I recently started as the full-time Diverse Sustainability Initiative Support at IEMA and am really pleased to see how far the initiative has come in such a short space of time. What’s particularly great is that colleagues, both at IEMA and DSI partner organisations, have been really supportive and open to hearing how I want to shape my role and the wider initiative.
The purpose of DSI is to improve the diversity of the the sustainability profession and wider environment sector. A 2017 report from NUS, IEMA and the Equality Trust found it to be the second least diverse out of 202 professions in the UK. It also found that 3.1 per cent of environment professionals identify as minorities compared to 19.9 per cent in all occupations.
Clearly recruitment of people from diverse backgrounds is a massive challenge for our whole community to come together to address. There is already a clear commitment from the sector to do just that, with the DSI having already hosted two meetings with CEOs from DSI partner organisations, where we discussed how their respective organisations can be at the leading edge of improving diversity in sustainability.
Only a few months ago, the DSI had just 14 partner organisations. Today, we stand at an incredible 51 partners, covering the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. If you would like your organisation to become a partner, please do get in contact by emailing me. We want to make sure we are speaking to as broad a spectrum of the wider community as possible.
As part of our effort to include the IEMA community in the DSI, IEMA’s CEO Sarah Mukherjee started a POC (People of Colour) Professionals Network. Our first meeting, which I am convening, is set for Tuesday 12 October 2021. I would absolutely encourage you to attend if you are an environment or sustainability professional and a Person of Colour, and let your colleagues know if you think they may be interested. You can sign up to the network here, and we will send out email invitations in due course.
In terms of next steps, we will be talking a lot about Black environmentalists during Black History Month in October, and you will see more about this on DSI’s Twitter and Instagram. With racial justice as our first focus, we will be moving soon to incorporate other marginalised communities into our work, such as LGBTQIA+ people.
Please do follow DSI on social media, share our content, and tell your colleagues about us so we can improve the diversity of our professional sector and help to accelerate the transition to a net zero economy.
Subscribe
Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.
Posted on 16th September 2021
Written by Caris Graham
Latest Posts
-
Launch of new resource for conservation technology tools
- 11th July 2024 -
Natural Capital 101: Guide for Sustainability Professionals
- 9th July 2024 -
Analysing the manifesto pledges of Plaid Cymru, the Scottish National Party, and Reform UK
- 24th June 2024 -
Join the Sustainable Finance Network Steering Group
- 19th June 2024 -
Sustainable Finance Insight Journal Volume 2: Disclosure, Transparency and Reporting in Sustainable Finance
- 19th June 2024 -
Labour sets out plans for Great British Energy at manifesto launch
- 13th June 2024