Loading...

Justice Across Movements: Women’s Rights—Social, Racial And Economic Equity

/Justice Across Movements: Women’s Rights—Social, Racial And Economic Equity

 

24 05, 2025

“A Whole History Of Injustice” In Southwest Louisiana, Organizers Fight Petro Projects Amid A Legacy Of Exploitation.

2025-11-07T15:07:36-05:00Tags: |

In response to the widespread community devastation from Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, which left her family displaced, Roishetta Sibley Ozane founded the Vessel Project of Louisiana. The grassroots organization leads a fight that addresses both immediate needs and their root causes: providing immediate mutual aid for disaster recovery while building long-term community resistance against the region’s massive petrochemical industry. Ozane and her allies are organizing to stop the construction of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, including Venture Global’s proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 Project, which would drastically increase greenhouse gas emissions. According to environmental assessments, the CP2 project alone would generate annual emissions equivalent to 42 million cars and destroy crucial coastal marshlands that buffer the area from future storms. Their resistance is also a direct response to the area’s history as a “national sacrifice zone” where industrial pollution is linked to a severe public health crisis; Louisiana's cancer rates are nearly 41% higher than the national average. By linking frontline disaster relief to a direct fight for climate justice, Ozane and her community are building a powerful movement for their collective health, survival, and future.

24 02, 2025

‘Our bodies know the pain’: Why Norway’s reindeer herders support Gaza

2025-04-09T18:43:31-04:00Tags: |

Multiple Sámi women speak about their connection to the Palestinian struggle, drawing parallels to the oppression they themselves have faced. The Sámi lived a free, nomadic existence in their lands—known as Sápmi—spanning Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, for over 9,000 years until Christian invaders arrived in the 9th century. Enforced colonial borders split families apart, with the longest unbroken border created in 1751 between Norway and Sweden. As cultural practices, including speaking their languages, were banned, the Sámi have witnessed a decline in youth participation in their traditions. Today, only nine Sámi languages remain, with Norway having upheld a ban on them until 1960. Reindeer herder Maja Kristine Jama, who practices reindeer husbandry in accordance with Sámi culture, is deeply familiar with the Fosen Peninsula in eastern Norway. She also stresses the importance of this practice to the Arctic ecosystem. Jama describes herself as not living off the land, but within it—yet she now sees the land being destroyed by borders, land seizures, construction, and extractive industries. The European Union’s push for self-sufficiency has accelerated the mining of nickel and iron ore, while smaller-scale mining and forestry projects continue to restrict the movement of reindeer and destroy their feeding grounds. Another Sámi woman, singer and artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, speaks to the urgency of standing up for people being displaced from their homes. She calls for solidarity rooted in a shared struggle for Indigenous rights and self-determination. The Sámi have launched regular protests in Oslo against the war on Gaza, with many emphasizing the importance of recognizing that they live within a settler colonial society. They critique the United States and Europe for their inability to fully reckon with their own colonial histories. They also warn of “green colonialism,” pointing to a wind farm on the Fosen Peninsula co-owned by a state-funded Norwegian energy firm and foreign companies. While a compensation agreement was reached with the Norwegian company, no such deal has been made with the foreign firms. Jama notes that this not only has material consequences for the Sámi people but also erases Sámi history from the landscape.

21 02, 2025

The Women Documenting Russia’s Eco-Crimes

2025-02-21T17:44:10-05:00Tags: |

In June of 2023, Russian bombardment destroyed the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine—the largest environmental catastrophe in Ukraine since Chernobyl. The effects have wiped out neighborhoods, brought explosives to shore, and caused spreads of bacteria, waste, and disease. The women leading Let’s Do It Ukraine, the country’s largest environmental justice organization, have been fighting for these stories to be heard. Iulia Markhel leads 24-hour missions to collect water samples from the sources most impacted by the toxins and waste. Markhel and the organization’s volunteers risk their lives to document the ecocide and share this information. They pay for the missions themselves and have assisted with evacuations when they can but Russian shelling and landmines have limited their ability to help. Despite the threat, Let’s Do It members continue to put their lives at stake to inform the public of the threats from the explosion, including vital information on water quality, oxygen, and ecosystem services, with the hope of a safer environmental future.

17 11, 2024

Women’s Leadership in Gaza’s Recovery: A Call to Action | Cities Alliance

2025-07-21T14:25:50-04:00Tags: |

At the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, Egypt, Cities Alliance and ClimaMed met with municipal representatives from Gaza and international urban experts to discuss the complex challenges faced by Palestinian local authorities and their communities. They highlighted the continued challenges that Palestinian women face and the need to center their voices in reconstruction efforts. Palestinian women have long faced pervasive societal barriers and economic stagnation, such as limited access to essential services and low participation in the workforce. The ongoing genocide in Gaza has greatly exacerbated these issues and put women at increased risk of gender-based violence and exploitation. A key takeaway from this meeting was the need for a comprehensive and inclusive reconstruction plan that explicitly supports women’s empowerment. The article goes on to argue that efforts to rebuild essential services and infrastructure must include direct input from women. Community-driven, gender-sensitive urban planning offers a promising approach that involves women in the design and construction of housing, healthcare, childcare, and safe public spaces. The need for tailored mental health support services to help deal with the psychosocial toll of severe trauma and violence is also emphasized. Despite the extreme challenges that Palestinian women and municipal actors face amidst the ongoing colonial violence, the implementation of a strong recovery framework has the potential to empower Gazan communities. By involving local women in the creation of inclusive, sustainable urban spaces, reconstruction efforts will reflect their needs and the richness of their homeland. One way that we can all support the women of Gaza is to fight for a free and sovereign Palestine.

14 11, 2024

Climate Change: Women’s Role In The Economy Is Key To A Just Transition

2025-07-10T01:02:07-04:00Tags: |

The adverse effects of climate change are being felt across the globe, sparking a growing movement to transition to low- or no-carbon economies. While these transitions are largely positive, the gendered nature of the social and economic issues they aim to address is often overlooked. As a result, many policies designed to support a low-carbon economy end up sustaining or even worsening gender inequalities. Researchers Julia Taylor, Katrina Lehmann-Grube, Sarah Cook, Somali Cerise, and Imraan Valodia highlight that to ensure these transitions are gender-just, power dynamics in climate policymaking must be taken into account. Reflecting on the gendered impacts of transition through a feminist lens, their research emphasizes that participatory justice, distributive justice, recognitional justice, and restorative justice must be core components of just transition policies. These elements are essential to addressing current shortcomings and ensuring that women and other disproportionately affected groups, who are most impacted by climate change, also benefit from transition policies.

30 10, 2024

Black Churches Have Always Led Social Movements. Why Not Climate Justice?

2025-07-29T22:32:46-04:00Tags: , |

Although climate change is a global phenomenon, its negative impacts are not distributed equally. Those most affected—particularly Black and brown communities—are often the very ones excluded from climate conversations. Historically, Black churches have served as incubators for social movements like the Civil Rights struggle. Building on that legacy, Antonique Smith and Reverend Sharon Lavigne co-founded Climate Revival, a movement that mobilizes people of color and people of faith in the fight for environmental justice. As a Grammy-nominated artist, Smith argues that the climate movement has overlooked powerful tools like music and storytelling—tools that have historically galvanized social change. Through nationwide tours, Smith and Lavigne host climate conversations and gospel concerts in churches across the country, raising awareness and helping communities recognize that climate justice is not only an environmental issue but also a deeply moral one.

11 10, 2024

Hurricane Milton Confirmed What Disabled Citizens Feared Most

2025-07-10T00:18:25-04:00Tags: , |

Hurricanes Milton and Helene, which swept through Florida in September and October of 2024, left the state devastated. Marianne Dhenin, an Atmos journalist, points out that such disasters confirm the harsh reality that disabled communities are disproportionately affected due to poor disaster planning. Persistent shortcomings—and the lack or absence of consideration for disabled people in emergency response—leave 61 million disabled individuals nationwide at high risk of fatality or critical injury during disasters. This has serious implications as climate change-fueled weather events become more intense and widespread. Dhenin emphasizes that despite the establishment of the Office of Disability Integration and Coordination in 2010, federal-level action—particularly by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—has been slow to reach and support those affected. With too little governmental assistance, disabled people impacted by the hurricanes are turning to disability-led organizations such as New Disabled South and the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies.

9 07, 2024

Iraq: Women Win Leadership of New Farmers Union

2025-04-18T17:27:03-04:00Tags: |

In May 2024, agricultural workers in Iraq’s Hawija district formed the Farmers’ Union under the Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (FWCUI). For the first time, women were elected to key leadership positions, including president and vice president. The union’s formation was followed by training where workers, especially women, learned about their rights and the power of union organizing. Facing wage exploitation, unsafe working conditions, gender-based violence, and a lack of social protections, many women saw unionization as a pathway towards fair treatment. Climate change has further worsened working conditions, with extreme heat and desertification threatening agricultural livelihoods, making unionization even more important. Hawija, once a prosperous agricultural hub, suffered immense damage during the ISIS occupation but many residents have since returned to farming to rebuild their lives after the land was reclaimed.

25 06, 2024

Three ideas to beat the heat, and the people who made them happen

2025-05-24T19:19:18-04:00Tags: , , |

The article highlights how extreme heat impacts vulnerable workers, especially women, and shares three innovations to mitigate these harms. One example is Hansa Ahir, a waste recycler in Ahmedabad, India, whose income has been halved because it’s too dangerous to work in midday heat. To address this, she bought a low-cost insurance policy through the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), which compensates her when temperatures rise. This provides financial security for women like Ahir, who depend on daily wages. Additionally, tools like Extrema Global, a mobile app that helps people find cool routes and rest spots, protect those exposed to heat, including women balancing outdoor work and caregiving. Legal protections for outdoor workers, like farmworkers in Washington state, where laws entitle them to water, shade, and breaks, show how workers in agriculture and informal sectors are particularly vulnerable. Extreme heat exacerbates gender disparities in income, health, and safety, but practical solutions are emerging to help women and other laborers adapt.

3 05, 2024

Women and young workers in Nepal want inclusive union structures

2025-02-27T14:24:02-05:00Tags: |

IndustriALL’s workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal, organized as part of the Building Inclusive Unions in South Asia project, highlighted the critical intersection of gender and climate change for women workers. Women trade unionists discussed how climate-induced migration is exacerbating precarious employment, leading to low wages and job insecurity, particularly for women. In response, women leaders formed a committee and a core group to increase women's and young people’s representation in unions, trade groups, and policy and to address these challenges. They are committed to gathering data on women workers and promoting union-building initiatives to ensure greater inclusion and protection for women in the workforce, particularly in the face of climate-related vulnerabilities.

21 03, 2024

Georgina Johnson On Disability Justice In Times Of War

2025-07-10T00:02:06-04:00Tags: |

The escalating conflicts in Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan have had devastating effects on innumerable people, causing widespread death, destruction, and displacement. Georgina Johnson notes that people with pre-existing disabilities—and many who become newly disabled, both physically and psychologically—are disproportionately affected in war zones yet are often overlooked. She also emphasizes that chemical agents are increasingly being deployed as invisible weapons of war. As a result, communities that rely on the land for their livelihoods are left paralyzed, with destabilizing and disabling consequences that can last for generations. Disability justice and climate justice therefore remain central to fostering peace and ending conflict. Curator Lorén Elhili and Dr. Samaneh Moafi, a researcher at Forensic Architecture, explain that land itself has been weaponized in these conflicts and that destroying plant-based ecosystems is a deliberate strategy to disrupt and sabotage local agricultural economies. Consequently, states not only struggle to feed their citizens, but their reduced capacity to invest in vital services such as medical care disproportionately harms people with disabilities. Likewise, Dani Admiss observes that chemical degradation of the environment, driven by capitalism, surrounds us all. Farzana Khan, co-founder of Healing Justice London, adds that the most vulnerable are failed by today’s welfare systems; she calls for life-affirming, land-based community medicine centers to address these injustices.

15 02, 2024

Strength for the Next Disaster

2025-04-09T14:49:35-04:00Tags: |

Roishetta Ozane is a longtime community organizer living in close proximity to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility known as Calcasieu Pass (CP2) near Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. She was interviewed by Patagonia regarding her activism against CP2. Originally from Ruleville, Mississippi, Ozane highlights both the town’s and her own family’s history of activism, as well as her personal journey of overcoming structural oppression. Later in life, she founded a mutual aid organization, The Vessel Project, which provides financial assistance to community members in need—helping them navigate and overcome bureaucratic obstacles. Ozane explains that this continuous support enables the community to feel uplifted in their ongoing struggle for environmental justice. During the Biden administration, the United States became the leading international exporter of what Ozane calls “LMG,” or liquified methane gas—emphasizing the unnatural process of extraction. She underscores the adverse effects of pollution and environmental degradation on human health, which she witnesses firsthand in her own children developing chronic illnesses. Infrastructural problems, already strained by climate change, often have more severe impacts on towns like Mossville—founded by formerly enslaved people—whose residents were later displaced by the LNG industry and received little financial compensation compared to wealthier, White communities. Ozane calls for the direct involvement of frontline communities in future negotiations and for the reinstatement of the ban on LNG exports and other fossil fuels. She envisions successful resistance to fossil fuel infrastructure through community strengthening, emphasizing the importance of not viewing CP2 as an isolated issue, but as part of a broader structural problem.

15 02, 2024

Sowing Resilience: Women Leading the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library

2025-04-18T10:45:53-04:00Tags: |

Amidst Israel's ongoing assault on Palestinian people and traditions, the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library (PHSL) stands as a beacon of resilience, preserving not just seeds but the very essence of Palestinian identity and connection to the land. Founded by Vivien Sansour in 2014, the library carries forward ancestral agricultural practices while serving as a testament to Palestinian perseverance in the face of unimaginable adversity. Through the dispersion of seeds and the sharing of stories, the PHSL defies attempts to erase Palestinian culture and heritage. In a world where traditional livelihoods are under siege, planting heirloom seeds becomes an act of defiance, symbolizing a commitment to survival and continuity. As Palestinians and their lifeways endure profound challenges, the seed library offers a living archive fostering dynamic relationships between humans, nature, and the land. In these seeds lies the hope for a future where resilience triumphs over oppression, and where ancestral wisdom guides us through uncertain times.

27 01, 2024

The Sundarbans dilemma: Islands swallowed by water, and nowhere else to go

2025-03-27T17:28:37-04:00Tags: |

In West Bengal, India, a group of low-lying islands and the largest mangrove ecosystem in the world make up the Sundarbans Forest system. The Sundarbans act as a natural barrier against natural disasters and environmental hazards, as well as a carbon sink. Four cyclones have hit India’s eastern coast from 2019 to 2021, displacing residents of the Sundarbans with government warnings that the region is no longer safe for human habitation. Government relief has been aggravating pre-existing susceptibilities of caste and gender, as relief is selective and contingent on existing land holdings. In addition, the islands are eroding too quickly to relocate people safely. Women-headed households are more common in the Sundarbans than in any other Indian region due to men engaging in distress-forced migration and informal migratory labor, taking them away from their homes. These households face high debts and dependents. As the salinity of the water around the Sundarbans increases, so does commercial brackish water shrimp farming. Women are paid poorly to collect prawn seeds, standing in saltwater for up to six hours. The briny water causes reproductive health issues in women such as pelvic inflammation and urinary tract infections. In addition, the increased salinity is degrading the mangrove ecosystem. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, became the first claimant for climate-induced loss and damage from the UN Loss and Damage Fund. The requested fund will include money for the climate-displaced residents of the Sundarbans. As money allocation is subject to political leanings, uncertainty surrounds when and how capital will be distributed and how climate resilience will be implemented.

25 01, 2024

Meet the woman in charge of Chicago’s fight against pollution, environmental injustice

2025-05-24T19:22:09-04:00Tags: |

Angela Tovar, Chicago's Chief Sustainability Officer, is spearheading efforts to combat pollution through gender- and racially-inclusive urban design. Drawing from her experiences growing up near steel mills and industrial pollution, Tovar is focused on addressing environmental harms in Black, Brown, and low-income communities, particularly in South and West Chicago. Her initiatives, centered on community and spatial justice, include improving zoning regulations, implementing community-level air quality monitoring, and developing green infrastructure that prioritizes vulnerable groups. Tovar's work ensures that historically marginalized communities are at the forefront of Chicago’s push for environmental justice and reduced carbon emissions.

29 11, 2023

‘This Genocide Is About Oil’

2025-04-19T16:20:21-04:00Tags: |

Yessenia Fuentes, an environmental journalist and the editor-at-large at Atmos Magazine, is committed to creating change through her journalism. Her article critically examines the ongoing genocide on the Palestinians, linking in to larger colonial, imperial, and environmental forces. Israeli attacks on Palestine since October 7th, 2023 were likely motivated by the extensive fossil fuel reservoir in Palestine. Under Israeli occupation, Palestinians cannot mine the oil in their land or develop cleaner energy systems. Historically, colonization and occupation in the Middle East coincided with the discovery and mining of oil, preventing occupied communities from experiencing the economic benefits of oil in addition to the often violent militarization of their land. Environmental activists aim to stop the mining and use of oil and return Palestine to its restorative initiatives before Israeli occupation. Despite the genocide, Palestinians are preserving their culture and fighting against colonization.

24 11, 2023

When sea levels rise, so does your rent

2025-05-24T18:46:00-04:00Tags: |

Climate change and gentrification are intricately connected. Florida’s Miami Beach neighborhoods are experiencing this firsthand. Property development and displacement are working hand in hand to price poor Caribbean communities out of inland neighborhoods, away from rising sea levels. This process has led some to refer to the residents of Little Haiti as victims of the ‘climate-gentrification’ phenomenon, which constitutes “a process whereby wealthy people displace poorer people from areas that are better equipped to withstand the impacts of a changing climate.” Local Little Haiti resident Renita Holmes is a key voice campaigning against the displacement, saying, "I am resilient, I am empowered, and as long as I've got empowerment, resilience, and a voice, I will live here." Like many others in her community, her rent has skyrocketed as a result of the projected development and because, as she explains, "Land development is in, people development is out."

17 11, 2023

Women and LGBTQ+ people are uniquely vulnerable to climate change, new report shows

2024-02-26T09:06:22-05:00Tags: |

For the first time since its inception, the fifth National Climate Assessment included a section dedicated to studying how climate change impacts women and LGBTQ+ people. This addition reflects changing public and governmental acknowledgement of the ways climate change exacerbates existing inequalities. Key ideas of the report include disproportionate experiences for women due to unique mental, sexual, and reproductive health needs that intersect with social, racial, and economic disparities and particular vulnerabilities for LGBTQ+ people as they are excluded from many social services. Climate change makes it harder for women, especially women of color, to access reproductive health care. At the same time, health concerns are rising for women because of the crisis and existing environmental concerns that are especially pressing in low income neighborhoods, such as heat exposure and pollution. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to climate-related health problems, including poor pregnancy outcomes and increased maternal mortality rates. LGBTQ+ people also face increased difficulty accessing support post disasters due to exclusion from many faith-based groups and even being blamed for disasters in faith circles. The report highlights the urgency for unique disaster planning to meet the needs of vulnerable communities and the importance of amplifying intersectionality in climate research.  

26 10, 2023

Why does gender matter in a ‘just transition’?

2025-02-21T17:42:34-05:00Tags: |

The International Institute for Environment and Development discusses what a just transition would look like and the implications of gender justice in the process. A just transition is a shift from an exploitative to a low-carbon, sustainable, and regenerative economy. The transition necessitates the redressing of past harms and dismantling of current power structures for a just future for all, with a central goal of leaving no one behind. Women and gender minorities have been leading global climate action but are simultaneously the most vulnerable to climate change. They have been actively and systemically left behind during climate disasters which have exponentially worsened existing inequalities. The IIED’s webinar explores feminist approaches for an inclusive transition, highlighting successful examples and the roles and needs of women in the process.

20 10, 2023

A community-centric approach to building a climate resilient Bengaluru

2025-05-24T21:30:47-04:00Tags: |

The southern Indian city of Bengaluru is experiencing rapid urbanization, population expansion, and strained resources in the face of increasing climate stressors. The city’s urban poor, women, and marginalized groups face greater risk, emphasizing the necessity of including them in urban planning to ensure climate-resilient living conditions. Ellara Bengaluru, a coalition involving citizens, civil society, policymakers, and academia, is working to address climate change impacts at the ward level, focusing on sustainable, economic, and behavioral solutions for lower-income and vulnerable residents. The Mahila Housing Trust, part of Ellara Bengaluru, uplifts women leading efforts towards more sustainable and gender-inclusive cities through collaborative efforts and community decision-making. Initiatives and community-driven projects like these uplift women by involving them in leadership roles and decision-making processes, addressing vulnerabilities while leveraging their knowledge to create inclusive climate solutions.

20 10, 2023

Queer women are prioritizing climate and health issues over LGBTQ+ rights, new poll shows

2025-02-21T17:51:16-05:00Tags: |

A qualitative survey done with LGBTQ+ women found that climate and healthcare concerns were prioritized over their personal struggles for justice. This reflects a sentiment in the movement that liberation is bigger than just one movement, and that it is an intersectional fight. These overarching issues, such as environmental and climate crises, affect LGBTQ+ women just as they do anyone else, and there has been a call for queer justice spaces to reflect the concerns that are most pressing for people in these moments. These perspectives are seldom heard, but are deeply important in understanding the needs and lives of these women and for ushering in liberation for all.

25 09, 2023

Indigenous women are showing us how to fight for environmental and human rights

2025-02-21T17:33:06-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous women in Brazil are leading the fight for climate and environmental justice by bringing ancestral strength and knowledge to the beacons of power in the country. These women have been protesting and reaching positions in congress, with their demands expanding on ecological frameworks of justice. They are pushing for a new bill to protect Indigenous women from violence linked to mining and exploitation of the environment and communities. Furthermore, the women have been creating spaces for strategic and successful sisterhood, decolonization, and community building for indigenous women in and out of government. They have successfully overturned the marco temporal legal concept which attempted to trivialize Indigenous claims to land, leaving protected peoples and environments vulnerable to violence and extraction. This is part of their mission to reforest politics and the mind—engaging in actions that heal the planet, people, and greater ecosystem. They are bringing regeneration not just to their environment, but to the world through knowledge, care, solidarity, and re-Indigenization. They are demanding the recognition and uplifting of Indigenous women and their work in order to restore the world.

29 07, 2023

A New Food Bill of Rights: Why Representation Matters

2025-07-29T18:07:46-04:00Tags: , |

Women and Girls Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture (WANDA) is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on women and girls of African descent in the food system. WANDA has launched a national survey to help shape a new U.S. food bill of rights, aiming to address racial and gender inequalities by advocating for representation and equity across the food system to ensure healthy production and consumption. Less than 3% of nutritionists and only 1.5% of U.S. food producers are Black, with far fewer being women, largely due to discriminatory policies. WANDA's initiatives include national surveys, support for “food sheroes,” and Sisterhood Suppers that foster dialogue and build community. Founder Tambra Raye Stevenson emphasizes the importance of Black women’s inclusion in policymaking for a sustainable food future. The organization also advocates for addressing food apartheid and sees the fight for food justice as deeply intertwined with the fight for racial justice. WANDA collaborates with organizations like the NAACP to elevate these issues in policy discussions and celebrates WANDA Week, beginning on Juneteenth, to honor Black women’s contributions to the food system.

27 07, 2023

The Color of Grass Roots: Diversifying the Climate Movement

2023-12-05T13:24:30-05:00Tags: , |

Heather McTeer Toney highlights the immediate intersectionality of the climate crisis and the historic and contemporary struggles, work, and hope of BIPOC communities throughout it. Toney is Greenville, Mississippi’s youngest and first Black female mayor and has been fighting for water rights in her area, not realizing that she was continuing a legacy of environmentalism that goes back hundreds of years. Black communities have been at the frontlines of environmental and climate related issues for centuries as environmental justice is inextricably linked to their experiences of social justice. Toney highlights the need for affected communities to be involved in decision making in the future. She then shifts the conversation to hope and perseverance by uplifting faith communities that have provided safe and empowering spaces for Black communities throughout various movements. This hope has often been missing from the climate movement. Recognizing the climate crisis as part of a contemporary continuation of historic systems of oppression and learning from the communities leading the way to justice is how we can make radical change.  Photo Credit: United Women in Faith

26 07, 2023

Society Leaves Disabled Communities Sweltering

2023-11-29T18:40:26-05:00Tags: , |

Disabled people make up the world’s largest minority and yet they have not had opportunities to participate fully in society. The climate crisis has exacerbated these inequities. Yessenia Funes highlights stories and statistics from around the world, emphasizing the societal barriers to civic participation that go beyond individual conditions. The rise of heat waves have put disabled people at increased risk of health complications. These disabilities can make extreme heat and light exposure inherently more difficult, causing individuals to lack the ability to perspire or make it painful to be in high light/heat areas. On top of that, there are structures in place that complicate life for disabled people, such as lack of accessible housing, lack of inclusion in emergency response protocols, economic challenges, and other social determinants of health that affect them every day. Amid the crisis, they are losing their lives at disproportionate rates. This is worsened further for historically underserved groups, such as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and rural communities. Disabled people have had to innovate and adapt to survive their regular lives, and now the changing climate. This kind of thinking is vital for climate adaptation. Climate resilience must include accessibility and inclusion so that everyone is able to live full, equitable, and enjoyable lives.  Photo credit: Yaorusheng/Getty Images

29 06, 2023

Lifting the Curtain on Carbon Colonialism

2023-11-28T21:07:18-05:00Tags: , |

Sopheap is one of thousands of workers in Cambodia and around the world that have had to adjust their lives due to climate change and carbon colonialism. The 40 year old mother of three collects, sorts, and sells clothes that are dumped into Cambodia by the ton. She works through heat waves to earn a living from the discards of the fast fashion industry in the Global North. Sopheap is invisible to the world, hidden behind the curtain that companies have drawn to cover their impacts. Laurie Parsons describes the way colonial narratives and ideas are perpetuated through the phrasing of “sustainability” as they send their emissions and waste to the rest of the world. Decolonizing climate change means uncovering the hidden figures in sustainability and demanding accountability from the parties that center environmental action around disproportionate power dynamics. True sustainable climate action will come when Sopheap, and everyone affected by inequalities, are seen and included in the movement along with an end to abusive supply chains. Photo credit: Jake Chessum/Trunk Archive

16 06, 2023

On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities

2025-02-21T18:18:13-05:00Tags: |

Chicago local Naomi Davis is a visionary and grassroots activist whose drive for urban environmental justice underpins her work, advocacy, and climate action. She is the founder and CEO of Blacks in Green (BIG), uplifting Black neighborhoods through environmental revitalization. BIG fights economic, social, and health collapse in Black neighborhoods through socio-environmental revitalization projects. Harnessing creativity and the green revolution as a path out of poverty, BIG programs cover job training, educational programs, and community gardens. Given that communities of color are disproportionately affected by industrial pollution, these projects prioritize building power through localized environmental justice. BIG is gaining traction, with grants to expand programs to create healthier, cleaner, and safer neighborhoods across the Midwest. Davis’s approach continues to build equitable and sustainable cityscapes through grassroots organizing and green revival.

15 06, 2023

Indigenous Land Return as Climate Justice

2025-02-21T17:35:27-05:00Tags: |

Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an Oakland-based, urban Indigenous women-led land rematriation effort, demonstrates the importance of the land back movement in fostering intersectional climate justice. Land back is the push for the return and re-Indigenization of land that was forcefully taken through colonization. Sogorea Te’ is guided by the native Lisjan people’s concept of himmetka, a central gathering place. The first piece of land in the trust was returned by a non-profit working with formerly incarcerated and recently migrated people and later became the central gathering site of the trust. This concept has evolved to encompass new intentions for the space, with Sogorea Te’ focusing on sustaining culturally based climate resilience hubs for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Expanding on Indigenous epistemology of care, the hubs include water, aid, food, and other resources for historically underserved communities who have been left out of aid efforts in climate crises. The trust is working through the bureaucratic process surrounding land rematriation, but the stewards of Sogorea Te’ have nearly full access to caretake and exist on the land as they see fit, including educational, environmental, medicinal, and cultural purposes. Land back is a powerful and necessary part of holistic climate justice.

