Durham Environmental Coalition
Vision:
We are an equitable environmental movement, which recognizes the value of biodiversity and sustainability in natural and human communities and the importance of all being able to participate in decision-making that impacts their community.
Join Us:
We meet monthly on the second Monday at 11am-noon via Zoom for an hour of networking, peer presentations and discussion. Join our listserv to receive meeting notifications and participate in the conversation.
To be added to the meeting announcement listserv please email info@keepdurhambeautiful.org. Please scroll to the bottom to see listserv FAQ.
Next meeting (2nd Monday, 11 am):
1/13/24 -
2/10/24 - Environmental Committee for Environmental Affairs Board - UDO Process
3/10/24 - Project Pando with EB Brown, Leaf and Limb
4/14/24 -
5/12/24 - Hold for In-Person Pot Luck Gathering
6/9/24 -
July - No Meeting
August - No Meeting
Past presentation topics and links:
12/9/24 - Triangle Native American Society with Mary Oxendine and Jesalyn Keziah - Recording
11/11/24 - Geospatial Analysis and the Community with Triangle Land Conservancy - Recording
10/14/24 - The BOOST Program at Duke University- Recording - Alexandra Valladeres
9/9/24 - Solar For All Presentation Slides and Recording by Melisa Malkin-Weber, Co-Director of the NC Clean Energy Fund, energizenc.com
July & August - No Meeting
6/10/24 - Justin Robinson (Extra Terrestrial Projects, Earthseed Land Collective, NC Natural Heritage Program) - Recording
5/13/24 - In-Person Potluck Lunch at Merrick-Moore Park
4/8/24 - Preserve Rural Durham - Recording
3/11/24 - Black Farmers Market (The Underground Collective, Get Happy, Black August in the Park) - Crystal Taylor
2/12/24 - Circular Triangle - Kristin - Textile Waste Reduction - Recording
1/8/24 - Durham Reuse Hub - Katie Hunt - Catalyzing a Local Circular Economy - Recording
12/11/23 - Durham County Sustainability Crystal Nowell - Combatting urban heat islands - Recording
11/13/23 - New Hope Bird Alliance - Barbara Driscoll - Bird Friendly Practices: Leave your Leaves and Lights Out NC - Recording
10/9/23 - Soundrivers - Samantha Krop - Riverkeeping in SE Durham Little Lick Creek - Recording
9/11/23 - Toxic Free NC - Alexis Luckey and Phoebe Gooding - Lead Contamination in Durham City Parks - Recording
6/12/23 - Durham Comprehensive Plan, Carl Kolosna, Durham City-County Planning Department - Recording and Draft Comprehensive Plan
05/08/23 - In-Person Potluck Lunch at Merrick-Moore Park
4/10/23 - No meeting due to holiday
3/13/23 - Erica Beauvoir with City of Durham General Services Department - Reimagining Durham Cemeteries - Recording
2/13/23 - Natasha Wayne & Cheryl Thomas - Reaching All Minds Academy Charter School sustainability engagement - Recording
1/9/23 - Chiara Klein and Liz Shapiro-Garza, Duke Superfund Community Engagement - Presentation and Recording
12/12/22 - Outdoor Learning at Durham Public Schools - Emma Revfem and Erin Carroll - Presentation and Recording
11/14/22 - General Discussion
Fall 2022 - Workshop Series: Race, Power & Partnerships - 6 hours
10/10/22 - Sandra Martinez-Zuniga, Duke University Office of Civic Engagement Recording and Presentation
9/12/22 - Nate Baker, Durham Planning Commission
July & August - No Meeting
6/20/22 - General Discussion - Durham Comprehensive Plan
5/23/22 - Clean Aire NC Presentation
4/25/22 - General Discussion
3/2022 - Durham County Library Resources
2/2022 - Climate Reality Solar Team - Presentation PDF and Infographic
Mission:
To address the lack of recognition of the work of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and their organizations in the environmental movement and the exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from White-led activities and organizations, and to listen to and amplify voices of BIPOC led organizations and individuals;
To encourage and support collaboration with community stakeholders and institutions to create synergy and advocate for socially just environmental action, recognizing the critical importance of intersectionality;
To encourage and support the work of individual organizations in addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion within their organizations; and
To provide a space for connection and relationship building between environmental groups and the sharing of information.
Past Presenters and/or Topics:
Urban Community Agrinomics
Triangle Community Foundation
NC WARN
Keep Durham Beautiful
Durham Community Land Trustees
New Hope Bird Alliance
Don’t Waste Durham
Bull City Trailblazers
Friends of Geer Cemetery
Durham Environmental Affairs Board
Dataworks NC
Circular Triangle
Slice 325
Triangle Land Conservancy
Bluestem Conservation Cemetery
Participating Organizations (Listerv and/or Meetings):
Bike Durham
Bluestem Conservation Cemetery
BOOST at Duke
Bragtown Community Association
Bull City Trailblazers
Burt's Bees Greater Good Foundation
Circular Triangle
Climate Reality Project - Durham Chapter
Don't Waste Durham
Duke University Diversity and Equity in Environmental Programs (DEEP)
Duke Gardens
Durham County Open Space
Durham Environmental Affairs Board
Durham Parks and Recreation
Durham Parks Foundation
Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association
Eno River Association
Keep Durham Beautiful
Merrick-Moore Community Development Corporation
New Hope Bird Alliance
Piedmont Wildlife Center
Reducing Waste in DPS/Don’t Waste Durham
Slice 325
Southern Coalition for Social Justice
Sunrise Movement Durham Hub
The Conservation Fund
Toxic Free NC
Trees Durham
Triangle Community Foundation
Triangle Land Conservancy
Urban Community AgriNomics (UCAN)
We Plant it Forward
Model:
In order to ensure that a very diverse set of groups feels comfortable participating in the meetings, the DEC meetings focus on supplying opportunities for members to talk about issues of importance. Coming to meetings does not imply that any individual or organization agrees with the opinions expressed. We encourage members to work with one another to act on any issues that come up in the meetings that are important to those organizations.
Durham Environmental Coalition (DEC) Google Group Listserv FAQs:
Is the Google Group moderated? The owners of the group do not approve any messages before they are sent out to members. We want everyone to feel free to send messages to the group that relate to the environment, especially the environment and Durham. However, if anyone appears to be a spammer, is being rude or displaying hate (i.e. racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, etc.), we will remove them from the group without warning.
Who is in this Google Group? People who are interested in environmental and sustainability topics in Durham. This includes individuals, local nonprofit members, city and county staff members, and more.
What information can be shared? You can share articles, websites, events, webinars, conferences, any other information or questions about environmental topics (bonus points if they’re related to Durham.
What happens when I reply to a Google Group email? If you click “Reply All”, your message will be sent to all the members of the group. If you click “Reply”, your message will just be sent to the person who sent an email to the group. For some email applications, you may still need to delete the DEC email (durham-environmental-coalition@googlegroups.com) from the “To:” field.
What are my options for message frequency? To manage your subscription preferences, go to groups.google.com and choose whether you want your subscription to be Each email, Digest, Abridged, or No email.
Who should I contact if I have questions about the Google Group? Please send your questions to info@keepdurhambeautiful.org.
What does a typical meeting look like? We have 1-hour meetings every 4 weeks on Monday at 11 AM. During the first half of the meeting, a local organization will present on a topic related to sustainability, environmentalism, or environmental justice in Durham. The last half of the meeting we share updates on our organizations that include anything from upcoming events to job opportunities.