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December 12

Dara BurwellTransformative Alliances LLC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................1ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: INNOVATION & EXPANSION...................3

COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT................................................................3Methods of Community Outreach and Engagement...........................................3Connecting with Teachers & Educational Institutions.......................................3

JOB & EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE: CAREER, INTERNSHIP, MENTORSHIP, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES...........................................................5

Career Pathway Goals.........................................................................................5Consortium Member Organizations Offering Career, Internship, Mentorship, and Professional Development Opportunities.....................................................6

RESEARCH & ASSESSMENTS......................................................................................7Consortium Members Engaged in Research.......................................................7

COLLABORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, & NETWORKS..................................7SUCCESSES & PROGRESS THROUGH DECEMBER 2012.................................................7CONSORTIUM STRUCTURE & LOGISTICS MOVING FORWARD.........................................7

Meeting Frequency.............................................................................................7Meeting Length...................................................................................................8Meeting Location................................................................................................8Food Provision....................................................................................................8Member Commitment.........................................................................................8Ideal Learning Tools...........................................................................................8

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Facilitation..........................................................................................................9Statistical Data Collection...................................................................................9Sound Accessibility.............................................................................................9

EXPANDING THE CONSORTIUM...................................................................................9Potential New Consortium Members: Other Environmental Education Groups 9Potential New Consortium Members: Non-Traditional Groups..........................9Dara’s Recommendations.................................................................................10

DEVELOPING & ENHANCING COLLABORATIONS.........................................................11Continued Networking Opportunities...............................................................11Dara’s Recommendations.................................................................................11

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TOPICS TO EXPLORE..................................................12Topics: Information Sharing and Best Practices within the Collaborative.......12Topics: Resources Outside of the Collaborative...............................................13Topics: Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education.......................13

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: TRAIN THE TRAINER OPPORTUNITIES.........................14EVENT IDEAS..........................................................................................................15

Event Ideas: Amongst Consortium Members....................................................15Event Ideas: External & Community Based......................................................15

POSSIBLE PROJECTS................................................................................................16Short Term Projects..........................................................................................16Medium Term Projects......................................................................................17Long Term Projects...........................................................................................18

UTILIZING FELLOW CONSORTIUM MEMBERS AS A RESOURCE.....................................18Fundraising.......................................................................................................18

DARA’S RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................19Determine and Prioritize a Focus.....................................................................19Practical Application.........................................................................................19

INCLUSIVENESS, ANTI-OPPRESSION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WORK..........................................................................................................20

SUCCESSES & PROGRESS THROUGH DECEMBER 2012...............................................20INCLUSIVENESS & CULTURAL COMPETENCY..............................................................20

Topics: Cultural Competency............................................................................21Topics: Inclusiveness........................................................................................21Train the Trainer Opportunities: Inclusiveness................................................22Possible Projects: Inclusiveness........................................................................23

ANTI-OPPRESSION WORK (GENERAL)........................................................................23Topics: Anti-Oppression Work...........................................................................24Possible Projects: Anti-Oppression Work..........................................................24

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (SPECIFIC ASPECT OF ANTI-OPPRESSION WORK).................24A Few Leaders/Resources in the Environmental Justice Movement.................24Topics: Environmental Justice..........................................................................25Possible Projects: Environmental Justice..........................................................25

DARA’S RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................26REPRESENTATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS...............................................26

Being Reflected in Representations of Historical and Current Figures...........26Organizational Representation.........................................................................26

STEPS TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE........................................................................27TOPIC & EVENT RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................29

Recommended Events.......................................................................................29


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OVERESTIMATION OF ANTI-OPPRESSION KNOWLEDGE................................................29Comprehensive Journey....................................................................................29The Importance of Personal Reflection.............................................................30Sexism...............................................................................................................30

DEMYSTIFYING CONCEPTS OF DIVERSITY...................................................................31Unnamed Meaning of “Diverse”.......................................................................31Myth of “Increasing Diversification of the Field”.............................................32There are No “Diverse” Populations where I Live............................................32

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: INNOVATION & EXPANSION

Community Outreach and Engagement

Methods of Community Outreach and Engagement Listening sessions with diverse communities/audiences. Method:

o Conduct an open dialogue in which diverse communities/audiences speak to what they want and need, detail barriers they face, and provide an opportunity to open and sustain communications channels.

Produce and distribute short videos, write-ups, and resources related to Environmental Education.

o When producing these materials, keep in mind the audience they should be geared toward (such as general, elementary school teachers, high school youth in urban areas, middle school youth in rural areas, etc.).

Increased collaborations with schools and Environmental Education organizations. Method:

o Increase partnerships with K-12 classrooms as well as before and after school opportunities so that there is a continuum of Environmental Education experiences throughout a student’s academic life.

o Draw from the State Environmental Education Plan. Consider conducting focus groups for more data.

Increased collaborations with libraries and Environmental Education organizations. Examples of how these connections can be made:

o Article from California: Eat the Library: How Libraries and Food Justice Organizations Can Work Together to Make Food Healthy, Safe, and Available in Their Communities. This could also be adapted to work for Environmental Education initiatives in general.

Engage urban communities in habitat creation to bring communities together and establish a sense of communal pride.

Engage local communities in ecology in the city and food justice efforts. This includes identifying edibles (urban foraging), native


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plant wisdom, permaculture, urban homesteading, etc. Good Consortium organizational resources:

o Woodbine Ecology Center has a great deal of information about native plant wisdom and permaculture.

o Mo’ Betta Green Marketplace, GrowHaus, GreenLeaf, and Denver Urban Gardens can all provide resources and information regarding urban agriculture and food justice.

Connecting with Teachers & Educational Institutions The connections listed below were derived from information collected in surveys and during Consortium meetings. However, because many Consortium members have only participated in one or two meetings, and have not necessarily responded to all of the surveys, this catalogue is probably incomplete. Continued data collection is recommended.

Organization Work with Teachers and Educational Institutions

Alliance for Climate Education

1) Engages schools in their Do One Thing Program (DOT) to create action teams that take on sustainable projects within the school 2) Works on teacher development.

Audubon Colorado Works with students from kindergarten through high school.

Audubon Society of Greater Denver

Does work with youth in the Denver Metro Area, particularly in school settings. Works with students from kindergarten through high school.

Bluff Lake

1) Works with Title 1 schools, including a deep science program done in partnership with Earth Force. 2) Works with students from preschool through high school. 3) Offers field trips to students from kindergarten to the 6th grade.

Butterfly PavilionDoes work with youth in the Denver Metro Area, particularly in school settings. Works with teachers.

cityWILD1) Works with Middle and High School youth. 2) Offers an after school program.

Centro Latino Americano para las Artes, Ciencia y Educación (CLACE)

1) Culturally Responsive Teaching Training. 2) Works with students from kindergarten through high school, with an emphasis on high school students in the Boulder Valley School District.

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

1) Online Learning Institute allows educators to build and refine their skills via tools and techniques to enhance the presentation of environmental issues. 2) The Colorado Environmental Education Plan (CEEP) to foster the partnerships and awareness needed to promote, coordinate, and sustain standards-based environmental education across the state.

Cottonwood Institute Works with teachers.

Denver Urban Gardens1) Can share online resources such as the School Garden & Nutrition Curriculum. 2) Works with schools.

Denver Zoo

1) Participated in the Wonders In Nature - Wonders In Neighborhoods (WIN WIN Program), an urban school-based program (that also engaged families) in partnership with the Colorado Division of Wildlife that


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worked to foster an appreciation of wildlife, wildlife habitats, and the conservation through wildlife-related learning experiences. This was a free program primarily located in low income schools of color. 2) Successful work with school liaisons.

