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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI)

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Social equity and climate change are deeply intertwined. Environmental injustice and climate change, directly and indirectly, impact frontline communities the hardest. By broadening our understanding and vision at this nexus, Thrive@EC looks forward to partnering with allied groups at EwingCole. Both DEI@EC and Women@EC were established to create and promote equity within firm operations and programs, and the Thrive@EC team builds upon that work.

Thrive@EC’s mission is to build sustainability resources and education to support projects and operations.

DEI@EC strives to promote diverse perspectives and viewpoints, and ensure fair treatment and equal opportunity both within EwingCole’s employment structure, as well as externally with the firm’s partners and clients.

Women@EC’s mission is to create a collaborative network of women at EwingCole who influence peers, inspire growth, and realize potential for lasting cultural change.

Over the past year Thrive@EC has laid the groundwork for our Social Equity in Design (SEID) Initiative. SEID examines the intersection of the built environment, the effects of environmental degradation, and human rights to ensure the fair treatment and involvement of all people, including building occupants, those working in construction, community neighbors, and those involved in the material supply chain. While social equity has always been a part of the larger umbrella of sustainability, it is often less of a focus than its counterparts, partly because of its difficulty to measure. Our SEID initiative seeks to take a holistic look at equity within the building arts industry and identify areas for positive impact.

Social equity in design strives to distinguish impact far beyond the typical bounds of project design. The material supply chain is one of the far-reaching tendrils that connects the health of people and ecosystems around the globe to projects in our backyards. As a first approach to this breadth, we will identify ways to increase equity within product specifications. This research will explore international standards and product certifications that support frontline communities and fragile ecosystems, those most impacted by climate change and environmental degradation. Environmental racism and forced labor are shockingly prevalent in material supply chains, and this SEID effort will help us ensure that we are specifying products that avoid these harmful practices.

Product specification is just one approach to SEID, and as this initiative grows, we look forward to collaborating with DEI@EC to identify a project’s potential impact on community equity.

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