Intersectional Environmentalism Resources
In January of this year I published a blog titled How to Set Sustainability Goals that Stick. Along with the advice I provided in the post, I gave suggestions for personal and community based actions to take. One of my personal action recommendations was to, “educate yourself about intersectional environmentalism,” … and then I made no further action to actually assist in this education. How could I expect my audience to learn about this concept if I gave them no definition and no direction of where to begin? This was a failure of mine that I have become so aware of among the amazing conversations Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) environmental activists are having about this topic. I am here today to bring this conversation to my blog space and to continue it in all of my future writing, reading, learning and teaching.
Leah Thomas (@greengirlleah) defines intersectional environmentalism as “an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected. It brings injustices done to the most vulnerable communities, and the earth, to the forefront and does not minimize or silence social inequality. Intersectional environmentalism advocates for justice for people and the planet.” She created an intersectional environmentalist pledge among the protests and worldwide uproar in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer. This is the perfect launch pad off which to begin this conversation and dive into resources that will educate you as to why fighting for the environment is synonymous with fighting for racial justice.
I need to credit Diandra Marizet (@diandramarizet) for the inspiration to compile these resources and present them in this way. She has an extremely thoughtful and well put together download on intersectional environmentalism on her blog that is a must read. I hope to emulate her while sharing resources with a Canadian focus.
I encourage you to read these articles, watch these videos and then continue the work by sharing this knowledge and advocating for intersectional environmentalism in all that you do.
Start here:
Dive deeper here:
address racism in canada here:
bring decolonization into your work here:
These resources are not meant to be worked through in a day or even a week. These are suggestions to start, or continue, our lifelong journey of anti-racism and decolonization work. It is at the forefront of our work as environmentalists to ensure a clean and healthy environment isn’t only accessible to a select few. To conclude, here are some suggestions for BIPOC organizations & voices to follow to continue learning about intersectional environmentalism: