At Cooler Communities, a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is one where all employees, volunteers and members of collaborating agencies, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education, or disability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.
We’re committed to modeling diversity and inclusion for community-focused small nonprofits and to maintaining an inclusive environment with equitable treatment for all. As an organization dedicated to climate change issues, we recognize the inseparability of climate change and issues of disparate impact on underserved, vulnerable, and environmental justice communities. We acknowledge and affirm the importance of actively engaging in equitable practices in our workplace and in the work that we do.
- To provide informed, authentic leadership for cultural equity, Cooler Communities strives to:
- See diversity, inclusion, and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the communities we serve, particularly the underserved, vulnerable and/or environmental justice communities.
- Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, and services, and continually update and report organization progress.
- Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with inclusiveness.
- Advocate for and support organizational thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization’s work, and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission.
- Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.
- Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all staff to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.
Cooler Communities abides by the following action items to help promote diversity and inclusion in our workplace:
- Pursue cultural competency throughout our organization by creating substantive learning opportunities and formal, transparent policies.
- Periodically assess and publish in our newsletter and on our website our efforts to make incremental, measurable progress toward the visibility of our diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts.
- Improve our cultural leadership pipeline by creating and supporting programs and policies that foster leadership that reflects the diversity of American society.
- Pool resources and expand offerings for underrepresented constituents by connecting with other education and environmental organizations committed to diversity and inclusion efforts.
- Develop a system for being more intentional and conscious of bias during the hiring, promoting, or evaluating process. Learn about “equitable” practices for hiring
- Include a salary range with all public job descriptions.