For the last year and a half, I have served as the Chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team at the ZERO Coalition. This has been an exploration into how a group of traditionally white-led green building organizations could help be a part of a just transition to a zero-carbon built environment.
It has been a challenging road to navigate with a group of folks who bring a “get it done” attitude to their work. For the first six months, we hired an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) consultant to help us embark on ZERO Coalition’s equity voyage. What we heard from that EDI consultant at virtually every meeting was we needed to slow down. Slow down because this work needed to happen thoughtfully. Slow down because we needed to recognize how a group of folks from white-led organizations fit into this work. Slow down because we needed to understand how, as a part of a white normalized culture, our way of doing things might not be the right tact for this work.
We are hosting this event to help share that “slow down” message. Slow down from your “get it done” approach to work and have a meaningful experience with us.
At the end of our time with the EDI consultant, we were given a comprehensive list of things we needed to do to move forward. Since then, the one thing that has stuck in my head was the simple instruction to “show up” for equity. The phrase “show up” has become a call to action for our JEDI Team, and I break it down into three points.
Physically show up at equity events where we have a chance to learn about ourselves and marginalized communities.
Emotionally show up by being authentic and staying at the bleeding edge of learning.
Financially show up by making sure positive change doesn’t come from the resources of traditionally marginalized communities. Seek to change traditional norms of environmental action that advantage wealthier society instead of the marginalized.
The ZERO Coalition is putting on a two-part equity training event, and we have brought three of the best presenters in Oregon. This event is a chance to show up physically, emotionally, and financially for equity.
Join us on our journey of understanding how equity issues affect sustainable building by attending ZERO Coalition’s equity in the built environment event.
Register: https://bit.ly/3btwnkN
- Dirk Larson
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Team Chair, ZERO Coalition
Board of Directors Policy Chair, Passive House Northwest