Resources
We believe that learning is essential to transformation.
So we have pulled together a working archive of some of our favorite readings, activities, media and tips & tools. As we learn about and gather more resources, we will upload them here. You can filter by subject and then resource type below (activities, media, readings, tips & tools).
Intersectionality: a fun guide
Miraim Dobson’s comic provides an explanation of intersectionality through a comic.
View here.
The Confidence Gap
A growing body of research shows that women are less “confident” than men: they are less likely to apply for jobs for which they are qualified, they are less likely to negotiate salaries, and they are less likely to seek promotions (among other things). The article concludes with some recommendations to close what the authors have coined “the confidence gap.”
Read here.
“Why don’t black people go camping…?” Critical Whiteness Studies in Environmental Education
Breeze discusses the racialization of the wilderness and its impact on perceptions of wilderness within black communities through the term and “racialized ecological identity.” The article also challenges the concept of colorblindness and ultimately, how to transform environmental education to be more culturally responsive to different ecological identities.
Read here. (July 17, 2009)
Pathways Issue 15: Social Differences, Justice, and Outdoor Education
This issue of Pathways, the Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, contains five articles that cover the range from cultural appropriation of indigenous artifacts by summer camps (i.e., the totem pole phenomenon), to designing adventure for the differently abled, to the myth of an untouched and pristine “wilderness.” Every article is short, interesting, and non-academic, and would be great field reads during a trip.
DownloadGreen 2.0: The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations
This 2014 report has been the impetus for the nationwide effort in the environmental sector to dedicate resources to diversity and inclusion. In this report, Dr. Dorceta Taylor studied 191 conservation and preservation organizations, 74 government environmental agencies, 28 environmental grant-making foundations, and 21 environmental professionals. The report concludes that there is a significant gender and ethnic gap in the ranks of environmental organizations, a gap that needs to be addressed if the movement is to remain relevant in a nation with rapidly shifting demographics.
Read here.
The green insider’s club
This executive summary on the findings of Green 2.0, Dorceta Taylor’s initial report on the lack of diversity in the environmental movement and recommendations for making change, recommends that organizations focus on tracking and transparency, accountability, and allocating more resources. The report finds that foundations and the Obama administration are leading the way on diversity efforts, but that the nonprofit sector is lagging behind. Among the problems are unconscious bias, discrimination, and insular recruiting.
Read here.
Explaining white privilege to a broke white person
Crosley-Corcoran starts to untangle racial and class privilege; while they are related, Crosley-Corcoran states that one does not negate the other. This essay is a helpful read for folks who are grappling with the concept of White privilege, especially those who come from economic disadvantage who experience shame, anger, or guilt or resentment when faced with the concept.
Read here.
Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism
Written by a white-identified professor of critical multicultural and social justice education, this essay describes the challenges to talking about racism with white people. DiAngelo describes the patterns that make it difficult for people to come to grips with being part of a system of oppression that has historically privileged them. Written honestly and from personal experience, this article validates white peoples’ discomfort and urges them to sit with the discomfort to learn.
Read here.
The abrasiveness trap: High-achieving men and women are described differently in reviews
In a study of 248 performance reviews from 28 companies from large technology corporations to small startups, a researcher found that only 58.9% of men’s reviews contained critical feedback, while an overwhelming 87.9% of the reviews received by women did. “Abrasive” alone was used 17 times to describe 13 different women, but the word never appeared in men’s reviews. This article is a useful way to interrupt our gender biases in evaluating our peers, supervisors, and employees.
Read here.
Changing the social climate: How global warming affects economic justice, . . .
This piece provides an explanations for how what was then called “global warming” (now climate change) is not only an environmental issue, but a social justice issue.
Read here. (2006)