A different kind of intersectionality

When we think about the environment, what comes to mind??

• Do we think of some of our favorite places around the world??
• Do we think about how our planet protects and sustains us??
• Do we think of environmental crises like flammable water in Flint, Michigan; oil spills washing up on our coastline; or heat waves, the deadliest environmental killer, affecting the elderly the most??
• Or do we think, “That’s not relevant to me?”?

Several times in my career when I’ve discussed environmental sustainability with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) professionals, I’ve unfortunately heard the latter.??

As DEI professionals, it is our duty to consider the environmental factors of the stakeholders we serve.?

What’s interesting is just how interconnected DEI and environmental sustainability are. What comes to mind first is how both DEI and environmental sustainability fall under the environmental, social and governance (ESG) umbrella, which includes critical non-financial factors affecting a company’s performance. Each pillar of ESG intersects and is reliant on the other two pillars. And secondly, I think of how interwoven these factors have been in decision-making at UPS.?

For example, whenever UPS leadership considers a large purchase, whether it’s land for a new sorting facility or a fleet of new vehicles, we intentionally invite diverse stakeholders from a variety of business, community and local municipal interests to the table. Input from different perspectives helps us properly serve our multigenerational workforce, detect reputational risks better and make more strategic business decisions.??

When we broaden our perspective to a societal scale, there’s a strong connection between racial justice and our environment – it’s called environmental justice. As professionals committed to equity, we must realize that the people most affected globally by environmental issues like air pollution, water contamination and climate change are marginalized populations. As DEI professionals, it is our duty to consider the environmental factors of the stakeholders we serve.??

Some quick facts:?

• 85% of investors, 90% of insurers and 91% of banks monitor their companies’ ESG factors.?
• Low-income neighborhoods often have limited trees, leading to an increased risk of asthma and a lower life expectancy (up to 13 years) compared to higher income neighborhoods. Currently, The UPS Foundation is supporting The Nature Conservancy's Green Heart project to study how trees affect health outcomes like asthma.??
• Low-income households spend 2.5 times more of their income on energy than high-income households.??
• More than half of the people living close to hazardous waste are minorities.??
• Based on socioeconomic and environmental factors, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, Black and Indigenous Americans all have higher COVID-19 death rates than that of White and Asian Americans.?
• 87% of Millennials and 94% of Gen Z believe companies should help address social and environmental issues, which is not far from 86% of the general population prioritizing these issues. In fact, 31% of Gen Z would turn down roles from a company with poor ESG performance.?

Let’s start building environmental intersectionality into DEI discussions – and vice versa.?

So how can you consider both social and environmental factors in your everyday decisions???

• Learn more about ESG and how you can make a difference through this ESG 101 article and this Project Drawdown course.?
• Support youth that will experience the effects of climate change like extreme heat and rising sea levels head on.?
• For UPSers, join or lead an environmental justice project with the Sustainability Trailblazers.?
• Look out for ESG one-pagers from The UPS Foundation, UPS’s DEI team and UPS’s environmental sustainability team coming soon!?

We are now better incorporating intersectionality into DEI discussions when it comes to ethnicity, gender, identity, and disability or veteran status. Let’s start building environmental intersectionality into DEI discussions – and vice versa – to adequately weigh how an employee, customer or other stakeholder’s environment impacts their daily life. This helps us serve our stakeholders more holistically.?