Learn about our environmental, social, and governance program, and how we bring those values to life with green bonds, sustainable projects, and more.
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Learn about our environmental, social, and governance program, and how we bring those values to life with green bonds, sustainable projects, and more.
Metro's commitment to racial equity and inclusion is longstanding. In 2006, the Metro Council approved the first Diversity Action Plan, and in 2010, the Metro Council adopted six desired outcomes as a part of a former strategic plan, which were endorsed by partner city and county elected officials. Ensuring that the “benefits and burdens of growth and change are distributed equitably” is one of those desired outcomes, which serve as valuable direction to staff and the Metro Council, especially around policymaking activities. The presence of an explicit equity outcome places the issue as a driver in regional policymaking.
To further the goals of the strategic plan, Metro initiated the Equity Strategy Program in 2012 with the objective of creating an organizing framework to help Metro consistently incorporate equity into policy and decision-making. As a result of this program, the Committee on Racial Equity (“CORE”) was established in 2013, and brings leaders from the philanthropy, nonprofit, public and business sectors together to provide input to the Metro chief operating officer and staff regarding the implementation of the equity strategy.
In June 2016, Metro adopted the Strategic Plan to Advance Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The strategic plan focused on removing barriers for people of color and improving equity outcomes for these communities by improving how Metro works internally and with partners around the Portland region. The Strategic Plan was built on a set of core principles:
Lead initiatives and programs with a racial equity lens.
Generate support to create real and lasting cultural change.
Partner with communities of color.
Commit to measure progress.
At the end of the five-year horizon, CORE found that 50 actions were in progress, 21 actions were completed, and four were on hold or had not started. An Equity Dashboard tracking Metro’s progress in advancing racial equity in its recruitment, retention and promotion efforts can be found on Metro’s website.
Construction Career Pathways Project As a part of the Strategic Plan, and in response to a nationwide shortage of qualified and available trade craft workers, public agencies in the Portland Metro region are working together to grow and diversify the construction workforce through the Construction Career Pathways Project. Through the program, public agencies have developed a regional program to maximize training and employment opportunities in the construction trades for women and people of color. This approach includes standards to integrate into ongoing practices, including setting consistent workforce diversity goals, increasing recruitment and retention of diverse workers, building accountability through tracking and workforce agreements, and ongoing regional collaboration.
