While ECOSS primarily serves immigrant/refugee communities of color, we recognize that there are other social identities within and without these communities that experience greater or lesser degrees of environmental injustice. We do not see environmental justice as a competition. When one community suffers, everyone suffers. With this in mind, ECOSS’s mission relies on considering the experiences of those most impacted within our society, even when they fall outside our immediate service community. This is accomplished through building close relationships with other community-based organizations, using research and training to educate ourselves on the impacts to other under-resourced communities, and promoting well-being across communities. We must move in solidarity with the immigrant/refugee communities who have been the most historically oppressed, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, Muslim, Disabled, LGBTQIA2S+, and women.
Theory of Change
By connecting immigrant and refugee communities with resources and opportunities to mitigate environmental harm and engage in the fight against climate change, ECOSS can cultivate a society that is just, sustainable, and equitable. By providing language access, leadership development, culturally informed resource navigation and technical assistance, as well as opportunities to influence how public policy is implemented, ECOSS can remove barriers that prevent community members from thriving in their own homes and neighborhoods.
Mission
ECOSS is devoted to promoting environmental justice and sustainability in an effort to build immigrant and refugee communities that can shape their environmental futures.
We accomplish this by:
- Promoting connections with nature to build community, foster healing, and integrate ancestral knowledge into environmental practices
- Creating inclusive spaces and opportunities that engage, connect, and empower communities
- Leading environmental stewardship efforts through sustainable resource use, community-led conservation, ecosystem restoration, and partnership collaboration
- Advocating for communities on the frontlines of environmental challenges and climate change impacts; centering their experiences and needs
Vision
We envision rooted and thriving communities that live, work, play, and learn in a healthy environment, regardless of identity, socioeconomic class, culture, and immigration/refugee status.
In this vision, we see that all people:
- Have capacity to embody and pass on ancestral knowledge of environmentally sustainable practices
- Are in respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with the environment – land, air, water, and all their inhabitants
- Have healed from the environmental injustices resulting from long-standing forms of oppression, such as racism, colonialism, and capitalism.
Values
- Inclusive Partnerships & Relationship Building
Building meaningful relationships and collaborating with the communities we serve and partnerships that share our values. - Equity & Justice
Creating an inclusive environment that values and respects diverse perspectives, ensuring all voices, especially those most-impacted by environmental injustices, are heard and represented. - Creativity
Embracing and harnessing community creativity to inspire tailored solutions. - Community Power
Empowering the community to build capacity, tools and knowledge around environmental stewardship, sustainable practices, youth leadership, and climate resilience. - Transparency and accountability
Committing to open communication, community representation in decision-making, feedback channels for continuous improvement, and faithful advocacy for community needs. - Honoring those who came before
Honoring Indigenous and ancestral knowledge, recognizing the profound connection these communities have with the land, and integrating this wisdom into our environmental practices.