Earth Force

1) Works with students from kindergarten through high school. 2) Green Schools Connect, an uncommon collaborative withEnvironment for the Americas

Earth GuardiansWorks with students from kindergarten through high school.

Environmental Learning for Kids

Works with youth ages 5 to 25, much of which is in conjunction with schools systems.

EnvironmentorsWorks with students from kindergarten through high school.

GreenLeaf Works with high school aged youth.

GrowHaus

1) Offers after school programs. 2) Works with teachers. 3) Works with elementary aged youth through Denver Public Schools, offers internships to high school students.

History Colorado CenterDoes work with youth in the Denver Metro Area, particularly in school settings.

Mile High Youth Corps

Does work with youth in the Denver Metro Area, particularly in school settings. Works with 3rd-4th grades as well as 6th-8th grades.

Mo' Betta Green Marketplace Works with schools.

National Park ServiceThe Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program links with teachers from predominantly Title 1 school districts.

Project Learning Tree (PLT)Works with students from kindergarten through high school.

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

Works with students from kindergarten through high school.

Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory

Works with home school programs and traditional schools.

Thorne Nature ExperienceWorks with schools and teachers (from elementary through high school level educators).

University of Colorado Denver, Environmental Sciences Department

Works with schools. Students range from kindergarten through high school.

Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

Does work with youth in the Denver Metro Area (6 to 18 years of age), particularly in school settings (some of the more comprehensive programs are set up at the high school level).

Woodbine Ecology CenterWorks with students from elementary school through college.

Job & Educational Pipeline: Career, Internship, Mentorship, and Professional Development Opportunities


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Career Pathway Goals The goals named in this section are primarily derived from the document Initial Projects Collaborations Consortium July 2012, as well as comments made in other documents pertaining to career pathway development.

1. Develop several career pathways that support the leadership development and career opportunities available to youth, in particular, in the environmental field. This includes creating more paid internship opportunities and options for receiving course credit in addition to existing resources. These mentorship, internship, and employment opportunities should be categorized by:

Age groupo Provide a map of the potential sequential development of

opportunities by age. Focus area/type Organization Region

2. Make sure that mentorship, internship, and employment pathways are particularly accessible to marginalized and underserved youth, including youth of color, low-income youth, LGBTQ youth, youth with disabilities, etc.

3. Define professional development and certification opportunities for primary, secondary, and post-secondary teachers that exist across the country.

4. Define the connections that Consortium members have to workforce development programs, mentorships, internships, and other career pathways, whether or not they offer these services themselves.

5. Develop collaborations, programming, and resources that develop a stronger career pipeline.

Reach out to higher education and workforce development programs to identify existing environmental educational and career pathways and how to connect those to schools, organizations, and community members.o Make sure that secondary and post secondary guidance

counselors, in particular, are aware of career opportunities in this field so that they can appropriately advise students.

o Connect with Colorado Youth Corps Association’s Career Pathways initiative.

o Develop information and build awareness of how non-formal and non-traditional educators who teach about the environment can provide and participate in pipeline opportunities.

6. Develop a collection of personal stories about the path that mentors and staff members took to becoming connected to and educating others about nature and the environment.


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Consortium Member Organizations Offering Career, Internship, Mentorship, and Professional Development OpportunitiesThe pipeline opportunities listed below were derived from information collected in surveys and during Consortium meetings. However, because many Consortium members have only participated in one or two meetings, and have not necessarily responded to all of the surveys, this catalogue is incomplete. Other organizations, such as Mo’ Betta Green Marketplace, the University of Colorado Denver Environmental Sciences Department, US Fish and Wildlife, and many other Consortium members undoubtedly have pipeline resources. Continued data collection is recommended.

OrganizationCareer Pathway and Educational Pipeline

OpportunitiesAlliance for Climate Education Leadership trainings with studentsAudubon Society of Greater Denver Volunteer naturalist trainingBig City Mountaineers Teen volunteer program.Butterfly Pavilion Professional development for teachers.cityWILD Service learning program for youth.Centro Latino Americano para las Artes, Ciencia y Educación (CLACE)

Video science lab- middle and high school students explore climate change through video making.

Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education

Promoting quality & excellence in environmental education service learning opportunity. Professional development opportunities.

Cottonwood Institute Works with scout leaders.Denver Institute for Urban Studies

Undergraduate degree credits for college students. Green Jobs connections.

Denver Parks & Recreation Volunteers and Internship Program, Fishing ProgramDenver Urban Gardens Service learning in science education and gardening.

Denver ZooTeen volunteer and investigative learning program. Jobs in conservation, science, animals, etc.

Earth ForceCommunity-based environmental service learning in low-income communities.

Environmental Learning for Kids

Youth mentorship programs that encourage youth to be invested in their future and provide leadership training. Career and internship development and opportunities.

GreenLeaf

Paid positions for high school youth in urban agriculture and food justice. Volunteer and youth development opportunities also available.

Greenway Foundation, South Platte River Environmental Education (SPREE)

Youth certification training and employment program. Service learning in water education.

GrowHaus Has a successful service-learning model.

Mile High Youth Corps

Teambuilding and experiential work. Several service learning opportunities including contracted landscape work.

National Park ServiceService learning opportunities for youth related to conservation.

Wildlands Restoration Youth Volunteer and Leadership Program


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Volunteers

Research & Assessments

Consortium Members Engaged in Research The research projects listed below were derived from information collected in surveys and during Consortium meetings. However, because many Consortium members have only participated in one or two meetings, and have not necessarily responded to all of the surveys, this catalogue is incomplete. Other organizations, such as the University of Colorado Denver Environmental Sciences Department and other Consortium members are undoubtedly engaged in research. Continued data collection is recommended.

Organization Research Projects

Denver Zoo

Participated in a community-based collaboration with the Science and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in a tier one institution SEED grant.

Earth Force Engaged in a National Science Foundation study.Environmental Learning for Kids

Longitudinal study of the impact of long term mentorship and what career field youth choose as a result of ELK

COLLABORATIONS, PARTNERSHIPS, & NETWORKS

Successes & Progress Through December 2012 The Consortium had particular success in achieving its goal of expanding relationships and collaborations among organizations and communities. The 2012-year end review evaluation indicated that:

100% of participants agreed that they have a better understanding of the identities and focus of Consortium members (with a rating of agree or strongly agree)

91% have a better idea of possible connections and collaborations with fellow Consortium members overall

100% have a better idea of connections and collaborations for their organizations.

Consortium Structure & Logistics Moving Forward The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the Identification Activity Small Group Discussion Notes, initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.


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Meeting Frequency Quarterly meetings. This was the highest rated option regarding

meeting frequency.o Possible standing agenda items for future meetings: share

organizational goals, accomplishments, visions, steps toward progress.

o Possible standing agenda items for future meetings: talk about how to keep going, share and learn, explore challenges.

Meeting Length Most participants suggested a half-day format, and several

commented about the difficulty of attending all-day sessions. A half-day format is likely to produce the most organizational engagement. Have a limited number of full-day functions.

Meeting Location Organizations who have the ability to host meetings would offer space

and coordinate logistics. This recommendation, which was the most commonly suggested option, would entail meeting at various Consortium members’ sites in alternating rotation.

One alternative suggestion was presented: alternate between meeting at Consortium members’ favorite local coffee shops that reflect the values of community and sustainability and happy hours at local bars.

o Examples: Fluid Coffee Bar and Wynkoop Brewing Company. Another alternative suggestion encouraged meeting at urban schools

as a way of both securing a venue and encouraging partnerships. o Such a venue could allow teachers or school representatives to

participate. o Excellent prospective school partners: Denver Green School,

Odyssey School, new expeditionary learning school in downtown Denver.

