GreenTreks Network Values – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
GreenTreks has upheld a belief of non-discrimination in its hiring and operating practices from the outset, as reflected in our Organizational By-laws:
“It shall be a policy of Greentreks Network, Inc. to provide equal membership / employment / service opportunities to all eligible persons and to administer personnel policies and practices in accordance with all applicable laws.
We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, creed, religion, color, personal appearance, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, family responsibilities; the presence of any sensory, physical or mental disability, intellectual disability, learning disability, matriculation, membership in any labor organization, lawful source of income, political affiliation, or political ideology.”
Studies of public attitudes about environmental issues indicate that a majority of Americans are concerned about pollution of America’s rivers, lakes, and streams; air pollution; pesticides and chemicals used in farming; and the long-term implications of Climate Change. Research also shows that less affluent communities whose residents are typically Black and Hispanic are disproportionately impacted by these environmental problems due to flooding, proximity to industrial facilities, lack of food access, and urban heat island effect.
All of our work has been focused on helping our partners engage with members of their communities by reaching audiences “outside of the choir”. In our home base of Philadelphia, this has often meant bringing the poorer, racially diverse communities who are most affected into the conversation.
The words of Dorceta E. Taylor, Professor of Environmental Justice, Yale School for the Environment, clearly resonates with us: “Recent events should erase all doubts that race—blackness in particular—is inextricably connected with racism, violence, and gross inequalities in the home, on the street, in the park, and elsewhere in the outdoors. The events make it impossible for environmentalists to concern themselves only with the trees, flowers, wildlife, fresh air—and not the people and their experiences in the natural and built environment.”
Knowing that the best role models are often those who most look like us, we are more committed than ever to addressing this concern by highlighting representatives of underserved communities, especially Black, Asian, and Hispanic women who are too often left out.
