Giving Compass' Take:

• David Riera discusses the importance of social equality as it relates to environmental conservation. 

• Communities that are impacted the most by severe environmental issues are often left out of the conversation. Volunteering for environmental causes is one way to make your voice heard.

• Learn more about the breadth of environmental issues in this guide for donors.

Social equality — or the lack thereof — has played a deciding role in how communities identify, thrive, survive, or die. Every community — from the veteran community to the conservation community — has to actively find those voices that have been left out of the conversation, and empower them to be heard.

As I reflect on the works of African American legends like Dr. King, George Washington Carver, the Buffalo Soldiers, and other personal heroes of mine, I am prompted to be mindful where social, economic, and environmental justice for all can (and needs to) be intertwined.

Volunteering with the National Parks Conservation Association through The Mission Continues Fellowship Program catapulted me into my desired field: environmental conservation.

Now as a veteran, scientist, and conservationist, I’ve begun to think more about the social dynamics of conservation.

The environmental movement is not solely an interest of the socially or financially privileged. While diversity is at the forefront of numerous organizational inclusion programing, I still sense a cultural vulnerability where we are still not entirely part of this dynamic and green conversation, but we want to be!

Read the full article about the battle for (bio)diversity by David Riera at Mission Continues Blog.