Metro Detroit's environmental organizations are largely white. Some are working to change that.

Smart Air is a social enterprise in Beijing that educates people about clean air and debunks myths about expensive air purifiers marketed by large corporations. Smart Air instead offers effective products at a more affordable price, making clean air more accessible.

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.

The nonprofit Black to the Land Coalition is working to expose more members of BIPOC communities to outdoor activities and the healthy benefits that come with being nature. They have partnered with other organizations to help alleviate costs and they’ve done activities like archery, camping, and kayaking. “We’re creating opportunities for Black and brown people to engage in natural spaces beyond the playscapes and basketball courts,” says one of the founders. “We’re taking on the outdoor world, period.”

A Mongolian man named Ulziitogtork transformed a former granite mine that was filled with rubbish into a park/community center for children that sits on top of an artificial lake. Children used to play in the mine, which presented a real health risk, but now they can use the park to boat, ice skate, watch movies over the lake, and learn about Mongolian culture. Ulziitogtork considers it a work in progress and is counting on the local government to address the pollution and infrastructure problems that led to the park's creation, but already provides fun for over 6,000 children a year.

The largely homogenous demographic of those working in conservation contributes to disparities in representation, which in turn can lead to issues like the Flint water crises. Now several organizations, including the Alliance for the Great Lakes in Cleveland and the Environmental Fellows program at the University of Michigan, are working to include the diverse voices of different races, ages, and backgrounds in the conversation.

The WTREX program runs prescribed burn camps to provide hands-on training for Indigenous women. This training allows them to reclaim parts of their culture and bring cultural burns back to their land in a safe learning environment.

A lack of diversity in the environment and conservation sector has been well calculated, documented and established, but the story doesn't end there. Many groups across the U.S are looking to not just recruit a more diverse population, but actually change organizational culture. "“We learned we need to be intentional about change, not just well-intended,” Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society explains, as one group working to achieve this change.

As tourism activity increases on the trails throughout Colorado and crowds of mountain bikers flock to the Gunnison Valley area, a group born out of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association has formed to act as a boots on the ground type of coalition. From trail maintenance to educating newcomers on proper trail etiquette, the Crested Butte Conservation Corps have taken matters into their own hands.

Thanks to years of government intervention, the city of Copenhagen has almost perfectly clean water — even better than bottled water. Denmark utilizes overflow barriers, underground water storage, and rerouted wastewater to keep their public water sources clean. Public awareness and a water tax also contribute to the city's success so that residents conserve and value their water (using only 26 gallons a day as opposed to the 80-100 gallons that Americans use).

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.