Commitments to Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity & Anti-Racism at Upstream
Upstream sparks innovative solutions to plastic pollution by helping businesses and communities shift from single-use to reuse. But for us the problem isn’t just plastic. It’s the “throw-away society” at the root of plastic pollution which also disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. In order to truly realize our vision – to live in a world where both the planet AND people are treated as indisposable – we recognize that the environmental and racial justice movements are inseparable. And the people working to spark solutions need to look like the people living in all the communities we want to serve.
As a predominantly white organization in a historically white movement, we recognize that it will take time, dedicated learning, listening, relationship-building and transforming if we want to meaningfully shift the structural inequities inherent in the larger systems that drive the “throw-away society.”
So while we are committed to sparking sustainable and just solutions, we are also committed to the real work of meaningful change. This work includes public commitment, metrics and accountability toward our goals, and ongoing learning, relationship-building, and allyship. The following reflects these commitments, which are a work in progress, as this work and our learning is ever-evolving and never finished.
Our Journey
The environmental movement has historically been a white movement, with an emphasis on developing policies that cater to white communities. As a new reuse movement launches within the broader environmental movement, it will be essential for reuse activists, organizations, and community groups to recognize the importance of embracing and incorporating equity and justice values into their work. Upstream is no exception.
Upstream was founded by leaders in the US and Canadian Zero Waste movements who were inspiring, accomplished people, but they all came from similar backgrounds - white, college-educated, relatively affluent, politically progressive, and passionate about saving the environment. Oftentimes, Upstream found itself filling a position, contractor role, or board member position with a person that already looked a lot like everyone else in the organization, with all the same attributes.
Once recognized, there was a strong desire to become a multicultural organization representing a diversity of people, background, and experiences - but, we didn’t have a plan. And we didn’t have the right policies or even a shared sense of “why” it was important to do so.
So, in 2018, we hired a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant to help with staff training, hiring and external policies. In 2019 and 2020, we began looking at white supremacy culture habits within our team as we also sought to widen the demographic and experiential diversity of our staff, board, consultants and project partners. For 2021, we codified our commitments into practices to which we hold ourselves accountable as part of our staff evaluation and strategic planning processes.
Four years after beginning our equity and justice journey, Upstream has now prioritized reviewing and updating its existing policies to ensure we’re upholding our commitment of being a multicultural organization. In addition, we are reviewing our overall team culture to understand how we can foster a more inclusive and diverse environment for our employees and external stakeholders alike. This work has been spearheaded by the newly developed internal Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (JEDIA) Committee. Moving forward, the JEDIA Committee will be responsible for leading the strategic planning for all equity and justice work - with the long-term goal of becoming an anti-racist organization.
Our Commitments
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Upstream commits to prioritizing voices and identities that have been underrepresented by using a robust and intentional recruitment process to ensure our job postings and contract opportunities reach underrepresented people.
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Upstream's media platforms will feature voices that are representative of the people of the United States and the rich movements we work in and support.
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Justice, Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism goals are embedded within our project goals and planning – especially with regard to the communities we serve and who benefits from our work.
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Upstream's team culture is inclusive and works to dismantle white supremacy and white bias; team members check in and are held accountable for these values on an ongoing basis.
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Reducing resource consumption and improving production processes can develop more resilient, equitable systems that prioritize long-term sustainability for the economy, people, and the environment.