Welcome to the Center for Diversity & the Environment
We harness the power of racial & ethnic diversity to transform the U.S. environmental movement by developing leaders, catalyzing change within institutions, and building alliances.
Congratulations to the most recent Environment 2042 Leadership cohort graduates!
These leaders inspired us every day and brought hope, curiosity, compassion, strength, honesty and a strong sense of community to our 6 months together. We have already begun planning our next adventures which will include a service project, a camping trip and more learning opportunities.
The 2017 E42 Leadership cohort enjoying the liquid sunshine at Westwind Camp in Oregon.
With your help, here’s what we accomplished in 2016:
- Delivered 20 organizational trainings for over 800 folks ranging from basic trainings to complex strategy development to conference presentations
- Uplifted and amplified the good work of colleagues in our communities by contributing over 200 hours of time and energy in support of their work and communities
- Helped build capacity and strength, breadth and depth to transformational work by developing leaders and facilitators in this work
- Contributed thousands of volunteer hours via CDE’s network of Environmental Professionals of Color, supported our membership throughout the country and hosted the first Northwest Environmental Professionals of Color Conference in Portland, OR
- Spent hundreds of hours offering support to folks across the environmental movement who called and wrote us for advice and consult on how to begin or deepen their work in equity, diversity and inclusion
We want this to be the year in which all of our collective work tips the scales on diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives in the environmental movement.
Be part of the change.
Our Theory of Change
The Center for Diversity & the Environment grew out of the belief that everyone has a place in the environmental movement. Everything we do at CDE supports this vision of inclusivity. We build bridges between communities of color and the environmental community, fostering a fundamental revolution of the environmental movement–into an equitable, inclusive, and diverse coalition of people at work on a wide array of environmental issues. We believe that diversity strengthens and enriches our work and makes the environmental movement more relevant than ever. Alumni of our programs carry this work forward and out into their communities: they are the change agents and ambassadors of the changing face of environmentalism.
Our Vision
We envision a healthy, flourishing planet and society that sustainably and equitably meets the needs of all through an environmental movement that is diverse, inclusive, successful, vibrant, and relevant, taking into account the needs, perspectives, and voices of all. The Center for Diversity and the Environment harnesses the power of racial and ethnic diversity to transform the US environmental movement by developing leaders, catalyzing change within institutions, and building alliances.