As three ladies of colour working for many years within the Bay Space in a subject that hasn’t traditionally mirrored a lot variety, it was stunning that our paths didn’t cross till 2019. We discovered one another after Ariana printed an op-ed within the San Francisco Chronicle lamenting the shortage of illustration within the Bay Space’s thriving environmental sector. The article struck a chord with Sejal, who was working to create a extra inclusive tradition at her personal environmental group. And as a relative newcomer to the environmental sector, Olivia was impressed to increase and diversify her skilled community.
Quickly after we began speaking, we regarded into Environmental Professionals of Shade (EPOC), a gaggle that brings folks collectively from numerous backgrounds to prepare, strategize, and assist the longer term leaders of the environmental motion. We seen energetic EPOC chapters in Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle, however there wasn’t one within the San Francisco Bay Space.
So, in partnership with a number of different motivated people, we launched an area EPOC chapter. Our group has been going robust for 5 years and now has over 150 contributors. Along with increasing our skilled networks and supporting folks of colour inside the native environmental motion, this effort has created a vibrant neighborhood of mates from all walks of life with related pursuits.
And at this second, when environmental legal guidelines and local weather protections are being irresponsibly rolled again, when the phrases variety, fairness, and inclusion are being aggressively erased from federal insurance policies, and when folks of colour throughout the nation are being heartlessly devalued, the EPOC neighborhood feels extra essential than ever. That’s why we meet month-to-month for on-line discussions, in-person socializing, and outside adventures. By way of the drama on this planet (and typically within the office), these gatherings function a protected area to debate difficult points and supply assist and mentorship.
Because the 12 months kicks off and the chaos feels unending, we advocate discovering a gaggle to attach with round a shared identification or curiosity. Discovering your neighborhood may also help floor you and preserve you feeling sane when occasions are robust. Wish to discover some native affinity teams celebrating folks of colour, folks with disabilities, or these figuring out throughout a spectrum of gender identities, orientations, and extra? Under is a brief checklist of Bay Space choices to get you began. If you already know of a related group not listed right here, please tell us at enviroprosdecolor@gmail.com, and we’ll embrace it in a extra complete checklist on the EPOC Bay Space web site.
Sejal Choksi-Chugh is the manager director of San Francisco Baykeeper, Olivia White Lopez is the director of tradition, fairness, and belonging at Peninsula Open Area Belief, and Ariana Rickard is the general public coverage and funding program supervisor at Sonoma Land Belief. They’re three of the founders of EPOC Bay Space.
The opinions expressed on this article are these of the authors and don’t mirror their respective employers’ official views or positions.
Belonging in Nature: Queer and Trans Group Day
In October 2023, the neighborhood stewardship and engagement crew from the Golden Gate Nationwide Parks Conservancy launched a brand new collection of month-to-month queer and trans neighborhood day applications at many Nationwide Park Service websites within the Bay Space from Lands Finish, Alcatraz, Crissy Subject, Muir Woods, the Presidio Nursery, and lots of extra areas. These holistic occasions are grounded in land stewardship, art-making, meditation, incapacity justice/accessibility, neighborhood connection, and therapeutic. With the addition of BIPOC affinity areas, these applications are serving to join our LGBTQ+ communities to nature.
Discover month-to-month occasions right here and electronic mail Christian Trujillo to be added to the mailing checklist: ctrujillo@parksconservancy.org
Birdability
Birdability’s mission is to share the thrill of birding with individuals who have disabilities and to make sure birding is accessible for everyone. They work to enhance the bodily accessibility of birding places by offering steering on entry concerns and sustaining a crowdsourced Birdability Map that particulars accessibility options of birding places worldwide. Whereas their web site doesn’t but function Bay Space-specific gatherings, they provide many digital occasions comparable to sport nights, e-book golf equipment, and featured audio system.
Prepared to satisfy your birds of a feather? Take a look at Birdability’s web site or electronic mail them at data@birdability.org.
Black Surf Santa Cruz
Black Surf Santa Cruz (BSSC) goals to advertise bodily and non secular wellness by way of surf and neighborhood in Santa Cruz County. They work to supply equitable entry to coastal areas, attempt to interrupt down each seen and invisible boundaries to having fun with the ocean, and foster a way of security and belonging for Black, Indigenous, and folks of colour. Members of their applications, many first-time ocean-goers, have expressed appreciation for the neighborhood BSSC builds and the supportive setting created by their volunteer coaches and employees.
Discover them on Instagram and Fb or go to their web site to catch a wave with Black Surf Santa Cruz.
BORP Adaptive Sports activities and Recreation
BORP Adaptive Sports activities and Recreation permits youth and adults with mobility disabilities and visible impairments by way of athletic and outside applications to foster independence, well being, neighborhood, and belonging. Their in depth programming contains youth and grownup crew sports activities (wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, energy soccer, and goalball), weekly digital and in-person health lessons, pickleball, and adaptive mountain climbing. BORP’s adaptive outside middle in Berkeley homes over 100 adaptive cycles and a fleet of accessible kayaks. BORP additionally runs an adaptive biking program in Golden Gate Park from June to October.
Along with their on-site and on-line actions, they facilitate accessible nature and cultural outings and keep the Entry California web site, which supplies details about accessible trails and parks.
Get match with BORP by visiting their web site or emailing them at data@borp.org.
California BIPOC Local weather Community
The California BIPOC Local weather Community is a statewide community for and by Black, Indigenous, and folks of colour in local weather, sustainability, and environmental professions inside native authorities, community-based organizations, academia, and nonprofits. This volunteer-run group serves as a neighborhood listserv for 800+ BIPOC local weather professionals to share assets, alternatives, and job postings they might or could not have entry to or information about in any other case. Volunteer members facilitate information, abilities, problem-solving, and relationship-building classes inside the cohort, with regional in-person meet-ups all year long.
