Hi, We're Girl + Environment

Girl Plus Environment (GPE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and national community founded in 2019 dedicated to sharing educational resources, tools, and information that ignite enthusiasm and active participation among Black + Brown young women, and non-binary individuals in the realm of climate and environmental justice. Our overarching mission is to educate, engage, and empower these individuals to advocate for climate and environmental justice within their own communities. We accomplish this by creating and disseminating free, easily accessible tools, resources, and information through innovative and creative means.

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The inspiration behind the establishment of Girl Plus Environment stems from the realization that there exists a significant lack of awareness surrounding climate and environmental issues within Black and Brown communities. This knowledge gap has resulted in a dearth of representation and inequitable solutions to climate change that fail to address the specific needs of marginalized groups. GPE is dedicated to actively involving and empowering communities that have traditionally been excluded from climate discussions, climate-related work, and most critically, climate-related decision-making processes. Our guiding principle is firmly rooted in the belief that any action or policy regarding us must involve us. We are actively reshaping the climate discourse to foster inclusivity for those disproportionately affected.

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At GPE, our work revolves around the intersection of environmental justice, health equity, and racial justice. Environmental justice, to us, means ensuring fair treatment and meaningful participation of all individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. However, we take a comprehensive approach to defining the environment, considering three fundamental components: the built environment, the earth environment, and the social environment. We recognize that all three of these elements play crucial roles in addressing health disparities, rectifying racial injustices, and enhancing overall quality of life.