Friends of the Earth wins diversity and inclusion award

Friends of the Earth has won the ‘Environment and Conservation Board of the Year’ award at The Board Awards.

The awards, hosted by the inclusive recruitment company, Diversifying Group, celebrate diverse boards in the not-for-profit sector that positively impact the communities they serve.

Frances Butler and Eva Neitzert, Co-Chairs of Friends of the Earth, said:

“We’re delighted that our work to put equality and inclusion at the heart of the board’s agenda is being recognised.

“It’s no secret that the environmental sector has much work to do in becoming truly inclusive.

“We strongly believe that a more representative board makes better decisions and that, ultimately, benefits the communities we serve. As an organisation we are taking steps towards building a bigger, bolder and more inclusive environmental justice network.

“The impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises won’t be felt equally across our communities here in the UK or globally.

“We mustn’t leave anyone behind in the fight for our climate. More than just a moral imperative, we simply can’t afford to – we need valuable insights and wisdom from diverse communities if we’re to achieve the fair and transformative change we wish to see.”

Friends of the Earth’s board has put in place processes to prioritise diversity and inclusion across recruitment, governance and the whole organisation. These include creating a new role for a ‘youth board member’ in 2019, appointing Jeana Malhi, who stepped up to become vice chair in March this year, and taking part in equality, diversity and inclusion, and anti-racism training.

The board recently appointed ‘co-chairs’, mirroring the job-share of the organisation's co-executive directors, to allow time to meet the demands of a senior role alongside caring responsibilities.

ENDS

Notes:

Friends of the Earth environmental justice research shows how people of colour and marginalised communities are most impacted by the climate and nature crisis, including pollution, extreme heat and exclusion from green spaces.