What does the Educate and Empower stage entail?
The educate and empower stage encourages organisations to work closely with communities to build knowledge and understanding of environmental sustainability. By sharing information and engaging in mutual learning—especially with those who have lived experience of social vulnerabilities—organisations can help communities better understand environmental issues and inequalities. This collaboration fosters trust, supports fairer solutions, and lays the foundation for transparent, just environmental decision-making. Activities might include workshops, school partnerships, community events, and using social media to spread awareness.
By sharing knowledge and learning from each other, both organisations and communities—especially those who are often marginalised—can better understand environmental issues and work together to create fair and effective solutions to environmental inequalities. This will:
- help build trust between communities and organisations.
- support fairer inclusive decision-making through the Environmental Justice Framework.
- empower everyone to take part in creating a more sustainable future.
- Partner with local schools and colleges to support environmental education.
- Help schools educate parents and carers about sustainability.
- Sponsor community events focused on local environmental issues.
- Host workshops on environmental topics.
- Support volunteer opportunities for community members.
- Attend community group meetings to exchange ideas and information on environmental sustainability.
- Use social media to spread awareness about local environmental topics.
- Collaborate with other organisations on educational initiatives around environmental sustainability.
As part of the Environmental Justice Framework, it's strongly recommended that organisations seek to involve/appoint a Lived Experience Lead—someone who brings both personal experience of social challenges and hands-on knowledge of co-producing projects.
These individuals play a vital role in shaping more inclusive and effective initiatives by ensuring that real-life perspectives are at the heart of decision-making. This Lived Experience Lead at this stage can play a key role in collaborating with communities and organisations in order to bridge understanding between communities and both public and private sector organisations around environmental sustainability.
Tool: Environmental Justice Template
The Environmental Justice Template is the tool through which to record the different stages of the Environmental Justice Framework.
Within the template, there is space to record each stage. These notes and reflections can then be returned to and reviewed at the end of the process.
Checklist for Educate & Empower
This checklist is designed to help decision-makers consider the following questions:
- Are we actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with communities on environmental sustainability?
- How are we including people with lived experience of social issues in our environmental sustainability discussions and actitivies?
- Are we building both community and organisational knowledge at local, national, and global levels around environmental sustainability?
- What steps are we taking to promote mutual learning between our organisation and the community?
- How are we empowering marginalised groups to understand and address environmental inequalities?
- Are we using the Environmental Justice Framework to guide our sustainability decisions?
- Are we partnering with local schools and colleges to support environmental education?
- Have we supported schools in educating parents and carers about environmental sustainability?
- Are we sponsoring or participating in community events that address local environmental challenges?
- Have we hosted or attended workshops on environmental topics?
- Are we supporting volunteer programs that involve community members in sustainability efforts?
- Do we regularly attend community group meetings to share and gather environmental knowledge?
- Are we using social media effectively to share and gather local environmental information?
- Have we partnered with other organisations to deliver environmental education initiatives?
Scenario Example: The Green Streets Initiative
This scenario shows how the Educate and Empower stage of the framework might be applied.
Description of the proposed measure: The local council of a mid-sized town is planning to implement a ‘Green Streets’ initiative. The project involves converting several car-dominated streets into pedestrian-friendly green corridors with trees, seating, bike lanes, and community gardens. The goal is to reduce air pollution, encourage active travel, and improve public health. The proposed streets run through a diverse, low-income neighbourhood with a high proportion of elderly residents, disabled individuals, and ethnic minority communities.
The local council should actively collaborate with the diverse, low-income communities to co-develop knowledge and solutions around environmental sustainability initiatives in green corridors. This approach aligns with the Inclusive Environments research, which emphasises the importance of building capacity and understanding at local levels, especially among marginalised groups such as the elderly, disabled individuals, and ethnic minority communities.
- Community Co-Design and Lived Experience Integration
- Appoint a Lived Experience Lead to work directly with residents, ensuring their voices shape the design and understanding of green corridors.
- Host listening sessions and design workshops with elderly and disabled residents to understand mobility needs, safety concerns, and cultural preferences.
- Environmental Education and Awareness
- Partner with local schools and colleges to integrate green corridor awareness and understanding into environmental education curricula.
- Develop parent and carer workshops on how green infrastructure benefits health, air quality, and community wellbeing.
- Community Events and Local Projects
- Sponsor community gardening days, tree planting events, and street art projects that reflect the cultural identity of the neighbourhood.
- Support volunteer programs for maintaining green spaces, offering stipends or incentives for participation from low-income residents.
- Use multilingual social media campaigns and printed materials to share updates and educational content.
- Attend community group meetings (e.g., faith groups, disability advocacy groups) to share information and gather feedback.
- Collaborate with health services, housing associations, and local businesses to promote the health and economic benefits of the initiative.
- Partner with environmental NGOs to deliver workshops and training on sustainability and environmental justice.
By embedding inclusive knowledge-sharing practices, the council can:
- Build trust between the public sector and the community.
- Empower residents to understand and advocate for environmental sustainability.
- Ensure the Environmental Justice Framework is upheld, leading to fairer, more transparent decision-making.
- Co-create solutions that reflect the lived realities of the community, making the green corridor initiatives more effective and equitable.