11 06, 2023

Women’s Action Towards Climate Resilience for Urban Poor in South Asia

2025-06-11T23:34:54-04:00Tags: , , |

The India-based NGO Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHST) operates across South Asia, with programs in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal that aim to support low-income women and their households in boosting their climate resilience. MHST's initiatives use an integrated model to organize and uplift these women, providing them with knowledge, leadership skills, and training to adapt to growing climate impacts. To date, the project has trained 1,500 local women to become ‘Climate Saathis,’ who educate local communities about climate change, adaptation, vulnerability and risk assessment, and implementing localized resilient solutions. By employing a women-led model, MHST focuses on local mitigation efforts addressing key climate impacts such as heat stress, water security, vector-borne diseases, and flooding—potent dangers already affecting women and the urban poor.

9 05, 2023

New creative tools explore gender, justice, and the climate in Indonesia

2025-04-19T17:08:33-04:00Tags: |

A School of Geography research group from Leeds University is partnering with Indonesian organizations to create ‘Gender Jeopardy,’ an engaging game that celebrates trans resilience and climate activism. Indonesian designers and illustrators are also assisting the project, which includes a board game with accompanying characters and a comic. It centers on the experiences of Sanggar Seroja, a performance group founded by trans women from Jakarta, Indonesia. The group has over twenty years experience in art and activism, practicing and performing both traditional and contemporary art forms. The board game demonstrates scenarios such as environmental disasters, poverty, gender discrimination, and family trauma which have helped people to relate on their shared experiences. It is meant to demonstrate both the unique challenges faced by certain groups, as well as their immense resilience, creativity, and power. The game also promotes practical actions for environmental activism at the community level and conveys how these themes intersect with broader social and health justice issues.

25 04, 2023

From Farm Workers To Land Healers

2023-07-30T13:28:25-04:00Tags: |

  Former immigrant and Indigenous farmworkers have been using their cultural knowledge of sustainable fire practices to control wildfires and reclaim work in natural spaces. The workers previously faced hazardous and unhealthy conditions while being employed on vineyards, including exposure to toxic fumes and smoke, especially when harvesting through active fires. There was little financial compensation or support for their safety. Now, the workers are spearheading ecological restoration programs in wildfire prone areas. They are positioning themselves as leaders and educators in order to gain self-determination over their relationship to the land, reclaim former cultural practices, and have an active role in healing. The programs are offered in Spanish and local Indigenous languages and ensure that land workers are well-paid, safe, respected, and have autonomy in their work. These efforts mark an ongoing transition in climate mitigation efforts, centered on the intention to heal and grow both the environment and frontline communities. Photo credit: Brooke Anderson/YES! Magazine

17 04, 2023

Imagining a World Without Prisons

2023-11-28T18:55:42-05:00Tags: , |

Molly Lipson, a journalist and community organizer, discusses the intersections between carceral and environmental justice. She highlights the ways that prisons contribute to environmental degradation and the perpetuation of systems that work against historically underserved communities. Lipson showcases the discussion of the progress and tensions between sustainable futures and grassroots abolition movements with Andrea Johnson from the Renewable Rikers project and Jordan Martinez-Mazurek from Fight Toxic Prisons. Johnson is the architect of the Renewable Rikers project, which works to stop the toxicity of Rikers Island prison for inmates and those living in surrounding communities. Lipson captures her conversation with Martinez-Mazurek about the importance of making change for people actively impacted by the carceral system and its contingencies, as well as ensuring that society works towards an abolitionist future. Justice movements go hand in hand, and it’s necessary to understand the nuances of their intersections to achieve a better future for all. Photo credit: Nico Krijno

29 03, 2023

Un Adopts Landmark Resolution To Define Global Legal Obligations On Climate Change

2023-07-30T13:59:42-04:00Tags: |

After years of activism by Pacific Islander youth, a historic climate resolution was passed by the United Nations to be sent to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The resolution requests that the ICJ clarify legal consequences for states that have significantly damaged the climate system and environment, and  it requests that future local and global climate efforts center on human rights. The push for this resolution started with a campaign initiated by university students in Fiji in 2021, and has now been co-sponsored by over 130 member states. Although it is not mandatory for states to adhere to ICJ opinions, they carry significant legal and moral weight that supporters hope will cause states to focus on the climate crisis. Specifically, the youth who began this initiative request that countries consider their obligations to the Small Island and Developing states which are particularly vulnerable to the climate crisis and impacted by initiatives in the developed world. The adoption of this resolution is an important step in defining the future of global climate action, and an emotional and triumphant moment for the Pacific youth who spearheaded these efforts.

17 03, 2023

Gender Equity and Social Inclusion for Climate Resilient Development

2025-03-06T17:32:18-05:00Tags: |

This educational animated video, produced by the United Nations and the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership, explains how combating climate change must be a socially equitable process. While climate collapse will affect everyone in the Pacific community, women and historically underserved people will feel it most profoundly. The Pacific Island nations experience a high level of climate vulnerability making the focus on resilient communities essential. For example, disaster resilience in rural Pacific areas means being proactive and ensuring that everyone has the autonomy to be able to produce and store excess food crops. Further, when all farmers, including women and minorities, have access to loans, equipment and climate information, they will be more productive and adaptive. Taking into consideration disability, age, gender and other factors of vulnerability in the design phase and decision phase is critical. The video emphasizes that “helping communities become less vulnerable to climate change means listening to everyone, designing for multiple purposes, budgeting for inclusion, and empowering local solutions.” These steps reinforce the foundation that communities are safer and more resilient when all members of the community are invested, consulted and involved in change and adaptation processes.

14 03, 2023

Short film: Freeport gas explosion and the community fighting back

2025-02-21T17:49:36-05:00Tags: |

After seeing a giant fireball launched 100 feet in the air after a gas explosion, residents of Freeport, Texas came together to fight the harmful industry plants polluting their home. Gwendolyn Jones of Citizens for Clean Air and Clean Water of Freeport and Brazoria County has been a leader in this work. Her family has lived in Freeport for generations and has been continuously disenfranchised by industry plants. Freeport is predominantly a community of color and 72% of the residents are considered low income. Like many others, it faces systemic environmental justice crises that the government ignores. It is a historically African American neighborhood. Over the last few decades, Port Freeport has been systematically displacing residents, and buying, and subsequently polluting, the land. Jones has watched her home be completely overturned while her community is treated as collateral damage. The residents face high risks of cancer and other health concerns, and Freeport is considered one of several “sacrifice zones” in the area. When the explosion came, the community was left on their own with no warning or support. After this, the community decided to take matters into their own hands. Jones and others are pushing for legal accountability, emergency response plans, and the phase out of plants and pipelines for future generations.

20 02, 2023

Black Girl Environmentalist Rejects Climate “Doomism”

2023-06-04T09:46:13-04:00Tags: |

Recently climate "doomism" has been spreading across social media. It is the idea that humanity is doomed and the climate crisis is too far along to be stopped or helped. Wnajiku "Wawa" Gatheru, the founder of Black Girl Environmentalist (BGE), is fighting to challenge this thinking. She argues that an oversaturation of doomism can lead to a loss of power for Black girls, Black women, and Black non-binary environmentalists whose identities are intertwined with environmental racism. Arielle V. King, the programming director at Black Girl Environmentalist, speaks on the deeply connected relationship of racial and environmental justice and the ability of the environmental justice movement to create self-determination for Black, Indigenous and low-income communities. Photo credit: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Environmental Media Association/Courtesy of Arielle King and Roydenn Silcott

17 02, 2023

Mothers Of The Movement: Black Environmental Justice Activists Reflect On The Women Who Have Paved The Way

2023-06-04T09:36:09-04:00Tags: |

The Black community is disproportionately impacted by environmental racism and exposed to human-made environmental hazards. Black activists have been and still are trailblazing leaders and pioneers in the climate justice movement; however, they are often overlooked in history books and climate change conversations. To recognize this pivotal work, these interviews feature Black climate leaders' stories about the Black women who have inspired them in the environmental justice sector. A few of these include: Leah Thomas on Hazel M. Johnson, Abre' Conner on Kathleen Cleaver, Catherine Coleman Flowers on Sharon Lavigne, and Rhiana Gunn-Wright on Tamara Toles O'Laughlin, Colette Pichon Battle, Janelle Jones, Dr. Beverly Wright and Dorceta Taylor. Photo credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

13 02, 2023

Jacqueline Patterson: Honoring Legacy In The Environmental Movement

2023-07-30T13:18:17-04:00Tags: |

In an interview with Yessenia Funes, climate and environmental activist Jacqueline Patterson reflects on the legacy of Black communities, culture, and history, and their connections to the environmental movement. Patterson is the founder and director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, a Black-led climate organization working to empower Black communities. Patterson’s ideas of legacy reflect the spirit and work of Shirley Chisholm, a prominent leader. She first discusses cultural heritage and connection to the land. She notes how Black people were historically conservationists for survival, which fostered a kinship and understanding of the land that continues today. She also discusses the culture of the community that formed. She believes this legacy is crucial in environmental justice movements. Community fodders leadership and leadership fodders self-determination, which is a powerful tool in resisting inequities. BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice, and these legacies have historically fought this. Patterson highlights the Black women and youth on the frontlines of environmental, economic, and racial justice initiatives that continue these legacies. She emphasizes that the sustenance of these legacies and the continuation of positive change must center around the wellness of those embodying these ideas. Justice movements centered on community and liberation will lead to systemic transformation. Photo credit: Jacqueline Patterson/Atmos

19 01, 2023

Fossil Fuel Giants ‘Throw People Under The Bus For Their Gain’ Greta Thunberg Says At Davos

2023-07-30T13:23:10-04:00Tags: |

Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Helena Gualinga, and Luisa Neubauer are among many climate activists who protested the expansion of fossil fuel initiatives at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. These women came from around the world (Sweden, Uganda, Ecuador, and Germany, respectively) to demand that the global energy industry stop investing in oil and gas and turn to clean energy. This built off of a cease and desist campaign that they pioneered, gaining 897,000+ signatures, to push for transparency and accountability from CEOs involved in fossil fuel investments. Just before her appearance at the WEF, Thunberg was detained while protesting the expansion of a coal mine in Germany. Other activists met her in Davos, protesting the emissions from the attendees using private jets and expanding the Make Them Pay campaign, calling on rich nations to pay their climate debt and cancel debt in the Global South where people are disproportionately affected by climate change while contributing the least to the crisis. Youth activists have crucial roles in climate movement and sustaining fossil fuel resistance efforts. Photo credit: Arnd Wiegmann/REUTERS

23 12, 2022

How Women Changed The World This Year

2023-07-30T13:13:07-04:00Tags: |

Climate activists, community leaders, human rights advocates―women around the world have pushed for change across arenas and sustain hope for future progress. In Iran, women have led the revolution against the government through the Women, Life, Freedom movement to ensure that everyone has safety, rights, and religious freedom. In Afghanistan, thousands of unnamed women fight Taliban leadership to push for education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Women in Latin America have continued the fight for their rights, with a “green wave” of grassroots movements pushing for abortion rights. In lieu of their efforts, Mexico has decriminalized abortion, Ecuador has decriminalized it up to 24 weeks, and other countries are re-evaluating their laws. In Ukraine, women are working hard to maintain global food security. Nadiia Ivanova and ~10,000 other women farmers are fighting to keep up food production in the midst of the Russian invasion, supplying food and shelter to Ukrainian soldiers, as well as global food markets. Women are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis and intersections across movements. They are demanding seats at the table at global climate forums, pushing for legislation such as the “loss and damage” fund that was approved during COP27. This will support developing countries that are vulnerable to climate change, and center around some of the issues that impact women in the crisis. This is one example of many efforts by women in the climate justice movement. The struggles and contributions of women often go unrecognized, but millions are leading justice movements every day. Photo credit: Justin Tallis/AFP Via Getty Images

19 12, 2022

How Asian-Pacific Islanders Shaped Environmental Activism

2023-11-28T20:41:44-05:00Tags: , , |

Asian-Pacific Islanders have been on the frontlines of the climate crisis—both by being disproportionately and uniquely affected by disasters and geological shifts, but also driving innovation, hope, and change in their communities and around the world. Youth climate activist, Alexia Leclercq, presents an anthology of stories and milestones from Asian-Pacific Islander activists and community leaders as they move through generations of challenges. These communities have built up resilience and strength throughout centuries of colonization, capitalism, and now the climate crisis, and use their knowledge to further progress in all areas. Leclercq draws on her experiences and identity through her journey in the climate movement, and emphasizes the need for “radical listening” to make change. Representation in climate spaces is not sufficient; we must deeply listen and actively learn from the experiences and ideas of those who know this space most intimately. We must honor the unique identities that come into the movement, and come together to make restorative progress. Photo credit: Moonassi

22 11, 2022

Indigenous and Black Communities Find Common Cause for Land Justice

2025-07-29T17:54:12-04:00Tags: , |

Black and Indigenous communities in the United States are coming together in solidarity, drawing on parallel histories of dispossession to reclaim stolen land. They are engaging with land in ways that aim to build community economies and decouple economic development from exploitative and unsustainable systems of extraction, exploitation, and trade. Reclaiming land and securing reparations that heal and strengthen communities oppressed under colonialism, capitalism, and slavery are key pillars of climate justice. By extending Indigenous land care, stewardship, and governance over ancestral territories, the Indigenous-led land rights movement is creating sustainable systems rooted in cultural values. This movement is shifting land from market-driven ownership into models of collective care. Examples include the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust and the Native Land Conservancy. In Northern California, the Yurok Tribe is restoring timberlands that are both culturally and ecologically significant. Integrated land management systems, such as the Cultural Fire Management Council and the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, are also transforming the way land is cared for. For Black communities, the land rights movement is grounded in the reclamation of farmlands and the fight against racist policies that have long blocked land ownership, such as redlining and restrictive lending practices. In this collaborative fight for land rights, both communities must continue to embrace their parallels and act in solidarity.

21 11, 2022

Queer Climate Activists Speak Out After COP27 in Egypt

2023-12-05T13:33:51-05:00Tags: |

COP27 was meant to create an embracing space for climate activists and leaders around the world to come together, listen to each other, and work towards inclusive change. However, many crucial figures in the movement came to the summit in spite of many personal risks. The Egyptian government has a history of pursuing violent treatment towards LGBTQIA+ communities. This did not stop queer activists from ensuring that their voices and communities were represented. Big Wind Carpenter, a Two Spirit water protector, emphasizes that they face risks every day as a queer person, and it’s vital that their voices are heard in these discussions. Bruno Rodriguez, a bisexual climate activist, felt uneasy throughout his experience at COP, but maintained that it is necessary to hold these meetings in the Global South, even in places with human rights conflicts. The West is not absolved of these conflicts either, and many nations in the Global South have been impacted by Western cultural imperialism and colonial legacies. They cannot be ignored aside as we push towards change, and they will not stop fighting for a better future. Climate justice means justice across all intersections.  Photo Credit: Pamela Elizarraras Acitores

17 11, 2022

Vanessa Nakate, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Wants to Center Climate Frontline Communities

2023-11-28T20:55:20-05:00Tags: , |

Vanessa Nakate, the founder of the Rise Up movement, emphasizes the importance of recognizing the ways that frontline communities are uniquely affected by the climate crisis. Her work in Kenya gave her first hand exposure to the impacts of the crisis on vulnerable communities. Many countries in the Horn of Africa, as well as developing nations around the world, bear the brunt of the damage from the crisis while contributing the least. In Fact, Africa accounts for less than 4% of historic carbon emissions, and yet Africans are among the worst affected by their consequences. Nakate focuses specifically on the impacts of malnutrition from drought, flood, and other climate disasters leading to food and water shortages. UNICEF’s Children Climate Risk Index found that nearly half of the world’s children live in 33 countries that face extreme existential threats from climate change, the top 10 all being African countries. Nakate stresses the importance of sharing stories and data even when it is difficult to hear, and the significance of ensuring that people of color, young people, and people in the developing world are included and heard in conversations around the crisis. Photo credit: Daylin Paul/UNICEF

19 10, 2022

How Hurricane Maria Spurred A Young Puerto Rican Climate Activist To Action

2025-03-06T00:54:30-05:00Tags: |

Isabel Valentín is a young Puerto Rican climate activist who is bringing attention to the impacts of climate change and the need for adequate mitigation efforts after natural disasters, particularly for distressed communities. Valentín was attending high school in Puerto Rico at the time of both Hurricane Maria and Irma, which led to thousands of deaths across the island, with poorer areas suffering the worst of this. After receiving inadequate help from the government, Valentín joined an 11-day long protest commanding the governor, Ricardo Rosselló, to resign. While Valentín always planned to focus her career on the environment, this experience inspired her to pursue environmental and legal studies relating to the Caribbean to help make a positive change for her community. As of now, she is majoring in environmental studies at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in New York, after which she plans to complete a law degree and return to San Juan for a doctorate in Caribbean studies.

6 10, 2022

Deep-Rooted Gender Inequities Make Women More Vulnerable During Climate Disasters

2023-12-04T16:22:25-05:00Tags: |

Nabila Feroz critically examines the social and economic conditions that impact women and historically underserved groups during disasters. She informs policy makers and communities in understanding the necessity for disaster response and prevention. Feroz found that in the event of disaster, the likelihood of fatal casualties occuring is 14 times higher for women and children than for men. Taking the floods in Pakistan as an example, she lists the social determinants of health and wellbeing that place women at increased risk in disaster situations. These factors include limited access to resources such as education, healthcare, economic circumstances, and cultural barriers. Women in Pakistan were not fully equipped with skills such as navigation, self-defense, or swimming which made it much harder for them to successfully evacuate. Many women in Pakistan are also not able to leave their homes without a male companion or permission from elders, so they have limited experience navigating dilemmas outside of the home. In camps, they are subjected to violence and lack health care that meets their needs, such as menstrual resources and infrastructure for birth. These are only some of the compounding and intersectional challenges that women and children face. Policy makers must take special care to include womens’ concerns in their solutions. Photo Credit: Asianet-Pakistan/Shutterstock

3 10, 2022

African Women Unite On Frontlines Of Climate Crisis

2023-07-30T13:08:43-04:00Tags: |

The West and Central African Women’s Climate Assembly met in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in October 2022. The assembly brought together women from across the continent to bring forth solutions and to build solidarity for the unique challenges they face. Participants included women across movements: forestry, oil and mining resistance, fisheries, energy and infrastructure, and more. Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, has contributed minimally to the climate crisis, but has faced the most environmental destruction in its wake. Along with increasing temperatures, disease levels, and food insecurity, an estimated 86 million Africans will have to migrate within their countries to evade climate disasters by 2050. African women are particularly vulnerable to these changes as they are primarily responsible for food, water, household needs, general domestic care, and caring for those who are sick. Their needs are often being overlooked by the enforcement of oil, gas, and other detrimental projects. These women are coming together and fighting for African government officials and the global community, particularly the Global North, to recognize and reconcile the effects of their projects on the developing world. Photo credit: EnviroNews Nigeria

28 09, 2022

Gender, care and climate change — why they are connected

2023-11-29T18:02:25-05:00Tags: , |

Imraan Valodia, Siviwe Mhlana, and Julia Taylor deconstruct the interlocking crises of the care sector and explain why they are important to sustainable environmental and economic development. One crisis is the lack of representation of unpaid work in economic calculations. During the global lockdown, many realized that health care and domestic services, both paid and unpaid, are essential for sustaining our collective livelihoods. This work, disproportionately taken on by women around the world, creates resilient economies and caters towards environmental protection. This leads to the second crisis―care for the environment and the climate crisis. Historically underserved communities contribute the least to the perpetuation of the crisis but are at the forefront of local and global solutions. They are, in essence, the caretakers of the environment. However, they are the most impacted by climate disasters. Women already face barriers to accessing education, economic mobility, healthcare, and other services due to their roles as caretakers, and the compounding crises of care place additional burdens on them. Valuing care in all of its forms, and supporting caretakers in every field, is vital to addressing the crises. Photo credit: Daily Maverick

18 09, 2022

Women pioneer green projects in Gaza

2025-03-09T23:58:22-04:00Tags: |

Palestinians in the occupied territories have initiated several eco-projects to recycle waste into eco-friendly products. Under Israeli occupation, the Palestinian territories are facing severe waste and resource crises. There is a severe lack of adequate waste management and recycling facilities in Gaza, made worse by the constant bombings and destruction of infrastructure. This led Huda Thabit, a 40-year-old mother of four from the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, and her husband, Salem, to start a project that turned paper waste into eco-friendly drawing boards. This, and other initiatives, aim to create a positive community impact, address the waste crisis, and foster a culture around recycling in order to reduce the effects of environmental degradation in Gaza. The leaders of these projects are now turning to environmental education to engage younger generations in conservation and eco-friendly work to model a cleaner, healthier future.

24 08, 2022

Why Keeping Girls in School is a Good Strategy to Cope with Climate Change

2023-01-25T12:31:55-05:00Tags: |

This article spotlights Tawonga Zakeyo, an activist from Malawi who works for the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED). Having completed high school, college, and a study abroad program, she now works to ensure that more girls can have the same opportunities to learn. Girls’ education is one of the most important solutions to pressing global issues, as it is correlated to lower rates of child marriage, increased economic empowerment, and more political and social agency. If all girls worldwide had access to voluntary family planning programs as well as universal education, it could reduce carbon emissions by up to 68.9 gigatons before 2050. Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters, but their resilience increases when they have knowledge about everything from understanding weather reports to building more durable homes. Through CAMFED, Zakeyo has been able to support young women farmers to practice sustainable agriculture and understand the changing climate. She emphasizes the importance of educating girls so they can be agents of change. Photo Credit: Hellenah Khunga

23 08, 2022

South Sudanese Women Are Going Beyond Gender Norms To Cope With Multiple Crises

2025-03-06T00:59:26-05:00Tags: |

South Sudan is facing a number of crises including civil conflict, natural disasters, and gender violence, with women being disproportionately impacted by this. The United Nations Refugee Agency has estimated that 83% of South Sudanese refugees displaced by conflict and climate disasters are women and children. War and conflict have allowed sexual violence to increase, while climate change and crop failures have left women highly vulnerable to food insecurity as their caregiving roles lead them to be low priority when it comes to food portioning. Additionally, cultural factors such as male dominance in decision-making and finances create further challenges for women in coping with these crises. Marisa O. Ensor attests to how these women are taking action to combat the issues the country is facing despite the constraints of gender norms in the region. Women are supporting each other, particularly victims of sexual and gender-based violence, through therapy, community support, and livelihood schemes. In order to do this, they have begun seeking typically masculine jobs such as fishing which provide the income needed for women to support themselves and their community. In addition, South Sudanese women have actively pushed to be included in efforts to combat civil unrest. Female negotiators were central to producing the 2018 peace agreement and enacting a quota ensuring that 35% of government representatives are women, creating roles for female employment in this sector. South Sudanese women have continued to take strides towards improving their country, pushing for new establishments to increase government accountability and help bring justice to survivors.

8 08, 2022

Advocating for women-led climate justice in Nepal

2025-10-17T17:20:04-04:00Tags: |

Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. In Nepal, where the climate crisis actively threatens the economy and society, women, girls, and Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable. Gender inequality is deeply ingrained in Nepalese society. These circumstances worsen as access to health facilities and resources such as clean water are increasingly difficult to come by. During periods of drought or heavy rains when crops are destroyed, women have to go into the jungle to get water which puts them at higher risk of gender-based violence. They also have less access to health and safety resources when disasters hit. To combat this, it is necessary to include women in community preparation and support their leadership. This is a necessary step not only for protecting their rights and wellbeing, but also for creating sustainable pathways and communities for future generations.

4 08, 2022

In the Era of Climate Migration, What Will “Home” Mean?

2025-04-23T11:17:12-04:00Tags: |

The article titled "In the Era of Climate Migration, What Will 'Home' Mean?" by Madeline Ostrander explores the evolving concept of "home" in the context of climate change and environmental challenges. The author highlights the tension between viewing home as property for financial gain and understanding it as an emotional space deeply connected to identity and community. Ostrander discusses Bell Hooks' personal journey in finding a meaningful home and the idea of an "ethic of place." The article also delves into the history of NIMBYism (Not In My Backyard) and its implications for environmental activism. Ultimately, it argues that in an era of climate upheaval, the concept of home as a place of meaning and belonging may hold the key to resilience and community building.

25 07, 2022

How Reproductive Justice Is Climate Justice

2025-05-22T12:54:08-04:00Tags: |

The catastrophic impacts of climate change have been felt throughout the world as adverse weather conditions and natural disasters become more frequent phenomena. This state of climate emergency has imposed a new set of challenges on women’s reproductive rights. Climate conditions not only make access to abortions cumbersome but also increase the need for it. Several reasons account for this. Debasri Ghosh, the managing director of the National Network of Abortion Funds, pointed out that an increasing number of abortion clinics face closures due to extreme weather conditions in states like Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Drawing on research from Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath in Texas in 2017, Ophra Leyser-Whalen highlights how financial burdens have further exacerbated reproductive healthcare needs. Similarly, Dr. Samantha Montano, a self-described disasterologist and assistant professor of emergency management, observes that disaster shelters often expose women to increased gender-based violence and fail to provide vital healthcare and legal information. These conditions are not limited to the United States. Pansi Katenga, who works at Ipas, emphasizes that women across the globe, especially in Africa and Asia where Ipas operates, are increasingly being deprived of their reproductive rights. Therefore, realizing the intersection between climate justice and reproductive justice is vital. Lucy Hartman, the organizing director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, has been successful in uniting the movements against the repression of abortion rights and fighting for climate justice. She collaborated with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters in 2019 and the Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance in 2022 to stand in solidarity, showing that reproductive justice is climate justice.

18 07, 2022

Pride Month Is Over. Now What? Lessons From LGBTQIA+ Environmentalists To Keep With Us Throughout The Year.

2023-02-01T22:54:45-05:00Tags: |

This article includes lessons from queer environmentalists to inform advocacy for human rights and environmental justice beyond Pride Month. It provides perspectives on achieving equity and inclusion within the environmental organizing community. Just as a species is stronger when it has more genetic diversity, or an ecosystem is healthier when it is more biodiverse, the environmental movement is more impactful when it celebrates human diversity and promotes inclusion. Intersectional advocacy is crucial, given that the climate crisis is a social justice issue that impacts women and people of color first and foremost.This article illuminates a variety of ways to meaningfully and consistently contribute to climate action and LGBTQ+ rights. Photo Credit: JD Reinbott

27 06, 2022

Redefining Gender In The Amazon

2023-02-01T23:05:45-05:00Tags: |

This article shares the story of Uýra Sodoma, the spirit of Indigenous trans nonbinary artist and biologist Emerson Pontes (she/they). Uýra speaks through Pontes in order to highlight the importance of protecting the Brazilian Amazon. A new documentary, Uýra: The Rising Forest, shows Emerson’s journey driving collective and educational experiences that engage communities in environmental justice activism. She has faced challenges not only from the mass deforestation of the Amazon, but also from Brazil’s homophobic and transphobic government policies. However, they have continued to use performances to bridge the movements for conservation and LGBTQ+ rights. They emphasize that the concept of the gender binary is a concept imposed by colonizers, using drag to connect with nature and the queer community. Photo Credit: Uýra: The Rising Forest    

16 06, 2022

Queering the food system

2025-02-21T18:25:25-05:00Tags: |

Hannah Breckbill founded Humble Hands Harvest, a community farm project in Iowa which is seeking to reimagine food systems to be more inclusive, slow, and local. The farm is a queer-run, LGBTQIA+ friendly space that is using regenerative agriculture and slow growing farming practices to heal the Earth while also creating an inclusive, regenerative social space. Breckbill shares that she “found farming an extremely rewarding way of cultivating change. Agriculture can happen anywhere; people need to eat everywhere.” Projects like this highlight the intersectionality of agriculture, social justice, and environmental sustainability. Given the enhanced barriers for queer and Black people to navigate land access and farming, initiatives such as Humble Hands Harvest are important in the fight for both food sovereignty and supportive social connection. The redistribution of resources and shelter to those in marginalized communities is essential, as they are disproportionately affected by issues such as by homelessness and food insecurity. This is a responsibility that some queer farmers are incorporating into the way they run, build, and manage their farms as spaces that rejuvenate and foster more than the land.

