The Outdoors is for Everyone
Growing up in Little Saigon, a suburban ethnic enclave in Southern California, I didn’t spend much time in nature. The idea of “driving 20 miles to go walk up a mountain” seemed like a waste of time and gas to my refugee family who were sharing one used car and working multiple jobs. At the time, it was easier in my community to get on a bus that would take you to a casino than to a nearby nature preserve. It wasn’t until I reached adulthood that I realized just how nurturing and healing being in the outdoors and spending time in nature could be.
Research has shown that spending time in nature can have significant mental and physical health benefits. Studies have found that spending time in nature can reduce stress, improve mood, and boost cognitive function. In addition, spending time in nature has been shown to increase physical activity, which can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Despite these benefits, access to nature has not always been equal. Historically, people of color have faced barriers to accessing green spaces, including parks and nature reserves. A 2020 report by the Center of American Progress found that people of color and low-income communities are most likely to be deprived of nature’s benefits. The report also cites that communities of color are more likely to live near environmental hazards, such as air pollution and toxic waste sites. The reasons for this disparity are complex and multifaceted, but include factors such as segregation, redlining, and discrimination.
But change is possible. We have been hopeful that change is possible because we’ve been working with a number of partners within the environmental conservation and sustainability space that are examining their organizational practices and culture to center diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ).
In the summer of 2022, we were invited by a partner to central Pennsylvania to observe an environmental conservation camp for high school students. There, alongside these students, we learned about habitat restoration, water conservation, and how to fly fish. As I stood wading in knee-high waters, hoping for a brook trout to bite, I felt deeply connected to the smooth stones beneath my boots which helps filter the water and the surrounding trees that shaded me as well as the life in the water. Nature teaches us that we are all interconnected — that each of our individual actions and lives affect one another.
In our work with our clients, especially those working in the environmental space, we recognize that the outdoors and this earth is for everyone, and it is critical that we center the most marginalized voices and experiences in our quest for building equitable organizations.
We have worked with our partners to do some of the following:
Facilitate conversations with staff and external stakeholders to center the voices of the most marginalized communities
Establish a DEIJ committee to support ongoing efforts within the organization
Perform an organizational culture assessment that helped define priority areas
Create a road map and playbook to implement organizational changes
Lead design sessions to tackle some of the most pressing issues for the organization
It is important for environmental organizations to center DEIJ because these issues are interconnected and integral to achieving environmental justice. Environmental degradation, climate change, and other environmental issues have a disproportionate impact on communities of color, low-income communities, and other marginalized groups. These communities often face greater exposure to environmental hazards such as air pollution and toxic waste, and have fewer resources to cope with the impacts of environmental disasters.
By prioritizing DEIJ, organizations working on climate and environmental issues can:
Increase effectiveness and impact: By engaging a diverse range of perspectives and experiences, environmental organizations can better understand and address the root causes of environmental issues, and develop more effective solutions.
Build trust and credibility: Communities that have been historically excluded from environmental decision-making may be more likely to trust and engage with environmental organizations that prioritize DEIJ.
Foster collaboration and partnerships: By building relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, environmental organizations can build stronger coalitions and partnerships, and achieve greater impact.
Promote social justice: DEIJ is not just a matter of environmental sustainability, but a fundamental issue of social justice. Environmental organizations have a responsibility to address issues of equity and justice in their work, and to ensure that their actions do not perpetuate inequality.
Environmental organizations that do not prioritize DEIJ risk perpetuating the very inequalities that they seek to address, and may fail to effectively engage and serve the diverse communities that are most affected by environmental issues.
Access to nature and all of its benefits should not be limited by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. By promoting equity in the outdoors, we can ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience the mental and physical health benefits of spending time in nature. To learn about how we approach our work, check out our framework and joy-based approach.