Environmental justice is inseparable from social and racial justice. In our fight against climate change, the Ithaca 2030 District is firmly committed to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the building industry and in the local community. On this page, we will share the latest progress of our ongoing initiative for social and racial justice, as well as helpful DEI resources for our stakeholders and members.
- The Ithaca 2030 District Statement on Social Justice and the Built Environment – Released November 2, 2020
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment, Hiring and Retention – Released September 28, 2017 by the Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN)
- The Ithaca 2030 District Advisory Board at its March 2021 meeting engaged in a discussion of issues raised by Lotte Schlegel, Executive Director of the Institute for Market Transformation, in a brief essay on diversity and racism in the buildings sector. Here is an excerpt:
“Transformational change is never easy. As I noted earlier this year, I believe that disruption creates opportunity for growth… When it comes to dismantling systemic racism, it is on our profession – and its majority white population – to do the growing and heaving lifting for more equitable, transformative change. We stand alongside those demanding action and are committed to doing better.”
Read the full essay here.
- Taitem Engineering, one of the founding members of the Ithaca 2030 District, supports diversity in their purchasing decisions. Here is Taitem’s Vendor List of Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBE), shared at the March 2021 Advisory Board meeting.
- New York State Directory of M/WBE
- New York State Goal and Requirements for M/WBE
- Demographic Information about Tompkins County
- Cornell University houses a diverse community of students, faculty and staff. Check out these resources to get involved:
- The Urban Land Institute has a good collection of DEI resources focused on land use and the built environment here.
- ULI-Los Angeles webinar on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Built Environment