15 06, 2022

Climate Denial’s Racist Roots

2025-07-09T23:46:46-04:00Tags: , , , |

In 2022, a string of mass shootings in Buffalo, El Paso, and Christchurch shocked the world with a horrific new trend—ecofascism. Mary Annaïse Heglar points out that all the shooters were young White men who had been exposed to misinformation and right-wing media ecosystems, choosing to take matters into their own hands rather than hold political leaders accountable. Heglar highlights how the common thread between gun culture, climate change, and disinformation is White supremacy. Climate denial or dismissal is not rooted in a rejection of scientific evidence, but rather in the fact that the worst effects of climate change disproportionately impact people of color, communities in the Global South, and the poor. In the eyes of White supremacists and ecofascists, Heglar explains, climate change is perversely embraced for its potential to eliminate so-called "undesirable" non-white populations. Consequently, the climate crisis threatens to deepen racism even further.

26 05, 2022

The War On My Homeland Offers A Real Chance To Save the Planet

2023-02-01T23:08:02-05:00Tags: |

This article, written by Ukrainian climate advocate and environmental lawyer Svitlana Romanko, discusses how ending Putin’s “fossil-fueled war” in Ukraine can motivate a faster transition to green energy. Emphasizing how the Russian invasion is made possible by coal, oil, and gas industries, Romanko calls upon the international community to ban the import of all fossil fuels from Russia as a first step towards a global switch to renewable energy. She views the ongoing war as a decisive point in history: a chance to either embrace green technologies or perpetuate the harmful status quo. She also cautions against simply replacing fossil fuels from Russia with the same product from other countries, as this would only accelerate the climate crisis and fossil-fueled wars in other regions such as the Middle East. Romanko calls out the American oil companies that have used the war in Ukraine to increase their production and profits. Framing fossil fuels as weapons of mass destruction, Romanko connects the movement for peace with the movement for climate justice. Photo credit: Olga Gordeeva

20 04, 2022

Funding for women-led conservation remains tiny, but that’s changing fast

2025-04-23T11:13:51-04:00Tags: |

The article highlights significant gender and racial disparities in climate change philanthropy. It notes that 90% of funding goes to white-led organizations, with 80% led by men, and only 0.2% supports women and environmental projects. Initiatives like the Wild Elements Foundation, Women's Earth Alliance, Daughters for Earth, and WE Africa are providing funding, skills, and publicity for women-led environmental efforts. The Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA) offers flexible financial support for groups addressing women's rights and environmental justice. The article underscores the need to increase funding for women-led conservation to address environmental challenges effectively.

9 03, 2022

‘Respect Science’: Mona Hanna-Attisha Shares Climate Lessons From Flint

2025-05-22T13:01:32-04:00Tags: |

Tragedy hit the predominantly Black city of Flint, Michigan when the water crisis erupted, exposing over 100,000 residents and children to lead. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and professor at Michigan State University’s Hurley Children’s Hospital, brought the issue to light after observing a rise in blood lead levels among her young patients. Despite government efforts to hamper her credibility, she fought to decontaminate the city’s water supply. As a result of her diligent efforts, the city has not only complied with EPA criteria for over three years but has also taken active steps to replace lead pipes. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which implores the replacement of lead pipes across the country, stands as a testament to how Flint has become a model city for demanding safe and clean water practices. Hanna-Attisha has also equipped the future generation to fight and withstand the climate crisis by creating the Flint Youth Justice League, highlighting the numerous parallels between the Flint water crisis and climate change. Governments have consistently failed to address such issues and adhere to scientific evidence. Consequently, they fail to invest in overcoming crises, leading to reactive measures in times of need rather than preventive steps that could have saved the lives of disproportionately affected communities. Despite the dire conditions the city had to undergo, Hanna-Attisha emphasizes their resilience and how their story offers hope in combating future obstacles.

15 02, 2022

Let’s Honor Hazel Johnson’s Environmental Justice Legacy During Black History Month

2023-02-02T15:40:02-05:00Tags: |

Executive Director of People for Community Recovery, Cheryl Johnson, honors the legacy of her mother: Hazel Johnson. As an organizer in the south side of Chicago, Hazel raised awareness about inequities at the intersection of socioeconomic, environmental, and public health factors. She fought against environmental racism, housing discrimination, and toxic waste. After her husband died from lung cancer, she began noticing the high cancer rates in her neighborhood, and she exposed the connection between pollution and health problems through community advocacy. The 17 Principles of Environmental Justice she formulated continue to motivate action today. In this article, Johnson commemorates her mother’s accomplishments as an early leader of the environmental justice movement, while emphasizing the importance of women’s contributions to grassroots initiatives. She also discusses recent efforts to recognize Hazel Johnson, including three federal bills that propose celebrating every April as environmental justice month in her name, creating a memorial postage stamp, and posthumously giving her a Congressional Gold Medal. Photo Credit: People for Community Recovery

2 02, 2022

Permanently Organized Communities.

2023-02-02T16:25:03-05:00Tags: |

In this article Movement Generation founder, Michelle Mascarenhas, details why we need place-based permanently organized communities. Specifically now, the Covid-19 pandemic has offered opportunities to build the types of local systems our movements need, including but not limited to: shifting labor to mutuality and care, creating mutual aid networks, resourcing mutual aid funds, and working towards self-governance. Photo Credit: Brooke Anderson

28 01, 2022

The Young Activist Fighting To ‘Change the Faces of Power’

2023-02-01T23:10:09-05:00Tags: |

Ilona Duverge, a housing justice activist from New York City, experienced housing insecurity as a college student and is now a movement leader for systemic and electoral change. Low-income and public housing, especially in formerly redlined areas, can be inadequate in the winter due to lack of insulation and sufficient heating but dangerous in the summer given suffocating heat. This is exacerbated by the issue of climate change. Duverge has worked at the intersection of these issues, first volunteering with local campaigns and later becoming the deputy organizing director for U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign. She is also the founder of Movement School, which trains working class activists on how they can run for office, as well as a housing and legal fellow who helps tenants of public housing learn their rights. Duverge’s advocacy for the NYC Housing Authority to upgrade their housing with climate action and clean energy in mind inspired Ocasio-Cortez to introduce the Green New Deal for Housing, which would invest in sustainable housing upgrades and create green jobs. Duverge’s vision of the climate-economy link has sparked powerful action against poverty and environmental racism. Photo Credit: Ilona Duverge  

17 01, 2022

Dolores Huerta: Workers Must Unite to Take On Climate

2025-04-18T11:13:24-04:00Tags: |

Legendary labor rights activist Dolores Huerta emphasizes the vital alliance between labor and climate movements to confront the escalating global climate crisis. Reflecting on pandemic-induced economic disparities, Huerta highlights the paradox of essential workers facing increased vulnerability despite economic prosperity. As co-founder of the United Farm Workers and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she extends her advocacy from workers' rights to climate justice. Huerta asserts that the labor movement's strength is crucial for addressing climate challenges, advocating for a transition to green energy roles and emphasizing the need for a living wage and support for workers during this shift. She urges relentless political activism to enact policies supporting both climate action and labor rights, emphasizing the role of strong labor unions in fostering a functioning democracy. Huerta's call for solidarity in labor organizing underscores the power of collective action in driving societal change, with a clear message: the future of the planet and democracy depends on the unity and activism of working people.

1 01, 2022

Dolores Huerta: Workers Must Unite To Take On Climate

2023-02-02T15:42:00-05:00Tags: |

Yessenia Funes, the climate director of Atmos, interviews labor activist Dolores Huerta on how her fight for justice promotes environmental justice. Huerta discusses ways to unite labor and climate action movements, emphasizing that we need to facilitate a just transition to green jobs so oil workers have alternate employment that pays adequately while being better for the environment. She outlines suggestions for pressuring Congress and local legislatures, expanding labor unions through legal support and movement-building, and supporting workers who are transitioning industries. Above all, Huerta believes that the focus should be on supporting candidates at all levels who will be advocates for environmentally just labor policies.  Photo Credit: Brandon Barela

2 12, 2021

What It’s Like When a Climate Disaster Permanently Alters Your Life

2025-03-27T14:35:58-04:00Tags: |

Climate disasters quickly leave the news cycles after the immediate threat is gone, but the story doesn’t stop there. While national attention might leave the affected areas, citizens must deal with ongoing emotional, physical, and financial issues—usually without government and corporate assistance. Amdynn Isbrid (he/she/they) from Portland, Oregon, lived through the West Coast fires in September 2020. Despite working outside with the Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring up to 477 micrograms per cubic millimeter, neither Isbrid nor their coworkers received any PPE. In the wake of the fires, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied 70% of claims from Oregon residents and 86% of claims by Californians. The automated, complex FEMA application process, designed to protect against fraudulent claims, prevented people from accessing needed aid. Gina (she/her) from Chico, California, lost everything in the Camp Fire that tore through Northern California in November 2018. Eighty-six people in Paradise, California perished. While Gina was a homeowner and received an insurance settlement, renters or those without insurance coverage were not so lucky. Macy Callais (she/her) is from Lockport, Louisiana. Hurricane Ida destroyed her home. Initially, Callais thought she would be eligible for FEMA assistance, but FEMA denied her claim because she was a renter. Orville Black (any pronouns), from River Falls, Wisconsin, experienced intense rainstorms on their family farm. Water washed away car-sized hay bales and pigs, and waterlogged tractors and farm equipment. Because the farm is in a flood zone, Black and their family constantly worry about the possibility of another extreme weather event. Gabriela Ramos-Tavárez (she/her) is from Atlanta, GA. Ramos-Tavárez’s room flooded through her closed window because of Hurricane Maria’s intense winds. The heat and humidity in Ramos-Tavárez’s caused mold to grow over her entire bedroom. Despite Ramos-Tavárez’s father’s preparedness, they lack enough batteries, cash, food, and gasoline. The indifference from the national government cost Puerto Rico greatly. The local government mismanaged any funds it did receive.

5 11, 2021

Female Equality Is Key to A Sustainable Future

2022-05-14T16:44:54-04:00Tags: |

Since women across Asia and Africa are often responsible for supplying their households with water, food and fuel, the path towards a sustainable world requires, in part, full gender equality. But the effects of climate change, in conjunction with natural disasters, make women’s lives that much harder. For instance, when Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, a result was the increased sexual exploitation of women and girls. After Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, violence against women increased by a factor of four in Mississippi and remained high years later. Women are however continuing to pursue the ideal of a sustainable world. In Kenya, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai initiated a massive tree-planting effort that became known as the Greenbelt Movement. More than 5,000 village women in Andra Pradesh, working with the Deccan Development Society, transitioned to organic farming, greatly reducing the carbon impact of agriculture. It is clear that empowering women is key to tackling climate change. Photo credit: Adam Jones

23 09, 2021

Caste and Climate Change

2025-03-27T16:37:46-04:00Tags: , , , , |

Caste-oppressed women in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal suffer from the silent violence of segregation and discrimination, putting them at extreme risk from the climate crisis. Dalits, members of the most oppressed caste, are more vulnerable to climate-related impacts because of their marginalized social position, the locations of their home in the periphery of communities, being historically limited to hazardous occupations, and lack of land rights. Dalit women are even more vulnerable. They are systematically excluded and oppressed, lagging in many human development markers, and lacking equal resources putting them at a higher chance of being subjected to multiple forms of violence. More than 15 Dalit women and girls are raped and sexually assaulted every day, as of what is reported. A woman’s caste position increases her risk of mortality due to a lack of sanitation and water. Dalit women die, on average, 14.6 years before dominant caste women. Climate change is exacerbating these existing vulnerabilities as resources, such as water, become scarce. In rural areas, the dominant castes are not allowing Dalit women to use government-provided hand pumps to access water, assaulting those who do amid a water crisis. Dalit women furthermore lack legal and community protection, making them extremely vulnerable to climate stressors.

13 09, 2021

Stop Ignoring Mothering As Work

2023-02-02T16:26:11-05:00Tags: |

Writer Kimberly Seals Allers believes a major part of feminism is celebrating women as a whole, with mothering as a central and unique role that should be highly valued in society. Allers explores the alarming gender inequities ingrained in social and financial systems in the United States based on the undervaluation of maternal work alongside secular work which impacts women at all levels. She advocates for women to be honored and supported across society for their specific contributions as mothers, nurturers, educators, and other roles that extend far beyond the patriarchal confines of the ability to compete with men in professional roles. Photo credit: 10’000 Hours/Getting Images

13 09, 2021

Eat Your Ethics: Rallying For Food Justice In Supply Chains With Lauren Ornelas

2021-12-13T21:26:52-05:00Tags: |

In this episode of the Amplify Podcast, host Sanchi Singh speaks with food justice activist Lauren Ornelas. Founder of the food justice nonprofit, Food Empowerment Project, Ornelas discusses her path to activism, whiteness in the veganism movement, and the ways in which COVID19 has greatly impacted food labor. Singh and Ornelas discuss the specific impacts of COVID19 food system disruptions in relation to low-income communities in both India and the United States. Video Credit: Amplify Podcast

1 09, 2021

Aurora Castillo Activates East Lost Angeles Mothers For Social And Environmental Justice

2022-05-14T17:06:13-04:00Tags: |

Aurora  Castillo is a Mexican-American activist and one of the founders of The Mothers of East Los Angeles (MELA). With organized action, she was able to stop the eighth prison of the East L.A. from being built, stop an oil pipeline from running through her community, stop a toxic waste incinerator that was being planned for the East L.A. city of Vernon, and  stop a hazardous waste treatment plant close to a high school. With MELA and her activism, companies were brought to justice, environmental responsibility encouraged and others grassroots groups were helped by a series of important legal precedents. Photo credit: Goldman Environmental Prize.

11 08, 2021

Palestine Women Defending Water, Land, and Life from the Israeli Occupation

2023-12-07T14:04:08-05:00Tags: |

Women in Palestine fight for their rights while the Israeli occupation controls local water sources, agricultural land, and energy resources. The majority of the renewable water sources in Palestine are under strict Israeli control. Women are the main contributors to the agricultural sector, and play vital roles in rehabilitating the Earth. They have strong connections to the land, so this occupation affects them in particular—especially economically. Energy poverty in Palestine can affect women’s health, education, and lives. The women of Palestine have continued to find ways to adapt and resist throughout the occupation. Photo Credit: Abeer Al Butmeh

17 07, 2021

The Rebirth Of The Food Sovereignty Movement

2021-07-17T18:50:51-04:00Tags: |

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a wave of backyard food planting and production. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their local and regional food systems, and are taking initiative to support local food sovereignty projects. Doria Robinson of the urban farming project, Urban Tilth, describes the importance of CSAs in this time. Debbie Harris of Urban Adamah in Berkeley, California, points out the vital sense community urban farms create and nurture throughout times of hardship. Food sovereignty activists hope the push for local and equitable food systems continue after the end of the global pandemic. Photo Credit: Wendy Becktold

17 07, 2021

Local Indigenous People Gather To Bring Back Food Sovereignty

2021-07-17T18:33:58-04:00Tags: |

In a recent screening of the documentary “Gather,” a film recounting Indigenous food sovereignty initiatives, members of the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes described their own local food sovereignty struggles. Hosted by Rhode Island’s first food gleaning project, Hope Harvest Rhode Island, the event featured Narragansett-Niantic speaker Lorèn Spears, the executive director of the Tomaquag Museum. Alongside other tribal members, Spears emphasized the radical power of food sovereignty initiatives to resist oppression by the dominant society through the reclamation of intergenerational Indigenous knowledge. Photo Credit: Gather

6 07, 2021

Don’t Ignore the One Group That Can Make Climate Action Happen

2021-07-06T18:30:57-04:00Tags: |

The El Niño cycle is a global climate cycle that occurs every three to seven years with varying intensity. During 2016, this cycle was especially strong and, in combination with climate change, led to widespread drought and hunger for many states in Southern Africa. Women were particularly impacted. This was because they were forced to spend more time gathering scarce water as well as eat less themselves in order to prioritize the nutritional needs of men and children. Increased sex work and child marriages were also a result. And while Southern Africa is now on its way to recovery, building future resilience to climate change means addressing the special vulnerabilities of women as well as prioritizing their leadership. Photo credit: Ish Mafundikwa/IRIN  

6 07, 2021

A Call To Attention Liberation: To Build Abundant Justice, Let’s Focus On What Matters

2021-07-06T17:43:25-04:00Tags: |

Writer, speaker, and social justice advocate Adrienne Maree Brown discusses the power presence and attention as a force for change based on what individuals or groups choose to focus their limited energy on. She explores intentional mindset practices and group efforts that impact social justice work, including the concept of “principled struggle” that brings people closer together by fostering respectful conflict that is generative by nature. Brown also highlights “critical construction” as a key practice of co-creating thoughtful plans that build off of ideas from various perspectives provided within a coalition or group. These practices seek to reach beyond the pervasive mindset of scarcity that often dominates capitalist society to allow for collaborative, holistic methods to approach the fight for justice. Photo credit: Jeff Swensen / Getty Images

6 07, 2021

Women’s Voices Must Not Be Ignored in Business and Human Rights Talks

2021-07-06T17:22:42-04:00Tags: |

The article highlights the strong links between large corporations’ increasing hunger for land and resources in the global south and the violation of women’s rights. In recent years, there has been a surge in land-intensive transnational mining and agri-business projects. Oftentimes, they go hand in hand with forced evictions, loss of livelihoods and environmental degradation. Pre-existing gender discrimination exacerbates the impacts on women, as they are traditionally responsible for the provision of care, food and water and are oftentimes excluded from decision-making processes. Ambitious actions are needed from corporations, states and international bodies such as the UN in order to ensure human rights along global supply chains. Photo credit: Sarah Waiswa/Womankind Worldwide

6 07, 2021

Intersectionality: A Tool for Gender and Economic Justice

2021-07-06T17:19:22-04:00Tags: |

Intersectionality is an analytical tool for studying, understanding and responding to the ways in which gender intersects with other identities and how these intersections contribute to unique experiences of oppression and privilege. It also helps in understanding how different identities impact on access to rights and opportunities and also links the grounds of discrimination (e.g. race, gender, etc.) to the social, economic, political and legal environment that contributes to discrimination. Most importantly, it highlights how globalization and economic change are impacting different people in different ways.

6 07, 2021

Women in the Water Sector: Working Together for the Future

2021-07-06T14:57:10-04:00Tags: |

Studies show that there is a lack of women working in the water sector, which includes a lack of women leaders. Specifically, less than twenty percent of water workers are women in the United States. But the water organizations that include female leadership tend to benefit—whether women are included in sustainability, community engagement or economic development roles. Keisha Brown, one such leader, has had extensive experience working in community-based partnerships to improve water quality while remaining accountable to the local communities the work is enacted in. According to her, the lens of social justice must be applied to the infrastructure industry and the impacts of infrastructure on people’s well-being should be carefully assessed. Photo Credit: Storm Water Solutions

13 04, 2021

Women Speak Out Against Criminalization Of Land Defenders, Water Protectors

2021-04-13T17:28:07-04:00Tags: |

This article highlights the issue of unjust criminalisation and disproportionate state violence against indigenous women water and land protectors. While indigenous people constitute about 4% of Canada’s population, they represent 27% of the incarcerated population in 2018. According to the Canada’s Correctional Investigator Indigenous, women constituted 37% of all women behind bars and 50% of all maximum security inmates in 2017. Mi’kmaw lawyer and academic Pam Palmater evokes the targeting and criminalisation of Indigenous women by Canadian state authorities as historically rooted in a colonising strategy, since they bear children who will carry on the culture and language of their nations. Pamela says that indigenous women’s perseverance and leadership should not be lost in the conversation and concludes that ‘even though Indigenous women have always been targeted, both in the law directly and indirectly, they continue to stand up for the land and for their children despite knowing what’s coming’. Photo Credit: Amber Bernard/APTN

9 04, 2021

Women’s Environmental Network – Environmental Justice Through Feminist Principles

2021-04-09T13:34:58-04:00Tags: |

The Women’s Environmental Network is a UK organisation working to make links between women health, wellbeing and environmental issues; and by broadening the latter’s scope to include menstrual health, real nappies and breast cancer. The aims are to raise awareness of the gender implication of climate change; promote environmental justice through feminist principles and gender equality; and involve and empower women in climate change decisions and solutions on the ground. Hence, WEN thinks globally and acts locally by sharing knowledge, resources and seeds through community organisation, events, training and grassroots projects in East London. Featured in this video are WEN co-director Kate Metcalf and former co-director Connie Hunter; as well as project participants such as Mina (“we help each other”); Silam (“this had helped me be more conscious about our environment”); Laura (“it has helped me be a happier person”); and Gubsie “it changes people, it makes such a difference”). Video Credit: WEN

8 03, 2021

“Voices heard for the first time”: Women in coffee cooperatives

2025-03-09T23:53:42-04:00Tags: , , |

The coffee sector has traditionally been male-dominated, despite women being a significant part of the workforce. Women producers often have limited agency, but initiatives like Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC), Partnership for Gender Equity, and Café Femenino are driving a growing recognition of the need for gender equity. Barriers such as lack of land ownership and decision-making power are rooted in historical, cultural, and institutional factors. In order to overcome these constraints, organizations are establishing women-only coffee cooperatives, involving women in financial decisions, and promoting equitable operations. Support systems, including financial incentives from the Café Femenino Foundation and gender equity assessments from the Partnership for Gender Equity, are crucial for implementation. Respecting cultural norms is vital for success, with solutions being tailored to local contexts and involving all community members. Gender equity is foundational for sustainability in the coffee sector, providing long-term benefits for the entire supply chain.

16 02, 2021

Get To The Bricks: The Experiences Of Black Women Foom New Orleans Public Housing After Hurricane Katrina

2021-02-16T20:43:53-05:00Tags: |

The report explores the experiences of almost 200 black women who were living in “The Big Four”- four large housing projects within the city of New Orleans - when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005. They were displaced from their prior homes due to the hurricane and the closure and demolition of the public housing units. This case shows that the experiences of black women in public housing were not taken into consideration when developing a plan for post-Katrina recovery. U.S. policies were implemented in a manner that took away opportunities, supports, and infrastructures from low-income women and their families most in need of a reliable safety net as they sought to recover from a catastrophic set of disasters and endure the Great Recession. Including the various experiences and voices of these women in the policy discussion going forward will ensure that future disasters do not perpetuate the marginalization of the most disadvantaged members of our communities.

23 12, 2020

Going Viral

2023-02-02T16:00:47-05:00Tags: |

Environmental activist Leah Thomas discusses her experience going viral in May of 2020, when she posted on Instagram calling for solidarity between the environmental movement and Black Lives Matter. Her graphic outlined a vision of “Intersectional Environmentalism” – an approach to advocacy that centers people as well as the planet, acting upon the interconnectedness of injustice and confronting social inequity. Thomas reflects upon the post’s rapid virality and the power that social media has to build movements and motivate collective action. She emphasizes the potential for social media-driven knowledge and empowerment, while showing the power that individuals have to inspire change. Photo Credit: Cher Martinez

15 12, 2020

Focus on Housing and Jobs or the Climate Fight ‘Goes Nowhere’

2023-11-28T21:50:46-05:00Tags: , |

Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of Uprose, has been leading a movement to stop new developments in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood that would displace local communities. She has presented an alternative project that would give back to the community and help meet climate goals. Yeampierre has proposed that instead of the waterfront being bought and rebuilt by private developers, which would result in gentrification and the displacement of many BIPOC communities in the neighborhood, that a bustling green industry hub be built. This would support the shift to renewable energy through development of wind turbines, solar panels, and low-carbon technology, while providing fair salaries for neighborhood residents and also benefit immigrants and undocumented individuals without much formal education. These developments would sustain and develop communities that are at increased risk from the climate crisis. Photo credit: Pete Voelker

20 11, 2020

Portraying Women Leadership in Water Cooperation

2025-01-25T11:20:47-05:00Tags: |

Women For Water has compiled the audio- visuals of eight women who are conserving the water all over the world. These women Nomvula Mokonyane, Svitlana Slesarenok, Ursula Schaefer-Preuss, Rose Makunzo Mwangi, Ethne Davey, Dr. Deepthi Wickramasinghe, Patricia Wouters and Salamatu Garba. They have been bringing the best practices of women empowerment in water and sanitation projects and effective water governance at all levels.

26 10, 2020

Curated Resources – Rainbows and Storms: LGBTQI+, climate crisis and pandemics

2023-11-29T18:28:09-05:00Tags: , |

The Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) has curated stories from across the world featuring women fighting for social and climate justice. Some features include poetry from Kamla Bhasin from India, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner from the Marshall Islands, and Aka Niviâna from Kalaallit (Greenland). These women reflect on gender, climate change, community, roots, and collective power, all of which are needed to bring about social and climate justice. This resource provides a short documentary that demonstrates the work of Noelene Nabulivou and a disaster response network that empowers local community members. Articles and podcasts written and produced by and for women outlining feminist framework for climate justice can be found in this curation. Photo Credit: AWID

9 09, 2020

Wildfire Smoke Threatens Air Quality Across The West

2020-09-09T22:13:58-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Bonnie Holmes-Gen, chief of the health and exposure assessment branch in the research division of the California Air Resources Board shares the links between health problems and wildfire smoke. During the COVID-19 pandemic, unhealthy air quality is a serious public health emergency. This summer, as California’s coronavirus cases continue to surge and the state struggles to implement safety measures, wildfire season is worsening air quality, complicating evacuation plans, perpetuating unjust impacts on Black, Brown, and Native communities, and further endanger those already at greatest risk of COVID-19.    

8 09, 2020

California Wildfires: Intersecting Crises & How To Respond

2020-09-09T22:23:23-04:00Tags: |

During a public health crisis centered around a respiratory disease, the last thing we need is more pollution that worsens respiratory problems and deepens already disproportionately higher risks of COVID-19 for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities. While getting real about the root issues is urgently important, millions of Californians are being forced to deal with the immediate task of safety and survival. Greenpeace created a California Wildfire Crisis Emergency Response Guide to help communities stay safe and healthy during these uncertain times. Photo Credit: David McNew / Greenpeace

8 09, 2020

Solar Power Helps To Save The Lives of Mothers and Infants

2020-12-02T21:51:05-05:00Tags: |

Pregnant women in Kenya are at a high risk of maternal and infant mortality due to a lack of access to hospital care. Power outages in hospitals affect vaccine storage and prevent usage of the necessary technology to resuscitate newborns and provide other life-saving care that is tied to the grid. The Maternal and Newborn Improvement Project installed solar panels on 33 health care facilities to serve as backup power. Nurse Emily Wamalwa, in Bungoma County, is now able to use solar energy when the power goes out to keep incubators and fridges running, saving the lives of babies and mothers.  Photo Credit: Video Capture

3 09, 2020

What Should We Know About Wildfires In California

2020-09-09T22:57:12-04:00Tags: |

This Greenpeace article lists trends impacting the occurrence of both forest and wildland fires today and solutions to those trends. The climate crisis is fueling extreme weather events, including an exceptionally dry winter and record-breaking heat waves which leave more dried up wildland vegetation to kindle the fires.  Despite this, the Trump Administration and the logging industry regularly use wildfires as opportunities to make the case for more logging under the guise of fuels reduction and fire prevention. Photo Credit: 2016 Erskine Fire in Central California, © US Forest Service

24 08, 2020

Women Are More At Risk Due To The Pandemic And Climate Crisis. These Feminists Are Working To Change That.

