Building stronger connections: new guidelines describe how we engage with communities

When you hear the word "environment" what comes to mind? Maybe you think of things like trees, streams, wildlife, or even weather. But what about people?

At Ecology, our focus is environmental protection, and people are at the heart of our mission. We work for people and communities to make sure everyone in Washington lives in a clean and healthy environment. But we also work with people and communities, and that's why we developed our new Community Engagement Plan.

Maintained by our Office of Equity and Environmental Justice, the Community Engagement Plan ("the plan") describes how we engage with communities to make sure they have a voice in agency actions and decisions that impact them. The plan is part of our work under the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act. It puts equity and environmental justice at the center of engagement by focusing on effective and equitable ways to reach communities most impacted by environmental harms and health risks.

Why community engagement matters

Some neighborhoods and communities face multiple, combined environmental and health risks, like poor air quality or contaminated soil. These risks often overlap with barriers to public engagement, like language barriers, inaccessible events, and financial constraints that make participation difficult. Those barriers can make it harder for community members to share concerns, identify needs, and offer solutions to the government agencies that serve them.

Our mission is to serve everyone in Washington. That means everyone in Washington should have a chance to participate in our public processes. We value and respect the wisdom of communities, and we know people are the experts in their own lives. We're committed to addressing barriers, improving access, and meeting people where they are so everyone can speak up and be heard. Our Community Engagement Plan will help us do this.

What does the Community Engagement Plan do?

The plan describes how we will plan for, implement, and evaluate community engagement for many of Ecology's activities, including rulemaking, large capital projects and grants awards, new grants and loans programs, and more.

The plan will help us:

• Identify and reach communities we have not effectively included in our work in the past
• Remove barriers that prevent people from participating in our work
• Increase and enhance opportunities for communities to provide meaningful input

The plan lays out a framework, process guidance, and best practices for meaningful engagement. It sets high standards that will push us to keep learning and improving how we seek to engage with communities. It also creates transparency so you can hold us accountable for communicating with you accessibly and equitably.

While the plan establishes what our agency will do, its purpose is to keep communities at the heart of our work.

Learn more and share your thoughts

We developed the Community Engagement Plan to remain transparent and ensure communities are part of the efforts to protect our land, air, and water. We want to hear from you!

We invite your feedback on the plan and our community engagement work on an ongoing basis. Share your thoughts and questions with Environmental Justice Engagement Coordinator Chelsea Batavia, at [email protected] or 360-972-6366.

We will also hold several online community engagement forums in June and July. An email announcement with more information and registration information will be coming soon. Please sign up for our Environmental Justice mailing list to make sure you receive that announcement.

Everything we learn helps us serve you and your community more effectively. Your insights will inform us as we implement the plan through the work in our environmental programs. Input may also be incorporated into future plan updates.