Naolo Charles is the founder of the Black Environmental Initiative (BE Initiative) and the co-founder of the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice (CCECJ), a coalition that played a key role in the campaign for the first law to address environmental racism in Canada.
Holder of a Master’s degree in Environment, Naolo is a bilingual environmental communications and education specialist. During his master’s degree, Naolo studied the question of how governments and businesses can use the results of lifecycle assessments (LCA) to communicate the environmental and social impacts of everyday products with environmental labeling. He was also one of the experts on the Thriving Natural Environment Advisory table, brought together by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to develop Canada’s first national adaptation strategy. Naolo regularly offers training on environmental justice and anti-racism. He is a life-long student of Black History and his work on environmental justice reflects it.
A first-generation immigrant in Canada, Naolo has created employment opportunities for dozens of Black and BIPOC youth in the environmental and social sectors and is committed to mentoring youth and supporting equity-deserving communities. He speaks at conferences, events, and to the media about environmental justice. Before starting BE Initiative and CCECJ, Naolo worked for over 10 years for various organizations, including foundations, universities, governments, and start-ups.