Food Provision Could shift to a potluck format, thus making food more sustainable.

Member Commitment Several members of the Consortium echoed the need for a sustained

commitment moving forward. It is important to determine what sort of commitment is needed moving forward (this may include tiers or levels of involvement/commitment). Once this is determined, it will be important to evaluate group members and see what their level of commitment is.

Possibilities for ensuring commitment and follow-through:


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o Initiate a buddy system in which organizations are paired. Buddy organizations would then be responsible for staying in contact and holding one another accountable.

o Develop a Leadership Council for the organization.o Continue to strengthen the bonds between Consortium

members.o CAEE could serve as the point of dissemination and center.

Ideal Learning Tools Small group discussions are a key aspect of learning. Over and over

again, Consortium members named it as one of the most valuable aspects of Consortium meetings, and one of the main tools they would like to see employed in future sessions.

o Several participants indicated that it would be helpful to have more spacious time for conversations. It may be useful to have fewer agenda items, and more space for strategizing, discussion, and shared learning.

Second only to small group discussions, a number of participants named panels as an effective means of sharing information.

In addition to small group discussions and panels, several people indicated that they enjoy hands-on activities. It is recommended that this be balanced with the provision of information in a structured format (coming largely from sources internal to the group) that gives way to more spacious, open-ended opportunities.

Facilitation Two requests were made that the EECapacity Colorado State

Consortium consider having an outside facilitator. It is important to note, however, that evaluation responses from the internally facilitated August meeting indicated that internal facilitation was well conducted.

Statistical Data Collection Statistically capture the number of new members that join the

consortium and the number of actual co-run/co-partnered events that take place as a result of the networking and collaboration.

Sound Accessibility Be sure that any time audio or video clips are being shown that there

is a larger speaker system available that can project the sound clearly and loudly to the Consortium participants.

Expanding the Consortium


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Potential New Consortium Members: Other Environmental Education GroupsThe recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in Initial Projects Collaborations Consortium July 2012, the 2012 year end review evaluation, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All recommendations were made by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Alliance for Sustainable Colorado Members of City Councils National Environmental Education organizations Organizations that have received environmental education awards

from CAEE Rural organizations working on Environmental

Education/organizations from other areas of the state Wild Wings Chatfield State Park

Potential New Consortium Members: Non-Traditional Groups The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in Initial Projects Collaborations Consortium July 2012, the 2012 year end review evaluation, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All recommendations were made by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Children’s Corridor College students Colorado Youth Corps Association Career Pathways Initiative Denver Public Schools Denver Foundation Inclusiveness Initiative Learning Community

members Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Local universities National Association for Interpretation Schools in general STEM initiatives

Dara’s Recommendations Several Consortium members suggested expanding the group. Many of these participants are particularly interested in partnering with non-traditional groups to advance and Environmental Education. However, it is worth seriously considering which groups it truly makes sense to bring into the consortium.

Organizations Outside of the Denver Metro Area and BoulderOf all of the groups mentioned, I recommend that the highest priority groups be organizations in the state of Colorado. While national groups


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may or may not add to the group, the goal of the consortium is to be statewide and to influence Environmental Education throughout Colorado. Broader statewide representation is needed. The importance of this point is enhanced by the fact that activities and documents clearly demonstrate that while several organizations claim to be statewide, many of them are actually focused in the Denver Metro Area, and are not equipped to represent or discuss other parts of the state. Regional charts show that organizations from the Western Slope, in particular, are not represented outside of theoretically statewide organizations.

Required/needed accommodations to create access and parity for non-Denver Metro and Boulder based groups:

Access to Skype, phone conferencing, and other technology (possibility webinars)

Create more intentional partnership and collaborative opportunities for non-Denver Metro/Boulder based organizations

Send relevant materials to non-Denver Metro/Boulder based organizations prior to any meetings so that participants can follow along with PowerPoint presentations, handouts, etc. in conjunction with participants who are able to attend in person.

Hold meetings in other parts of the state (at least periodically) to create greater parity and access.

Non-Traditional PartnershipsWhile participants clearly placed a high value on seeking non-traditional partnerships, bringing in non-traditional Consortium membership may or may not be the place for these partnerships to form. It makes sense to bring non-traditional groups/people to the table that already have a clear interest and investment in Environmental Education. However, it does not make sense to bring in groups/people who are largely disconnected from Environmental Education. In this case, it is extremely unlikely that the Consortium would be able to meet the needs of all of its members, and it is very probable that the organizations would lose focus and continuity.

If the Consortium would like to help support unconventional partnerships with organizations that do not already have an interest and investment in Environmental Education, it makes more sense to help facilitate these connections through some of the events and outreach techniques outlined in the “Community Outreach and Engagement” and “Event Ideas: External & Community Based” sections of this report.

Developing & Enhancing Collaborations The recommendations and observations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in the 2012 year end review evaluation and


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Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All recommendations were made by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Continued Networking Opportunities In various evaluations, Consortium members recommended the following as ways to enhance and continue networking opportunities:

Additional free networking time in which organizations that have not already had the chance to pair are able to talk to other group members (a continuation of the conversations at the Denver Indian Center in November)

Buddy organizations that would meet and develop relationships over time

Continued 2 minute lightning presentations for new organizations Follow-up networking time for organizations that started

conversations at the Denver Indian Center in November Schedule happy hours (whether alcohol or non-alcohol related)

outside of normal collaborative meetings Set aside free time to mix and mingle during meetings Small group time to talk about how groups can work together Speed dating sessions

Dara’s Recommendations Participants presented a number of good options for continuing and expanding networking opportunities. I encourage the Consortium to try as many of these options as meet the needs of the group. However, my primary suggestions are as follows:

1. Continue the practice of having new organizations and organizations that have missed meetings make 2-minute lightning presentations.

This is a practice that could easily be established as a group tradition or norm, and is a good way to help integrate new members and members who attend irregularly into the group. It also ensures that Consortium members still have formally facilitated ways of getting to know one another. Additionally, and importantly, this method does not require much time, and is not particularly disruptive to the agenda.

2. While continued networking opportunities should still be provided, they can happen with less frequency and should increasingly be paired with dual-purpose activities to create more efficiency.

The Consortium has been functioning since August of 2012. It’s not necessary to make the same networking efforts that were made initially. It’s no longer a brand new group.


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An exception to this would be if the Consortium brings in a number of new members in at the same time. In this case, it will be important to generate additional structured networking opportunities.

3. The majority of networking should be done using dual-purpose activities.

Group discussions Group discussions in which people have the opportunity to explore

topics and exchange information are an excellent means of networking. These discussions have the added advantage of being a professional development tool. In fact, Consortium participants named small group conversations as their preferred style of activity.

Exploration of the infographic Devise an activity to explore/go over the infographic. This would

serve both as an excellent means to continue networking, but could also be used to supplement partnership conversations around fundraising, information and resource sharing, etc. It could even be paired with objectives around a number of the projects Consortium members suggested, making this a more efficient form of networking in an environment with limited time.

Professional Development: Topics to Explore The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in the Initial Group Project Idea, 2012 year end review evaluation, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012 documents. All recommendations were made by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Topics: Information Sharing and Best Practices within the Collaborative Couching the work in the larger Environmental Education context so

that Consortium members are able to bring ideas and best practices into their organizations and communities. Answer question: “what do I know now that I wish I had known from day one?”

Exchange of personal stories. Consortium members share about their connection to the environment, their path to working in Environmental Education, and/or their draw to the communities they work with.

Healing trauma. This is a lot of the work that is happening, and part of what is happening when one goes out to a natural place.

How to expanded methods of community outreach and form unconventional alliances.

