Environmental progress takes a broad, activated ecosystem – of researchers, practitioners and community members, working across disciplines and sectors toward shared goals. The strength of that ecosystem depends on who is part of it, whose knowledge shapes it, and whether everyone can participate fully. This plan is about building those conditions.
Values in Practice
IonE approaches diversity, equity, inclusion and justice as questions of how – how partnerships are formed, how knowledge is co-produced, how the organization communicates and whom it includes.
The answers run through everything we do: the standards we apply in grantmaking, our approaches to learning and leadership development, the practices that shape our storytelling and the design of the spaces and platforms where IonE’s community gathers.
This matters because the work demands it. Sustainability challenges are shaped by history, power and place – and so is the knowledge needed to address them. Research is stronger when the people closest to a challenge are helping to define the questions. Networks are more effective when they reflect the full range of actors positioned to drive change. And outcomes last when they’re built with the communities and organizations they’re meant to benefit.
IonE’s 2024-29 DEIJ Action Plan – developed through more than a year of community engagement across staff, affiliates and partners – guides this ongoing work.
Our North Stars
IonE’s 2024–29 DEIJ Action Plan organizes our commitments into four interconnected goals. Explore our priorities.
Expanding whose knowledge shapes our work
IonE is committed to broadening the range of perspectives, ways of knowing and forms of expertise that inform our research and education. That means engaging diverse communities as genuine partners in defining questions and approaches – and building the skills across our community to work effectively across disciplines, cultures and epistemologies.
Building an equitable organization
Our values are integrated into how IonE hires, onboards and supports its people – from how positions are written and candidates are welcomed, to how physical spaces and digital platforms are designed for accessibility. We are committed to structures and practices that make full participation possible for everyone in our community.
Communicating with integrity and purpose
IonE’s communications practices reflect our values – in how we tell stories, whose voices we elevate and how we engage with the communities whose knowledge and experience we draw on. Our integrated approach communications means every choice, from language to imagery to channel, is made with care and accountability.
Cultivating an inclusive community
A welcoming, inclusive culture requires ongoing attention and collective commitment. IonE invests in the relationships, practices and structures that help our community – staff, affiliates, students and partners – feel genuinely connected, valued and able to contribute fully.
Our commitments are part of a five-year vision for the Institute. Explore the strategic plan that connects them.
Going Deeper
Discover more about the foundations of the Institute’s work.