The London Environmental Network recognizes the inequities connected to colonization and commits to working towards creating a community and city that is resilient, vibrant and just. We are always learning and unlearning through this process and appreciate any feedback the community has to improve our support of local Indigenous environmental projects.

We were recently called by a local Indigenous person asking what we were actually doing to achieve our commitments, and we wanted to share projects we are currently working on. This is only the start, and our team is committed to supporting land back and local Indigenous projects.

To achieve this commitment, we have been working towards educating our staff and network, working on projects with local Indigenous communities and leaders and working towards decolonizing our programs and operations. Please see below for a variety of ways we are working on this. We are always open to working on environmental projects and learning ways to decolonize our work - please reach out to Marianne Griffith, our Director of Programs to chat about your project (marianne [at] londonenvironment.net)

Working with Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Environment, Treaties and Lands Department

• Working with Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, Environment, Treaties and Lands Department on a grant to help pilot net-zero retrofits for their homes

• We’ve helped with native plant plantings at Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, as well as co-hosted a tree and composter giveaway

• We helped build a composting system for the community garden at Chippewas

• The Environment, Treaties and Lands Department at COTTFN is a member of the Network and our Green Economy London program and receive support through those programs.

Communications, Events & Advocacy

• Encouraging at the municipal level the acceleration of separating the combined sewers (which result in raw sewage being dumped into the river in extreme weather events) and investment in waste water treatment facilities to city staff

• We have a podcast series with 2 episodes about The River, speakers including Emma Young and Brandon Graham from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation’s Treaty and Wahsayzee Deleary (Anishinaabe), Oneida Nation, Indigenous Water Educator. 

• Blog Series on Environmentalism in Action, including a blog about clean water rights and land rights.

• Hosting various events featuring Indigenous knowledge keepers, such as the Green & Just Recovery Townhall with Grand Chief Joel Abrams, Sustainable Building Retrofits with Mohawk Seedkeeper Terri-Lynn Brant among others.

• Organized the River Talks: A Gathering at Deshkan Ziibi conference in 2018, which combined Indigenous knowledge, science based environmental solutions and arts

• Share information about River Water Quality on our website.

Other Projects

• Working with Amanda Kennedy on the Tsi’thotuhutsya:te (The Creators Land) Community Healing Garden project in London, dropping off seed kits to folks willing to grow seedlings for a community garden at Oneida, and we will be running a harvesting session for one of the healing gardens later in October

• Worked with the Terri-Lynn Brant, the Mohawk Seedkeeper of the Six Nations in Caledonia to help supply the Mohawk Seedkeeper School Support project with supplies

• Donated and promoted the GoFundMe for to the Anishinaabe Round House project at Chippewa of the Thames First Nation

• Supporting an incubator project called Alumiikun Waxkaniim meaning Growing Seeds in the Lunaape language. The Growing Seeds project is an ancestral and organic seed garden, led by Sam Whiteye (Xúwii Shoopéekal Enterprises).

Internal Education & Operations

• Honoured  the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (September 30th 2021) by offering paid time for staff to learn about colonization and Indigenous culture, and spent time reflecting on what we can change in our organization to decolonize our work

• Staff are completing the course on Indigenous Canada

• Staff are reading various books by Indigenous authors for our team monthly book club and discussed including Braiding Sweetgrass and Speaking My Truth: Reflections on Reconciliation and Residential School

• Staff have been working on an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy with includes working with Indigenous groups on environmental projects and consulting with local Indigenous communities on programming and environmental topics.