Join by filling out this way.
California Farmer Justice Collaborative
California Farmer Justice Collaborative (CFJC) unites farmers of colour and allies throughout California. They search alternatives, political and past, to develop collective illustration and maintain conventional agricultural information. Members embrace advocates, lecturers, nonprofit directors, and farmers, who all work to advertise the financial self-sufficiency of underrepresented farmers. CFJC works alongside small farmers statewide, specializing in California’s ethnically numerous farmers and ranchers who could have restricted entry to authorities applications.
Able to plant the seeds of justice? Go to their web site or electronic mail admin@farmerjustice.com.
Conservationists of Shade – Northern California Chapter
The Conservationists of Shade (CoC) Northern California is an affinity group fashioned to supply folks of colour working in conservation with alternatives to attach and trade social {and professional} assist. CoC Northern California builds and strengthens a regional neighborhood of conservationists of colour by facilitating quarterly in-person meetups to create area for deep dialogue, laughter, and outside recreation. Whereas many members are additionally a part of Environmental Professionals of Shade, CoC is restricted to land trusts and conservation organizations, with outings extra centered on the land. Andrew Nguyen shared the advantages of becoming a member of: “A stable group of kindred spirits has emerged on account of these meetups, making us really feel related, much less alone, and excited for the longer term.”
To be taught extra or take a hike together with your fellow conservationists, attain out to norcalcoc@openspacetrust.org.
Rising Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP)
Rising Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) is a nationwide community of changemakers who attempt for excellence and fairness in philanthropy. EPIP goals to empower rising leaders and elevate philanthropic apply to construct a extra simply, equitable, and sustainable world. By way of their dedication to skilled and management improvement, advocacy and innovation, and community-building, they attempt to be the house for early- and mid-career change makers dedicated to utilizing philanthropy to construct a extra simply, equitable, and sustainable future.
Early profession philanthropists apply right here.
Environmental Professionals of Shade – Bay Space Chapter
The Environmental Professionals of Shade (EPOC) unites the San Francisco Bay Space’s neighborhood of environmental professionals figuring out as Black, Indigenous, and folks of colour (BIPOC) to foster variety, fairness, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging within the Bay Space’s environmental motion. EPOC creates protected areas for BIPOC enviro execs to community, share assets, and talk about challenges. By centering and amplifying the views and profiles of BIPOC environmental professionals, EPOC hopes to retain and develop the variety of BIPOC professionals within the sector.
To hyperlink up with EPOC, be taught extra and enroll.
Latino Open air
Latino Open air (LO) evokes, connects, and engages Latino communities within the outside, embracing cultura y familia as a part of the outside narrative and making certain their collective historical past, heritage, and management are valued and represented. LO believes significant outside experiences make folks stronger, more healthy, and happier. As a neighborhood, they attempt for an outside that’s protected and welcoming for all folks, no matter race, creed, nationality, language, gender, sexual orientation, or potential.
Vamos afuera con Latinos Open air.
Queer Crush Climbing
Queer Crush Climbing is about creating protected and inclusive areas for many who are numerous of their gender, romantic, and sexual orientations. They empower Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and Individuals of Shade of all talents to hunt therapeutic, well being, neighborhood, and reference to the land by way of the artwork and sport of climbing. They host common indoor fitness center meetups and outside occasions serving 3,000+ members throughout Northern, Central, and Southern California, in addition to in CO and VT. In addition they companion with neighborhood areas comparable to climbing gyms and nonprofits which can be dedicated to queer allyship throughout intersections comparable to race, ethnicity, class, and immigrant standing.
Climb on with Queer Crush by signing up for his or her e-newsletter and visiting their web site.
Salted Roots
Salted Roots is a company that fosters a surf tradition rooted in collective energy, fairness, love, and reverence for the Earth. Its applications had been created to handle inequities in ocean entry, notably for communities of colour, by offering a supportive area the place ladies, ladies, and gender-expansive folks of colour can join with the ocean by way of browsing. By uplifting these communities’ voices, enhancing entry to the ocean, and advancing environmental justice, Salted Roots goals to nurture a way of belonging, empowerment, and well-being in coastal areas which have traditionally been troublesome to entry for communities marginalized by systemic inequities.
For extra details about volunteer alternatives and upcoming 2025 applications, go to saltedrootssurf.org to enroll in their e-newsletter and comply with their ocean pleasure on Instagram @saltedrootssurf.
Sonoma County Feminist Hen Membership
Sonoma County Feminist Hen Membership (Sonoma County FBC) is a pleasant group of chook nerds dedicated to making a protected and welcoming area for everybody, no matter their identities, to study birds and their environments. We do that by organizing bird-centered outings throughout Sonoma County, specializing in bringing our neighborhood to areas they often don’t have bodily entry to or really feel welcome in.
Discover your flock by visiting the Sonoma County Feminist Hen Membership web site and following them on Instagram: @fbc.sonoma.
Younger Environmental Professionals Blissful Networking
San Francisco Bay Joint Enterprise employees created the Younger Environmental Professionals (YEP) Blissful Networking to deliver collectively early and mid-career environmental professionals from across the Bay who give attention to regional environmental points. They host meet-ups within the East Bay, San Francisco, and North Bay each different month. Adam Jorge of Sonoma Clear Energy shares, “The gorgeous half about YEP is that each one these folks come collectively throughout sectors and disciplines. It’s like one of the best a part of conferences – the place you join with folks you care about who’re doing work you care about – and be taught the newest and biggest in every area whereas rising your community.”
Get your community on by signing up right here.
