Environmental Careers Organization of Canada

Published purpose

This 26-month-project will support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19, through systemic change. Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO) will do this by developing community-based approaches to addressing intersectional barriers to women's equality and by promoting women's rights. ECO will work with engineering and environmental sector organizations to raise awareness among leaders and their members about gender bias and discrimination against women. ECO and its partners will establish a steering committee and undertake research to fill gaps in diversity and inclusion data and compile best policies and practices. An awareness campaign will be launched to share success stories and inform about women's leadership in the environmental sectors. It will develop a toolkit of resources and prevention focused initiatives to address gender-based discrimination and violence for organizations to implement a diversity and inclusion program. An online platform and networking tool that will facilitate peer support and mentoring for women aspiring to leadership roles will be created as well. Women and girls with lived experience will participate in the initiatives while men and youth will be engaged to address gender norms and advance gender equality in the workplace. Reconciliation and distinction-based approaches will be promoted for Indigenous women and girls. At the completion of the project, a final report will be produced. At the end of the project, the organization will have contributed to addressing systemic barriers by advancing inclusive policies and practices, encouraging more equitable and effective sharing of resources, increasing networks and collaboration to accelerate systemic change, supporting positive distribution of authority, voices and decision-making power, addressing persistent harmful gender norms and attitudes to support women’s equality.