A program is underway to grow the number of Black women in the clean energy sector.

Diamond Spratling, founder of Girl + Environment, is a climate and social justice leader who has made tackling environmental issues her life’s work. Much of her work focuses specifically on how environmental injustice disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and Indigenous communities.

Spratling herself was impacted by a BioLab explosion while residing in Atlanta. According to The Bitter Southerner, Spratling’s upbringing in industrial Detroit and Southwest Atlanta has familiarized her with how industry, environment, and public health affect the quality of life for people of color.

In 2019, she examined environmental policies and recognized that Black women’s participation was lacking, according to Essence.

“Why weren’t we in these rooms?” Spratling questioned, per Essence.

Girl + Environment

That same year, Spratling launched Girl + Environment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free resources and tools to Black and brown women to empower them to engage in environmental action. The organization hopes this will increases the number of Black women decision makers and leaders, resulting in better outcomes for the communities they serve. According to information on Spratling’s LinkedIn, Girl + Environment has secured more than $700,000 in funding for these efforts.

According to its website, the nonprofit’s three key pillars are listed as follows:

• Earth Environment — awareness around air, water, climate, and land
• Built Environment — safe and walkable areas for communities to engage in healthy living
• Social Environment — creating an environment for social interaction to thrive

Pipelines To Success Initiative

In 2024, Girl + Environment launched the Pipelines to Success initiative, which connects Black and Brown women to green job training, mentorship and opportunities. According to NBC News, the energy workforce added over 150,000 jobs in 2023.

The Pipeline to Success initiative is entering its second year, and comes at a time when nearly 300,000 Black women are unemployed, Fortune reported.

“Our Pipelines to Success initiative is significant because it addresses a critical gap: as the clean energy economy grows, Black women are often excluded from opportunities in this rapidly expanding sector,” Spratling said in a statement shared with AFROTECH™. 

Other Programs

Girl + Environment offers a hub that features job opportunities, essential resources, funding avenues and upcoming events. It also offers the HBCU Green Jobs Ambassador Program, which trains students to become ambassadors of climate action.

“We train HBCU students as ambassadors to spark interest in the green sector among their peers and debunk stereotypes about green jobs. By creating intentional pathways, we’re ensuring Black women are not left behind but are instead leading the clean energy transition,” Spratling shared with AFROTECH™.

Author

Spratling recently released a children’s book titled “Sage Sails the World,” as an additional medium to energize interest in climate change, according to SHEEN Magazine.

“While climate change isn’t a laughing matter, finding moments of joy and empowerment in taking action is crucial. Kids start developing their sense of right and wrong early on, and I wanted to introduce those concepts through a climate lens. I want them to recognize when something isn’t right, like pollution, and feel empowered to make a difference,” she expressed to the outlet.