I grew personally by seeing how important it is to uplift and empower others. I also better learned how to ask for help, lead projects, and manage my own time. 

 

I was able to attend some Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion meetings at WWF, which inspired me to think more critically about how environmental organizations can better incorporate justice topics and be more equitable. For instance, having mentorship programs and paying interns can help improve diversity and equity within an organization. When it came to getting involved with environmental justice, it was brought up that many large  and small environmental organizations compete for the same grants and funding and that larger organizations like WWF may be inadvertently hurting environmental justice organizations by taking these funds. A big takeaway from these meetings that I have carried into my own environmental justice work through the house course is how important it is to have conversations around justice equity that will result in concrete actions, not just more conversations. It's also important to recognize that communities have been fighting for environmental justice since the 1960's and, while it may seem new to many people who were not previously aware of the links between the environment and justice, there are many amazing organizations working to address these issues that should be supported and it may not be best for environmental groups that do not have a history of address environmental justice to start to work in that sphere, especially if they would seek education or guidance from smaller justice organizations, increasing their burdens. 

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