2020-09-24T19:33:05-04:00Tags: |

Women activists around the world are standing up. To challenge the ways in which the global pandemic and climate change exacerbate inequalities, five young women share their stories about the intersections of environmental and social justice. Journey with Betty Barkha (Fiji), Meera Ghani (Pakistan), Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Chad), Maggie H. Mapondera (Zimbabwe), and Majandra Rodriguez Acha (Peru) to learn about their work and the ways that they are engaging in their local communities.

7 08, 2020

Strengthening Indigenous Rights And Leadership In The Face Of Global Challenges – COVID-19, Climate Change And Environmental Degradation

2020-09-18T18:00:21-04:00Tags: |

A global representation of indigenous peoples organizations along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature are working to address climate change through increased partnership and shared leadership. Ahead of the World Conservation Congress in January of 2021 the IUCN is making the decision to increase indigenous leadership positions and define key proposals around indigenous roles, rights and relationship to the environment. The IUCN is also calling for support from member states in indigenous stewardship of their lands, territories and seas especially by indigenous women. A new document produced through this collaboration aims to draw attention to solutions and challenges faced by indigenous peoples around Covid-19. Through increased sharing of proposals and techniques there is growing hope for indigenous resilience and the protection of their way of life under increasing threat from the pandemic along with the long-term challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. Photo credit: Asociacion Ak’Tenamit

10 07, 2020

Water Protectors Celebrate As Dakota Access Pipeline Ordered To Shut Down

2020-10-10T19:55:28-04:00Tags: |

LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, an elder of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and founder of Sacred Stone Camp and Tara Houska, Ojibwe lawyer and founder of the Giniw Collective are interviewed by reporter Amy Goodman after the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) is ordered to shut down by August 5, 2020. LaDonna Brave Bull Allard has opened her home in North Dakota to supporters from the beginning of the resistance in order to protect sacred sites, water sources, and the health of her community members. She has joined forces with Indigenous leaders and water protectors from around the world, many of whom have faced similar harms from extractive industry. Tara Houska asserts that the shutdown of this massive pipeline sends a critical message to the fossil fuel industry that these dangerous projects will not be tolerated and that a regenerative green economy is non-negotiable. Photo credit: Democracy Now! (video screenshot)

22 06, 2020

Heat and Racism Threaten Birth Outcomes for Women of Color

2025-03-27T14:44:07-04:00Tags: |

Climate change-induced heat disproportionately affects pregnant women. Those who work outside, can’t access air conditioning, or who are Black or Hispanic are at greater risk of harm as these women tend to face long and unmitigated exposure to intense temperatures. In communities of color, heat drives high rates of premature deliveries and stillbirths. Black women are three to four times as likely to die from a pregnancy-related complication than White women. Indigenous women are twice as likely to die than White women. Racism, rather than race, is the risk factor in pregnancy complications. Coupled with climate change-induced heat, the risk of chronic disease, obesity, maternal mortality, and low birth rates increases. In California, for every 10-degree temperature increase, preterm deliveries increased by 8.6%, with a higher rate in communities of color. Pregnant women who are unable to avoid the heat may face severe cases of dehydration. Public health and environmental justice initiatives must understand these risk factors to protect communities.

29 05, 2020

Gardens Have Pulled America Out Of Some Of Its Darkest Times. We Need Another Revival

2021-02-16T20:31:45-05:00Tags: |

As the COVID-19 pandemic ravages the United States’ economy, issues of food security have been magnified. Consequently, the importance of local gardens have been emphasized. From Victory Gardens during the first and second world war, to the emergence of urban vegetable gardens throughout US cities in the 1970s and 1980s, the United States has a rich history of local gardening initiatives. The pandemic has forced Americans to re-evaluate the many way local gardens benefit a community. In Richmond, California, Doria Robinson of Urban Tilth provides 227 families with weekly CSA vegetable shares. Serving low-income residents in a city with only one grocery store per 100,000 residents, Robinson’s work at Urban Tilth makes a great difference in the local community, especially in light of COVID-19. Photo Credit: Karen Washington 

13 03, 2020

In Fiji, Lesbian Feminist Activist Noelene Nabulivou Strives For World ‘Liberated And Free’

2020-10-23T22:35:24-04:00Tags: |

Diverse Voices and Action for Equality (DIVA) was co-founded by Noelene Nabulivou with the aim to create an all inclusive peer support group of LGBT+ individuals and marginalized women in Fiji. The group gives a voice to all individuals who are victims to the widespread patriarchal power structures and homophobic attitudes in Fiji. Their work mainly focuses on activism, advocacy, policy and feminist knowledge sharing that targets all communities, but prioritises informal settlements, and women from rural and remote areas.  DIVA For Equality strongly advocates across genders and intersectional fields by tackling the interlink of LGBT+ and women rights with economic, ecological and climate justice. Having worked alongside regional and international organizations, DIVA for Equality aims to be an all inclusive voice in the global climate debate. Notably, the group initiated the regional coalition of ‘Pacific Partnerships on Gender, Climate Change and Sustainable Development’, which now has more than 50 island nations involved. Photo Credit: Reuters 

13 03, 2020

The Only Treatment for Coronavirus Is Solidarity

2020-03-22T21:52:47-04:00Tags: |

The pandemic, COVID-19, reveals a class system, where only the wealthy have the power to withdraw or shelter in place. Whereas, someone who lives paycheck to paycheck must continue to hustle every day to find work. This places poor people in a position between risking their health and economic survival. There is no choice but to make that choice. As long as this is true, the number of carriers will continue to grow. The only option is solidarity. Every country needs every other country to have an economy focused on health and social well-being. The coronavirus makes the slogan of solidarity literal: an injury to one is an injury to all. Photo Credit: Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty

5 10, 2019

Why Aren’t Fossil Fuel Companies Held Accountable for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women?

2025-02-21T17:06:14-05:00Tags: |

[Content warning: sexual violence] The struggle over the Keystone XL pipeline sparked concerns about the future for Indigenous women in construction zones. The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is a result of the multifaceted crises of extraction, climate impacts, and colonization that disproportionately affect Indigenous women. Sexual violence and murder rates are high among indigenous women, and there are direct ties to extraction movements. Angeline Cheek, a community advocate on the Fort Peck Reservation, finds large company-owned housing for oil workers to live temporarily to be a driving force. Tribal police, activists, and the Canadian government have found direct connections of increased sexual violence rates and the extractive sites. Tribal communities are already limited in what they can prosecute and how they can legally respond to crimes and local authorities are often underfunded, making it extremely difficult to obtain proper aid or justice. A suggestion is to hold companies themselves accountable for the violence of the individuals that cannot be brought to justice. The idea is that the company is responsible for public safety and their workers. Cheek and other Indigenous community leaders are working hard to ensure that Indigenous women are not left behind and that justice is brought to them.

3 07, 2019

Nurdle by Nurdle, Citizens Took on A Billion-Dollar Plastic Company — and Won

2020-11-20T17:34:49-05:00Tags: |

A federal judge recently ruled that Formosa Plastics, a petrochemical company outside Port Lavaca, Texas, can be held liable for violating state and federal water pollution laws. The company could face a penalty of up to $162 million. Thanks to data collected by resident volunteers, the nonprofit San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper brought a lawsuit against the company in 2017. According to the lawsuit, the company violated its environmental permits for years, dumping millions of small plastic pellets - called nurdles - into Lavaca Bay. Among the volunteers is Diane Wilson, a retired shrimper who has been trying to get Formosa to stop dumping in the bay since the early ’90s. Since the trial started, pollution levels haven’t changed, so she keeps gathering evidence with her kayak. Giving up is not an option for her. Photo credit: Wikimedia

23 05, 2019

How Black Farmers Are Trying To End Centuries Of Racism In America’s Food System

2023-11-08T12:36:18-05:00Tags: , |

Kiesha Cameron is part of a movement of Black farmers pushing for reparations and equal opportunity in agriculture. America’s wealth and power is due to the hard work of exploited enslaved people. Their work in tobacco and cotton fields in today’s terms would have been a multi-billion dollar industry. Now, systemic racism has pushed Black farmers to the margins of these practices through violence, lack of legal support, prejudice, and poverty—in turn, barring them from opportunities to create sustainable, wealth-building communities. Savi Horne, the director of the Land Loss Prevention Project, emphasizes the need for land rights to be central in reparations. This is a complicated process and there is much more work that needs to be done on governmental levels. Cameron, Horne, and many others are working to reclaim farming for Black communities. They are taking back power and control to combat centuries of exploitation and racism, instead replacing it with autonomy and healing. Photo credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon/HuffPost

16 05, 2019

These Five Black LGBTQ+ Activists Are Literally Saving The Planet

2020-11-07T17:58:13-05:00Tags: |

Explore what the environmental justice movement looks like led by those most impacted. Meet 5 Black LGBTQ+ community organizers and activists Asha Carter (she/her), Dominique Hazzard (she/her), Dean Jackson (they/them), Jeaninne Kayembe (she/her,they/them), and  Rachel Stevens (she/her,they/them). Follow their stories of activism to learn how creative and impactful movements within their communities have responded to healing environmental racism. Photo Credit: Asha Carter

13 04, 2019

GirlTrek: When Black Women Walk, Things Change

2019-04-13T16:36:26-04:00Tags: |

Morgan Dixon is the co-founder of ‘GirlTrek’, a national help organization addressing the disproportionate effects of the current health crisis in African American women. Starting with 530 women in their first year, the organization has since grown to about 100,000 African American women who walk together every day. Together the women of ‘GirlTrek’ not only boost their own physical health, they also improve the health of their families and communities while reshaping the narrative around health for women of color. Video Credit: National Sierra Club

9 04, 2019

What The Queer Community Brings To The Fight For Climate justice

2020-11-07T17:54:21-05:00Tags: |

To ensure the success of the climate justice movement is to ensure the liberation of Queer Communities. As we move forward in healing the climate crisis, the interconnectedness of Queer and Trans Communities with the Climate Jutsice movement must be realized. Many LGBTQ+ activists are lifting up the environmental movement with resilience and innovation while also participating in the divest movement and bringing equity policies to environmental organizations. Photo Credit: Dylan Comstock

4 04, 2019

How A Female Fast Food Worker Became An Activist

2020-11-20T17:32:47-05:00Tags: |

Shantel Walker is a manager within the fast food industry and an organizer for proper living wages in NYC. After working over two decades at Papa John’s Pizza where Walker was paid a minimum wage of $7.50, Walker started working with organizations such as the Fight for $15, and Fast Food Forward campaigns to champion the 3.7 million Americans working in Fast Food. Walkers advocacy also addresses the disparities in healthcare coverage, workplace and scheduling policies. Photo Credit: Alex Swerdloff

12 03, 2019

The Untold Story Of Women In The Zapatistas

2019-04-13T16:02:00-04:00Tags: |

Victoria Law is a journalist who spent 6 years with the Zapatista movement in Southern Mexico and published Compañeras: Zapatista Women’s Stories. She gives an overview of the Zapatistas, the influence women have in the movement and the impact the movement has had on their lives. The Zapatistas began organizing in the 80s and declared war on the state of Mexico in 1994, on the exact day the NATO the free trade agreement began.  Since then the movement is renowned for the peaceful protests, indigenous organization, and their autonomy. Women have played a key role in the Zapatista communities accomplishing a drastic reduction of violence against women, the prohibition of alcohol (connected to abuse), the freedom to participate and lead in politics, and autonomy over their lives. Victoria sheds light to many things that can be learned from the organization of the Zapatistas and the key role that women continue to play in their liberation and in the liberation of their people. Photo Credit: Mr. Thelkan

8 03, 2019

The Women Refusing To Let Palestine’s Farming Roots Die

2020-10-10T20:18:03-04:00Tags: |

The Palestinian Heirloom Library, in its efforts supporting a Palestinian agricultural scene, stands not only as an act of resistance to Israeli occupation but as a source of cultural tradition and hope in amongst climate change impacts and agribusiness take-over’s. The brainchild of Vivien Sansour, the Heirloom Library was inspired into creation by stories of the succulent watermelon Jadu’I that used to flourish in Jenin. The melon, once a significant cornerstone in the daily lives of Palestinians, suffered (as did much of Palestinian agriculture) after the Israeli occupation. The goal of the Library aims to preserve ancient seed types as well as traditional agricultural practices and revive the heirloom varieties in the fields of the farmers. The Art and Seeds space showcases indigenous seeds and serves to teach the public about long-standing Palestinian farming practices. Photo credit: Vivien Sansour.

28 02, 2019

Osprey Orielle Lake: Women Rising For The Earth

2020-04-24T16:36:50-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) executive director Osprey Orielle Lake reflects on the broad and interwoven relationship between women and climate change. Citing activists such as Phyllis Young and Dr. Vandana Shiva, Lake connects the experience of each activist to global climate justice trends and movements. Lake also discusses the climate crisis as it is linked to systems of oppression and patterns of abuse against women and nature. While they are among the most vulnerable populations affected by climate chaos, women also offer the most hope for the future. Photo Credit: Emily Arasim/WECAN

21 02, 2019

Afro-Ecuadorian Women As Carriers And Purveyors Of Traditional Medicine

2020-04-24T16:31:04-04:00Tags: |

Women in Afro-Ecuadorian communities are uniquely and historically responsible for traditional medical practices. Like Indigenous Ecuadorians, Afro-Ecuadorians have made the rich botanical resources of Equator the foundation of their medicinal treatments. Traditional medicines are often coupled with healing practices such as singing songs and saying prayers for spiritual ailments as well. However, women practicing Afro-Ecuadorian medicine are now facing threats to their traditional practices due to restrictive policies that label ancestral medicine as “alternative” and from increased pesticide use, and cheaper western healthcare services. Photo Credit: Raul Ceballos

28 01, 2019

How Three Black Women Use Food As Tools For Resistance

2019-04-13T16:33:22-04:00Tags: |

Monifa Dayo, Carrie Y.T. Kholi, and Binta Ayofemi are three women using food as a vehicle for social change. They are amongst a host of Black women exiting from the restaurant industry after experiencing racism and sexism in the workplace. Monifa Dayo runs her own supper club while consciously incorporating social justice into her business model. Similarly, Carrie Y.T. Kohli’s ‘Hella Black Brunch’ brings people together around food and the African diaspora experience. Binta Ayofemi’s ‘Soul Oakland’ focuses on Black urban sustenance and restoration. Each woman views herown work as a form of resistance to the current political climate, and seeks to inspire communities of color in doing so. Photo credit: Richard Lomibao

16 01, 2019

The Women Fighting A Pipeline That Could Destroy Precious Wildlife

2020-10-05T16:36:38-04:00Tags: |

In Louisiana, the indigenous-led resistance camp “L’Eau est la Vie” fights to put a stop to the construction of the Bayou Bridge pipeline, which is planned to connect the Dakota Access pipeline to a refinery in St. James. The region is known for its swamplands that offer a vast biodiversity, but also has a long history of forced evictions and environmental injustice ever since oil was discovered below a lake. To this day, the water protectors face intimidation tactics and in some cases acts of physical violence in response to their activism. Photo credit: Joe Whittle/The Guardian

21 12, 2018

Overfishing Threatens Malawi’s Blue Economy

2020-10-05T17:08:23-04:00Tags: |

Despite once providing bustling profits for fishing families, Lake Malawi — one of Africa’s largest lakes — suffers from overfishing and women in Malawi are feeling the brunt of this. The fishing industry employs close to 300,000 Malawi workers and fishers, but fish are no longer being found in abundance. Stiff competition from fishermen is drastically depleting fish levels. The fish that are now being found are smaller and priced higher, reducing the profitability of a market that used to flourish in the past. Women who used to buy fish cheaply and trade it for more, are then forced to buy from fishermen, who have also been pushed out of business, at increased prices. Moreover, they are no longer able to provide local fish as a cheap protein to their families because overfishing has left women under tight restraint. Thankfully successful community efforts have been rallied around creating bylaws that would close down the lake for a temporary amount of time to promote lake health. And it appears these laws put in place were working — a man was hit with a hefty fine for fishing on the lake when it was close. Photo credit: Mabvuto Banda

4 12, 2018

The Co-op That’s Keeping Community Money Out Of Big Banks

2023-02-02T16:02:50-05:00Tags: |

Me’Lea Connelly is the founder of Blexit, a nonprofit that facilitates boycotts of extractive financial systems that have profited from exploiting Black communities. She also developed the Village Financial Cooperative, a Black-owned credit union that specializes in “regenerative finance,” which gives marginalized groups access to and control of capital. Connelly was inspired by her experiences living in Minnesota, which is the second-most racially unequal state in the United States. She aims to address the economic inequities that have resulted from oppression and help families accumulate generational wealth. The Village Financial Cooperative collaborates with other organizations including the Climate Justice Alliance for its justice-oriented financial services. It also aims to improve financial literacy in Black communities. Photo Credit: N/A

4 12, 2018

The Co-op That’s Keeping Community Money Out Of Big Banks

2023-07-30T14:04:56-04:00Tags: |

Me’Lea Connelly is leading efforts to redirect financial control and growth into historically underserved communities, contributing to community development and fostering racial economic justice. The founder of Blexit, a grassroots nonprofit that worked to boycott extractive systems that harm Black communities, went on to create the Village Financial Cooperative: a Black-owned credit union. The goals of the organization are to directly involve impacted communities in their finances and eliminate larger exploitative systems. This group is working towards “regenerative finance” to put control and capital into the hands of historically underserved communities to foster sustainable development. This would allow communities to reclaim their finances and counteract systems of power, specifically by stopping the removal of natural resources, discriminatory banking and housing processes, and growing sustainable initiatives. This project has provided BIPOC communities with tangible solutions and substantial hope for the future.   

20 11, 2018

The White Man Stole The Weather

2020-11-20T17:21:30-05:00Tags: |

In this Mothers of Invention podcast, former Irish president Mary Robinson and New-York-based Irish-born comedian Maeve Higgins focus on money and climate change. This episode specifically addresses climate change as a human rights, justice and climate issue; and highlights the importance of divesting from the carbon economy to invest into renewable energy, the green economy and jobs of the future. Divestment, from fossil fuel, pipelines, oppressive systems etc. is powerful and effective as ‘it speaks to people’s pockets’. The podcast features female activists’ experiences and campaigns from South Africa and the US. Yvette Abrahams is a former apartheid activist and Commission for Gender Equality. May Boeve is an an American environmental activist, organiser and Executive Director of 350.org, a global grassroots climate movement. Tara Houska is a Couchiching First Nation citizen; a tribal rights US attorney, environmental and indigenous rights advocate, and the National Campaigns Director of Honor the Earth. Photo Credit: Unknown

18 11, 2018

Violence against women rooted in conflict over land

2025-03-27T16:51:12-04:00Tags: |

[TW: Sexual violence]. For the first time, on February 26, 2016, a Guatemalan court convicted two military officers of wartime sexual violence and the sexual slavery of 15 Maya Q’eqchi women 30 years prior. A report by ECAP presented the story of the women’s struggle in Sepur Zarco Guatemala in a book titled Clamor for Justice: Sexual Violence, Armed Conflict, and Land Dispossion. The report provided the background for the legal investigation that allowed the affected women and feminist groups to push forward. At its core, the political violence in the 1980s and 1990s was about land and inequalities. Currently, only 2% of landowners own half of all Guatemalan land. 45% of landowners own 3% of land, and women only own 16% of that 3% – a very small percentage demonstrating their struggle for land rights. In a military base near Sepur Zarco, troops committed countless murders and rapes, burned property, and forced women into both domestic and sexual slavery, leaving behind trauma and social stigma. Brave women pushed past the stigma and brought their case to the court. Through their efforts, two officers were sentenced to 120 and 240 years in prison. The work to bring justice to these women and their families continues. The courage shown by those women has propelled other women in other Latin American countries to come forward and fight for justice.

18 10, 2018

Why A Farmworker’s Daughter Interrupted Governor Brown At The Global Climate Action Summit

2019-04-13T16:39:10-04:00Tags: |

At the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco California, Niria Alicia stood up and sang out in protest to Governor Jerry Brown’s refusal to take action against oil and gas companies. In this piece, Niria describes why she joined eight other young people in singing the Women’s Warrior Song as an act of resistance at the summit. Niria sites her own identity as an Indigenous woman, and daughter of a farmworker to poignantly explain the consequences of fossil fuel divestment. Photo credit: Niria Alicia

16 10, 2018

Gender Equality In The Cocoa Trade: Two Female Farmers From Cote d’Ivoire Readdress The Balance

2020-10-06T23:33:28-04:00Tags: |

Aminata Bamba and Traore Awa are two women leading the charge on gender equality in the cocoa industry in Western Africa. Both with senior positions in their cocoa cooperatives, Ecookim and CAYAT cocoa cooperative respectively, and having returned from a Fairtrade Conference, they defy the traditional gender roles prevalent in their country and help lift the taboo on women leadership. In a community where unpaid labour often mean that women working throughout the production chain are often not recognised and gender expectations result in a male-dominated industry, the Fairtrade Women’s School of Leadership is working to empower women to take the lead and has trained 413 women in Awa’s community. Their program provides guidance and business support and last year’s conference tackled the future of trade and systemic issues in supply chains. Photo credit: Tony Myers.

15 10, 2018

Be The Hummingbird, Be The Bear

2020-12-15T21:40:17-05:00Tags: |

In this essay published in the Earth Island Journal, philosopher, writer and climate activist Kathleen Dean Moore calls to action the mothers, grandmothers, aunties, godmothers and all those who love the children. From her cabin in Alaska, she witnessed her a hummingbird saving her nestlings from a squirrel, and a bear saving her cub from wolves. She highlights the power of love, ferocity and responsibility of mothers and grandmothers protecting children and the planet against global warming and ecosystem collapse. She evokes grandmothers Annette Klapstein and her friend Emily Johnston, who shut off the flow of Canadian tar-sands oil by cutting the chain on an oil-pipeline valve in Minnesota. She relates the work of Leatra Harper and Jill Antares Hunker, mothers who devise strategies against fracking from their kitchen tables. This eloquent piece is illustrated by Lisa Vanin, whose work focuses on the magic and mystery of nature. Illustration Credit: Lisa Vanin

15 10, 2018

Women Authors Missing In IPCC Report

2020-10-13T20:32:35-04:00Tags: |

A new assessment report released last week (8 October) by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted the importance of raising the capacity of least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) in climate management and the special role of women as a group vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to a February 2018 study published in the PNAS, the proportion of female IPCC authors increased from less than five per cent in 1990, when the first report was published, to slightly more than 20 per cent in the more recent assessment reports. For instance, 75% perceived weak command of the English language as a barrier to participation, while 30% saw race as an obstacle. Chandni Singh, a climate change researcher from India and a lead author for the IPCC’s, has seen women face barriers to their participation, including overt discrimination and insufficient childcare facilities at meetings. Acknowledging the barriers women face, the scientific body decided in March to establish a gender task group, now being co-chaired by Patricia Nying'uro from Kenya and Markku Rummukainen from Sweden. Joy Pereira, a professor at the Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (SEADPRI-UKM) and a vice-chair of the IPCC’s Working Group 2, tells SciDev.Net that the scientific body should ask their hosts to ensure greater participation of women. Photo Credit: Chris Stowers/Panos

15 10, 2018

The Power of Rural Women To Reduce Global Food Insecurity And Cut Emissions

2020-11-20T17:58:24-05:00Tags: |

Santona Rani, President of the Rajpur Women’s Federation, is working to increase climate and community resilience in her flood-prone area of Tajpur, Lalmonirhat in northern Bangladesh. Climate change is increasing the detrimental effects on crops and productivity. Her organisation is made up of twenty groups that work to assist 500 vulnerable and marginalized women. It works alongside ActionAid’s Promoting Opportunities for Women Empowerment and Rights (POWER) to boost independence through sustainable agriculture that fosters climate resilience. They also work to address the unjust gender roles that exist within the society; aiming to increase income and recognise the amount of work women do, provide training around leadership, women’s rights, financial aspects, sustainable farming and communication skills, as well as endeavour to prevent violence against women. Their work is community based, and involves interactive theatre shows, informative leaflets, and a seed bank and grain store that protects against the damages of flooding or natural disasters. Photo credit: ActionAid.

5 10, 2018

Women In The US Food System Are Speaking Up About Domestic Abuse

2020-10-05T21:50:51-04:00Tags: |

From female farmers to female restaurant workers, women are consistently subject to sexual harassment at every level of the US Food System. Mostly depending on immigrant labor, the US Food System workforce is the lowest-paid and most exploited workforce in the country. The workers have little legal protections that are rarely enforced. For women, especially immigrant women, this means that sexual harrasment and unequal treatment on the basis of sex prevail. In recent years, initiatives such as the #MeToo movement, the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, and the Fair Food Movement, support and encourage women to fight against the patriarchal oppression they face. Photo Credit: Donald Lee Pardue

3 10, 2018

Hamari Roti, Hamari Aazadi Our Bread, Our Freedom: Diverse Women Of The World Resolve To Defend Biological And Cultural Diversity, Through Non-violence, Love And Friendship

2020-11-07T17:26:57-05:00Tags: |

Women in India have re-initiated a movement called ‘Our Bread, Our Freedom’ (Hamari Roti, Hamari Azaadi), in efforts to counter the corporate food system driven by new East India Companies which has led to an epidemic of farmer suicides and varying health issues.  Diverse Women for Diversity aim to reveal the pseudo food safety regulations and fake knowledge surrounding nutritionally empty and toxic food. The movement builds alternatives to the monoculture of chemical farming and through bread, reclaim not only their freedom but also their historical and cultural knowledge in producing diverse foods. In Doon Valley on the 2nd of October 2018 women gathered from 25 regions in India to cook breads typical to their state, including roti from Uttarakhand, Sathuu from Bihar and rice flour chila from Chhatisgarh. They pledge to rejuvenate their local cultures, cleanse from within as well as keep clean their external environment, spread food and nutrition literacy, and build sustainable food economies grounded in social justice, non-violence, and love. Photo Credit: Unknown

2 10, 2018

Ouch! Yes, That Glass Ceiling Still Exists In The Environmental Movement

2023-02-02T16:08:36-05:00Tags: |

This op-ed by Zoe Loftus-Farren, the managing editor of Earth Island Journal, discusses the absence of women at the helm of environmental nonprofit organizations. Loftu-Farren argues that women, especially women of color, are at the frontlines of the climate crisis but often trapped behind glass ceilings in the environmental movement. Although women comprise over half the workforce in the field, they are underrepresented in key decision-making roles and often passed over for promotions. By presenting statistics along with observations from her own experiences in nonprofit work, Loftus-Farren makes the case that the environmental movement must undergo reforms related to board selection, employee retention efforts, and policies for equity and inclusion. She also emphasizes the tangible and intangible benefits of women’s leadership in the workplace.

