BRIDGING THE GAP VALUES OUR DIVERSE COMMUNITY

Our commitment to the health of the environment in the greater Kansas City region is based on our commitment to the health of people who live here. To honor this commitment, we are fully committed to inclusion and equity.

Historically, environmental policies, recommendations, and resources have not been equitable, sustainable, or accessible to everyone. The injustices imposed on individuals in the past and present will provide context for future action. Our pursuit of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion recognizes that the negative impacts of the environment disproportionately hurt the most vulnerable in our region.

We are committed to building deep, accountable relationships with people who live in under-resourced communities and asking how our programs/policies/actions impact and benefit individuals who live there. We will actively engage people from disinvested neighborhoods to strive for equitable and inclusive decision making and power sharing to ensure people in these communities are valued, heard, respected, and empowered.

We are laser-focused on inclusivity and representation in our work and embracing voices from under-resourced communities to address the environmental challenges faced by Kansas City area neighborhoods. We encourage our community partners, businesses, organizations, and educational institutions to address equity. Our staff is committed to working internally and challenging each other to think boldly about equity.