Working to Fulfill the Sierra Club Mission: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan

 

You may be familiar with the Sierra Club’s mission statement: “To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth,” but this is just the beginning of a larger mission:

 

 “To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth; To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives"

– Sierra Club Mission Statement, approved 6/20/1981

 

In May 2013, the Sierra Club National Board of Directors (BoD) adopted a vision to develop a multi-year plan for Sierra Club to become a multicultural organization. As defined in the Executive Summary of the Sierra Club Multi-Year Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan: “A fully realized multicultural organization actively includes a diversity of people representing different groups’ styles and perspectives. A multicultural organization continuously learns and acts to make the systemic changes required to welcome, respect, support, and value any individual or group to full participate.” 

 

The goals of this Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) plan include:

• Organizational Culture & Inclusion: Sierra Club fosters an inclusive organizational and workplace culture – a culture that nurtures and retains diverse, engaged teams of staff and volunteers. Sierra Club is reported as a welcoming and inclusive place to work, volunteer and enjoy the planet.

• Ongoing Education, Learning, Training and Skills Development: DEI competency is an ongoing, welcoming learning cycle across all organizational work. Staff and volunteers consistently develop and apply DEI competency to how we engage and operate.

• Foundation of Justice and Equity: Our programmatic outcomes reflect our commitment to justice and equity. Leadership development and strategic partnerships are core strategies for long-term sustained success in building Sierra Club and the movement.

 

In working to implement this plan at the Chapter level, the Atlantic Chapter hosted a DEI training for staff and volunteers earlier this summer. With the help of National staff, Vrinda Manglik and Alexis Boxer, as well as volunteer leader and past BoD President, Allison Chin, 35 Chapter participates from around the state took part in an intense two-day training. 

 

Over the course of the retreat, the following objectives were put forth and were the drivers for what we hoped to accomplish:

 

• Explored the value of building relationships across difference, and having these influence our goals and strategies.

• Deepened understanding of privilege, power, oppression, and how they impact our work.

• Explored the value of building campaigns and coalitions on transformational relationships instead of transactional relationships.

• Identified what steps need to be taken to invest in transformational relationships, and what missteps to be mindful of.

• Documented commitments to take steps to develop their own personal anti-oppression practice

 

We believe that working toward a just, equitable, and transparent society is not only morally necessary but also exactly what we need to confront the unprecedented environmental challenges we face. The Sierra Club believes work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, being done from a justice frame, is mission critical.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the DEI work of the Atlantic Chapter, please contact Caitlin Ferrante. 

 

For more on the DEI work of the Sierra Club, see here.