2 10, 2018

Women Rising For The Earth

2023-02-02T15:44:37-05:00Tags: |

Across the world, women are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. They comprise 80 percent of global climate refugees, face sexual violence from fossil fuel and mining workers, and are often attacked for speaking out about environmental injustice. At the same time, women bring critical contributions and perspectives to our societies. They are more likely to lead on climate and social policy, shape environmentally-conscious industries, and dictate sustainable consumer preferences. Marginalized women are at the helm of the climate movement, particularly Indigenous land defenders and Black women impacted by environmental racism, natural disasters, and fossil fuel expansion. This article explores the interconnectedness of gender, race, and climate, making the case for intersectional action to dismantle patriarchy, white supremacy, and capitalism. It also emphasizes the importance of women’s spiritual and emotional intelligence when dealing with global crises. Photo credit: Emily Arasim/Women's Earth and Climate Action Network

28 09, 2018

Olympia Auset Is Tackling Systemic Racism, One Vegetable At A Time

2020-10-10T19:27:42-04:00Tags: |

Olympia Auset is the founder of SÜPERMARKT, a low cost, organic pop-up grocery store which is addressing food inequality in southern Los Angeles. Auset sees food as a tool for liberation and seeks to free her own community from identifying as a food desert where people statistically live 10 years less than wealthier white communities. This reality steams from a history of white flight after slavery became illegal. Auset’s SUPERMARKT  is changing the local narrative and has plans to expand given her success and demand. Her model is also being replicated in food deserts across the country. Photo Credit: Sara Harrison

28 09, 2018

Olympia Auset is Tackling Systemic Racism, One Vegetable at a Time

2023-02-02T16:18:00-05:00Tags: |

Olympia Auset is the founder of pop-up grocery store SÜPRMARKT, which offers affordable and organic food to the South Los Angeles community. Although California is a major food-producing state, many of its residents live in food “deserts,” where fresh produce is expensive and difficult to access. Noticing that food insecurity persists because of structural racism in local policies, Auset established a supermarket that collaborates with local farms, buys wholesale, offers produce delivery, and regularly pops up in community centers and parks across underserved areas. With a team of local volunteers, Auset is transforming the neighborhood’s food landscape through social entrepreneurship and a community-based model, as well as a 501(c)3 nonprofit called SÜPRSEED that raises awareness about food injustice and raises donations to sustain the pop-up supermarket. Photo Credit: Civil Eats

18 09, 2018

Ecofeminism: Fueling the Journey to Energy Democracy

2023-02-02T16:15:39-05:00Tags: |

In 2018, hundreds of women gathered for a strike in Bilbao, Spain to advocate for an ecofeminist energy transition: one that has both the planet’s survival and women’s rights in mind. Their calls to action highlighted the sexism, classism, and racism behind profit-driven energy industries. Worldwide, women are more at risk of experiencing energy poverty, yet they also take on a disproportionate amount of unpaid household responsibilities that rely on electricity and heating. At the same time, most energy corporations and policymaking organizations have men at the helm. This gendered division of labor means that the use of electricity often perpetuates both capitalism and the patriarchy. This article examines inequalities in energy policy, analyzes gendered usage of electricity, and proposes a new energy model that centers the needs and labor of women so we can achieve a just transition to renewables. Photo Credit: Adolfo Lujan

12 09, 2018

Ecofeminism: Spanish Women Fueling The Journey To Energy Democracy

2020-10-10T19:38:21-04:00Tags: |

Women in Spain are striking and petitioning for a new energy model that contrasts the current patriarchal, capitalist model. In recognizing that women are most adversely affected by the current climate model, they are calling for a just transition which overhauls the systematic sexism, racism, and classism to achieve a truly fair energy policy. Part of the solution they say, is changing the male dominated environments where energy policies are written and discussed. Across the country women are tightening the conversation and successfully making gains such as Law 24/2-15 which indicate a future for more progressive ecofeminists policies in the future. Photo Credit: Adolfo Lujan

1 09, 2018

The Environmental Movement Can Learn From #TimesUp

2019-03-04T01:37:29-05:00Tags: |

Greenpeace USA Executive Director, Annie Leonard traces the intersections between the environmental movement and the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, calling for more diversity. As more women name their harassers and seek justice, the environmental movement needs to reckon with the growing spotlight on power imbalances across gender, race, and class lines. Leonard, a white woman, writes how these movements have made her reexamine her own privileges and responsibilities within a movement that has been historically dominated by White men. Knowing that the best solutions come from those most affected, she calls for greater representation and meaningful spaces for often marginalized voices to be heard—not to achieve a diversity quota but to ensure deep, lasting change. Photo credit: Tim Aubry/Greenpeace

24 07, 2018

A Mohawk Midwife’s Birth Stories

2018-12-19T17:40:15-05:00Tags: |

Katsi Cook, founder of the first school of Indigenous midwifery, traces the trajectory of her life and explains how the traditional knowledge of Indigenous communities is helping to conserve  moral values and the environment. Her interest in environmental health was inspired by her experience delivering babies as a midwife, when a mother asked a simple question: “Is it safe to breastfeed?” Her research led to the first human health study at a superfund site, which revealed that Mohawk indigenous women are disproportionately affected by the nearby industrialization of the Great Lakes basin. Their breastmilk has been contaminated with harmful chemicals that in turn impacts their offspring. Cook shares the stories of her ancestors which are helpful for her to empower her fellow women. Photo Credit: Yes Magazine

21 07, 2018

‘A Hitman Could Come And Kill Me’: The Fight For Indigenous Land Rights In Mexico

2020-10-10T20:29:50-04:00Tags: |

Isela Gonzalez, director of Alianza Sierra Madre, uses civic activism to fight for political change as a way to confront the vested economic interests of not only big corporations, but also narco-gangs and corrupt politicians, that violate indigenous land rights. In a country that is painted in violence, with assassinations as an answer to those who have a different vision than governmental or corporate agendas, standing up for environmental and social causes come with serious risks. Often facing threats to her life, which has resulted in armed guards, panic buttons and crisis training, Gonzalez is staunch in her battle to defend the Tarahumara’s rights. The three tribes who live among the pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre have a worldview that sees themselves as part of the land and it was this, as well as their way of life, that inspired her to refocus the direction of Alianza Sierra Madre on indigenous rights as the frontline for environmental protection. Photo credit: Thom Pierce for The Guardian.

13 07, 2018

These Young Climate Justice Advocates Say It’s Time For A Revolution

2020-10-23T23:31:05-04:00Tags: |

Youth activists Jamie Margolin and Nadia Nazar mobilised a youth march in Washington DC on 07/21/20 and co-founded Zero Hour, a volunteer-based organisation focused on climate change. With a diverse group of students, they created a platform highlighting the relationship between climate change, consumerism and systems of oppression, and their adverse impact on the natural world, animals and marginalized communities (indigenous, homeless, LGBTQ, different abilities and people of color communities). The organization is part of a global youth movement actively marching, lobbying, suing and engaging with local communities and state officials to find climate solutions. Zero Hour advocates for the power of young people to act, generate human change and cultural shifts without delay. As 350.org’s executive director May Boeve stated, we have the responsibility to stand with the youth fighting to protect our collective future whose voice should be at the center of the global conversation. Photo CHERYL DIAZ MEYER FOR HUFFPOST

10 07, 2018

This Indigenous Tribe In Colombia Is Run Solely By Women

2018-11-25T12:20:04-05:00Tags: |

Neris Uriana, the first female chieftain of Wayuu tribe in La Guajira, was elected in 2015. She had tremendous support from her husband Jorge Uriana who thinks the future is female. Jorge was the previous community leader and decided women should participate in decision making and worked to dismantle machismo culture. After becoming chieftain, Neris has introduced sustainable agriculture methods to her tribe and collaborated with other communities to improve irrigation, crop cycles, and land use. Neris has successfully created many women leaders in her tribe, such as Pushaina, who is growing the crops with minimum water supply. Photo Credit: Lucy Sherriff/PRI

3 07, 2018

Dara Cooper Is Reclaiming Black Foodways

2025-04-18T20:40:48-04:00Tags: |

Dara Cooper, co-founder of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, is focused on advancing food sovereignty, land justice, and racial equity in the food system. She challenges White-dominated power structures by redefining problems and creating community-based solutions. Cooper advocates for the end of “food apartheid,” usually discussed as “food deserts,” to highlight systemic violence against Black communities in food access. Her work addresses the historical and ongoing injustices that separate Black people from land and she promotes cooperative approaches such as land trusts and co-op grocery stores to reclaim agency. Cooper critiques capitalist food systems which prioritize profit over health and sustainability and calls for a reimagined food system that moves away from extraction, working instead towards a more community-centered and sustainable system.

27 06, 2018

Kill Patriarchy, Save the Womb

2023-02-01T22:57:37-05:00Tags: |

The modern menstrual product industry is harmful for the human body and for the land. Most menstrual products are single-use, coming in plastic packaging that is among the most common items found in landfills. Tampons are made from synthetic fibers that are directly linked to toxic shock syndrome, while pads are often bleached white with dioxins – carcinogenic chemicals linked to endometriosis and decreased fertility. In addition, menstrual product companies often use body shaming as a marketing tool, creating a taboo around openly discussing menstruation, and perpetuating the myth that menstrual products are the only way people can maintain their “hygiene” while on their period. This article proposes sustainable menstrual products that keep planetary and personal health in mind, such as reusable tampons, menstrual cups, and cloth pads. It also proposes Indigenous options including sea sponges, cliff rose, cattail, and moss. These alternatives avoid the harmful effects of toxins in mainstream products, prevent further plastic pollution, offer less expensive options for menstruators, and create better relationships with our bodies and the Earth. Photo Credit: Orlando Begaye  

27 06, 2018

Women And The Feminine Hygiene Myth

2020-10-10T19:32:57-04:00Tags: |

The feminine hygiene industry markets products that are manufactured with dangerous chemicals and which perpetuate harmful myths around period bleeding. Much of the marketing languages capitalizes on the notion that bleeding is shameful and should be hidden or kept from public discourse. Further, women and girls are often encouraged to use mainstream products such as bleached tampons and pads that threaten their health. This article encourages women to explore reusable, and non manufactured alternatives to managing their periods. Photo Credit: Orlando Begaye AKA Treeman

27 06, 2018

Kill Patriarchy, Save The Womb 

2023-04-16T16:33:49-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women are pushing back against the feminine hygiene industry which uses shame and embarrassment marketing tactics to enforce narratives regarding menstrual bleeding to perpetuate the use of harmful disposable pads and tampons. The blog highlights that the chemicals in disposable products are toxic to people and the environment. It presents many reusable and healthy options such as menstrual cups and cloth pads, noting also Indigenous use of Cliff Rose, Cattail, and Moss in healthful relationship with the Earth and moon blood. The Indigenous Goddess Gang reports that not only do these products not contain harsh chemicals, they also allow you to track bodily changes, save money, and greatly reduce the waste and pollution associated with disposables. Image credit: Orlando Begaye AKA Treeman

15 06, 2018

Immigrant Women Are Providing A Taste Of Oaxaca In California’s Central Valley

2020-10-05T16:55:59-04:00Tags: |

In Madera, California, Sylvia Rojas and Rosa Hernandez own Colectivo Sabor a Mi Tierra, a restaurant that offers traditional Oaxacan dishes such as tamales, picaditas, pozole, and mole. Many of these dishes have indigenous roots and reflect the migration from indigenous Mexican communities to the United States. Formerly farmworkers, Hernandez and Rojas opened up the restaurant with support from organizations such as the Pan Valley Institute, a group that focuses on uplifting women and building inter-ethnic relationships amongst rural Californian farming communities in the Central Valley. Photo Credit: Lisa Morehouse

5 06, 2018

Agricultural Diversification: Empowering Women In Cambodia With ‘Wild Gardens’

2020-10-06T23:24:51-04:00Tags: |

A group of US and Cambodian Scholars from Pennsylvania State University have created the multidisciplinary project, “Women in Agriculture Network (WAgN): Cambodia” to teach Cambodian women farmers how to change their farming techniques for more beneficial outcomes. The project places particular value on native Cambodian plants that thrive throughout the year, even during wet- and dry-season food gaps.  WAgN also analyses Cambodian women’s roles in agriculture, and the notion that the “feminization” of agriculture does not coincide with an improved quality of life for Cambodian women.  Researchers at WAgN believe that their project has the potential to augment the societal status of Combodian women and improve their quality of life. Photo Credit: Penn State

4 06, 2018

A Woman’s Reparations Map For Farmers Of Color Seeks To Right Historical Wrongs

2020-04-24T16:12:49-04:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman and her organization Soul Fire Farm have developed a new mapping and reparations resource for black and brown farmers. Launched via Google Maps, the reparations map identifies over 52 organizations, their needs, and how to contact each farming operation. The project is an extension of a global movement for food justice, and the return of stolen lands and resources to Indigenous and black farmers. Consequently, the project directly addresses the significant wealth gap between farmers of color and white farmers. The site has had over 53,000 visitors to date. Photo Credit: Jonah Vitale-Wolff

4 06, 2018

A Reparations Map for Farmers of Color May Help Right Historical Wrongs

2023-02-02T16:10:54-05:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman is the founder of Soul Fire Farm in New York, which aims to dismantle racism and injustice in the food system not only through sustainable farming, but also through reparations. Centuries of slavery and racism left many Black Americans uncompensated for their agricultural labor, and this is directly connected to the persistent racial wealth gap we see today. Penniman has created an online mapping tool to connect donors with farmers of color who seek financial payments to compensate for past and present inequities. She is also training farmers to speak up through advocacy and storytelling, while writing a “Definitive Guide to Liberation on Land.” This article delves into the history of the movement for reparations, which dates back to the Civil War, and the work Penniman is doing to advocate for system and policy change. Photo Credit: Soul Fire Farm

30 05, 2018

Executed, Disappeared, Tortured: The Risks Of Defending Human Rights

2021-02-16T20:36:14-05:00Tags: |

In this 20-minute Guardian podcast, journalist Lucy Lamble talks to Fund for Global Human Rights program officer Ana Paula Hernández about her work supporting campaigners fighting to protect native lands. The conversation covers the brutal murder of Honduran activist Berta Cáceres, an ‘incredible leader in the social and human rights movement’. Fund for Global Human Rights supported Berta since 2013 when she had been criminalised and threatened to stop her organising work for the defence of nature. Despite her international recognition and the protection afforded by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Berta was shot for opposing the dam construction on the Gualcarque River. Since, her daughter Berta Isabel Bertha Isabel Zúniga Cáceres and co-founder of COPINH have claimed small victories with the withdrawal of European funders suspending development on the dam project. Ana Paula also mentions digital security and technology as allies in the protection of human rights defenders. Photo Credit: The Fund for Global Human Rights

30 05, 2018

Mother Justice Is Environmental Justice

2019-04-13T15:42:56-04:00Tags: |

Low to moderate income families and families of color often take on a disproportionate energy burden, sacrificing funds that would otherwise be used on food or medical expenses, to pay for utility bills. Energy companies do little to nothing to help ease this burden. And more time than not, these communities are in areas that are poorly maintained and plagued by pollution. In fact, studies have shown that 71% of African Americans live in counties with federal air violations, compared to 56% of the overall population. 70% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, which generated 30% of the U.S. electricity in 2016 and discharged millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment. African Americans face the brunt of the health impacts associated with long-time exposure to toxins emitted at plants; children and the elderly are especially sensitive to such risks. These long lasting impacts take many forms, resulting in emotional, psychological and economic costs for these communities. Photo Credit: NAACP

23 05, 2018

Data At The Intersections: Advancing Environmental And Climate Justice Using A Human Rights Lens

2021-02-16T20:47:00-05:00Tags: |

Trends in human rights funding have shifted in the recent years. Currently, seven percent of all humans rights funding from foundations is earmarked for Environmental Justices and Resource Rights (EJ&RR). This indicates a 145 percent increase in EJ&RR funding between the years 2011 and 2015. However, funding peaked in 2014 and has since been declining, due to a few major foundations discontinuing their work. Another change has been the shift towards awarding smaller grants to smaller groups, in contrast to the historical practice of awarding large funds to established organizations. Thirdly, funding for human rights defenders increased 133% between 2011 and 2015 though the amount provided remains small. On the other hand, funding for Indigenous Peoples decreased to $15 million from $40 million during this time. Funding Indigenous Peoples is a crucial part of climate justice and particularly needed in our current state. Photo Credit: Human Rights Funders Network.  

21 05, 2018

Meet the Farmworkers Leading the #MeToo Fight For Workers Everywhere

2023-02-01T23:00:05-05:00Tags: |

In the United States, an estimated 500,000 women labor in the fields, where sexual violence is a prevalent concern. Nearly 4 out of 5 female farmworkers experience coercion, assault, catcalling, or other forms of sexual harassment. Unequal power relations complicate their ability to pursue justice and accountability, as authorities and managers are frequently male. Eradicating gender-based violence in U.S. agriculture is one of the key aims of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an alliance of farmers and agricultural workers based in Florida. This immigrant worker-led human rights organization has created a Fair Food Workers program that aims to secure workers’ rights through legal action. It has pioneered a model for protecting human rights known as “worker-driven social responsibility,” which was recognized by the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights and received a 2015 Presidential Medal from President Obama. By addressing the structural issues enabling and perpetuating sexual violence, the Coalition is dismantling unjust labor systems. It has also served as a blueprint for change in other areas, like the dairy and fashion industries. Photo credit: Coalition of Immokalee Workers    

21 05, 2018

Female Farmworkers Leading The #MeToo Fight For Workers Everywhere

2020-10-10T19:20:50-04:00Tags: |

Daughters of field workers are participating in a five day “Freedom Fast”, and joining the Time’s Up Wendy’s March in Manhattan. Their demonstration calls upon Wendy’s to sign onto the Fair Food Program which addresses many of the structural issues enabling sexual harassment in the workplace. The demonstration is taking place alongside the Time’s Up and #MeToo movement which has drawn global attention to the treatment of all women in the workforce. Women working in agriculture are strong voice in this movement as they report especially high rates of sexual assault in the workplace. So far the women’s efforts to suede Wendy’s have been unsuccessful. Photo Credit: Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)

18 05, 2018

Sarah Myhre: Scientists/Feminist/Activist, All In One

2020-11-20T18:05:59-05:00Tags: |

Authored by Karin Kirk, this piece presents feminist, non-profit activist and academic researcher Sarah Myrhe, who argues for an entire new leadership to bring radical change to address climate change. She advocates addressing climate change through a humanist perspective, asserting that women are creative leaders in empathising with marginalised and discriminated peoples adversely affected by climate change. In the face of misogynist opposition within science, academia and the public sphere despite her scientific successes, Sarah became a founding board member for 500 Women Scientists; and co-founded, with Guiliana Isaksen, the non-profit Rowan Institute. The Institute’s mission is to integrate science and social justice into public leadership through compassion, information and equity as core principles; and develop ‘a future of strong and resilient leaders, grounded in human rights, integrity, and planetary stewardship’. Sarah was voted Most Influential People of 2017. Photo Credit: Unknown

18 05, 2018

The Entrepreneur Making Healthy Food Accessible To Her Brooklyn Neighborhood

2020-10-05T17:16:03-04:00Tags: |

Francesca Chaney is working to alleviate food insecurity and make the wellness movement accessible in her neighbourhood of Bushwick, New York. A dream since she was 19 years old, the café, Sol Sips, started as a pop-up shop and evolved into a permanent fixture in the community. With a popular brunch menu and sliding scale prices, a diverse range of community members visit the spot ranging from indigenous, Latinx, and people of colour to old-timers and families. She serves a community that has largely been left aside by the mainstream health and wellness movement and Sol Sips remains a contrast to the majority of vegan and plant-based restaurants. Chaney wants to counter the trend that to eat healthy is a privilege only for those who can afford it. This socially conscious space that pays mind to the demographic of the neighbourhood is one of a range of businesses fighting to make vegan and healthy food accessible. Photo credit: Sol Sips

17 05, 2018

Methodist Women From Around The Globe Descend On Columbus, Hoping To Leave Lasting Impact

2019-01-21T19:43:55-05:00Tags: |

Nearly 6,000 Methodist women from around the world came together in Columbus, Ohio for a social justice summit celebrating 150 years of their organization, United Methodist Women. The organization is the service-oriented arm of the broader United Methodist Church, focusing on maternal and child health, mass incarceration, economic inequality and climate justice. Attendees heard Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and volunteered with local community justice initiatives, including the Poor People’s Campaign. Every four years, the group hosts gatherings where women activists can revitalize local communities and grow interfaith movements for equality. Photo Credit: Danae King The Columbus Dispatch @DanaeKing

14 05, 2018

How Cuba’s Women Farmer’s Kept Everyone Fed

2025-01-25T11:28:23-05:00Tags: |

Before 1989, Cuba depended on the Soviet Union for agricultural supplies to help maintain Cuban agriculture industries such as coffee, bananas, and sugar. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989, Cuba found itself cut off from these agricultural supplies and in an economic crisis. Over the course of the next six years, the Cuban government encouraged alternative agricultural practices and ran workshops to teach residents various forms of food production methods. Former biology teacher Edith participated in one of these workshops. Afterwards, she founded the urban farm Linda Flor ten minutes away from Sancti Spíritus’ main square. Thanks to Edith’s scientific knowledge, perseverance, and passion for agriculture, Linda Flor flourished despite the small urban space. Now, students from around the world flock to Sancti Spíritus to tour Edith’s farm.   Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

2 05, 2018

75% Of World’s Seeds Are Preserved By Small Farmers, Mostly Women

2019-04-13T16:23:35-04:00Tags: |

Lim Li Ching’s new report on agroecology highlights the crucial role small women farmers play in preserving indigenous varieties or landraces of main food crops. However, their role expands beyond the preservation of indigenous seeds, and women also process, distribute, and market food, as well as act as key holders of knowledge around seeds, agricultural biodiversity, and agroecology technologies. Parul Begum knew that indigenous strains of rice would result in higher yields in West Bengal and Manisha in Haryana’s Nidana village in Jind used carnivorous pests, as opposed to a chemical alternative, to handle the crop destruction caused by harmful pests. These women play a significant role in smallholder systems which also provide over half of the planet’s food calories. Despite their valuable role, women face issues in legal ownership of land and access to resources such as land, seeds, or technologies, due to the gender bias that exists in agriculture. Lim Li Ching argues that empowering women, especially with regards to land ownership which consequently opens access to government schemes and resources, can lead to improved food security and health. Photo credit: Vikas Choudhary

19 04, 2018

This Young Environmental Activist Lives 500 Feet From A Drilling Site

2018-10-29T16:36:15-04:00Tags: |

Ashley Hernandez grew up in Wilmington in South Los Angeles, a primarily latino community and home to one of the largest oil fields in the United States. Hernandez tackles environmental justice issues by educating her community about pollution. Her first campaign, “Clean Up Green Up,” led the Los Angeles City Council to support a pollution prevention and reduction strategy. Her new campaign is calling on Governor Jerry Brown to make California the first oil-producing state to phase out existing oil and gas production and to transition to sustainable fuels that can provide new jobs for workers while also protecting public health of vulnerable communities.  Photo Credit: Melissa Lyttle for HuffPost

16 04, 2018

Cooperative Agro-Forestry Empowers Indigenous Women In Honduras

2020-04-24T15:47:48-04:00Tags: |

The community of Lenca women, Indigenous to Honduras, has been practicing agroforestry for millennia as a sustainable farming method in their dry region. They are keeping this traditional knowledge alive by growing organic, fair trade crops like coffee in worker-owned cooperatives. Farmers like Eva Alvarado helped to create an all-female growers’ cooperative in 2014, as part of the Cosagual coffee growers’ organization. Their coffee is now sold around the world, and the women bring home a larger share of the profits than before. The Lenca group is known for radical work: Berta Cáceres, the famous Indigenous activist murdered in 2016, also belonged to the community. The idea of this cooperative was seeded at a gender equality workshop with the Association of NGOs. Agroforestry, which involves planting fruit and timber trees in the shade, is an effective way to combat food insecurity, erosion and acts as a carbon sink. Women in Honduras are coping with climate change using agroforestry, a method that can provide a sustainable livelihood to many communities. Photo Credit: Monica Pelliccia

13 04, 2018

Taking Our Power Back: Women and Girls Are Key To Food Security During Conflict

2020-12-02T21:58:31-05:00Tags: |

Saiyara Khan writes about the fundamental role that women and girls play in ensuring food security during times of conflict. Often, gender inequalities and societal norms restrict their participation in the management and decision-making processes over key resources such as land or livestock. However, given that they are involved in key processes such as food production and water collection for the household, women’s empowerment is a fundamental determinant in whether communities have access to food. Photo credit: UN Women

13 04, 2018

Women In Brasil Defending Our Sacred Waters – Stories From The Alternative World Water Forum (FAMA)

2020-04-24T16:03:01-04:00Tags: |

At the Alternate World Water Forum (FAMA), women led the charge in speaking out against the governments, NGOs and multinational corporations that privatize and exploit everyone’s water. Alessandra Munduruku, an Indigenous warrior of the Amazonian Munduruku tribe, uplifted her community’s fight against dangerous extraction and contamination on the Tapajós River. Andreia Neiva, a Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB) militant, urged others to follow her community’s lead in battling large farming companies who are stealing and polluting water sources. In her city, Correntina, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, people are rising up against repression to occupy the industrial farms, and she hopes to see others join. Grassroots leaders from around the world shared their stories, emphasizing that just as all water is connected, these struggles are interdependent.   Photo Credit: Idle No More SFBay Blog

3 04, 2018

A More Just Migration: Empowering Women On The Front Lines Of Climate Displacement

2020-09-02T21:07:22-04:00Tags: |

Migration is one way women may be forced to adapt to climate change, but this displacement also puts women at greater risk for violence, a group of women leaders explained at a Wilson Center event. Eleanor Bornstorm, Program Director for the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), noted that because women are often in caretaking roles, they are also expected to volunteer and shield their communities from harm. Yet structural inequalities put women disproportionately at risk to violence during climate displacement. Carrying forward the former statement, Justine Calma, Grist environmental justice reporting fellow, vocalized the violence faced by women and young girls during climate displacement. For example, during the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, young girls were sexually exploited, sold and trafficked for food and other resources. Poor or uneducated women, women of color and migrant women are vulnerable to intersectional forms of discrimination, and their needs are often more urgent. Because of these structural inequalities, empowering women and enhancing their leadership may be the best strategy to address climate change, rather than mitigating its effects. WEDO is assessing factors impacting women during climate displacement, filling in the gaps unaddressed at the national and international level. Photo Credit: Agata Grzybowska.