How organizations are reaching new audiencesDara Burwell

Transformative Alliances LLC

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Practical ideas. What are practical ideas regarding how to move an idea forward/make it happen? This could be about networks to connect with, communication outreach strategies, meeting structures, etc.

Relevant programs, resources, and practices Talk about their heroes in the field. Who is each Consortium member

excited about? Why? Consider bringing those people out to share their work.

Teaching about the environment as it relates to quality of life and community health issues.

Youth leadership and career opportunities within the environmental field

How do members incorporate Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education into Environmental Education.

o University of Colorado Denver may be able to facilitate this discussion. An example discussion question would be: “With increased use of technology in the classroom, how will urban schools adapt?”

Topics: Resources Outside of the Collaborative Neighborhood/Constituent Panel

o Have a panel of folks from several neighborhoods/communities that Consortium members work within. Local community representatives such as teachers, community members, kids, volunteers, teens, board members, etc. come to have a panel discussion.

o Group discussions should pull out how panel members became involved and why they continue their involvement.

o Figure out which Consortium members are being reaching and why. Is there overlap with audiences? Why or why not?

o This option was raised numerous times by different Consortium members.

Are there interesting projects/initiatives happening in other states that could be replicated in Colorado?

Bring in speakers, other professionals in the field of inclusiveness, as well as community members from the metro-Denver area to better understand the people Consortium members work for and with.

Discussion of resources offered by the EPA, Cornell, and NAAEE Exploration of successful programs that relate to the EPA’s priorities Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education

o In particular showing programs in action and successful practices that relate to these guidelines.

What tools exist with in the EPA and EECapacity to create a needle that shows how the group is making change in particular areas as a collective?


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Topics: Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education Continued discussion of personal and professional experiences

in the realm of Environmental Education as it relates to the Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education. Initiatives that have worked for different organizations, opportunities to brainstorm. Think tank environment.

o Discuss how participants are sharing what they have learned about the Guidelines for Excellence from being a part of this group, and how they are incorporating this information into their organizations.

o How others disseminate information, how it gets sent out to the rest of the work community.

o This idea was raised several times by a number of different participants. It appears to be a key topic idea.

Continued discussion of the Guidelines for Environmental Education communities as they change and evolve.

Discuss gaps in the Environmental Education Community in Colorado and then discuss which gaps can be filled.

o Stated again on December year-end survey: Since we are a diverse group, we can see where we are lacking and where we are excelling (i.e. what group or schools are willing and able, who is difficult to reach and if someone succeeded how they did so).

o Sustained conversations about how Consortium members can reach and provide access to a variety of Environmental Education experiences to communities across Colorado.

What does environmental education look like in an urban and diverse society? How can environmental education help influence behavior change?

Professional Development: Train the Trainer Opportunities The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the Identification Activity Small Group Discussion Notes, Initial Group Project Idea, initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Beetle kill awareness project. Raising awareness about the consequences of beetle kill relating to wildfires, degraded forest health, etc.

BOCO Environmental Education Assessment Project


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o Thorne Nature Experience uses this assessment tool, and could train other Consortium members on its uses.

Ecology in the city. Identifying edible plants (urban foraging), native plant wisdom, permaculture, and urban homesteading.

o Possible collaborative organization in the Consortium: Woodbine Ecology Center

o Resources outside of the Consortium’s member organizations: Kate Armstrong (http://whatgrandmotherknew.com) and Feed Denver: Urban Farms and Markets (http://www.feeddenver.com)

Feed Denver class topics include: Growing Power From the Ground Up Workshop, Urban Farmers & Vegetable Gardeners Symposium, Penn & Cord Parmenter's High Country Growing, Sustaining Yourself in Changing Times with Kate Armstrong, Finding Food in the City, Permaculture Techniques for City Living, Irrigation Basics for Food Gardens, Mushrooms for Health: Food, Medicine, Soil, Small Fruits for the Front Range, Pests and Disease of Small Fruits, Weed Identification and Management

Food as an entry point to environmental educationo Could develop curriculum, projects, and programs around this.

Habitat creation within urban communities. This is a positive way to bring communities together, provide Environmental Education, and foster a sense of community pride.

Hands-on, experiential Environmental Education teaching tips, techniques, and curriculum development to increase the skill level of Consortium members.

o This could entail a multi-organizational train the trainer with opportunities to share, demonstrate, and apply these teaching techniques.

o This could also look like an activity facilitation. Each organization could lead the group as a whole through an activity on civic engagement, team building, experiential education, etc. This would be a train-the-trainer combined with developing an intimate understanding of each organization’s programming.

Train-the-trainer workshops intended for teachers: transferable training models and workshop content on EECapacity Project initiatives.

o This train the trainer could teach Consortium members how to reach broader audiences of environmental educators not initially involved with the Consortium.

o Consortium members would engage educators in train-the-trainers, allowing these educators to become knowledgeable and skilled in delivering these trainings to others in their networks and communities


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o Possible topics: Environmental Education Guidelines, Diversity & Inclusiveness, Reaching New Audiences, etc.

Event Ideas The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the Identification Activity Small Group Discussion Notes, Initial Group Project Idea, initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Event Ideas: Amongst Consortium Members Consortium TEDx Event

o Have each Consortium member give a TEDx style talk on something innovative and exciting related to their work/field.

o These talks should be recorded, then used as a form of community outreach and education.

Environmental Education Touro Visit a series of Consortium members’ sites to learn more about

their programs, communities, and the different types of Environmental Education people practice. This could happen once each year, or multiple times per year.

o After each tour is over, incorporate examples and discussions about: what has and has not worked well for these organizations, inclusiveness, EPA priorities, educational curriculum, and reaching new audiences.

o Use a bus to get around or bikes if the locations are close enough together.

o This would model professional development that happens in the community and in the field.

Interactive Case Study Presentationso Have two sessions next year that present case studies.

Presentations should be dynamic and interactive with concrete steps on the chosen topics.

Event Ideas: External & Community Based Environmental Festival, Earth Day Event, or Fall Festival

o Collaborate with multiple environmentally focused organizations to host a fall festival where people can learn about local birds, vegetation, recreation capabilities, etc.

o The function could be similar to Beverly’s farmer market outreach, but on a larger scale. Represent all of the Consortium members and their areas of service. Make the location


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accessible to all of the communities people wish to outreach to (particularly underserved and marginalized communities).

o Consider hosting a science fair, STEM palooza event, urban farmers market, and/or urban school agriculture coops. Separate these groups into sections so that people can more effectively distribute information and even help get Environmental Education clubs off the ground. Use the event as the first step to learning about the outdoors.

o Consider using the event to produce at least one concrete deliverable.

o There could even be a series of these fairs, rather than just one.o Several Consortium members suggested this type of event. It is

the most popular/ named possibility. Annual Project

o Conduct one large annual project. For instance: install trash traps in rivers, have a fall Earth Day event that would involve many (if not all) groups working together to produce something concrete.

o Draw on existing resources and ideas to cut down on the time it would take. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

Build “Dream” Neighborhoods o Build “dream” neighborhoods throughout the Denver Metro

Area (and possibly in various areas of the state) as learning labs. o During quarterly meetings, share the progress on these

projects, and updates on their status post-development.o This would serve as both community of professional learning.

Career & Educational Pathway Summit or School Fairo This event would be for teachers and students from a wide

range of age groups (possibly preschool through college).o It would provide the opportunity for local, state and national

green leaders to participate in informative panels and workshop sessions on the economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy and energy efficiency technology for the urban community. Consider also including a farmers market.

o This event could be similar to the Urban Green Summit that was organized by Malcolm from the Denver Institute for Urban Studies in 2011.

