Dear NESEA Community,

As your Board of Directors, we represent the greater NESEA community and we are here to share our collective voice regarding the current rhetoric-at-large across the country.

First and foremost, we are here in service of NESEA’s mission: advancing sustainability practices in the built environment by cultivating a cross-disciplinary community where practitioners are encouraged to share, collaborate, and learn.

We are also here to celebrate and elevate each other’s work and in support of one another.

NESEA was founded on the premise of leveraging a common consciousness toward the advancement of the greater good. In our fifty years to-date, this has been at the core of our mission: to share knowledge, amplify our collective endeavors, and make an impact. As an organization, this is what we believe.

Today, our Strategic Plan serves as a compass by which we can navigate. Our values, based in togetherness, collective thought, and forward momentum, are the engines that drive us. We wanted to take a moment to reflect on the core tenets of our Strategic Plan, to revisit what brought us to this space and what continues to nourish and engage us:

• We care about each other and our community
• We challenge ourselves and each other to grow
• We share our mistakes so that we can learn from them
• We innovate
• We respect all people and perspectives
• We commit to root out all forms of oppression from our community
• We prioritize real world performance
• We have fun together

As an organization, we believe in human connection. We believe in sharing and growing with each other. We believe in respecting and understanding each other. We believe, simply, in humanity.

As an organization, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to our work, the environment, and the health and well-being of our colleagues and fellow humans. In the coming weeks, we will release our annual letter updating the community on our efforts in the equity and inclusion sphere, including new programming, trainings, and new board roles focused on this work. We will also announce additional events for 2025, which will be forums for building connections and sharing expertise as we strive towards our shared vision: a vibrant and resilient built environment that supports climate justice and equity.

Today, we must raise our voices, galvanize our resolve, and collaborate to ensure the next fifty years are more ambitious, connective, and impactful than the first. As a Board, we are here for you. As an organization, we stand together.

Thank you,
Your Board of Directors