30 03, 2018

Women Human Right Defender’s In Thailand

2020-09-02T23:48:59-04:00Tags: |

Even after 20 years of “UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders”, women human rights defenders (HRD) face systematic structural violence for raising awareness of political and environmental issues affecting their daily lives. To highlight the stories of these women,  the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok launched a project “Her Life, Her Diary: Side by Side WHRDs 2018 - Diary of Hope and Dreams" featuring 20 women defenders and their everyday struggle against social injustice. Photo Credit: Luke Duggleby

30 03, 2018

Meet The People Courageously Resisting New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure

2020-11-07T18:11:24-05:00Tags: |

Oliveria Montes is the spokeswoman for several Indigenous communities including the Totonacos, the Nahuas, and the Otomies in Mexico in active resistance to the Tula-Tuxpan gas pipeline in Puebla and Hidalgo. These communities are organizing against the final portion of the pipeline construction which if completed would run through key water sources and mountainous ancestral lands. Montes affirms that their struggle is not only to protect the land and Indigenous communities, but is also a fight against ongoing foreign corporate influence intertwined with political corruption in Mexico. In the face of intimidation and violence, Montes is spreading awareness of these corrupt actions to international activists for further support. Photo credit: [Video screenshot]

28 03, 2018

ONE100 Oakland – Jing Jing He

2018-08-14T13:58:23-04:00Tags: |

Jing Jing He is a community organizer with the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), helping to uplift the voices of Asian immigrant communities in Oakland and Richmond, California. Due to her work as a fierce female leader championing renewable energy and jobs in her community, she was recognized by the national 100% Campaign and received a billboard in her honor. Photo credit: 100isNow

27 03, 2018

The World Is a Miraculous Mess, And It’s Going To Be All Right

2020-11-07T17:40:11-05:00Tags: |

In this article, Zenobia Jeffries interviewed activist, facilitator and author Adrienne Maree Brown for the 1st anniversary of her book, Emergent Strategy, a concept she describes as “the way complex plans for action and complex systems for being together arise out of simple interactions”. In short, this means transforming oneself to transform the world. Adrienne addresses movements building and how to include racial justice in broader conversations beyond Black Lives Matter such as #neveragain and #metoo. In relation to movements building and organising, she touches on themes such as connectivity, trauma, resilience and the capacity to heal, the difference between punitive, restorative and transformative justice, and pleasure activism. She suggests that pillars issues like climate change, racism and materialism are not going to be resolved overnight, but are transformative conditions that can be addressed through small compelling experiments and narratives becoming large enough to change the shape of society. Photo Credit: Bree Gant

23 03, 2018

Impunity For Violence Against Women Defenders Of Territory, Common Goods, And Nature In Latin America

2020-10-23T23:16:06-04:00Tags: |

This report by Urgent Action Fund of Latin America and the Caribbean (UAF-LAC) analyzes the condition of women who defend environmental rights in Latin American countries. By analyzing the case studies of thirteen women defenders, a clear continuum of structural violence against the women emerges. On the one end, women defenders are subject to the criminalization of their activities and to harassment from various actors such as companies, the police, and the media. At the most extreme end of this violence continuum, women defenders are assassinated or “disappeared.” In cases such as these, the state, if it is not actively colluding with the perpetrators, often remains silent. UAF-LAC, then, calls for the state to protect women defenders by eliminating the impunity perpetrators currently enjoy, by eliminating the criminalization of defenders’ work and by creating a safe environment for them to work in. Specifically, the state must financially, politically, legally and psycho-socially support women defenders. Photo credit: UAF-LAC

22 03, 2018

‘It’s About Taking Back What’s Ours’: Native Women Reclaim Land, Plot By Plot

2020-04-24T15:42:34-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women are decolonizing land in the Bay Area through the Sogorea Te Land Trust, a grassroots, women-led organization that aims to reclaim Ohlone land. Refusing to have their culture and land erased by development, Corrina Gould, activist and leader of Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone, and Johnella LaRose of Shoshone-Bannock and Carrizo, founded the organization in 2012. After a food justice organization donated a quarter-acre of land to the trust, other local NGOs, LGBTQ, faith groups and affluent residents are showing support. Leaders want to see the repatriated land return to Indigenous stewardship, through community gardens and ceremony, which will also generate more sustainable spaces. The Sogorea Te Land Trust has the potential to decolonize not only the land, but the minds of who is on that land.  Photo Credit: SOGOREA TE LAND TRUST AND PLANTING JUSTICE/HuffPost

8 03, 2018

3 Women On What Climate Justice Means To Them

2020-10-23T23:36:25-04:00Tags: |

Climate change impacts more severely on women and is a significant impetus for female empowerment in the climate justice movement. This piece portrays women whose courage, inspiration and shared vulnerabilities in forms of resistance underscore their activism. By changing the narrative and creating herstory, these stories offer a symbol of strength, such as Joanna Sustento, the warrior of the storm, who is the sole survivor of the storm Haiyan that killed her family. With local female leaders, she heads community mobilisation for climate justice. Desiree Llanos Dee, campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, uses the power of storytelling to humanise climate justice issues and build more conscious communities with more people who care. Hettie Geenen, captain of the Rainbow Warrior Greenpeace ship, gives an international platform to the people and the planet through her tours. These are the women on the frontlines of the local, national and global climate justice movement. Photo Credit: Greenpeace

8 03, 2018

Defeminisation Of Indian Agriculture

2020-09-02T23:19:40-04:00Tags: |

Women in India hold significant but overlooked roles in agriculture. The Census of India (2011) reveals nearly 98 million women have agricultural jobs. Due to decreasing economic opportunities in rural areas, young people and men are moving to urban areas, leaving women behind to farm. To recognize the importance of female farmers, the government of India declared October 15th as Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas (National Female Farmer Day). This is a great step forward given women have been historical left out of agricultural narratives. The way forward is to give land rights to women while strengthening the existing government policies for female farmers in India. Photo Credit: Vikas Choudhary

8 03, 2018

Women Are Overburdened With Unpaid Work Everywhere Across The Globe

2019-01-21T21:42:59-05:00Tags: |

Unpaid domestic work is a burden on Indian women who are leaving formal work spaces to fulfill household duties. This unpaid labor, and women’s interests in general, are often left out of policy discussions, notes Ritu Dewan, Indian feminist economist. Jayati Ghosh, another economist, notes that women perform much more domestic work than men, leading to what is called time poverty. Action Aid, an international non-profit organization in Ghana, models and quantifies unpaid work, defining four main areas: unpaid care work, climate resistant sustainable agriculture, access to markets and violence against women. Time use surveys have led to legislation changes that can better distribute household duties. In Uruguay, for example, the state is responsible for providing care, freeing up more paid and leisure time for women.  Photo Credit: Vikas Choudhary

8 03, 2018

They’re Walking Five Days Straight to Honor Harriet Tubman—and Black Women Everywhere

2019-02-09T19:57:57-05:00Tags: |

GirlTrek, a national nonprofit organization, empowers Black women in the US by following in the footsteps of Black women leaders who have come before. Under the leadership of co-founders Vanessa Garrison and Morgan Dixon, the organization has motivated more than 100,000 Black women to prioritize self-care and social justice through public health campaigns. One group of women walked the entire length of Harriet Tubman’s Great Escape path on the Underground Railroad, paying tribute to the prominent Black feminist. Tubman’s legacy of liberation and emancipation carries the promise of freedom and justice for Black women all over the United States. By celebrating this radical history, GirlTrek gives Black women unapologetic courage to take control of their mental and physical health and wellbeing.  Photo Credit: Yes Magazine

7 03, 2018

Guardians of the Amazon Rainforest – Women Rising Radio

2019-04-13T15:59:20-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous land and rights defenders, Gloria Ushigua of Ecuador and Aura Tegria of Colombia, share the heart moving victories and struggles of their people against mega extraction projects on their land, weaving in significant moments from their personal stories. Gloria Ushigua is President of Sapara Women’s Association in Ecuador. She was publicly mocked on television by Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa after protests in 2001 and violently persecuted after organizing significant mobilizations against oil drilling in 2015. Aura Tegria is an indigenous U’wa lawyer on the Legal Counsel to the U’wa people of Colombia. The childhood memories of her people organizing to protect their land inspired to become the U’Wa defender she is today. After intense protests, campaigns and legal action in 2014 and 2015, they successfully kicked out Occidental Petroleum followed by the successful dismantling of the large Magallanes gas well from their land. Part of the U’Wa resistance has also been against the Catholic and Evangelical church that historically promoted cultural extermination through their boarding schools for indigenous children and other oppressive practices. Both women share the history of their people’s resistance since colonization, their personal stories linked to that resistance, the recent struggles of their people and the inspiring victories.Photo Credit: Amazon Watch

5 03, 2018

Decolonizing Birth: Women Take Back Their Power as Life-Givers

2020-12-15T21:44:23-05:00Tags: |

This article relates Zintkala Mahpiya Win Blackowl’s experience of giving birth to her six children in the comfort of home and safety of a sacred space. Writer Sarah Sunshine Manning relates how a heavily pregnant Blackowl, who is Sicangu Lakota and Ihanktonwan Dakota, joined the Standing Sioux Rock reservation resistance camp. This is where she eventually gave birth to her baby girl, Mni Wiconi (Water of Life). This story reflects the larger Indigenous birth movement in which Native-American women reclaim not only their roles as life-givers and birth-workers, but also their rights to their bodies, traditions and birthing experiences. Counteracting the medicalised and colonised hospital-based birth environment, nurses such as Nicolle Gonzales, Navajo executive director of the Changing Woman Initiative, promotes Indigenous birth and midwifery knowledge; Jodi Lynn Maracle, traditional doula of the Tyendinaga Nohawl nation, works towards the reclaiming of Indigenous women’s powers, self-determination and ancestral traditions. Photo Credit: Unknown

1 03, 2018

The Formal Economy as Patriarchy: Vandana Shiva’s Radical Vision

2020-11-07T18:03:44-05:00Tags: |

At the Bond conference in London on international development, Vandana Shiva is a voice out of the chorus. Anti-“empowerment,” anti-“jobs,” and anti-“formal economy,” she rejects many of the mainstream women advancement narratives. According to her, the biggest challenge is getting to the point where women’s power, knowledge and production are being recognized. This is not possible within the framework of the formal economy because it is defined on the terms of the patriarchy by those in control of nature and society. Women living under principles of autonomy and dignity are called an informal economy, but they are simply living in a different system where the power of men over women is not the organizing principle. Photo credit: Stefano Guidi/Corbis via Getty Image 

15 02, 2018

Women Human Rights Defenders Demand The Stop Of The Duterte Reign Of Terror

2018-03-04T23:42:46-05:00Tags: |

Rodrigo Rody Roa Duterte , the 16th president of Philippines was warned by two alliances recently to stop attack on human and Earth rights defenders. Women human right defenders had been facing constant attack under the Presidency, and for fighting against injustice and terror  are often referred as “enemies of the state”. For fighting for their rights in the Cordillera, five women human right defenders, Rachel, Sarah, Sherry Mae, Joan, and Asia, faced false accusation and were threatened and harassed. Similarly, Sarah Abellon-Alikes, Rachel Mariano, Joanne Villanueva, and Sherry Mae Soledad were also falsely accused for homicide. Just like Donald Trump in the U.S., Duterte is known for his sexist behavior and rape jokes. Photo Credit: Cultural Survival

14 02, 2018

Kenya’s ‘Erin Brockovich’ Defies Harassment To Bring Anti-Pollution Case To Courts

2018-03-02T14:04:12-05:00Tags: |

Anti-pollution activist Phyllis Omido is finally receiving her day in court, after years at the forefront of a landmark class action suit demanding compensation and clean-up from a lead-smelting factory accused of poisoning residents of Owino Uhuru. The founder of the Centre for Justice, Governance, and Environmental Action, Omido has already successfully forced the closure of the factory and is now seeking reparations for community members. A co-winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2015, Omido is paving the way for other environmental litigations – even in the face of constant intimidation and threats. However, for Omido, this is just the start, as there are 17 other communities fighting for compensation for lead poisoning with whom she plans to organize. Picture Credit: Jonathan Watts

10 02, 2018

Women Scientists Describe Challenges Of Careers In Conservation

2020-09-02T22:11:04-04:00Tags: |

Camila Donatti, Director with Conservation International (CI) while acknowledging the division of labor among men and women, does feel that women and men need an equal amount of training to share knowledge about climate change. It is the best solution to engage them in good work while respecting their time limits. Shyla Raghav, an Indian American Climate expert with CI believes to find the best solutions for climate change we need to connect the women’s issues with climate change issues. Similarly Kame Westerman, a gender adviser with CI shared her personal experience of being discriminated against because of her gender. Margot Wood, associate scientist with CI shares the same experience while working on the field. Photo Credit: Benjamin Drummand

9 02, 2018

Women’s Needs Must Be Accommodated In Disaster Relief Measures For Puerto Rico

2020-04-24T16:21:51-04:00Tags: |

Puerto Rico is in need of disaster relief that adequately addresses the disproportional impacts Hurricane Irma and Maria have had on Puerto Rican women. Women across the world are already more likely to experience higher rates of sexual violence, familial responsibilities, and restricted access to reproductive healthcare in the aftermath of climate disasters. Puerto Rican women in particular are at very high risk for intimate partner violence in the world without stressors such as natural emergencies. Given these statistics and the causal relationship between poverty and violence toward women, upcoming policies such as the new year budget must support women appropriately. Photo Credit: Mario Tama  

9 02, 2018

Disaster Relief For Puerto Rico Must Accommodate Women’s Needs

2023-02-02T16:04:51-05:00Tags: |

In the aftermath of hurricanes Maria and Irma, Puerto Rico has struggled to recover both physically and economically. Among the most impacted by the crises are Puerto Rican women, who already faced higher levels of poverty than men prior to the natural disasters alongside some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the world. The risk of domestic and gender-based violence is heightened after natural disasters, as women often are forced into precarious living situations. This danger is intensified by limited access to reproductive healthcare and menstrual products as well as additional burdens from caregiving duties. In this article, Anusha Ravi shares her research at the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress. She analyzes the unique challenges women face during disaster recovery and the ways a gender perspective must be incorporated into relief policies. Photo credit: Getty/Mario Tama

8 02, 2018

Our Relationships Keep Us Alive: Let’s Prioritize Them In 2018

2020-10-13T20:10:37-04:00Tags: |

This article as part of “Visions of 2018” explores the theme of transformation in activist movements. Written by Ejeris Dixon, a female grassroots organiser, we gain insight into how relationships can be improved within our groups, drawing on Dixon’s 15 years of experience. Call-out culture, neglect, secret maneuvers and a misalignment of values and actions can splinter and break groups. However, honesty, loyalty, integrity, accountability and commitment to personal transformation can repair relationships and rebuild trust. Essential transformations if social justice movements are to thrive in these oppressive times. Image: Jared Rodriguez / Truthout

7 02, 2018

Climate Change Isn’t Just About the Planet

2020-12-02T20:24:32-05:00Tags: |

In this article, winner of 2017 Nation Student Writing Contest Leehi Yona follows up on her thoughts about the most important issues of her generation. A community organiser, climate researcher and PhD student in environment and resources, Leehi reflects on the interconnectedness between wildfires and trans rights, Hurricane Irma and DACA. She argues that climate change is not a siloed issue and instead lies at the intersectionality of justice – racial, socio-economic, reproductive and environmental. She acknowledges the breadth of challenges faced by her generation, such as the ICE onslaught on undocumented immigrants, the cracked Antarctic ice sheet, the heat waves, xenophobia, fascism, Donald Trump’s policy of climate destruction, and how poor communities of color will be primarily affected by his environmental rollbacks. Whilst such trials can be overwhelming and strip people of hope for the future, Leehi proposes physical, social and spiritual resilience in response to these fights for equality. Photo Credit: Laura Hutchinson / Divest Dartmouth

2 02, 2018

Why Climate Deniers Target Women

2021-01-15T17:17:19-05:00Tags: |

Women who work on climate science, policy, journalism, or advocacy continue to face harassment from climate change deniers, often in the form of sexist and dismissive labels. Although patriarchy and gender inequality pervade many social spaces, research shows that men who value hierarchy are more inclined to hold sexist views and deny the climate crisis. While the research draws no firm conclusions, it illustrates the power imbalances that enable both sexism and climate denial and the need for intersectional climate narratives that demand justice across movements. Photo Credit: Katharine Hayhoe

1 02, 2018

How the Wonder of Nature Can Inspire Social Justice Activism

2020-11-07T18:17:41-05:00Tags: |

Writer, activist, social justice facilitator (and more) Adrienne Maree Brown shares how the ‘wow’ or wonder of observing nature’s patterns of emergence can inspire social justice activism. Through extracts from conversations, she relates how people have gained and been transformed by exposure to nature, and how these exchanges have influenced her learning process in emergent strategy. Adrienne explains that paying attention to the beauty, magic, miracles and patterns of the natural world teaches about emergence. She refers to liberation educator and organiser Adaku Utah and her lessons from Mycelium Mushrooms in cultivating trust as an organising strategy (the mycelium organism uses trust as a mechanism to build and sustain an interconnected and mutually sustainable underground network with tree and plant roots). Adrienne also quotes independent strategist Ashingi Maxton on the pace of water, and to community organizer Hannah Sassaman on the learning from the seasons as teachers of evolution. Photo Credit: Ashim D’Silva/Unsplash

25 01, 2018

BBC To Air Major Nature Series Written And Directed By Women

2025-01-25T11:37:15-05:00Tags: |

Female directors Anne Sommerfield, Hannah Ward, and Clare Dornan are behind a landmark moment in broadcasting history: Their natural history series Animals with Cameras will be the first from BBC One to be entirely led by women. On their programme, threatened animal communities—ranging from meerkats and chimps to cheetahs and penguins—will be equipped with small, lightweight body cameras to help scientists better understand and protect vulnerable species. Their work comes at a time when there is a growing spotlight on women’s underrepresentation in film and television, especially on the awards stage. As the “best candidates for the job,” Sommerfield, Ward, and Dornan are bringing a female lens to stories of wildlife conservation. Photo credit: Anne Sommerfield/BBC

23 01, 2018

No Indigenous Women, No Women’s Movement

2018-08-14T14:16:07-04:00Tags: |

The term “feminism” continues to be debated in tribal communities. Laura Tohe, Indigenous scholar states, “There is no word for feminism in my language,” affirming, “there was no need for feminism because of our matrilineal culture”. Indigenous women, like Tohe seek to reconnect to the matriarchy and egalitarian roots of the land. The lived experiences of Indigenous women have been and continue to be different from those of white women. White women are oppressed by the patriarchy, but Indigenous women know that patriarchy alone is not the only source of their oppression. Colonialism, capitalism, racism, and rugged individualism work with patriarchy. Indigenous women have been organizing events and attending Women’s Marches across the United States to rematriate the space and spotlight the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Photo Credit: Ted S. Warren / AP

21 01, 2018

At Women’s Marches, A Spotlight On Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women

2018-02-15T13:05:22-05:00Tags: |

Instead of wearing pink “pussy hats” at the Women’s March in the United States, Indigenous women and their allies wore red to highlight the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and transgender people. From Phoenix, Arizona, to San Francisco and Seattle, Indigenous people led demonstrations, addressed the crowds and remembered their “stolen sisters”. 4 out of 5 Native women will encounter violence in their lifetime, more than half will experience domestic violence or sexual assault and in some areas the murder rate of Native American women is 10 times the national average. This violence which has been occurring for decades often goes unresolved, leaving loved ones feeling let down by, and sceptical of the justice system. Photo credit: Jenni Monet

17 01, 2018

Mother Earth’s ‘Me Too’: An Open Letter To Middle-Class Women

2018-10-11T18:13:07-04:00Tags: |

Women across the world experience violence, exploitation, and objectification. The trauma our culture has inflicted upon women extends beyond us. Mother Earth is also facing similar abuse. This piece is an open letter to middle class women to stand for the rights of Mother Earth, just like as they do for themselves via online campaigns like #MeToo. The author argues that the same mentality that seeks to dominate women also seeks to dominate the Earth; thus, we should use the power and momentum of the #metoo movement to consciously link women’s sovereignty issues to ecological issues. Photo Credit: Big Stock Photo    

10 01, 2018

How Rebecca Solnit Became ‘The Voice Of The Resistance’

2020-10-23T23:21:38-04:00Tags: |

Feminist writer and activist Rebecca Solnit has earned another title amidst the political turmoil of 2017: “the Voice of the Resistance.” Often reflecting on unjust and inept systems that target communities of color, the working class, and women from all walks of life, her writing has served as a beacon of hope and roadmap for action for many people confronting a Trump administration that continues to collude with Russia, dismantle environmental protections, and violate human rights. She is both energizer of and energized by the fervent wave of community organizing that has taken the streets and sounded the alarm. Photo credit: Shawn Calhoun

8 01, 2018

#Oursolutions: Conversation With Jacqui Patterson (NAACP)

2020-04-24T16:09:08-04:00Tags: |

Jacqui Patterson has been fighting for social justice for years, bringing this expertise to her work as the   Environmental and Climate Justice program director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Her international work started with HIV/AIDS advocacy, and she has uplifted stories of resilience from women across the U.S. and around the world. Patterson has spoken with South African women facing  increased sexual violence because of climate-induced drought and food insecurity, interviewed women across the U.S. impacted by climate change and fighting for justice, and volunteered with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Seeing a need for more gender and race analysis in climate change conversations, Patterson helped co-found Women of Color United, a global solidarity network. As an African-American woman, she brings a rigorous intersectional analysis of race, gender, class and other social identities into all climate justice work, fighting for a just transition rooted in deep democracy.

4 01, 2018

Which Works Better: Climate Fear, Or Climate Hope? Well, It’s Complicated

2018-07-13T15:33:41-04:00Tags: |

Lucia Graves explores the difficulty of communicating and engaging the public in climate change debates. Graves argues that the two dominant narratives, one of doom and gloom with apocalyptic visions of the future and the other of hope, with optimistic images of families on bikes, are over simplistic as in reality people’s emotions are complicated and multi-faceted. Research has shown that the binary of hope or fear is not enough to inspire action. Instead effort should be made to make issues relevant to your audience’s life as climate change may be global but it has a profoundly personal impact. Overall, Graves highlights the need for the conversation to take place as a 2016 report from Yale’s programme on climate communication found one in four Americans say they’ve “never” heard someone discussing it. Photo credit: Ariel Molina/EPA

21 12, 2017

How a Pioneering Botanist Broke Down Japan’s Gender Barriers

2021-01-27T20:38:26-05:00Tags: |

In this article, writer Leila McNeill offers a portrait of scientist Kono Yasui, a Japanese woman who broke grounds in academia, research and teaching. Aged 47, she was the first Japanese woman to earn a PhD in science (Tokyo Imperial University, 1927). This was an achievement in a cultural context in which women’s roles were restricted to being ‘good wives’ and ‘wise mothers’, rather than leaders of scientific inquiry. She was the first Japanese woman to publish in an academic journal, ‘Weber’s Organ of Carp Fish’ in Zoological Science; and the first to publish in a foreign (British) journal, Annals of Botany, ‘On the Life History of Salvinia Natans’ from her study of plant cells. Dedicating her life to research and committing to never marry, Yasui received ministerial funding to research abroad, in the US. In 1949, she contributed to the establishment of TWHNS, a national research university for women. Photo Credit: Ochanomizu University archive

20 12, 2017

Reporting On Zimbabwe’s Resilient Women

2018-02-20T17:43:37-05:00Tags: |

Sally Nyakanyanga, an independent journalist based in Zimbabwe, profiles the positive impact of rural electrification on women’s healthcare in the town of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. Oxfam Zimbabwe helped install a water pump and solar system at the Mazuru clinic, which has enabled better vaccine storage, uninterrupted medical technology use, and basic lighting. Juliet Chasamuka is among thousands of Mupandawana women who can now depend on reliable prenatal and postnatal care through energy access. Photo credit: Sally Nyakanyanga

11 12, 2017

These Women In The Philippines Scour A Dump Site For Trash To Turn Into ‘Something Beautiful’

2018-07-13T16:56:50-04:00Tags: |

Lumago Designs is a social enterprise in Dumaguete City, Philippines that is run by and for women. Established in 2011, the organization allows women living near the city dump in the Candau-ay community to cultivate the skill of upcycling and reusing. Many of the women were once scavengers – sorting through the 80 tons of garbage sent to the dump a day in search of recyclable materials that they could sell. Now, they work to turn trash into beauty. Their jewelry, bags, and household items are sold across the Philippines and in parts of the US and Europe. Women are paid above minimum wage for the pieces they produce while they work from home. For many, being a part of this group and cultivating financial autonomy has been life changing. Photo Credit: Lumago Designs

2 12, 2017

30 Books By People Of Color About Plants And Healing

2018-03-02T13:55:54-05:00Tags: |

Queering Herbalism present a diverse list of 30 books by people of color on herbalism and holistic healing. Although many black, brown and Indigenous communities rely heavily on oral traditions, many barriers exist when they seek to become published, meaning most books on this topic are written by white people. Books on this list cover topics from Indigenous rites of birthing, to African American Slave Medicine, and feature prominent herbalists and healers, such as Ayo Ngozi, who teaches herbal history and medicine making.

17 11, 2017

Nebeday Enables Senegalese Women From Rural Areas To Obtain New Forms Of Income

2020-12-02T20:07:28-05:00Tags: |

Nebeday is an association for environmental protection that supports Senegalese women from rural areas to obtain new forms of income outside of the traditional harvesting period through the cultivation and transformation of the moringa plant. The plant adapts to very arid environments and has a positive environmental impact, while also being nutritionally rich. The project also raises awareness of the need for sustainable resource management and the positive impact women can have on the development of the local economy. Photo credit: Video Capture

15 11, 2017

On Gender Day At Climate Meet, Some Progress, Many Hurdles

2018-10-29T17:00:38-04:00Tags: |

The UNFCCC’s Women and Gender Constituency (WGC) was established in 2009 by 27 non-profit organizations at the Conference of the Parties (COP), also known as the Climate Negotiations. This year at COP23, the UNFCCC accepted the Gender Action Plan (GAP), a roadmap to integrate gender equality and women's empowerment in all its discussions and actions.  For Kalyani Raj, the focal point of the WGC and other female leaders attending the COP, this is a clear indication of progress. Unfortunately, the adopted GAP omitted several of the original demands, including those related to indigenous women and women human rights defenders. Photo Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

15 11, 2017

A 12-Year-Old Warrior For Justice

2018-02-15T12:18:53-05:00Tags: |

Angelika Soriano is a 12-year-old climate warrior who is leading the fight against air pollution in East Oakland, an area of Alameda County, California where 93 percent of the residents are people of color. After suffering from an asthma attack in the fourth grade, Angelika became an advocate for herself and other children in East Oakland who are twice as likely to visit the emergency room or be hospitalized for asthma than those in other parts of Alameda County. As a member of her school’s club Warriors for Justice, Angelika helps stage protests against polluters in her area. On Halloween, 2017, Angelika led a “Zombie March on Coal” to the home of local developer Phil Tagami. At the event, she proclaimed that although she may be small, her impact is mighty.  Photo credit: Antonia Juhasz

13 11, 2017

Peasant Men And Women Say ‘End Violence Against Women!’

2017-12-13T13:22:40-05:00Tags: |

On the International Day of Struggle Against Violence Towards Women, La Via Campesina launched a campaign and called on its global allies organizations and members to join together to condemn structural violence against peasant women. As their statement explains, structural violence is rooted in capitalistic and fascist patriarchal societies which discriminate against women. Peasant women especially, are victims of forced displacement, prostitution, human trafficking and gender-based violence on a regular basis. The campaign purposefully focuses on both peasant men and women, recognizing that it will take the voices of many breaking their silence to end these violations. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

13 11, 2017

Maldives Mangroves Forest To Be Converted To Airport

2017-12-13T12:52:18-05:00Tags: |

Women leaders of Uthema and Voice of Women speak out about plans to build an airport on Kulhudhuhfushi island in the northern region of the Maldives, which is made of over 1200 natural coral islands. The vital mangrove wetlands of Kulhudhuhfushi are some of the countries most important and biodiverse, and the airport development there threatens massive destruction of ecosystems which are the source of local economy, culture, traditions, food, environmental protection, and much more. The article and accompanying video note a particular impact on women who work work the wetlands for their livelihoods, and the inequities of an airport for just some people displacing a place of local support for countless. Photo credit: SixDegrees News

9 11, 2017

Making Art, Making Change: Five Women Creatives You Should Know

2020-11-20T17:24:40-05:00Tags: |

In this exposé, writer Lauren Himiak presents artists whose imagination, art and advocacy create space for conversations and connection that influence personal, cultural and national debates transformation. Poppy Liu, playwright and storyteller, is the creator of Brooklyn-based grassroots movement Collective Sex around topics of sex, body, intimacy and identity. Sarah Edwards uses positive, nonviolent imagery and animal artwork to show humanity’s effects on the world and inspire reflection, conversation and action around climate change. Georgia Clark, Australian author and improv performer, organises New-York based female storytelling live event Generation Women; a unique, diverse and multigenerational literary salon with themed readings featuring a woman from each age group from 20s to 70s and up. Favianna Rodriguez creates visual art and prints that support social justice movements and conversation around immigration, climate change and racial justice. Tatiana Gill is a Seattle-based cartoonist taking on subjects like mental health, feminism, body positivity. Photo Credit: Kimberley Hatchett

6 11, 2017

Following Hurricanes, Women Leaders In Puerto Rico To Demand Community-Owned Solar Power

2017-12-06T14:38:49-05:00Tags: |

Ángel Figueroa Jaramillo, woman leader and head of UTIER, the electrical workers’ union in Puerto Rico, speaks with Democracy Now! following intense 2017 hurricanes, calling for a community owned, just renewable energy transition as the island looks to rebuild and find health and justice following intensive 2017 hurricanes. The community-centered plans she puts forth contrast with proposals by international entrepreneur Elon Musk, to provide centralized and privatized solar systems. Tisha Pastor, owner of a 100% renewable bed and breakfast hotel, also adds into the report, demonstrating the resiliency of her business in standing through recent climate disasters, to be a place of refuge for the surrounding area. Photo credit: Democracy Now!