Marketing Campaigno Devise a marketing campaign to raise awareness about

environmental education/literacyo This could be based upon/similar to the Environmental Hero

Campaign


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Possible Projects The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the Identification Activity Small Group Discussion Notes, Initial Group Project Idea, Initial Projects Collaborations Consortium July 2012, initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Short Term Projects Create a Google Group for Consortium members.

o Share documents, information, resources, etc. through a Google Group.

Elevator Speech Presentationso Shorten the 2-minute presentations that each organization gave

into a 30 second elevator speech to share widely. o Videotape these clips so that they can be shared/disseminated

widely. Come up with a tag line to describe them as a whole.o Each organization could place a link to their 30-second video in

their emails signature line.o Ideally, each Consortium member would post a compiled version

of the complete set of elevator speeches on their websites. Environmental Education Listserv

o Create this as a forum to share communications, updates, ideas, and opportunities moving forward.

One Page Consortium Member Profile Bookleto Develop a booklet with a 1-page profile on each organization.

Include contact information, strengths, weaknesses, audiences, programs etc.

o Include a list with organizational strengths and opportunities at the end of the booklet so that members know who to turn to if they wish to address a particular issue.

Medium Term Projects Coordinated Series of Radio, Television, and Newspaper Spots

o Each organization would be responsible for sending out a newspaper editorial article or doing a media interview once each year.

o Consortium members should collaborate around topic ideas and coordinate their efforts. Topics should encapsulate/paint the big picture.

Develop a workshop/course for nontraditional environmental educators

o Educators could become a Certified Environmental Educator through CAEE.


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o Incorporates the particular knowledge, assets, skills demonstrated through working in urban and diverse settings.

Five Minute Best Practices Videoo Provide brief explanations and examples that relate to the

Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education. Show how to use the guidelines in practice: from paper to practice.

o Direct these videos toward community based Environmental Education organizations.

Incorporate Environmental Education into teacher training programso Pay particular attention to teachers who work with marginalized

and underserved audiences o This is happening through national EECapacity efforts, make

these efforts local? Initiate a Braintrust or Leadership Council

o Use the knowledge in the room and other stakeholders who have been invited in to be part of a braintrust or Leadership Council.

Install a Litter Trap o Consider installing a litter trap that is similar to Groundwork

Anacostia’s. Information: “Washington D.C. has demonstrated its commitment to the environment and clean water with the purchase and installation of the nation’s first Bandalong Litter Trap™. Storm Water Systems, North America’s exclusive licensee of the Bandalong Litter Trap, installed the floating litter collecting device in the Watts Branch tributary into the Anacostia River, well-known for its critical levels of pollution and litter.”

Urban environmental education resource mapo Continue developing an Asset Based Community Development

(ABCD) Map that connects organizations, schools, communities.

Long Term Projects Develop Colorado Specific Environmental Education guidelines,

curriculum practices, and resources o Incorporate urban Environmental Education, quality of life, and

social issues in order to better serve urban and marginalized audiences.

o Identify perspectives/pedagogies utilized by Consortium members (i.e. permaculture, service learning, indigenous knowledge) and incorporate them.

Develop statewide strategic/sustainability action and assessment plan o Develop this plan to expand EECapacity and diversify

environmental education.o Implement this plan over a timeline (which should be

incorporated into the plan)


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o Market this plan so that it can be adopted by other organizations.

Expand the Consortium into other parts of the stateo Possible model: the Environmental Leadership Program, which

is based on the east coast and run out of Maryland. This program: “targets emerging environmental and social change practitioners eager to connect their specialized work to larger environmental and social concerns. Offers intensive leadership and skill training, regional networking opportunities, and time for personal and professional reflection. Consisting of three retreats and additional optional trainings, our curriculum helps emerging leaders hone their leadership styles, improve their strategic communications, and strengthen their outreach to diverse constituencies.”

Ongoing, comprehensive community outreacho Generate a more environmentally literate population through

reaching more audiences in their local communities, connecting to quality of life, and empowering them to become informed decision makers about the environment.

Reduce Duplicationo Figure out areas for Consortium members to collaborate so that

there is less duplication and more innovation. Research and Practice

o Develop a component that will help environmental education professionals understand how research supports practice.

o Find existing research in Colorado related to Environmental Education outdoors. Utilize CAEE’s Resource and Program Directory to collect Urban EE case studies, best practices, and resources.

Utilizing Fellow Consortium Members as a Resource

Fundraising Consortium participants discussed the importance and possibility of collaborative and cooperative fundraising efforts again and again throughout a number of evaluations and other documents. This is a key point. Possibilities for cooperative fundraising:

Create a resource share among Consortium members that ensures everyone shares information about funding opportunities. Discuss how to partner on funding opportunities and support one another rather than compete.

Consortium members could strategize around funding sources, how to financially leverage their organizations, fee for service opportunities, and ways to streamline costs.


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o This could be done strictly by organizations that are interested in working together on a project, or with the support of the Consortium as a whole.

Could devise joint fundraising events and information/resource sharing on fundraising practices.

Dara’s Recommendations

Determine and Prioritize a Focus Consortium members presented a number of excellent ideas, from topics to events to project ideas. However, it will be very important for the Consortium to determine its main goals and areas of focus. It cannot accomplish everything that is presented as a possibility. I suggest the following:

1. Engage in an alternative version of a strategic planning process.

While I don’t recommend a formal strategic planning process, a leadership group needs to make some clear decisions regarding where things are going with the Consortium. This could be done with input from Consortium members overall with the help of a survey. Decide on a direction/ vision, then choose some key goals and objectives that support that direction/vision.

2. Make sure you have a timeline.

Develop a clear timeline for any events, projects, and topics that best match the goals and direction chosen by the leadership group. This can be a living and malleable document, but it does help provide cohesion and focus. It also dramatically increases the likelihood that the Consortium will be effective in achieving its goals and in retaining its membership.

3. Once the goals, direction, and timeline have been developed, reinforce these ideas at every meeting.

The evaluations indicate that there is still some disconnect regarding the purpose and progression of the consortium. Once a direction/vision and key goals have been selected, reinforce these things over and over again. Tie every topic, event, and project back to these goals. In this way, Consortium members will have a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished, and if the Consortium is a good fit for them.

It would also be useful to have members outline ways they can help support these key goals, so they have a personal stake in the matter.


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Practical Application In the final evaluation, Consortium members overwhelmingly agreed that the EECapacity Consortium meetings met their personal needs (90.9% agree or strongly agree) and the needs of the Environmental Education community (91% agree or strongly agree). 100% of participants agreed that the meetings met their professional development needs (rating this agree or strongly agree), but only 63.7% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Consortium addressed their organizational needs (36.4% of people were unsure). Additionally, 72.8% of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the Consortium addressed the needs and goals of the Consortium (27.3% of people were unsure).

I believe that this disconnect comes from some uncertainty as to the purpose or goals of the Consortium (which should hopefully be rectified using the recommendations above), as well as participants’ need for more practical application activities.

I suggest that all (or almost all) future Consortium meetings incorporate an element of practical application that people can take

back to/apply to their organizations.Again and again, topic requests demonstrate participants’ desire to share successes, challenges, best practices, and strategize around practical application. Members suggested a number of excellent practical application opportunities that are worth considering, with small discussion groups at the top of the list. Discussion groups could be easily adapted to be discussion and strategizing groups. Additionally, role-playing on a number of different topics would probably be a very helpful practical application tool.

INCLUSIVENESS, ANTI-OPPRESSION, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WORK

Successes & Progress Through December 2012 In the initial EECapacity Colorado State Consortium survey, 100% of survey respondents indicated that they were interested in developing a more diverse and inclusive environmental field. In the 2012 year end review evaluation, much of this interest continued.

