Black to the Land Coalition connects Detroit's BIPOC communities with the outdoors

Chispa Arizona is working to encourage members of the Latino community to spend time outdoors. The environmental justice organization created “entry points,” or free outdoor activities each month that anyone can attend like hiking, community gardening, and park clean-ups. There has been some hesitation from people attending these events, but one member says these experiences are necessary so they can educate others about the importance of green spaces.

A mother-daughter trio started the nonprofit See You at the Top as a way to get children engaged in outdoor sports where there is traditionally a lack of people of color represented. The program has reached hundreds of families who have participated in activities like skiing, snowboarding, and biking. "As a culture, we distance ourselves from these activities and say that's not what we do, but we have to begin to see ourselves in these outdoor spaces and know it is something we can all do and enjoy together," said one of the cofounders.

Platte Farm Open Space used to be a garbage dumping ground in Denver, but it’s now an urban green space thanks to the efforts from community members, organizations, and the government. This community-led project was able to secure funding to replace the contaminated land with fresh soil that now attracts animals and includes walking paths and a playground for children. This project offers lessons on how to build a green space in a diverse neighborhood and the health benefits that come from such an initiative.

An indigenous-led nonprofit group called Tonibung installed a micro-hydro electrical system for a village deep in Borneo’s rainforests. The project not only supplied much-needed energy for the villagers of Kampung Buayan, but it is also protecting the surrounding ecosystems, creating jobs for people, and encouraging youth to get involved. “We want to advocate for native rights to self-determination and empower indigenous groups to choose the kind of development that meets the aspirations of their people,” says the founder of the organization.

In the North Luangwa National Park in Zambia, a conservation team worked with local communities to bring the rate of elephant poaching in the area down to zero in 2018. Poaching had surged in the Luangwa Valley in 2014, and since then the group has protected the elephants by placing the decision-making and benefit-reaping in the hands of the community members. They use financial incentives to stir the economy without depending on poaching money, work with the government to revise policies that redirect any income for the area to benefit the residents, and they patrol the park for any poachers.

As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th Anniversary, employees and rangers are turning their attention towards maximizing diversity and increasing a culture of inclusiveness amongst park visitors and employees. From taking a concrete political stance to recruiting a diverse group of celebrity park ambassadors, the national parks hope to bridge the gaps between what America looks like and the story our parks tell of our history.

In 2009, a woman in Oakland, California realized that there was a lack of African Americans in the outdoors. Tired of being the "only one," she created an online social space via blogging and Facebook called Outdoor Afro to connect African-Americans with other African-Americans that wanted to enhance their time in nature. Six years later, this group has grown to international status with 7,000 members and 30 trained leaders that join together to get out in nature.

The basketball academy in Queens teaches basketball and English language skills to Spanish-speaking immigrant children. The academy helps youth navigate culture shock, bullying and the lack of community they may feel when they first arrive in the country, while ensuring they still maintain a sense of their parents’ language and culture.

The nonprofit Coombs Outdoors runs summer and winter camps for youth to experience and learn about the outdoors. The camps are in high demand because of the affordable price made possible by donor subsidies.

Queer activists and organizers are centering their identity in the environmental justice movement. They form part of a growing movement that doesn't exclude their queer identity in the fight against climate change. Some examples of this work include "Queer Nature," a community where queer people can reconnect with nature. Another example is the "Queer Ecojustice Project," which addresses how queer perspectives were ignored by the environmental movement. This article presents several other examples of the intersection of queer identity with the environmental movement.