Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

Our watershed is shared by more than 18 million people, and it is more diverse than ever. Why does this matter for CBF? Put simply, we believe everyone has the right to clean water and a saved Bay where they can live, work, and play safely. Unfortunately, not everyone experiences this privilege.

That’s why we’re committed to intentionally increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in our own organization and throughout the Chesapeake Bay restoration effort.

Intolerance and hate make saving the Bay harder. They destroy the collective spirit and social fabric that are absolutely essential to implement the scale and scope of efforts necessary to reduce pollution and restore the Bay. They also undermine why we are saving the Bay. Our work for clean water is focused on improving the health and well-being of our communities—clean water means little if its benefits are only reserved for a few.

We know it’s not enough to just have empathy for those who experience intolerance, hate, and systemic barriers to their well-being. We’re committed to making the changes we want to see, starting with our own organization.

To increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will:

• Recruit and retain a staff, board, and membership that reflect the diversity of people living within the Chesapeake Bay region;
   
• Strengthen and broaden the diversity of our partnerships;
   
• Celebrate and value the diversity of staff; and
   
• Fight to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment.

What Do We Mean When We Say Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ)?

Diversity: The vast array of different races, ethnicities, genders, ages, cultures, perspectives, incomes, and countless other characteristics that make the more than 18 million people who live in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed unique as communities and individuals.

Equity: Recognizing that these differences shape how we experience the world and the watershed, including systemic advantages or barriers in accessing resources and opportunities—for example, access to clean water and air, green spaces, environmental education, careers in science and environmental organizations, and participation in public decision-making processes, to name a few—and intentionally making resources and opportunities available to everyone according to their need so each person has a fair chance to thrive.

Inclusion: Ensuring a sense of belonging, value, safety, and respect for all. This means actively and meaningfully engaging, celebrating, and amplifying the voices, perspectives, and needs of those who, due to their identities, have been systemically excluded from and underrepresented in the decision-making processes, institutions, and civic movements affecting the environmental and social well-being of their communities.

Justice: Working actively to stop environmental injustices that cause disproportionate pollution and harm to the watershed’s communities of color and those that are economically under-resourced, dismantle unfair systems, and support communities to lead and participate in the decision-making processes that affect their environmental and social well-being.
 

Racism Hurts the Bay

Blog Post June 5, 2020
Racism makes saving the Bay harder. It destroys the collective spirit and social fabric that is absolutely essential to implement the scale and scope of efforts necessary to reduce pollution and restore the Bay. More importantly, racism undermines why we are saving the Bay. Clean water improves the health and wellbeing of our communities. Racism destroys our communities. Clean water means little when its benefits are only reserved for a few.

We know it’s not enough to just have empathy for those who experience racism and live with its legacy every day. In our own organization, we have made commitments to make the changes we want to see. We are taking steps, but we have a long way to go.
Read the full blog post

Environmental Justice

CBF is engaged in a multitude of efforts to ensure that communities of people of color or lower income residents aren't disproportionately harmed by pollution and other environmental threats.
Find out more

CBF Environmental Justice Staff Attorney Taylor Lilley was featured in an April 2023 Washington Informer article "Environmentalism Has Many Faces." From the article:

On supporting community voices: “A lot of the work that we’ve done can be traced back to just people paying attention and refusing to be shut out of spaces—people supporting other community members, people not ignoring each other. Not everything has to be legal intervention. Sometimes support, advocacy and paying attention is just as important as being able to actually file a comment letter.”

Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?

In May 2022, an article by CBF Vice President of Litigation Jon Mueller and Environmental Justice Staff Attorney Taylor Lilley was published in the Public Interest Law Review. "Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?" examines the history of environmental justice (or EJ) primarily through the lens of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House, and evaluates the progress made in terms of regulations and permitting. It also examines recent administrative and judicial decisions addressing EJ claims and, in conclusion, provides recommendations for ways in which EJ issues can be better presented and addressed. Read the article

Agricultural Equity

Decades of systemic barriers have blocked pathways to land ownership, capital, assistance, and other programs for immigrant, refugee, tribal, and BIPOC communities. CBF recognizes the need for agricultural equity and has made it an important aspect of our efforts to work with local farmers. In conjunction with our on-the-ground efforts, CBF has also developed resource guides for beginning farmers in Pennsylvania and Maryland for finding assistance with loans, marketing, business development, conservation funding, equipment, and other needs.

Education Equity

Many students miss out on the benefits of nature because they lack access to outdoor learning experiences. Environmental education cannot be limited to textbooks and lessons within the walls of the classroom. That’s why CBF is committed to providing education programs that get students outside, that support teachers in using the environment as a context for learning, and that empower school leaders to embed environmental education into their curriculum. CBF partners with public and independent school systems across the Chesapeake Bay watershed in rural, suburban, and urban communities ensuring that our programming is accessible to all. Through equitable pricing, thoughtful recruiting efforts, and partnership building, CBF ensures our programming is accessible to under-resourced communities.

DEIJ In Action

Following are stories about how we are putting our beliefs into action in our local communities.