PLANET
At the Equitable Giving Circle, we take sustainability and the health of our planet seriously. As a newly formed nonprofit, we are continuously cognizant of our footprint and seeking opportunities to improve. Every decision we make as we grow includes a lens for sustainability and how it affects the community. That said, there are areas where we have to make choices to best meet our community's overall needs. This includes logging miles so that the people we serve do not have to negotiate their own transportation or risk the safety of their health during the pandemic or hazardous air quality to gain access to healthy food.
We follow in the footsteps of Indigenous people, who have been the true leaders in sustainability. Sourcing locally grown, seasonal, and culturally appropriate food is imperative to the overall sustainability of a community. The Equitable Giving Circle takes this concept to a whole new level, bringing it back to the roots that the grip of capitalism and social injustice has stripped away from the core values for far too long. The food we source is not only local, it is from BIPOC-owned and operated farms within the region, further integrating the overarching sustainability goals of the economy, society, and environment. We know that farmland has historically been diminishing and the number of small farm farmers skilled to work the land while also receiving financial support to sufficiently makes a living has been rapidly decreasing. Based on the 2017 Census of Agriculture, there were only 42 Oregon farms with a Black or African American principal producer who managed more than 8,400 acres of farmland. This is compared to 36,799 white Oregon farmers who managed approximately 15 million acres. So, while local food is good for the planet, it is also good for the people--investing in BIPOC farmers directly translates to dollars throughout the BIPOC community. According to the Black Star Project, “Blacks in America have about a $1.3 trillion gross national income. Only 2% of that money, about $26 billion, is re-circulated in the black community.” The EGC is a critical effort to radically change this in Oregon.
It is not enough to label something sustainable and call it good. Both for the environment and even more so for equity. What good are sustainable measures and outcomes for the environment if not all members of our community can feasibly meet the standards or benefit from them? The daily challenges many families face to meet basic needs such as quality housing and nutritious food within systemic racism means that they likely have been pushed to neighborhoods with poorer air quality, a lack of grocery stores with affordable organic and culturally appropriate foods, and limited transportation options. The best sustainability measures in the world mean nothing if they are not achievable by everyone. Environmental justice is vital for making sure everyone is involved and treated fairly when implementing and enforcing environmental regulations. Bringing BIPOC farmers together with BIPOC families is the cornerstone of the Equitable Giving Circle. We are creating an integrated network of environmental justice bridging communities of color throughout the Portland Metropolitan Area by helping to provide farmers with sustainable incomes and families with local, healthy food and connections that allow for sharing, communicating, and advocating that rarely exists in this region.
We have seen the devastation that just one life-changing event, such as a lost job or a medical emergency that leads to mounting medical bills and inadequate treatment from a lack of access to healthcare, can do to already marginalized communities as a result of the systemic racism of this country. Add to that the daily fight to survive another day in a racist world compounded by COVID-19, raging wildfires resulting in further loss of home and safety, and off-the-charts air quality for our communities of color. All of this is for our communities of color who are already historically forced to live in the most polluted areas near highways, industrial land, and in older housing, often with environmental issues.
With climate change in full effect, local food is essential to ensure that local people eat for various reasons. The work of Dr. Warren Washington, a leading Black climate change scientist originally from Portland, Oregon, should not go without mention. He currently serves as a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and has been credited with “pioneering the development of coupled climate models,” among many other achievements and contributions to the field throughout his nearly 60-year career. Whether it’s a global pandemic, wildfires leveling entire communities and forcing evacuations, or any other natural disaster that wipes out infrastructure, eliminating supply chains, we know we are building a system at the EGC that is more agile and sustainable. Through our model, we are less susceptible when borders are closed due to COVID-19, natural disasters, or coercive diplomacy; blight takes outcrops in warmer climates, or the trucking industry and/or meat processing facilities have a systems issue or product contamination.
Our Commitment to Sustainability and the Environment
When it comes to liberation and reimagining the future, being respectful and modest regarding our natural resources is key.
Our food waste goal is two percent. We are proud to report we are currently operating at seven percent.
While we cannot currently guarantee absolutely no single use of plastic, we aim to use it as little as possible, and in places where we cannot avoid it, the plastic is recycled.
We source all of our food seasonally and from local, BIPOC-owned and operated farms within the Portland Metropolitan Area
We offer culturally appropriate, organic, nutritious, and palatable dried goods that families will enjoy and use.
We provide creative, carefully thought-out, and easily prepared recipes that incorporate the food items delivered each week so that less food goes to waste and our families can get the most out of it.
Our farmers are paid for the food they cultivate and harvest to continue operating and implementing best practices for the land and crop yields.
While we incur mileage through our door-to-door deliveries, we are minimizing the number of miles traveled through reduced trips by our families, thereby creating ease/reducing burdens for them as well, and combining trips and/or coordinating partnerships for pickup locations near farms and families.
Join us in our commitment to creating a healthy community and planet for BIPOC people to create a more sustainable world.