Quote of the Day: Emily Enderle on Diversity in the Environmental Movement

Photo credit: chrisjfry

It is an exciting time to be a member of the environmental movement in the United States. Large events and organizations, including the Super Bowl, the Oscars and Yahoo, are becoming carbon neutral. The largest global retailer, Wal-Mart, is currently going green. Mainstream magazines, including Sports Illustrated and Vanity Fair, are featuring environmentally-focused cover stories and editions. Beyond the financial incentives and the celebrity glamour associated with being green, many previously unengaged segments of the population, including religious communities, people of color and people from different socio-economic classes, are becoming increasingly interested in participating in the movement's efforts.

Currently, however, there is a lack of diversity and inclusivity in environmental institutions and our movement. This is a systemic problem. Diversity is about strengthening the movement we are dedicated to by making it resilient and capable of adapting, regardless of what we face in the future. Widespread understanding of the values that diversity can provide is essential to enhancing our collective effort and the world, yet such understanding is still absent in far too many places."

—Emily Enderle, Framing the Discussion (2007, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies)

[Via ::SES: Science, Education & Society]