Consortium members were clear about wanting to continue exploring issues related to inclusiveness. 90.9% of participants indicated that they have a better understanding as to why inclusiveness is important to the environmental field (a rating of either agree or strongly agree), and 90.9%


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of participants also indicated that they would make efforts within their organizations and programming to become more inclusive.

These evaluation results, as well as other evaluation results and assessment exercises, express a clear interest in inclusiveness and environmental justice work.

Inclusiveness & Cultural Competency The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, Initial Projects Collaborations Consortium July 2012, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Topics: Cultural Competency Ask Rafael Salgado to present his session "Teaching linguistically

diverse students" about Latino communities.

Topics: Inclusiveness Practical application: how to increase inclusiveness practices

o Hiring and retaining staff members, board members, and volunteers from communities of color, disability communities, LGBTQ communities, non-Christian communities, etc.

A number of Consortium members suggested this topic. By far, this is one of the most named possibilities. Practical application is key.

o How to start the conversation about inclusiveness with organizational leadership.

o How Environmental Education organizations are implementing inclusiveness practices.


o Working on organizational structures and communication related to inclusiveness. How to incorporate inclusiveness into a strategic plan. Methods and strategies for incorporating inclusiveness into organizational structures.



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Developing partnerships around inclusiveness work and supporting inclusiveness work in Environmental Education.

How to create equitable and lasting organizational and community partnerships with marginalized and underrepresented communities.

How to effectively communicate with and engage broader audiences to make your programming relevant to marginalized and underrepresented audiences.

o How to expand the reach/practice of Environmental Education. Expand the conceptions and messaging of Environmental Education to be relevant to different marginalized communities.

o An organization’s mission may not be for everyone. Who to strategically connect to, and how to do that well and with diverse communities/people organizations want to outreach to.

How to provide quality, engaging, and sustainable curriculum for marginalized and underrepresented youth.

o End goal: youth being environmental advocates in their personal and professional lives.

Opportunities for Environmental Education in urban communities and an exploration of what needs are not being filled.

Possible panel: Examples of environmental education organizations doing well to incorporate inclusiveness into their work/mission/programming.

o Ideally, the panel should be longer with time for questions and answers, and possibly time for small breakout group strategy sessions.

Possible speaker: ask a student from a marginalized community to come and present about inclusiveness from their perspective.

Possible speaker: Bryan Shao-Chang Wee as a possible speaker/presenter on multicultural science education and environmental literacy.

Programs and opportunities to outreach to Latin@ communities. Specific examples that relate the themes of diversity and inclusiveness

directly to outdoor/environmental education organizations. Survey groups to determine what kinds of inclusiveness and/or social

justice work they have engaged in. Ways to support sustainability efforts within marginalized

communities. What demographic information can be legally asked or not,

particularly as it relates to sexual orientation. Overall legal implications.

o Solution: make all sections asking for demographic information optional. Provide an explanation as to why the data is being requested that is thorough and thoughtful.

What has worked and hasn’t worked with inclusiveness practices. Information trade within organizations.


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o Answer question: “What do I know about inclusiveness work now that I wish I had known on day one?”

Train the Trainer Opportunities: Inclusiveness Inclusiveness Training

o Develop train the trainer model/workshop for EECapacity members and others to incorporate/lead diversity and inclusiveness information/training into their organizations/programming and share within their networks (i.e. colleagues, in their professional associations/networks, board, etc.).

Sharing Best Practiceso Organizations that have found effective ways to be inclusive and

diversify internal structures. Share case studies, answer questions, help with practical application and tools that people can take back to their organizations.

Event Ideas: Inclusiveness Diversifying the Environmental Movement Forum and Retreat

o Develop this forum, a resource from Center for Diversity & the Environment

o Offer both workshop and retreat style opportunities: “a dialogue series bringing together the environmental community, communities of color, and all interested parties, so they can discuss and find action-oriented solutions, connect with others working on diversity issues, and to learn about/jumpstart their own diversity efforts, including partnerships and cultural change within organizations.”

o The structure of the Forum series includes two initial separate sessions, the People of Color/Social Justice Group Forum and the Mainstream Environmental Institution Forum. It will culminate in a full-day Together Forum for all participants.

Networking Opportunity Forumo Local networking opportunities for professionals of color and

allies working in the environmental field.o Possible format: similar to the Center for Diversity and the

Environment Environmental Professionals of Color. Series of professional development events

o Develop a series of professional development events related to urban Environmental Education and inclusiveness practices.

o Invite other professionals/community members.o Have different sections led by various consortium members.

Possible Projects: Inclusiveness Collaborate on inclusiveness issues and opportunities.


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o How to collaborate on inclusiveness issues and share resources.o Engage in deeper discussions on how to incorporate inclusive

language in environmental education programming. Continue with more networking sessions so that members can meet with different groups.

Conduct an Inclusiveness Assessment/Analysis o Initiate an assessment of Diversity/Inclusiveness of

Environmental Field in Denver/Colorado Develop an Environmental Education Inclusiveness Workbook

o This booklet should be similar to the Denver Foundation’s Inclusiveness Workbook, but made specifically for environmental organizations. The workbook should also entail specific examples, tools, and resources.

o Draw upon experiences of organizations that participated in the Denver Foundation Inclusiveness Collaborative such as ELK, Earth Force, and cityWILD.

o Possible topics that could be discussed/developed within the consortium:

Case statements on why inclusiveness is important in the environmental field, and specifically Environmental Education.

Develop inclusiveness committees and efforts at Consortium member organizations

Communication and educational tools to make environmental education relevant to diverse audiences.

How to develop equitable and lasting organizational and community partnerships.

Develop leadership opportunities and career pathways for underrepresented populations. Crate pipelines into the environmental field.

o Collaboratively develop paid internship opportunities for high school seniors who are from marginalized and underrepresented backgrounds.

o Come up with a model for offering EE internships for credit at school with certification classes and work experiences.

o Research opportunities for collaboration within schools and universities serving these students.

Ongoing discussion circleso Semi-formal circle of allies that meets on a regular basis to

discuss identity issues, challenges, successes, and safe space.o This group/these groups could come up with guidelines of how

to do this work as educators. Possibly produce a brochure on power and privilege.


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Anti-Oppression Work (General) The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

Topics: Anti-Oppression Work Consortium members continuing to challenge themselves, their

biases, and unexamined norms. Continue to identify where people are personally, and what audiences

the specific programs they offer fail to serve. Continued work about not feeling guilty. More tools to come to terms

with privilege and understand how to process it. Dive deeper into applying the anti-oppression work through more

free-form smaller group discussions and whole group discussions. How to incorporate power and privilege trainings within an

organization. Methods and strategies for incorporating anti-oppression work into

organizational structure. Moving from inclusiveness work into anti-oppression work.

Possible Projects: Anti-Oppression Work Offer anti-oppression training for teachers

o Spread the word to the surrounding school communities. Offer anti-oppression training for teachers in their school orientations before school starts.

Environmental Justice (Specific Aspect of Anti-Oppression Work)The recommendations made in this section are pulled from comments and data presented in a number of documents, including the initial survey data recorded at the initiation of the consortium, post-meeting evaluations, and Moving Forward Notes-Dec 13 2012. All of the below recommendations were made directly by EECapacity Colorado State Consortium members.

