George Washington University
IN-39: Sustainability Office Diversity Program

The Office of Sustainability is committed to creating a more inclusive sustainability community at GW, starting with our own team. The Office of Sustainability collaborates with Human Resources to post open positions. As part of that process, the Office of Sustainability posts positions on websites and with networks that are more inclusive and/or directly address diversity and sustainability such as the Environmental Leadership Program and the local District of Columbia Green Fellows Program Green Careers DC Group.

Additionally, with feedback from experts at the GW Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office incorporates more inclusive language into job openings for student staff and takes a more active approach to identifying students who are good candidates but may not have seen the application. Language like "relevant experience is not limited to research experience in the sustainability field but can also include job experience or classroom experience in environmental science, business, or social science" helps to encourage students with a diverse set of skills and applicable experiences to apply for internships.

https://elpnet.org/what-we-do
https://doee.dc.gov/service/green-fellows
https://www.facebook.com/groups/223689644750214/
https://mssc.gwu.edu/

In partnership with Facilities, Planning, and Construction Management, the Office of Sustainability joins training created in collaboration with GW Diversity and Inclusion and GW Human Resources to provide training that falls into the categories of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. The Office of Sustainability requires its team to particpate in the training. The Office of Sustainability staff are also required to participate in GW's annual Diversity Summit.

The Office of Sustainability has worked with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement (ODECE) to lead presentation sessions at the annual Diversity Summit to explore topics related to climate change and environmental justice. These sessions have traditionally featured staff and faculty at GW that are working to engage or advocate for underrepresentated and underresourced communities in and around the District of Columbia. For the 2023 Diversity Summit, the Office of Sustainability partnered with ODECE to provide wheatstraw-based reusable cutlery sets for each attendee. The cutlery sets represent GW's ongoing commitment to eliminate single-use plastics from campus, a policy introduced in part to limit the disproportionate impacts of oil extraction, petrochemical refinement, and other plastic-related pollution on communities of color and low-income and marginalized populations.

Several positions in the Office of Sustainability have direct responsibility for equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and social justice. As part of their formal job duties, the Sustainability Engagement Lead is repsonsbile for mentoring students in and managing the Office of Sustainability's social and environmental justice program called the Eco-Equity Challenge. Through this Sustainable GW partnership, the GW Office of Sustainabilty, the Nashman Center for Civic Engagement, and the Provost's Office designed and staff a co-curricular and curricular program specifically for students that addresses environmental justice in the Washington, DC community. The teaching and mentoring team on staff are responsible for coordinating closely to ensure that students have the support to create projects that are community-based, founded on an community asset-based approach, address equity issues in a sustainable way, and provide an experience that is inclusive of diverse perspectives and participants.

Additionally, the Sustainability Project Manager position in the Office of Sustainability manages the implementation and monitors progress of projects that improve the university’s impact on ecosystems in an urban setting, with the intent to enhance social equity and environmental justice. This position descriptions requires the person in the role to have a solid understanding of sustainable development, social and environmental responsibility, stakeholder engagement, and local community development, all of which are essential skills for the equity, inclusion, environmental justice, and social justice components of the job. For example, the person in this role facilitates the university's climate resilience planning process with a keen focus on energy and food equity on campus and in the Washington, DC community.