Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Are Essential to HARC’s Sustainability Mission

Sustainability defines all aspects of HARC’s work. Sustainability presumes that resources are finite and must be conserved, protected, and distributed in a manner that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

As a nonprofit research organization that works to “find solutions for a sustainable future where people thrive and nature flourishes,” we must address the reality that economic prosperity, environmental quality, community health, and quality of life are enjoyed unequally by marginalized communities in our region, in our state, and beyond because of historic and systemic racism and discrimination. 

At HARC, our mission is to provide independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues to people seeking scientific answers. This is HARC’s mission because our founder, Board of Directors and staff believe in the power of science, data and information to create sound policies and innovative technologies. When science and data are used to promote equity and justice, they are powerful and transformational tools for burdened, and underinvested communities. 

HARC as an organization commits to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion in our culture, operations, programs, and community partnerships. At HARC, this means applying an equity lens in our hiring, spending, professional development, research and development, educational, and relationship-building activities. 

Creating and sustaining an inclusive organizational culture is a process that takes time, and we commit to that work. We seek input on HARC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) journey from every employee at HARC, along with our Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and existing and future collaborators. At HARC we are learning and improving and will hold our organization and each other accountable. We will make mistakes along the way, but we are determined to listen, learn, innovate, and improve.  

HARC has identified the following five principles to guide our sustainability mission.

HARC’s Guiding DEI Principles  

1. We value Diversity and Inclusion with the true commitment to equal opportunity for all. A diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and thoughts is essential to ensuring our workplace and our work are inclusive. To build a thriving work environment and research community, we strive to embed diversity and inclusion principles in our operations, programs, and partnerships. Bringing together a wealth of knowledge from different voices and perspectives is important to ensuring the work we do results in improved societal and environmental outcomes for all. We seek input on HARC’s DEI journey from every employee at HARC, and potential and future collaborators. 
2. We value Community, including our work community and our larger community, and we believe it is critical to support and build local and regional collaborations that are broadly inclusive and equitable. HARC will work to bring about positive change, rather than reinforcing power structures that have traditionally excluded some members of our community. We will ensure that we uphold our DEI principles through action, communication, and decision making. 
3. We value Teamwork and Collaboration as an approach that relies on working together toward common goals for achieving DEI principles through HARC’s impact. We believe that the best ideas are shaped by different perspectives that add value and depth through shared conversations, listening, and understanding. We aim to listen to and be guided by the concerns of community stakeholders and collaborators to ensure we are responsive and adaptable.  
4.  We value Respect as the building block for how we conduct ourselves. We strive to foster a culture where everyone feels respected and has equitable opportunities to thrive, regardless of race or background. Every person must be approached in a way that ensures they feel valued. 
5. We value Transparency in how we operate as a business and how we interact with the community. We believe that to be transparent, our values must be articulated clearly and lead what we do and that our information sharing should be thoughtful, direct, and proactive.