A Few Leaders/Resources in the Environmental Justice Movement Mustafa S. Ali (specifically requested as a speaker in an evaluation,

and suggested that he conduct a workshop for young people) Susan Almanza Bunyan Bryant Robert Bullard Gary Burbridge Majora Carter (specifically named in the evaluation)


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Shannon Francis (specifically named in the evaluation) Van Jones (specifically requested as a speaker in an evaluation) Joanna Macy Paul Mohai Vernice Miller-Travis Winona LaDuke (specifically named in the evaluation) David Pellow Robin Saha Peggy Shepard Pandora Thomas (specifically named in the evaluation) Beverly Write

Topics: Environmental Justice Connect Environmental Education to community wellness and quality

of life issues (from the lens of equity and inequity). Continued exploration: disposability of resources equals the

disposability of people. Convey how to better relate climate change & environmental justice

to the students people work with. How to convey that environmental justice is an aspect of social justice.

o Provide resources to use with participants. Give examples of how environmental education groups have

successfully incorporated environmental justice concepts into their work so that other organizations can learn best practices.

Have other organizations in the room speak to their experience working with Environmental Justice.

How does Environmental Justice/social justice connect to my work and mission?

How to make people care about environmental justice when there are so many social issues in the world.

Possible speaker: bring in a well-known speaker on the topic (Van Jones was named as one specific possibility, other people were also identified as leaders in the field). Another possibility would be to connect with folks in the community working on environmental justice issues.

Possible speaker: invite the EPA's national Environmental Justice office to bring the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) to Denver for a meeting and youth workshop. Make this a high profile event. Principles of Environmental Justice, local Environmental Justice considerations and issues specific to all regions of Colorado (including the Denver Metro Area).

o One participant suggested an article called Building a Bridge between Environment and Equity, found at http://blog.epa.gov/ej/2012/11/building-a-bridge-between-environment-and-equity/


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Suggestion: “I think that we can begin to explore inclusiveness in EE by going back to the history/roots of environmental education (Paulo Freire; John Dewey; and others). Environment and education were about the social, political, and physical realities of our worlds/communities. So, when did the split happen? Why? When did the social become disconnected from the physical environment? It'd be good to know what brings the practitioners to environmental education---we might have much more in common than we assume; or not. In any case, we could get that out on the table. And, it'd be good to know what most inspired their learning and practice of environmental education… experience; books; concerns; etc. Then, finding out how people are still connected to their original motivations could help us map out our involvement in certain communities, etc."

Ways consortium members can work together to move Environmental Justice forward as a group (keep this as a high priority).

Possible Projects: Environmental Justice Increased Collaboration with Social Justice Organizations

o Connect to folks in the community who are working on the social and/or environmental justice issues impacting their communities.

Three Concrete Environmental Justice Stepso Identify 3 concrete steps Consortium members can take to

incorporate Environmental Justice into their work for 2013. Local Environmental Justice Project

o Bring attention to something happening on the front range. Work with community members and non-traditional education members. Incorporate indigenous landscapes and birds, perennials, and beautify an area and collaborate with someone locally. Cara and Michelle have applied for a grant to this end.

DARA’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Representation and Environmental Movements

Being Reflected in Representations of Historical and Current Figures

1. Reflect the full range of participation in Environmental Movements and Environmental Education.

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expand beyond U.S. born (or Western European) white men coming from positions of privilege.

Members should mindfully incorporate women, Native people in the United States and their struggles (by Nation- not by making gross generalizations), low-income people, non-Christians, and other targeted groups. It is also important that targeted group members be meaningfully represented, rather than tokenized.

In addition to figures from the United States, it is also important to highlight the historical and current struggles taking place around the world.

2. Engage in self-education opportunities around Environmental Justice.

Consortium members will likely need to increase their own understanding of social justice issues and how they relate to Environmental Education. This understanding pertains to everything from Environmental Justice work to a recognition that historical and current marginalization often results in being denied access to a number of opportunities.

I suggest discovering which Consortium members have a good understanding of Environmental Justice and social justice issues, and ask them to do skill shares with the group.

Possible resources: Michelle and Ramon Gabrieloff-Parish

Organizational Representation In looking at the demographic data related to various Consortium groups, it appears that the engagement of targeted communities is often at shallow organizational levels. For instance, many organizations serve young people, communities of color, and low income communities, but this does not mean that youth, low income people, or people of color are meaningfully represented throughout these organizations- and particularly in leadership positions (this is particularly important because these are the people who make organizational decisions and set organizational culture).

There is a marked difference between working with certain populations, and having significant representation of these populations within organizations. It is even possible to work with a targeted population without understanding the needs of that group/understanding the oppressions they face.

For instance, working with youth does not mean that an organization is working to address or counter adultism. Serving people in low-income


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communities doesn’t mean that there is necessarily a class analysis or active work to address classism. I recommend:

1. Have organizations examine demographic representations throughout their organizations, make sure that targeted populations are meaningfully represented at ALL levels.

Consider who they serve, who volunteers with them, who is on staff (including at what level of staff), who is on the board, etc. Make sure that targeted community members are meaningfully represented at ALL levels of the organization.

2. Recognize the oppressions that different targeted populations face, and minimally work to counter these oppressions within your programming/organization.

Make sure to understand the implications of this oppression as it impacts this community and relates to the work you do.

Steps to Organizational Change Engaging in organizational change work is an involved, step-by-step process. The most meaningful and lasting change efforts involve changing organizational systems and structures (including organizational culture). As such, I recommend approaching systemic change and organizational evaluations from the paradigm presented in the Western States Center document Dismantling Racism: A Resource Book.

1. Decision making processes Who makes the decisions? How do they do that (in private meetings, in public forums, etc.)? How are decisions communicated to others?

2. Budget allocation Who develops and controls the budget? How well is the budget understood by others (particularly those it

impacts)? How is the budget allocated?

3. Where the organization receives its money from Who provides funding to the organization? What are the

politics/implications associated with this funding? From whom is money solicited (who is asked and who isn’t)? How is money solicited (messages used, methods/locations, ranking

systems, etc.)?


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4. Who the organization is accountable to What groups/communities do you say you are accountable to? What groups/communities are you actually accountable to (i.e.

funders, people in power vs. constituent communities)? Do stated values and lived values differ?

5. Internal power structure, pay scales Consider this according to identity groups, as well as individual

positions:o Who earns the highest salary in the organization? Who earns

the lowest salary in the organization?o Who hold the most power in the organization (title/position as

well as less formal influence)? Who holds the least power in the organization?

o Who has the most job security?

6. Location of the office/program How accessible is your office(s) to the communities you work

with/want to work with? To whom are your offices inaccessible? Is your programming done in locations that are accessible to the

communities you work with/want to work with? To whom is your programming inaccessible?

How accessible/welcoming is your office (consider how it is set-up, decorated, how people are received, etc.)? Who is it most welcoming to, and who is it least welcoming to?

7. Members of the organization Who are your members? How much influence/decision making power do they have?

8. Organizational Culture Describe your organizational culture. Consider things like:

o Transparency of decisions and decision-making processeso Flow of communication (including what is considered to be

acceptable forms of communication)o How conflict is handledo How well or not critique is accepted/encouraged, and from

whomo How valued/respected different groups feelo How leadership is understood and cultivated

9. Programming Who are your programs geared toward? Are people of those identity

groups represented in program leadership?


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How much or how little do program participants contribute to making decisions about programming?

Does your programming focus more on building collective power, or on “helping” those in need?

Topic & Event Recommendations

Recommended Topics for Exploration Continue clarifying the difference between 1. inclusiveness work and

2. anti-oppression and social justice work. This way Consortium members will be less likely to conflate them, and more able to choose which philosophy and course of action best suits their organization.

o Surveys indicate that people are still unclear on the difference between anti-oppression and inclusiveness work. And that they are unclear on what anti-oppression work, in particular, is. Continue consciousness-raising work around power and privilege.

Continue to explore the concept of intent vs. impact as juxtaposed with good vs. bad person.

Continue strategizing and share together about what Consortium members can do to promote and support one another in inclusiveness processes. Particularly strategizing and figuring out how to institutionalize these things.

