To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;
To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources;
To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
- Sierra Club Mission Statement, approved 6/20/1981
The Sierra Club is working to become an organization that reflects the demographics of the country and of the communities in which we work. In order for the Sierra Club to fulfill its mission and be a leader in the progressive movement, we are committed to celebrating diversity, ensuring inclusion, and prioritizing equity in all we do.
We believe all people deserve a healthy planet with clean air and water and a stable climate. We know though that so long as our economy runs on fossil fuels, this vision is threatened, and acutely so for many low income communities and communities of color. The public health toll to frontline communities - those most impacted by fossil fuels - is unacceptable. We know now, this injustice also threatens our climate. The Sierra Club believes diversity, equity, and inclusion, are critical to a transition to a clean energy economy. We strive to build a movement that reflects, supports, cultivates, and builds leadership that not only protects and strengthens communities affected by pollution and environmental degradation, but also helps prevent the worst outcomes and impacts of climate change for all of us.
In Los Angeles, we are working with Angelenos from every corner of the city to equitably transition the largest public utility in the country to 100 percent clean energy. It’s in that spirit that Los Angeles took a great step forward yesterday by adopting the Equity Metrics Initiative, an effort to begin to collect and measure equity throughout the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). Data will include participation in clean energy programs, contracting and hiring, outage rates, and much more. It’s a first step towards weaving equity into the fabric of the utility.
The DWP Equity Metrics Data Initiative is also a meaningful step to increase public trust and transparency at the DWP. The Sierra Club supports integrating equity into all aspects of the utility’s daily operations. These metrics give policy makers the tools to make better informed decisions, and ensure DWP is serving the diverse communities of Los Angeles fairly. We applaud the DWP for stepping up to meet the challenge.
Looking ahead, gathering to data is just the first step. Future decisions, ranging from infrastructure plans to clean energy programs and more need to be measured by whether they help enhance equity. To make the program fully work, this initiative will need to be funded and staffed to be effective. The first report back with data will happen in February of 2017. That’s a good time to check back and make sure these are the right metrics to track and begin to think about how to apply the data to address inequity in LA.
For now, this is a great step forward and yet another reminder of the leadership cities like Los Angeles can provide. This was the result of leadership from a range of organizations: the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education, California Housing Partnership, the Watts Neighborhood Council, Environmental Defense Fund, and many more. We appreciate the strong support and leadership from Board members like Bill Funderburk and the new General Manager David Wright as well.
As we continue the transition to clean energy, these indicators will give the public the data to advocate for their communities, and to ensure that frontline communities, who have borne the brunt of the fossil fuel economy, are seeing the benefits of the clean energy economy in their communities.