23 10, 2017

Celebrating Women Of Color “Solutionaries” In Detroit

2018-01-23T17:55:44-05:00Tags: |

Women in Detroit, Michigan constitute 53 percent of the population, and 91 percent of all women in the city are women of color. Despite the high numbers, women of color continue to be excluded from decision-making processes when it comes to Detroit’s economic and social development. This report emphasizes the significance of including women of color by profiling 20 women from diverse backgrounds who are committed to empowering a just and sustainable future for Detroit through their work. Among the women profiled is Rev. Roslyn Bouier, who after overcoming domestic violence and drug addiction, managed to establish the largest food pantry in the city. Photo-credit: idreamdetroit.org

18 10, 2017

A Future Detoxified

2017-11-26T13:34:37-05:00Tags: |

The Basel and Rotterdam Conventions (BRS Conventions) have pointed out that hazardous materials cannot be managed without considering their human use. The effects of the use of these chemicals differ between women and men. In order to measure the impacts, the BRS Gender Action Plan (BRS-GAP) was introduced, which was updated in 2016. During the 2017 Conference of Parties to the BRS Conventions, an Environment and Gender Information (EGI) platform analysis was unveiled to measure the progress the Parties to the Conventions have taken towards a more sustainable future free of harmful chemicals. The report focuses on the development of indicators on gender-related issues and on how gender is mainstreamed in parties’ reporting and Convention documents. Photo credit: WECF

13 10, 2017

The Marikana Women’s Fight For Justice, Five Years On

2018-03-02T13:37:41-05:00Tags: |

Sikhala Sonke is a grassroots group of women social justice advocates, who began organizing in response to the tragic events of police violence at the Lonmin platinum mine in Marikana, South Africa. Five years after the tragedy, with no compensation and no end to abuses, the women campaign ongoingly for recognition, safety, and justice in the face of intense, ongoing economic and physical exploitation of mine workers. The mining fields of Marikana offers little to no security at the workplace, poor wages and constant threats of rape and assault for women, in a country where every third South African woman fighting violence against them. Despite the all the challenges, Sikhala women stands in solidarity and support each other to expose injustice and create solutions for healthy and safe livelihoods. Photo Credit: Sikhala Sonke

11 10, 2017

Edges Of Transformation: Women Crossing Boundaries Between Ecological and Social Healing

2018-02-20T17:54:06-05:00Tags: |

In the collective book Ecological and Social Healing: Multicultural Women’s Voices, several authors, including Jeanine M. Canty, call for a restoration of our collective relationship with place and the reintegration of feminine wisdom. Western culture, corporate globalization, and the idea that we are separate, distinct wholes have been devastating. As Canty explains, global healing will therefore only be possible once we embrace our collective wounding and honor diverse perspectives, including recognizing women, people of color, and Indigenous communities as the heart of movements leading the way toward a more resilient society.  Photo credit: M. Jennifer Chandler

10 10, 2017

Nurses Returning From Puerto Rico Accuse The Federal Government Of Leaving People To Die

2017-10-31T22:56:11-04:00Tags: |

Nurses such as Kathy Kennedy expressed their frustration with the dire situation in a Puerto Rico left to recover without much support after Hurricane Maria hit the Island. National Nurses United, a union of nurse practitioners, advocated to Democratic members of Congress after a two-week humanitarian mission to Puerto Rico to urge the United States government to provide disaster relief funding. The nurses said the conditions they witnessed were worse than they had seen on other humanitarian missions, including after Hurricane Katrina and the recent earthquake in Haiti. Photo credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

10 10, 2017

Mother Nature’s Daughter

2020-12-15T21:52:39-05:00Tags: |

Authored by Erin Peterson, this article introduces us to St Olaf’s alumni Anne Christianson, a Minnesota native, feminist and environmental scientist. In 2016, along with 75 STEM women from around the world, Anne was selected to partake in the Homeward Bound leadership initiative, a 3-week expedition to Antarctica. For Anne, such an experience in an isolated and wild environment was both an impactful and powerful opportunity to build a significant network of allies, as it promoted collaboration, connection and support amongst the participants in meaningful ways. Interested in the intersection between politics and the environment, this expedition gave Anne a chance to consider new ways of bringing awareness to the troubling effects of climate change on women. The expedition provided these women scientists and leaders with coaching support for career and leadership strategies within their science and technology fields; and strategies for improved science communication and effective research disseminate world-wide. Photo Credit: Unknown

30 09, 2017

Making Change Happen: Rethinking Protection, Power, And Movements

2017-10-31T15:51:45-04:00Tags: |

Around the world, the intensity of threats to women human rights defenders continues to escalate. This report from JASS Just Associates and JASS MesoAmerica offers new feminist and social movement perspectives to questions surrounding why, despite increased attention and legal protections, women human rights activists and the organizations and communities with which they work continue to face worsening persecution and dangers.

28 09, 2017

Why Are Britain’s Green Movements An All-White Affair?

2017-10-08T22:23:12-04:00Tags: |

Climate justice activist Suzanne Dhaliwal is co-founder of the UK Tar Sands Network. However, since 2015 she’s been a woman in the media writing on the problems with Britain’s predominantly white environmental movement. Dhaliwal reminds us that Indigenous people and people of color around the world are the first affected by climate change and the first to act. In this article, Dhaliwal emphasizes the importance of keeping frontline communities at the forefront of the movement. She’s putting her words into action by boycotting all white-only panels on climate change for the time being. Photo credit: Fiona Hanson/AP Images for Avaaz

20 09, 2017

Open Letter To The Women Of Congress From Climate Change Activists, Actors, & Average Moms

2018-03-02T14:08:11-05:00Tags: |

Women across the United States have presented an open letter to the women in Congress following the Trump Administration’s exit from the Paris Agreement and proposed 31 percent budget cut to the Environmental Protection Act (EPA). Hollywood elite, CEOs, advocates, and thousands of community activists have banded together to tell Congress, “Not on our watch!” In their letter, co-signers urge women of Congress to start getting serious about climate change. They point to the water crisis in Flint, fires in California, hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and air pollution in Utah as they plead for policy change that will protect the country’s children. As women, they say, the connection between climate change and gender is lived every day. They end their letter by urging Congress to provide full funding to the EPA in an effort to protect the constituents they are meant to serve. Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images News/Getty Images

1 09, 2017

CEJA Statement on Sexual Harassment in the Capitol

2020-09-03T00:29:16-04:00Tags: |

The letter illustrated the  between power structure and gender inequality. TheirThe pervasiveness of sexual harassment and asrelationsault has become the recent subject of public debate in the California legislature. With the help of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus and CEJA, an environmental justice organization, 200  women signed a statement against sexual harassment in Capitol. Many of these women spoke in front of the California Assembly Rules Subcommittee to bravely share their experiences of sexual harassment. This is a step in the right direction to ending sexual violence and a culture that permits and promotes the devaluation of women and gender non-conforming people. Photo Credit: CEJA

31 08, 2017

Living On Ohlone Land — What We Learned From Indigenous Women Leaders

2017-10-31T22:52:58-04:00Tags: |

At a panel organized by SURJ Bay Area entitled "Indigenous Women Leaders Discuss Building Reciprocity With Local Indigenous Communities" in Huichin/Oakland, Corrina Gould (Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone), Ruth Orta (Him*re-n Ohlone, Bay Miwok, and Plains Miwok), Ann Marie Sayers (Mutsun Ohlone), Chief Caleen Sisk (Winnemem Wintu), and moderator Desirae Harp (Mishewal Wappo, Diné) discussed how people can practice solidarity and allyship with Indigenous peoples. Each of the women panelists are formidable women leaders: Corrina Gould is working to protect the Ohlone Shellmounds, the burial sites of her ancestors, and cofounded Indian People Organizing for Change (IPOC), while Ann Marie Sayers established Indian Canyon, California as a cultural haven for Indigenous peoples. At the panel, Caleen Sisk, the Spiritual Leader and Tribal Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, discussed water protection and her work restoring salmon runs on the McCloud River. Singer-songwriter Desirae Harpcontributes to Indigenous justice through the arts, and is the founder the Mishewal Ona*staTis language revitalization program. Photo credit: Christopher McLeod

30 08, 2017

Chaus Uslaini Tells Us About Her Initiatives For Improving Rural Communities’ Lives

2017-10-30T03:43:00-04:00Tags: |

Global Forest Coalition profiles Chaus Uslaini, a rural activist and the director of the NGO Walhi, in West Sumatera, one of Indonesia’s main islands. Through her work, she helps improve rural communities’ lives around her, trying to empower and develop families, enabling children to attend school, instead of working in the fields as she once had to do. Her job also falls under the gender justice umbrella, and she helps women in four communities to set up a small fruit and cacao business production, for example. Chaus is leading initiatives regarding water rights, legal advice, youth empowerment, among many others. Photo credit: Chaus Uslaini

30 08, 2017

Color of Climate: Meet Valencia Gunder, A Power Player In Miami’s Fight Against Climate Gentrification

2017-10-30T03:35:18-04:00Tags: |

Valencia Gunder, resident of a working class, predominantly black neighbourhood in Miami, is one of the main activists against the gentrification of another similar neighbourhood: Little Haiti. She works at an organization called New Florida Majority, which aims to empower marginalized segments of society. In this piece, Valencia tells us about how in the past, poor and black communities were pushed far away from the sea, into higher and cheaper grounds. Nowadays, with the sea-level raising, we see the gentrification and forcing out of communities like Little Haiti for richer and higher-end developments. Valencia is an active voice fighting for racial and climate justice, on behalf of those who usually do not get to speak out. Photo credit: Ashley Velez/The Root

30 08, 2017

Interview With Vien Truong, Director Of Green For All

2017-10-31T15:49:19-04:00Tags: |

In this podcast, Vien Truong shares her story as an activist for social and environmental causes at the organization Green for All. Being a refugee in a large family herself, Vien has experienced first-hand how poor and marginalized people are often left out of decision-making processes. The organization Green for All tackles poverty at the national, regional and local levels through inclusive and green economy. Listen to her interview to know more about her solutions and achievements. Photo credit: Mrs. Green’s World

30 08, 2017

Maria Nailevu, Pacific Climate Justice Activist

2017-10-30T02:51:11-04:00Tags: |

Growing up with recurrent natural disasters, sea level rise and flooding, Maria Nailevu experienced the impacts of climate change from a very early age. Today, she is working with Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality to promote social, economic and ecological justice woman to advocate for women human rights and climate action at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties conferences. Nailevu is also working to free her home of plastics with the Pacific Urgent Action Hub for Climate Justice and creating safe spaces where women can come together to share knowledge, stories and strategies for a gender-just society. Photo credit: DIVA4Equality

27 08, 2017

Maria Nailevu On Climate Justice For Fijian Women

2017-10-09T21:34:05-04:00Tags: |

Maria Nailevu recounts how her lived experience of climate change on the island of Taveuni has led to her current work on gender and climate change. She details her important work with feminist and community-led organization Diverse Voices & Action for Equality (DIVA). She recounts the work of the Women Defend the Commons campaign, which promotes social, economic and ecological justice in a women-led Suva-based organisation. Photo credit: Christine Irvine/Survival Media Agency

25 08, 2017

Why It’s Still Important To Talk About Diversity In The Renewables Industry

2018-08-24T17:17:23-04:00Tags: |

Women and people of color make-up a low percentage of workers in the renewable energy industry. Though minorities can be found, they are primarily concentrated in administration, engineering, and technical departments. To increase the amount of women in the industry, Kristen Graf, the Executive Director of Women of Wind Energy founded Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE). She is determined to increase the number of women in the renewable energy field by supporting educational and training opportunities for women. Poor workplace diversity is not unique to the clean energy field, but is also seen throughout the green movement. It’s clear more work needs must be done to increase accessibility, inclusion, and equity in environmental fields to develop a diversified labor pool. Photo Credit: Grid Alternatives

18 08, 2017

Climate Justice Is Racial Justice Is Gender Justice

2020-09-08T21:50:16-04:00Tags: |

Though climate justice is not typically thought of as integral to civil rights or women’s rights, Jacqueline Patterson, director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, asks us to see their overlapping nature. Marginalized communities are often marginalized in many ways simultaneously: black populations are concentrated in poor neighborhoods, as is food insecurity, as are toxic waste facilities. While combatting climate change then, the concerns of marginalized communities need to be centered. Thus, access, affordability and viable livelihoods should be of high priority—as is consistent with a just transition. Photo Credit: Unknown

3 08, 2017

Eryn Wise On Why Feminism And Fighting For The Planet Go Hand In Hand

2017-10-14T15:43:10-04:00Tags: |

In this interview we meet Eryn Wise, 26, a young two-spirit (LGBTQ) Native American leader who's been on the front lines of the Dakota Access pipeline protests since last year. She is Jicarilla Apache and Laguna Pueblo, an organizer for Honor the Earth, and the media coordinator for the International Indigenous Youth Council and Sacred Stone Camp. She grew up in Dulce, New Mexico. She explains the connection between environmental activism, being a feminist, and the Obama administration’s treatment of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Photo credit: Eryn Wise/Facebook

1 08, 2017

La Via Campesina Peasants Initiate Debate On Gender And Sexual Orientation Diversity In The Movement

2017-11-01T00:49:38-04:00Tags: |

La Via Campesina is opening dialogue within its network to discussing how people in rural areas are targeted due to different sexual orientation that the heteronormative one. This LGBTQ self-organized event took place during the VII International Conference in the Basque Country, Spain, and presented an important first step for the network to consider this intersectional issue in its official political agenda and actions. Some member-organizations from La Via Campesina already fight for LGBTQ rights internally as well, such as the Landless Movement of Brazil (MST), the Sindicato Labrego Galego (SLG), and the European Coordination Via Campesina. Photo credit: La Vía Campesina

1 08, 2017

Climate Justice Is Racial Justice And Gender Justice

2017-11-01T00:40:33-04:00Tags: |

Jacqueline Patterson is an activist with the NAACP for women and women of color. In her interview, she tells us how much intersectionality there is around climate change - it is a multiplier of injustices and is intrinsically related to civil and human rights. She recommends that people who want to start fighting climate change-related issues start locally, at a welfare’s group, or any type of group that attempts to diminish injustices for the most marginalized segments of society. Photo credit: Cyrus McCrimmon

23 07, 2017

Women Of India Up In Arms Against Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

2018-01-23T17:48:54-05:00Tags: |

Women from all over India marched and protested together  in Hyderabad, in opposition to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. This partnership is based on destructive model of development which violates the rights of farmers, dalits, land rights, Indigenous women, minorities, fisherwomen, labour rights and more. Burnad Fatima, member of Federation of Women Farmers Rights, Tamil Nadu describes how this mega free trade agreement will affect the women through impacts on land rights, migration and trafficking. Similarly, Albertina Almeida and Kate Lappin from Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development express deep concerns about the trade agreement.

2 07, 2017

Landless And Widowed Women In South India Bear Brunt Of Drought

2017-11-02T00:09:36-04:00Tags: |

Kavita, a landless widowed woman in rural southern India, works tirelessly to overcome the debt her husband left unpaid. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have land of her own, which makes her ineligible for government aids or loans. Such limited access to the land she works on not only limits her economic empowerment and ownership, but also hinders her ability to stand up against gender-based violence as well. The percentage of women who own land in rural India is just about 13%. Photo credit: Reuters

1 07, 2017

In The Philippines, Rural Women Bear The Brunt Of Both Climate Change And Conflict

2017-11-01T23:47:27-04:00Tags: |

Rural women of the Philippines are fighting for their survival in face of the triple threat of violent conflict, poverty and changing climate conditions. Particular groups of women, such as female farmers, widows and Indigenous women, are the first to feel the effects of extreme weather. Low crop production and food insecurity, as well as armed conflict, cause many to migrate to large cities within their country and abroad, where human trafficking, sexual abuse and other gendered violations are becoming increasingly common under mounting climate pressures. Photo credit : PWRDF, CC BY-SA

1 07, 2017

Biography Of Denise Abdul-Rahman

2017-11-01T17:52:30-04:00Tags: |

Denise Abdul-Rahman is a powerful woman leader who has spent her career working at the intersection of racial, climate and economic justice. For example, she has facilitated community trainings on “Bridging the Gap: Connecting Black Communities to the Green Economy,” and led the Just Energy Campaign to stop Indianapolis Power Light from burning coal. Abdul-Rahman holds a variety of titles: she serves the NAACP Indiana as an Environmental Climate Justice Chair, sits on the Climate Justice Alliance Steering Committee, was a Credentialed Delegate to Paris COP21 with the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, and was a USCAN 2016 Conference Steering Committee member. Photo credit: Kheprw Institute

1 07, 2017

Tanya Fields And The Homegrown Food Revolution In The Bronx

2017-11-01T01:51:39-04:00Tags: |

Tanya Fields, founder of the organization Libertad Urban Farm, shows in this short movie how growing organic food in urban settings, as well as in rural places, is so important for black communities’ empowerment. When considering the high use of agrotoxins and other chemicals inside vegetables that most people consume everyday, Tanya’s work is opening a space for urban farming, where people from South Bronx grow their own food. This improves the community’s access to quality food. Her initiative supports young people and also builds a stronger sense of community, autonomy and food security. Photo credit: The Root

1 07, 2017

In A Fight For Land, A Women’s Movement Shakes Morocco

2017-11-01T01:28:34-04:00Tags: |

Saida Soukat, 27, is one of the Moroccan women farmers at the forefront of the Sulaliyyates movement for for women’s land rights. The women have been fighting the privatization of tribal lands for more than 10 years, while promoting women’s equal rights to land tenure and inheritance, in a country where access to land by women is still a big issue. They are challenging patriarchal structures and creating change, notes Zakia Salime, from Rutgers University. Saida Idrissi, of the Moroccan Association for Women’s Rights, also helps organize the movement, providing training and assistance in legal matters and negotiations. Although there have been constitutional advancements, laws are still very unfavourable to women, putting them at a disadvantage. This is why women such as Fatima Soukat, 93, still participate in the fight. Photo credit: Aida Alami/The New York Times

1 07, 2017

Beata Tsosie Peña: “I Do Not Separate The Struggle From My Spirituality”

2017-11-01T01:23:13-04:00Tags: |

Beata Tsosie Peña is a Tewa Indigenous woman from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico who is fighting for environmental justice and protection of her people's ancestral land and the health and well being of the larger regional community. The region has been heavily impacted by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, a United States federal laboratory producing nuclear weapons and doing biological and chemical testing, which contaminates of water, soil and air. Beata joined TEWA Women United (TWU), an inter-tribal organization that seeks to empower women, and works jointly with Las Mujeres Hablan (The Women Speak) and Communities for Clean Water (CCW) in order to fight for environmental justice, cultural preservation, reproductive rights, health, and food security. Beata has a holistic approach to her fight, and the manner in which she stands up against contamination on Mother Earth as a dual attack on bodies, rituals, spirituality and beliefs. Photo credit: International Journal on Human Rights

30 06, 2017

WoMin Second Annual Feminist School: Strengthening The Tools Of Our Resistance

2017-10-30T03:19:49-04:00Tags: |

Under the theme, “Developing our African eco-feminist craft; strengthening the tools of our resistance,” the WoMin alliance held its second annual feminist school in Accra, Ghana in June 2017. For eight days, 46 participants from 11 African countries analyzed the economic, political and social systems that work in tandem to exploit both African women and Africa’s natural resources and the tools of resistance that are needed to craft an alternative people and nature centered vision of development. African women and feminists are not only telling their stories, they are also fighting and winning their struggles. Photo credit: WoMin

30 06, 2017

Noelene Nabulivou Standing For Climate And Gender Justice In Fiji

2017-10-30T02:54:10-04:00Tags: |

Noelene Nabulivou is the political advisor for Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality, a Fiji-based organization she helped to found that works at the intersection of gender, human rights and environmental justice. As an openly lesbian feminist, Noelene has mentored countless women across the Pacific, such as Lavetanalagi Seru, co-coordinator of Project Survival Pacific. Nabulivou’s leadership has been indispensable for the women’s, disability and feminist movement in Fiji and the Pacific Islands. Photo credit: Sustainable Pacific Community

30 06, 2017

Women Reclaiming Our Democracy: Resistance And Renewal

2017-10-30T02:23:02-04:00Tags: |

During a 2017 Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network online Education and Advocacy training, ‘Reclaiming Our Democracy: Resistance and Renewal’, women leaders from across the United States shared pointed analysis and thoughts on how best to organize and pursue grassroots-driven systemic change, and make a difference in local and national politics, particularly in the context of the United States Trump presidential administration. Cindy Wiesner, National Coordinator of Grassroots Global Justice Alliance (GGJA) and Co-Chair of the Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) and the Our Power Campaign shares thoughts on the importance of long term capacity and relationship building between communities on the frontline of ecological and social injustices in order to support each other around sites of local struggle. A’shanti F. Gholar, Political Director for Emerge America, shares information on the status of women, particularly women of color, in electoral politics - and why and how women across the US must stand up and take action to fill the gap. Liz Van Cleve, an environmental media and outreach communications professional and volunteer with the Indivisible Project, discusses her work and what has been learned surrounding effective ways to engage and affect local and national political outcomes. Photo credit: WECAN International

27 06, 2017

Leaving Paris For All The Wrong Reasons

2017-10-27T16:13:05-04:00Tags: |

Two women earth defenders and activists, Sara Mersha and Carol Schachet, co-wrote this editorial in response to President Trump withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement. The women underscore the influence the fossil fuel industry had on the decision to ultimately withdraw. Nevertheless, the women countered this dramatic and uncertain shift in U.S. climate policy with Grassroots International’s four “key priorities” for climate justice work going forward. Sara Mersha is the Director of Grantmaking and Advocacy at Grassroots International and Carol Schachet director of development and communications at Grassroots International. Photo credit: Grassroots International

27 06, 2017

Jodie Evans Rising With Women For Peace And Justice

2017-10-27T15:24:03-04:00Tags: |

Jodie Evans is determined to end U.S. and global militarism and support reinvestment in communities by influencing national policy and promoting peacemaking in war zones. As co-founder and co-director of CODEPINK, she mobilizes antiwar protests of executive actions, such as the U.S. invasion of Iraq, drone strikes, and use of Guantanamo Bay prison. Photo credit: Nobel Women’s Initiative

27 06, 2017

Regional Gathering Of Defenders Of Land, Territory And Environment

2017-10-27T00:56:41-04:00Tags: |

Defenders of land, territory and environment, primarily women, from the Andean Region and the Latin American South gathered in Mexico City to scrutinize the context of violence in the region. Earth defenders in the region are a target of increasing violence, from both state and non-state actors, and imprisonment with little to no recognition of their rights. The culture of violence and discrimination against women and gender mandates reduce their authority and value of their work. A pact was made to ensure the protection of these women within their movements, to recognize and promote their work, to promote political formation for both genders and to foster their ownership of land. Photo credit: IM-Defensoras

26 06, 2017

Afghan Women Refugees Resurrected As India’s Plastic Waste Warriors

2017-10-26T00:21:03-04:00Tags: |

Farah Naz is one of five Afghan refugee women who is not only battling traditional gender roles by working, but also becoming an unlikely fighter against plastic waste pollution in New Delhi, India. Through Project Patradya, a  business initiative, she is employed to produce and supply edible bowls, cups and cutlery for cafes, restaurants and parlors as an alternative to non-biodegradable plastics utensils. The idea is to also have training in sales and marketing, empowering women to run their own recycling business within three years.

25 06, 2017

Forced From Their Forests, Cameroon’s Female Pygmies Bear Brunt Of Alcohol Abuse

2017-10-25T22:46:11-04:00Tags: |

The Baka Pygmies of Eastern Cameroon know all too well how development projects can be used to destroy the livelihoods, homes and cultures. The nomadic-hunter gatherers have been pushed off their ancestral lands by mining and logging companies, as well as by conservation groups trying to save elephants and gorillas. Pushed into the territories of forest-dwelling ethnic groups, the result has been further conflict and a turn to alcohol as a way to deal with the myriad of problems facing them. Baku women are bearing the greatest brunt of the growing alcoholism, often facing brutal violence from their husbands and other male members of the community, in addition to the stress of having to find food and generate income. Photo credit: Josiane Kougheu/Thomson Reuters

19 06, 2017

Transit Riders Unions Versus Climate Change, White Supremacy And Disaster Capitalism

2017-09-24T18:29:25-04:00Tags: |

Social and ecological activist, author and co-founder of Collective for Social and Environmental Justice in Vancouver, Desiree Hellegers, is sounding the alarm on how a Trump election has further intensified the vulnerability of and violence against frontline communities of color in the face of climate change. Here, Hellegers shows how climate change is part of a white supremacist system driven by disaster capitalism. Hellegers explains how Transit Riders Unions are pushing back against this oppressive structure in the midst of antiracist and antifascist clashes in Portland, Oregon. Photo credit: WECAN International

15 06, 2017

Black And Latina Moms Are Most Concerned With Climate Change

2018-02-15T12:58:54-05:00Tags: |

A recent air pollution and climate study found that U.S. mothers and grandmothers are troubled by the impending effects climate change has and will have on their children – with Black and Latino mothers leading the pack. Specifically, the Public Policy Polling found that 87% of Latinas and 84% of Black mothers and grandmothers agreed with the statement: “We are not doing enough as a nation to protect clean air and clean water for your children and grandchildren in the coming years and decades.” Photo Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

13 06, 2017

Full Interview: Naomi Klein On Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics

2017-10-31T20:35:02-04:00Tags: |

Naomi Klein’s book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate has been called the bible of the climate justice movement. It cuts straight to the chase in identifying capitalism as the principal culprit of climate change, through stories from the global movement that widely uses the slogan “system change, not climate change.” Klein also notes that the ‘capitalist patriarchy’ is subordinating women’s bodies and the earth. In her new book No Is Not Enough, Klein takes on the catastrophic decisions President Trump is making on global climate progress by denying that climate change exists and by infamously pulling out of the acclaimed 2015 Paris climate accord. Yet, despite the setbacks caused by Trump, Klein explains that the climate movement is stepping up and fighting hard against the dangerous impacts that climate change policy will have on the interlinked issues of race, gender and economic inequality under Trump’s administration. Photo credit: Democracy Now!

7 06, 2017

Women’s right to the city; reflections on inclusive urban planning

2025-05-24T18:58:13-04:00Tags: , |

Ana Falú is an Argentinian architect, professor, researcher, and feminist activist whose work focuses on the shortcomings of traditional city design and planning, recognizing the unequal relations between men and women, and the opportunities to do better. Women's rights to the city have historically been overlooked, despite their active participation in city building and social movements. In Latin America, these challenges are exacerbated by high urbanization rates and climbing inequality. Therefore, urban policies and gender-sensitive planning must ensure equal conditions and opportunities for all genders and diverse groups, including transgender people and sexual minorities. Such planning can also address economic well-being, political participation, bodily autonomy, and equal access to urban resources. Falú' calls for the incorporation of women's right to the city into the Habitat III process and the New Urban Agenda in urban planning conferences, emphasizing the need for gender equality in urban planning to create more democratic and inclusive cities.

1 06, 2017

Helena Norberg-Hodge: Society Should Shape Business – Not The Other Way Round

2017-11-01T11:09:11-04:00Tags: |

Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder of organizations such as Local Futures and the Global Ecovillage Network,  is a vocal global advocate for localization of economies to truly meet the needs of people and planet. She demands a world that values wellness and sustainability over profit, a term she has coined ‘the economics of happiness’. This Guardian article profiles her life and invaluable contributions to movements for new economy, sustainable living, wellbeing and a just transition to renewable systems.

