Companies often struggle with building community trust as they navigate between profit-making and authentically engaging on climate change and environmental justice matters.

Last week at GreenBiz Group’s virtual conference and expo on stimulating the clean economy, VERGE 20, community leaders and businesses from across the country came together to network, share insights and explore solutions to these challenges.

During the panel "Connecting Communities to the Clean Economy," experts shared their experiences working with private companies, their fights for green jobs and why businesses need to think of themselves as part of the community. The talk featured two women of color and leaders within the environmental and economic justice movement: Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE (founded as the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park); and Rahwa Ghirmatzion, executive director of PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing); with Heather Clancy, editorial director at GreenBiz, acting as moderator.

PUSH Buffalo is a nonprofit grassroots community organization working to build and execute a comprehensive revitalization plan for West Buffalo’s West Side. This stimulus plan includes affordable housing rehabilitation, building weatherization and other green infrastructure projects. UPROSE is Brooklyn's foremost Latinx community organization. Its work involves community organizing, supporting sustainable development and community-led climate adaptation in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Panelists explained how their community organizations and business partners have successfully collaborated in the past. The conversation provided an insight into how companies can understand the communities they serve, the area they’re in and the people they employ. Communicating genuinely and authentically listening are two key components. Here are four key takeaways:

  1.  To build real, authentic community trust, businesses must be willing to listen to community concerns and respond with effective community-oriented solutions.
  2. Private entities should think of themselves as community members and view local residents as political and economic partners.
  3. Businesses and developers need to embrace resilient thinking rather than viewing job creation and profit-making as their key goals.
  4. Companies can use their communications resources to showcase community climate activists' voices and a voice in the fight for a just transition.

Read the full article about businesses can connect with communities by Marian Jones at GreenBiz.