A New Era in Environmentalism
Despite Seattle's environmental progress, we have a long way to go towards equity
November 01, 2016
By Monica L. Thomas. Read this story and more in Volume 2 (pdf) of Seattle Foundation's Heart & Science magazine.
With programs to reduce pollution, improve transit
and cut energy consumption, Seattle ranks highly in
its commitment to environmental progress. In fact,
STAR Communities, a framework and certification
program for local sustainability, named Seattle the most sustainable city in the U.S. in 2014.
Good news, right? Not completely. Despite the five star
overall rating, the full report revealed that the
city scored low in “equity and empowerment,” citing
deficiencies in public health outcomes, environmental
justice outcomes and civic engagement. Indeed,
Seattle struggles much like other cities to engage
marginalized communities in its otherwise excellent
environmental programs.
Prioritizing the people most affected
Thanks to a new era in environmentalism, that tide
is changing. Local leaders like Got Green and Puget Sound Sage are redefining environmental priorities
and leadership. Their work instead follows in the
footsteps of environmental justice leaders before them by prioritizing the people and communities
most impacted by environmental harm. “To do
climate work, we must take the lead from those
who are most directly impacted by climate change –
communities of color and indigenous communities
– as they know best how to improve the conditions
of their environment,” says Jill Mangaliman, Executive
Director of Got Green.
Their approach also improves upon typical top-down
community engagement models that are
often standard in the nonprofit sector. To lead the
survey project, the two organizations assembled a
committee of South Seattle community members,
all people of color, and all ages 23-45. The
committee collected research and stories from
peers, neighbors and grassroots community groups
and used them to create community-focused
environmental solutions..
“Without active engagement with communities of
color, the environmental movement as it stands will
become irrelevant,” says Lylianna Allala, a Got Green
board member. “The time is now to strategize on
how we can support youth from communities of
color and low-income communities to become the
leaders that will take us into a new era.”
Intentional listening and leadership
In order to increase community participation, both
on the committee and from survey respondents, Got
Green and Sage offered food and transportation as
well as making sure they conducted the survey in
places where people already gather. These efforts
helped foster authentic relationships, creating an
important foundation for further collaboration and
leadership development.

This intentional process of listening to and taking
leadership from South Seattle community members
resulted in findings relevant to philanthropy, local
government and peer environmental organizations.
Community members’ chief climate concerns were
rising food costs, increased diseases and other
health issues. The survey also found many residents
are already facing serious exposure to environmental
hazards in their neighborhoods, such as living near
polluted industry; infestation of pests, insects and
rodents; and exposure to toxic chemicals.
Lack of affordable housing was also identified
as a critical climate issue – linking the housing
affordability crisis to growing patterns of urban
displacement. “Interviewees made the case that
any local efforts to build climate resilience for our
communities will be undermined if low-income
people and people of color continue to be displaced to suburban cities, particularly if those suburbs are
under-resourced and unable to conduct rigorous
climate resiliency planning,” states the report.
Action on green housing, health and jobs
With the results of the survey in hand, the committee
worked with community members to develop a set
of actionable recommendations. Throughout this
planning process, the committee kept its focus on
self-determination and increased democracy. They
also identified a number of policy solutions including
access to green jobs and leadership pathways,
funding for community-led projects, development
of community land rights and culturally appropriate
environmental education. They also highlighted the
importance of accountability measures in order
to ensure that programs and policies truly benefit
marginalized communities.
Some of these recommended steps are already
underway. This Climate Justice Steering Committee
will soon release the first issue of an ongoing
publication discussing environmental issues
from the perspective of people of color.
A Community Zine will offer culturally relevant
peer education and be used as an outreach
tool to connect with community members
who could be developed as future leaders.
Peer-to-peer education is an important next
step in empowering communities to truly be
part of, not simply affected by, the growing
environmental movement.
(Re)imaging a just future
Got Green and Sage are confident in the power
of their communities and clear about their hope
for the future. “To be resilient in the face of
climate change, we must know our history and
learn the lessons of the past. While resilience
is a response to a looming threat, we also see
it as an incredible opportunity to (re)imagine a
more just future for all.”
Heart & Science Magazine
Read Heat & Science magazine Vol. 2 for more on how philanthropists, community organizations and Seattle Foundation are working to create a healthy community through supporting the environment and arts & culture.
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