Twenty-fourth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

In the current global context of sustainability and climate change, local governments and their community partners have a duty to create a culture of equity and inclusion for under-represented residents and support a work culture that promotes responsiveness in these areas. Even more important is the development of community plans that include diverse perspectives to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Extension faculty undertook training for internal staff using resources from USDN, ICLEI, and USGBC LEED to promote education on resiliency, support baseline data collection activities, and foster a culture shift. Faculty also designed and facilitated community meetings to collect input for the development of sustainability and climate action plans. These community meetings were conducted in-person, and virtually, and complemented by online survey tools. Meetings were offered in Spanish (minority language) at neighborhood centers, and included childcare, food, and bilingual materials. In some instances, a paid community champion helped to recruit Spanish-speaking participants to support a holistic community approach. By using a community-centric approach in plan and strategy development, local governments increase community “buy-in” and experience less financial push-back to support implementation strategies. This deliberate participatory approach attracts diverse sectors of the community, demonstrates a commitment to inclusive community engagement, and informs long-term, equitable, community-oriented solutions. The insights gained from this work will be invaluable in other projects and offers a blueprint for replicating similar projects in other communities.