threats of ecological degradation and climate change, sustainability is poised to transform social and ecological interconnections. Its solutions have the potential to change systemic feedbacks to empower and benefit all communities. However, there are many definitions for sustainability that lead to diverse goals and impacts across sectors. In some cases, sustainability is replicating disparities as it advances strategies that center the longevity of natural resources and resilience of current systems while ignoring underserved communities.
Together for Nature is organizing the webinar series with sustainability leaders and organizers to discuss our visions and pathways for how sustainability can uphold equity. The webinars will also be used to develop communication materials and inform reports for advancing equitable sustainability. Our leaders and communities would benefit from learning more about equitable sustainability, so they can co-create solutions with their communities for healing, connecting, and achieving intersectional change. Please let us know if you are interested in any of the panels and if you want to support through outreach and marketing.
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Timeline:
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September 2023:
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Community-Driven Sustainability: solutions that center underserved people will lead us to sustainability
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November 2023:
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Resilience and Complexity: employing holistic thinking for advancing sustainability
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January 2024:
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Environmental Justice and Sustainability: environmental justice communities have key insight for advancing sustainability
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March 2024:
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Community Collaboration and Environmental and Conservation Science: bridging approaches with community efforts and priorities
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May 2024:
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Indigenous and Community Sciences: reframing goals and approaches with diverse input and knowledges
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July 2024:
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Equitable Sustainability: approaches for advancing equity through sustainability
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September 2024:
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Mentorship for Sustainability: engaging youth and community in leadership is needed to advance equitable sustainability
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As the Western environmental fields work to address the expansive causes and impacts of climate change, they have realized the importance of implementing sustainable solutions that consider social, environmental, and economic interconnections. However, they have much work to do in order to redress past harms before they can effectively implement equitable sustainable solutions.
Environmentalism in the United States began with the removal of Indigenous people from their homelands, and it has perpetuated harm on people of color (POC) since then. Western people advanced the genocide of Indigenous people because they wanted the natural resources found on Indigenous land. They justified their actions because they thought Indigenous people were uncivilized since they did not understand themselves as separate from nature. Ironically, Western sustainability is starting to realize that the solution to many current environmental problems is to recognize the reciprocal relationship between people and nature, and it is being largely inspired by Indigenous practices without crediting them appropriately.
Many of the leaders of U.S. environmentalism advanced racism and white supremacism as John Muir praised fortress conservation, John James Audobon was a slave owner, Aldo Leopold advanced eugenics, Theodore Roosevelt supported genocide, and Madison Grant lauded darwinism. Conservation efforts also espoused beliefs of pristine nature although Indigenous people lived and managed ecosystems in what is known as the Americas for thousands of years.
Moreover, the Western environmental fields have continually harmed POC throughout the world as they have displaced them for conservation efforts based on the pristine nature misconception. Some examples of fortress conservation occurred in the 1850s when the Yosemite Tribe was displaced from their ancestral homelands for the construction of a national park, and when Black neighborhoods were decimated in New York City in order to build Central Park. More recently, in the 1980s, the World Wildlife Foundation helped create the Monarch Reserve and displaced Indigenous people that managed it for thousands of years.
As a result of its historical and continuing perspectives and practices, environmentalism has lacked diversity and equity in its priorities, efforts, and impacts. A recent report showed how environmental organizations and agencies only have 16% POC as staff and 12% as leaders. In order to advance proyects that are truly sustainable and distribute benefits to all people, environmental efforts must take active efforts to make up for their racist past and integrate justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion (JEDI) into all of their programs.
For that reason, Together for Nature is focused on improving the reciprocal relationship between people and the environment while advancing the equitable impacts of sustainability. We are committed to reducing barriers for accessing nature for all underserved groups by supporting and collaborating with local organizations that serve them. Moreover, we are actively working to engage youth and underserved people, so they can lead and participate in sustainable initiatives that will transform our society and environment.
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Sources:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-nature-gap/
https://aaregistry.org/story/artist-of-nature-john-audubon-born/
https://psmag.com/news/when-wilderness-was-strictly-whites-only
https://smea.uw.edu/currents/fortress-conservation-the-makings-of-yosemite-national-park/