Continue working to develop a shared language and clearly outlined set of values around inclusiveness and/or anti-oppression principles.

Return to the idea that behind every environmental issue, there is a human rights issue. That there is a connection between the oppression of people and the oppression of animals and earth. This could be anything from toxic exposure to not having access to certain kinds of environmental education.

o Everyone is an environmentalist Role-play interrupting oppressive moments/engaging in inclusiveness

and/or anti-oppression work. Using role-playing or Theater of the Oppressed could even help people strategize around how to bring up issues regarding inclusiveness in community settings, at work, or in the community.

Recommended Events Consider hosting a conference with a variety of workshops. This

could even be a mini, in-house workshop in which experienced organizations lead a topic. A type of skill share. Could be an all-day event with two or more presentations at a time. People could then choose which presentation to go to.


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Alternative: instead of a conference, the same thing could be cone in a TEDx style with timed presentations on particular inclusiveness, anti-oppression, and/or Environmental Justice topics.

Overestimation of Anti-Oppression Knowledge

Comprehensive Journey While there are people with a good grasp on anti-oppression issues, most Consortium members are likely to assume that they know more about anti-oppression work (and inclusiveness issues) than they really do (as indicated in evaluation responses and other documents).

Unlike other topics, anti-oppression work is highly emotionally charged, and socially saturated. It’s not an area where most people gain an intuitive understanding, and even experiential understandings can be difficult because of ideological blocks. Neither anti-oppression nor inclusiveness concepts can be conveyed in a skill share with the same effectiveness of typical professional development topics.

Material and concepts must typically be presented over and over again (ideally with opportunities for conversation and exploration), and can easily be lost. It is also critical that theory and concepts be explored, either before practical application, or as part of an application-based learning process. This process of education and self-education can often feel frustrating or slow to people, but a step-by-step pace with adequate time for exploration is key.

People who do not have a clear commitment and interest in the topic area probably should not lead workshops or discussions in these areas.

Additionally, even people who do have a clear dedication to anti-oppression work typically have a much broader understanding in some areas than in others. It is important to acknowledge this, and step back when one cannot accurately discuss particular marginalized groups.

The Importance of Personal Reflection It is important to do some personal reflection work in conjunction with organizational development work when looking at anti-oppression principles.

Several Consortium members commented on feeling deflated when examining their privilege, or indicated that they would prefer to do organizational development work without personal reflection. Because the area is highly emotive, it is easy to hit non-negotiable stuck points without being self-reflective. The personal weaves itself into everything. Thus, it is


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helpful to incorporate some aspects of personal reflection when examining organizational development, and particularly important to provide participants with tools to engage with feelings of guilt around carrying privilege so that participants don’t shut down (this should not be done at the expense of marginalized groups).

Sexism In the August 30th notes Identification Activity Small Group Discussion Notes, one group identified a being a “female-dominated group” as a gender disparity. This interpretation also incorporated into the ground rules (a separate occurrence).

This conception represents a clear lack of understanding of how sexism works, and what a gender disparity is. Even if an organization has a majority of female employees, this does not mean that the oppression that women experience goes away and is instead applied to men. Oppression is ideological, institutional, interpersonal, and internalized. Being a women-led organization doesn’t mean there aren’t issues with sexism and internalized sexism.

Additionally, many organizations employ women at entry and mid level staff positions, but are lacking women in staff leadership and board positions (in other words, decision making positions). These are not women-led organizations.

It would be useful to continue exploring the issue of sexism and gender representation. The greater the analysis that Consortium members are able to gain around this topic, the greater their understanding of how anti-oppression and social justice principles will be.

Demystifying Concepts of Diversity

Unnamed Meaning of “Diverse” In their evaluation and survey answers, Consortium members repeatedly used the terms “diversity” and “diverse populations”. While the term “diversity” should apply to a broad range of marginalized groups, it is typically a reference to people of color. I recommend:

1. Name the communities or populations that you are referring to rather than referring to “diverse people” or “diverse populations”

Consortium members should work to name the specific communities they wish to outreach to or discuss (i.e. people of color, LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, etc.). The more specificity, the better, as different groups have extremely different needs.


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Even categories such as low income, second/third language English speakers, and non-Christians are extremely broad. For instance, while Hindus and Muslims face some similar barriers, they will also face very different challenges, and outreach will look different for these communities (and, of course, the more specific one is about intersecting identity categories, the more specificities will emerge).

Saying “diversity” is so broad, it conveys very little meaning at all (particularly given that it is usually a code word for “people of color”).

2. Recognize that “diversity” terminology can be harmful.

Referring to marginalized and oppressed individuals as “diverse” also skirts around the issue that everyone, including privileged and dominant groups are “diverse.” Only using this term to refer to marginalized and oppressed groups normalizes privileged and dominant group members without any recognition of dynamics of power and privilege. Thus, if transgender and gender non-conforming people are “diverse”, then cisgender people are not diverse, which translates into normal/standard.

This labeling has the effect of further othering oppressed and marginalized communities, and perpetuates both internalized dominance and internalized oppression. It often cements the idea that marginalized and oppressed communities are naturally on the outside, and that privileged groups are naturally at the center. This is one factor that helps to inhibit people from recognizing how skewed the representation and influence of different identity groups really is, and promotes the status quo (which is deeply inequitable).

Talking about “diversity” is a similar phenomenon to talking about “ethnic food”, a fallacious label that creates an invisible norm even though every person has an ethnicity, and all food can easily be interpreted as ethnic.

3. Initiate discussions regarding the term “diversity” and its implications with Consortium members. Avoid using the term in ways that perpetuate negative impacts in inclusiveness, Environmental Justice, and/or anti-oppression handouts, tools, resources, etc.

Myth of “Increasing Diversification of the Field” Consortium members, as well as a number of Environmental Education tools that address inclusiveness, often refer to “increasingly diverse populations.” While it is true that Latin@ communities are growing, more people are coming out as LGBTQ, etc., this framing is deeply inaccurate.


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The need to look at issues of access and inequity is not due to living in an increasingly diverse society. Since its inception, the United States has been an extremely diverse country (and there have been many points in its history in which Indigenous and African/African American populations outnumbered white people). Almost all of the marginalized and oppressed communities that people are now discussing have been in the United States since its inception. Additionally, marginalized communities have long led and participated in aspects of environmentalist work. This reality often goes unrecognized because the formally recognized Environmental Movement in the United States was available almost exclusively to wealthy white men, and has evolved from these roots.

It is important to recognize that the marginalized communities have always been an integral part of this country, and have histories of involvement in environmental work (this is particularly true of Indigenous communities, so many of whom have fought for the environment from before colonization until present day). To deny this is to deny much of the history and importance of various oppressed communities.

Name, instead, the real reasons that anti-oppression work and inclusiveness work are needed: equity & inequity, power & privilege, historical legacies of oppression and exclusion, etc.

There are No “Diverse” Populations where I Live Regardless of where people are in Colorado, it is important for them to recognize that they work in multifaceted communities. There is no place in the state where everyone is a white, heterosexual, Christian, cisgender, middle to upper class, U.S. born, English speaking man without disabilities.

Even when people are referring strictly to people of color rather than a range of targeted communities, there are communities of color in all areas of Colorado. Because race and class are often related (due to current and historical legacies of oppression), in addition to other kinds of jobs, people of color often work in service industries all over the state.

Failure to recognize marginalized and oppressed community members typically represents a failure to recognize one’s own privilege, which often obstructs a clear analysis of where one lives. Consortium members are responsible for recognizing where their privilege may get in the way of their outreach efforts, and should take steps to deepen their analysis and ally work.


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