1 06, 2017

Whitney Tome Of Green 2.0 On Building An Environmental Movement That Looks Like America

2017-11-01T03:11:06-04:00Tags: |

Whitney Tome tells her story about working for over a decade in the environmental movement and often being the only woman of color present. Her experience led her to found, Green 2.0, an initiative that is working to bring more people of color to environmental organizations and building a movement that better represents all of the United States. Photo credit: Green 2.0

1 06, 2017

Women Of Color Are Tired Of Being Targeted By Toxic Marketing, Toxic Products

2017-11-01T02:34:20-04:00Tags: |

Amber Garcia is the Field and Advocacy Manager for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), a collective of Latinas dedicated to reproductive rights. Amber participated in the Feminine Care Rally in March, when she spoke against the media and mainstream propaganda that sells an unattainable image and ideal, which has a strong impact on women of color. This can also be seen by the disproportionate amount of women of color being targeted for self-care, hygiene and beauty products, which contain undisclosed toxic and hazardous elements that affects one’s health. Garcia speaks out against these practices and demands transparency of ingredients and chemicals used in sold products. Photo credit: Women’s Voices for the Earth

1 06, 2017

Sydney Rising “One Billion Rising Against The Nuclear Bomb/Rising For Peace”

2017-11-01T02:32:46-04:00Tags: |

One Billion Rising Sydney is organized by Asian Women at Work Inc (AWatW) and Migrate Australia-NSW. They joined the Women’s March to Ban the Bomb action to urge the Australian government to sign the UN Convention to Ban Nuclear Weapons. The protest happened with music and singing and also included the participation of WILPF (Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom) and ICAN Australia (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). AWatW is an organization focused on migrant women workers conditions in Australia, defending their rights and trying to promote their right to good life conditions. Photo credit: One Billion Rising

1 06, 2017

Five Questions With The Woman Keynoting A POC-Only Environmental Gathering

2017-11-01T01:44:46-04:00Tags: |

The summit “People of the Global Majority in the Outdoors, Nature and Environment” was convened as a first-of-its-kind gathering for people of color in environmental work. Carolyn Finney, the keynote speaker and Professor of Geography at the University of Kentucky, addressed questions regarding how we can do environmental work with a racial justice lens. Photo credit: Peter Forbes

1 06, 2017

Centering Equity, Inclusion And Justice In All Of Our Work: Lessons Learned So Far

2017-11-01T01:02:02-04:00Tags: |

Nellis Kennedy-Howard is the Director for the Equity, Inclusion and Justice department at the Sierra Club and has an extensive background in law, natural resources and environmental justice issues, professionally and personally. The main goal for this sector is to manage the organization’s activities and its transformation into an anti-oppressive entity, while continuing to work with environmental and participation and community engagement’s issues. Three other women compose this department, namely Jessica Ronald, Cait Lull and Allison Chin. Resources are scarce and limited manpower list among some of the practical challenges Nellis and her team face. Photo credit: Sierra Club

31 05, 2017

Soul Fire Farm Co-owner To Talk About Working To End Racism And Injustice

2017-10-31T01:34:25-04:00Tags: |

Leah Penniman is a farmer, educator and co-owner of Soul Fire Farm, advocating for food sovereignty and racial justice. Through her work, she reaches out to black, Latino and Indigenous communities, including youth, empowering them with jobs and trainings regarding land rights, oppression, and agriculture. She aims to improve access to quality and natural food for people of color. Penniman believes in the intersectionality of fights and that food security is also related to access to quality education, and healthcare. She also explains more about her trajectory and mentions her experience at The Food Project, a youth leadership project. Photo credit: Leah Penniman

30 05, 2017

Climate Change Drives Domestic Violence in Fiji

2017-10-30T03:37:08-04:00Tags: |

Shamina Ali is the leader of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and has been fighting domestic violence for more than three decades. In 2017, thanks to the Crisis Centre’s efforts, the Fijian government launched its first helpline for victims of domestic violence. More than 60% of Fijian women will suffer from domestic abuse in their lifetime, a figure exacerbated by climate change. One of the consequences of natural catastrophes is the displacement of thousands of families to shelters, where men and women are cramped together in close quarters without protection from sexual harassment and violence. Shaireen Mohammed and Verenaisi Naitu, also part of the Crisis Centre, explain more about climate change-related cases of violence against women and how they offer free counseling and support to the victims not only psychologically, but also in official and lawful matters. Photo credit: Sonia Narang

30 05, 2017

Creative Resistance: Meet The Women Challenging Extractivism And Patriarchy

2017-10-30T03:31:09-04:00Tags: |

Globally, the killings of environmental rights defenders is growing at an alarming rate. In 2015 alone, of the 156 killings investigated by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, 45% were those of land, indigenous and environmental rights. Inna Michaeli and Semanur Karaman, of the Association for Women in Development, write about the grassroots resistance of women like Havva Ana, a forest protector from Turkey. Bonita Meyersfeld, professor of law at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, argues that development projects are only successful if the economnic benefits are reinvested in communities. Photo credit: Gabby de Cicco

30 05, 2017

Lessons From Farmers And Indigenous Women: Cultivate Democracy

2017-10-30T03:29:22-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Jennifer Allsopp reports on the second day of the 2017 Nobel Women’s Initiative gathering in Dusseldorf, Germany, opening with inspiring words from Helen Knott, a human rights activist from the Prophet River First Nation in Canada. Knott and fellow activists Khadijeh Moghaddam (Iran), Julienne Lusenge (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Yanar Mohammed (Iraq), Veronica Kelly (Ireland) and Mariama Songo (Senegal) spoke about how Indigenous knowledge and intergenerational movements help communities fight climate change and live sustainably. Photo credit: USOFORAL

29 05, 2017

Meet The Ladies Who Are Growing Food In Los Angeles

2017-10-29T00:46:32-04:00Tags: |

Manju Kumar, manager of Sarvodaya Farms in Los Angeles, believes that today’s problems are rooted in our disconnection with nature. Her permaculture urban farm provides a pathway towards reconnecting with the land through growing food within city limits. For Kumar, farming is also act of women’s resistance because of the autonomy that comes with digging your hands deep into soil. Farming is still extremely male dominated in the United States. Moreover, in Los Angeles, 1 in 10 families suffer from food insecurity or go hungry despite Southern California holding claim to one of the most agriculturally productive territories in the world. Katie Lewis, Zoe Howell, Leigh Adams, Mireya Arizmendi de Haddad, and Lindy Ly are fellow women urban farmers and gardeners who are leading the way in making food more accessible for all. Photo credit: Link TV

27 05, 2017

A Feminist Revolution Demands Climate Justice

2017-11-01T00:36:24-04:00Tags: |

Bridget Burns, co-director of the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) reflects on her experiences joining the People’s Climate March on 29 April 2017 with other global women leaders challenging our environmental crisis and fighting against multiple form of injustice. Bridget speaks on grassroots movements like the Chipko movement in India, COPINH in Honduras and the Sioux Tribe of Standing Rock as examples of resistance and the transformative power of the voices of diverse women raised for the Earth.  Photo credit: Emily Arasim/WECAN

24 05, 2017

‘My House Is In A Superfund Site’

2020-09-02T20:58:58-04:00Tags: |

In this video, Grist fellow, Vishakha Darbha shares how residents of East Chicago, Indiana are fighting widespread lead contamination in the soil and targeted displacement from public housing. Despite long standing knowledge of unhealthy levels of contamination since 1985 and Superfund designation in 2008, cleanup efforts have been slow and uneven, with some communities being ignored and evicted. Tara Adams is among the 1,000 residents evicted from West Calumet Housing Complex that are being left to fend for limited affordable housing and search for cleaner land and water. The Trump administration is also seeking to cut Superfund program funding by $273 million, leaving many more communities to suffer from historical pollution. 

7 05, 2017

Interview With Anna Peters: Federation Of Young European Greens

2020-11-07T17:44:13-05:00Tags: |

In this short video (1:12), Anna Peters recalls how she started getting involved in activism at a young age (13 y.o.) by demonstrating against nuclear power plants because she felt strongly about the danger of nuclear power. Fuelled by a desire to do something and take action, she eventually joined the Federation of Young European Greens, which is an umbrella organisation encompassing 36 Young Green organisations from across the European continent. FYEG promotes capacity building, networking, political meetings; runs campaigns at street level and lobbies the European institutions on Green issues. Anna advocates the importance of showing initiative and act for what matters to one’s heart. The act of getting out there to do something and change things little by little can be empowering, especially for young women when they supported by mature people, family and friends. Photo Credit: Video Screen Capture

1 05, 2017

NAACP Florida State Conference Joins The NAACP Jackson County Branch Demanding The Scott Administration Deny The Pending Deep Injection Disposal Well Permit

2017-11-01T17:58:58-04:00Tags: |

Ronstance Pittman, President of NAACP Jackson County Branch, has played an instrumental role in opposing the injection of leachate (garbage juice) into the ground in her community. Pittman has been a vocally urging the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to deny the permit to the companies requesting permission, citing the negative impacts on communities of color and the Florida Aquifer.  Adora Obi Nweze, President of NAACP Florida State Conference and member of the National Board of Directors, echoed Pittman's concerns about the impacts of such environmentally destructive practices on communities.

1 05, 2017

Why This Muslim Woman Marched And Fights For Climate Justice

2017-11-01T00:45:08-04:00Tags: |

In 2007, Nana Firman, the co-founder of the Global Muslim Climate Network and Muslim outreach coordinator for GreenFaith, saw first-hand the devastating impact of climate change when severe flooding in Jakarta, Indonesia killed at least 40 people and displaced an estimated 450,000 people. Seven years later Nana would move to California, where she now works with faith-based networks which focus on climate justice issues. Her work is guided by her Muslim faith, which she states encourages stewardship of the Earth. Nana’s work also highlights the importance of having climate justice work firmly centered on analyzing and challenging the rising connection between markets and religious fundamentalisms, anti-black and brown racism, and the disproportionate impacts on women. Photo credit: Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences

28 04, 2017

Elizabeth Yeampierre On The Importance Of Activism To Combat Climate Change

2017-10-28T22:47:15-04:00Tags: |

In this interview, Elizabeth Yeampierre focuses on the significance of climate justice as the human rights movement of our time with a growing worldwide movement. She speaks to the intersection between racial justice and climate change, and how vital it is that most impacted communities are speaking out, joining together, and advocating on the frontlines of climate marches and policy and grassroots actions. Photo credit: BUILD Series

27 04, 2017

Environmental Protest Forms A Red Line On The Capitol East Lawn

2017-10-27T01:32:40-04:00Tags: |

Activists from different including environmental and Native American groups congregated on the Capitol Lawn to protest the Trump administration’s handling of environmental policies and regulations and to fight for minority and environmental rights. The non-violent protest aimed to demonstrate to the public the harmful impacts of mineral extraction and the waste generated from it.  Attending, amongst others, were activists Puja Dahal of the Asia Pacific Environmental Network, Kandi Mossett, event organizer and leader of the Indigenous Environmental Network, and Michael Marceau of Veterans for Peace. Photo credit: InsideSources/Erin Mundahl

21 04, 2017

Eighty-Five Percent Of Climate Change Commentators Are Men

2017-10-08T22:51:08-04:00Tags: |

An analysis by Media Matters point to the gender gap in the media portrayal of people affected by climate change. Around 86 percent of the people praised by the media platforms on the issue are men. The former president of the Sierra Club, Allison Chin, stated that the inequality women face regarding climate change is already extremely large in terms of the effects of environmental disasters, and the fact that the media makes the gender imbalance even larger is not helping to achieve gender equality. Senior policy analyst at the Center for American Progress and an expert in global climate policy Rebecca Lefton highlighted the importance of having women's perspectives while Christiana Figueres, the previous Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, discussed the issue of women suffering the harsh impacts of climate disasters. Two recognized female scientists on climate, Heidi Cullen and Katherine Hayhoe, admit to sensing the gender disparity in their work for being women. Photo credit: Media Matters

20 04, 2017

Defending Earth Every Day With Women Around The World

2020-04-24T16:00:22-04:00Tags: |

April 22 is Earth Day, and in 2017, women and men took over the streets of Washington, D.C. as part of the “March for Science” in recognition of the need to address climate change.  For many women around the world, however, Earth Day truly is every day. Because land is often passed down from father to son, and because land rights are so closely tied to economic empowerment and independence, women are keenly aware of the opportunities that accompany land rights. Not only that, but in many parts of the world, land is also deeply tied to ancestral knowledge and culture. These are only some of the reasons why women are leading powerful movements for land and women’s rights. Bai Bibyaon of the Philippines, Ana Sandoval of Guatemala, and Melania Chiponda of Zimbabwe are just a few of the women leading the resistance against environmental destruction by mining companies across the world. For these women and for women everywhere, land is about dignity and justice. Illustration credit: Maria Maria Acha-Kutscher

14 04, 2017

6 Queer Women Literally Saving The World Through Environmental Justice

2018-02-14T22:11:39-05:00Tags: |

The voices of six inspirational queer leaders are highlighted to challenge the lack of representation within the environmental movement. Included are Rachel Carson, whose landmark text, “Silent Spring”, paved the way for the modern environmental movement; Mahri Monson who works for the EPA in Washington; and Rikki Weber who works for the environmental law firm EarthJustice, who have spearheaded fights for climate justice, while also making their workplaces more inclusive for LGBTQ and gender non-conforming people. Also featured is Rebekah Paci-Green, co-director of an NGO that helps schools become more resilient to natural disasters, alongside Judi Brown and Lindi von Mutius, board members of “Out4Sustainability”, an NGO that seeks to mobilise the LGBTQ community to take part in environmental action. Photo credit: Earthjustice

12 04, 2017

Wear And Tear Series: The Women Who Make Our Clothes

2018-03-02T13:44:07-05:00Tags: |

The Across Women’s Lives, “Wear and Tear” series follows the women who make our clothes in the $3 trillion global garment industry. From the textile mills in North Carolina, where Acree Bell Lassiter worked her whole life to gain economic independence; to El Monte, California, where Rotchana Sussman was held against her will, working 18-hour days, until authorities raided the sweatshop; and then to Bangladesh, where the memory of the Rana Plaza collapse of April 2013 is fresh for women like Arati Baladas, who lost her mother and her foot in the collapse that she was buried under for 3 days. This piece explores the hidden impacts of the fast fashion export agenda on poor, rural and migrant young women working in the garment industry, who are exposed to hazardous and toxic conditions impacting both their lives, and the Earth. Photo credit: Ismael Ferdous/PRI

11 04, 2017

Going It Alone

2025-01-25T11:38:14-05:00Tags: |

Rahawa Haile is an Eritrean American writer. In this piece, she shares her experience of being a queer black woman backpacking across the Appalachian Trail and challenges the preconceived notion that ‘blacks don’t hike’. Rahawa addresses the politics, history, survival kills and fear inherent to the relationship between black peoples and the outdoors in a predominantly whites-only mind-set; and highlights that access restriction to natural sites are linked to the park system, Jim Crow laws and Native American removal campaigns. She cites Evelyn C. White, author of ‘Black women and the wilderness’, who describes wilderness as both an access to the past and a trigger of race-based suffering, since these places have history of abuse, eradication and persecution of non-white hikers. Rahawa also notes how this relationship is changing with black public figures like Oprah promoting a new vision of black people enjoying hiking through the wilderness. Photo Credit: Rahawa Haile

1 04, 2017

Jill Mangaliman – How Can The Economy Be Equitable And Environmentally Sustainable?

2017-11-01T21:27:14-04:00Tags: |

Jill Mangaliman is the Executive Director of Seattle-based Got Green, a people of color-led organization that works on climate change, racial and immigrant justice, and economic empowerment. In this talk at the Next System Teach-In, they discuss Indigenous economic models of abundance that centered on health of people and the land as an alternative to capitalist and colonialist exploitation, and discussed the fight against the erasure of people of color in the environmental movement. Photo credit: TalkingstickTV

1 04, 2017

Eve Ensler: Rise For Climate Justice And Mother Earth With The People’s Climate Movement

2017-11-01T02:39:04-04:00Tags: |

Eve Ensler is the writer of the piece “This spring, fight for our precious planet and join the climate march”, in which she explores the interrelations of different type of exploitation of natural resources and women’s bodies. One Billion Rising has been working with women’s issues in an intersectional way since the beginning. Through One Billion Rising for Justice and One Billion Rising Revolution activism, it has dealt with the issue of climate change, environmental injustice and its negative impacts on women, in particular those in developing and poor countries.  Photo credit: One Billion Rising

1 04, 2017

Beauty Products Black Women Are Exposed To Can Be Toxic

2017-11-01T01:27:15-04:00Tags: |

Janette Robinson-Flint is the executive director of Black Women for Wellness. In this article for Ebony magazine, she alerts other women to a mostly-overlooked environmental and health problem: beauty products. Black girls and women face hazards with some personal care and beauty products, which can be unregulated and contain dangerous elements, causing health issues such as respiratory issues, reproductive problems, early puberty, and cancers. Photo credit: Ebony

31 03, 2017

Color of Climate: Is Climate Change Gentrifying Miami’s Black Neighborhoods?

2017-10-31T01:49:25-04:00Tags: |

Paulette Richards, from Liberty City, tells The Root how lately, many neighbours from one of Miami’s previously undervalued and black neighborhood are moving out due to a new type of gentrification: the climate gentrification. With the rise of the sea level, places like Richards’s home, farther from the ocean and higher than coastal areas, are now deemed as good neighborhoods to live. This is what drove Richard to start raising awareness and involvement of her community through different leisure activities revolving around climate change issues and also a summer program called “Climate and Me” targeted at youth members of the community. She is committed to making a change and helping her community face this gentrification, in addition to Marleine Bastien, from Little Haiti, another low-level income predominantly black neighborhood facing climate gentrification in Miami. Bastien is the executive directress of Fanm Ayisyen nan Miyami (Haitian Women of Miami), an organization that is focused on poor Haitian women, their families and their needs. Photo credit: Ashley Velez/The Root

27 03, 2017

Global Warming Is A Matter Of Survival For Pacific Islander Women

2017-10-31T15:32:55-04:00Tags: |

Facing cyclones, floods, rising sea levels, and everything in between, women of the Pacific Islands, including Viva Tatawaqa and Helen Hakena, are speaking out. Bringing their message to international forums and media, these women are making links between climate change, the gender gap, sexual and reproductive rights, and global justice.

27 03, 2017

Global Forest Coalition #Women2030 Media Training Toolkit

2017-10-27T16:05:38-04:00Tags: |

This Media Training Toolkit published by #women2030, introduces basic information about sharing stories with new audiences using photography and social media. #women2030 is a program that aims to achieve gender-responsive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by engaging women and gender-focused organizations worldwide. It is led by several movements and organizations such as the Global Forest Coalition. Photo credit: Global Forest Coalition

27 03, 2017

The Global Pulse Of Young Feminists Organizing

2017-10-27T14:57:50-04:00Tags: |

Young feminists are coming from diverse backgrounds and raising their voices for social movements like LGBTQ right, climate justice, and sexual and reproductive rights.  FRIDA, the Young Feminist Fund, who receives thousands of application from across the world from women trying to create safe space, alternates for fellow women. Unlike first and second waves of feminism, it is not necessary to form organizations to make an impact in third wave. For instance, groups from the Pacific Islands, Kirbiti, Fiji reported their issues ranged from women’s rights to climate injustice. Similarly, strong young feminist groups are emerging in Latin America, Central Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central North Asia. Photo credit: Girls for Life

27 03, 2017

Catherine Flowers Brings Civil Rights To The Fight For Environmental Justice

2017-10-27T03:10:52-04:00Tags: |

Catherine Flowers is a long-time environmental justice fighter in her hometown. After seeing poor communities disproportionately affected by sewage and then threatened with eviction or arrest if they did not obtain unaffordable septic systems, Catherine negotiated with Alabama’s state government to end unjust enforcement policies. She is the founder of Alabama Center for Rural Enterprise Community Development Corporation and continues to advocate for disadvantaged communities. Photo credit: Grist50!

27 03, 2017

Karina Castillo Organizes Those With The Most To Lose From Climate Change

2017-10-27T03:07:43-04:00Tags: |

After working in the department of Emergency Climate Management and developing climate curriculum at the Miami Institute, Karina Castillo now works with a national coalition of parents and caregivers fighting climate change and air pollution. She is the point of contact of Florida coalition members, guiding them through meetings with policy makers and supporting their climate/clean-air advocacy work. Photo credit: Grist50!

26 03, 2017

A History Of Women’s Rights In Toronto

2017-10-26T23:32:55-04:00Tags: |

Over the last three months, women in Toronto, Canada have taken to the streets in support of women’s rights and gender equality. Originally spawning from the changing economic and social conditions facilitated by industrialization in the 19th century, women in Toronto have a longstanding tradition of advocating for gender equality across Canada. From Dr. Emily Stowe fighting for a space for women in education and politics with the Toronto Women’s Literary Club, to Indigenous women fighting longstanding racial and gender discrimination with the establishment of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, this article profiles the progress and resiliency of Canadian women’s rights defenders over time. Photo credit: blogTO

26 03, 2017

Making Women Proud: Rosa Palomino Chahuares And The Women Of Uma

2017-10-26T16:16:59-04:00Tags: |

Advocate for women’s and Indigenous rights, Rosa Palomino Chahuares of Peru, works as a radio-broadcaster and activist with the Network of Indigenous Communicators of Peru and UMA (Union of Aymara Women of Abya Yala) - working to protect the Aymara culture and language, and confront patriarchy in her community. Through her work with UMA’s women’s radio program, Wiñay Pankara (“always blooming”), Chahuares helps brings to light the situation and voices of Aymara women who are working for sustainability and justice in their communities. The women leaders continue to face challenges in gaining access to broadcast time and space on Peru’s national channels, but continue ceaselessly in their growing efforts. Photo credit: Rosa Palomino Chahuares

22 03, 2017

Women Saving The Planet: Lidy Nacpil Of The Philippines

2018-02-20T17:57:54-05:00Tags: |

Lidy Nacpil is a political organizer, human rights advocate, and campaigner for the environment. She helps direct the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development while simultaneously filling a variety of roles across several other civil-society organizations , including the Green Climate Fund. She is one of only two “active observers” from civil society who is given time to speak at Green Climate Fund meeting. At these meetings, she makes use of video-conferencing so that as many advocates as possible can take part, particularly the people who are most at risk from a warming planet. Having lived under a dictatorship, she knows that giving up is simply not an option, even in the face of fear. And despite a grueling schedule, the global rise of nationalist parties, and environmental degradation, Nacpil says she remains hopeful. In order to move forward as a planet, she says, we have to stop treating the climate as less urgent than other crises. We have to include everyone, especially communities of color, and we have to recognize the interconnections of gender justice and climate justice. Photo credit: Ali Berrada

8 03, 2017

Indigenous Rising: The Prayers Of Our Grandmothers

2017-09-22T22:26:23-04:00Tags: |

In this thinkpiece, Rita Blumenstein reflects on being brought up by two Indigenous women, her mother and grandmother, both of whom  guided her to become the woman she is today. She emphasises how Indigenous femininity understands knowledge and power to be communally held, which goes beyond a Western standard of leadership, respect and power. She calls on an intersectional solidarity and how Indigenous, black, trans and female lives must remain at the forefront of the movement. Photo credit: Associated Press

7 03, 2017

Barefoot Solar Warriors Take On Gender Injustice And Climate Change

2017-09-21T20:57:41-04:00Tags: |

The Barefoot College of Tilonia in India has trained over 30 women from 13 countries across rural Asian and African communities as community solar and renewable technicians. Many of the women “Solar Mamas” come from conflict zones and face social barriers to education and employment, but the advanced training has provided a way to write their own stories, start their own businesses, address energy and climate issues in their home countries, and even teach the next generation of barefoot engineers. Photo: Stella Paul/IPS

27 02, 2017

Ursula Rakova And The Environmental Movement In Papua New Guinea

2017-10-27T00:45:19-04:00Tags: |

In 2006, in response to the Elders’ request for action against climate change, Ursula Rakova created the non-governmental organization Tulele Peisa, which means “Sailing in the wind on our own.” Ursula then became Executive Director of the organization, as well as an innovator in the field of law for environmental land defenders. Her work includes the first successful lawsuit in the country where traditional landowners saw their rights recognized in counterpoint to the action of logging companies. More recently she has campaigned for access to education and in the launch of Bougainville Cocoa Net Limited, an organization that helps individuals increase their income. Photo credit: Tulele Peisa

15 02, 2017

Daughters of the Drum: Decolonizing health and wellness with Native American women

2025-04-23T11:20:06-04:00Tags: |

The article presents a study examining how Native American women's roles in health and wellness have changed from pre-colonial times to now, focusing on the Pacific Northwest. It involves a small group of Native American women discussing their experiences through activities like photovoice and talking circles. Their insights highlight key aspects of resilience linked to health perceptions, emphasizing the significance of land, language, and diet in shaping a decolonized view of wellness.

1 02, 2017

Black History Month: Honoring Beverly Wright

2017-11-01T18:04:11-04:00Tags: |

In this piece, the Trust for Conservation Innovation honors Dr. Beverly Wright. Wright is a professor of Sociology and the founding director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ). The center is an innovative community/university partnership that works to mitigate environmental and health inequities suffered primarily by people of color in the Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor. This region is often called "Cancer Alley" due to the high level of industrial pollution in the area. Wright also received the EPA's Environmental Justice award for her work in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Photo credit: Trust for Conservation Innovation

1 02, 2017

Without Global Solidarity The Women’s Movement Will Collapse

2017-11-01T00:42:11-04:00Tags: |

Our efforts for global gender justice are threatened by the rise of authoritarianism, populism, xenophobic and racist views and travel bans, writes Sudanese refugee and human rights activist Nazik Awad. With President Donald Trump, it has become more difficult to enter the United States, even for international and United Nations summits and conferences - another way of silencing the voices of Global South women, victims facing mass rapes, hunger and war. Women and children represent 70-80% of the refugee population worldwide, making them also the most affected by countries closing their borders. Without solidarity and support from women in more stable conditions and countries, women’s mobility will  shrink even more than it already has. It is only through global solidarity and open borders that we can still hope for a better future. Photo credits: PA Images/TNS.

30 01, 2017

Women Gathered In South Africa Say No To Violent Extraction And Pesticides

2017-10-30T03:05:42-04:00Tags: |

At the Alternative Mining Indaba held in Cape Town South Africa, the People’s Dialogue, the Rural Women’s Assembly, Women on Farms, Women Affected by Mining in Action (WAMUA) and WoMin organized a public meeting where women affected by mining and industrial agriculture shared their powerful testimonies regarding the structural violence that they face. The event, entitled “They Are Killing Us: Violence Against Women in Extractives Dialogue,” brought together women from different parts of Africa to not only share the ways in which extractivist violence structures their personal and public lives, but to also build collective power across borders. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

30 01, 2017

The Climate Change Sheroes Of Diverse Voices And Action For Equality

2017-10-30T03:01:49-04:00Tags: |

Led by Noelene Nabulivou, Audrey Seru and Maria Nailevu, Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality is a growing feminist LGBT+ national collective of lesbians, bisexual women, trans-masculine and gender non-conforming people working on issues of human rights, social justice and climate change. Their work includes everything from international campaigning and education to documenting local knowledge about climate change on Fiji’s islands. Photo credit: Diva for Equality/Facebook

25 01, 2017

Our Warming World On Her Shoulders

2017-10-25T23:14:04-04:00Tags: |

Exploring issues from domestic violence to conflict zone poverty affecting women, this article from the Natural Resources Defense Council offers the reader a window into the challenges and hurdles women confront everyday. This piece also highlights how women can be the major force for change even as they fight through great adversity. A telling article on the role of women as leaders in the fight against climate change. Photo credit: Nazario Graziano

12 01, 2017

Arise: Women Protecting The Environment

2018-01-12T14:37:58-05:00Tags: |

Arise, an award winning film made by Lori Joyce, Candace Orlando and producers Molly Ross, documents the insights of women leaders from around the world regarding how they are working to protect the Earth. Voices featured include Winona La Duke (founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project), Vandana Shiva ( Indian environmentalist and anti globalization author),  Majora Carter (environmental justice advocate from New York City and founder of Sustainable South Bronx), and Dr. Theo Coburn (founder and president of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange in Colorado). Photo Credit: KCET

1 01, 2017

What Does Environmental Justice Organizing Look Like In The Time Of Trump?

2017-11-01T21:29:40-04:00Tags: |

Miya Yoshitani, executive director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), got her start as an organizer in the 1990s. In her career she has worked on fossil fuel resistance, for example stopping the expansion of a local Chevron refinery, and also on building a just transition to a new economy. APEN has been collaborating with organizations like Cooperation Richmond, which builds local wealth by nurturing worker- and community-owned co-ops. Yoshitani is a powerful climate woman leader who is not backing down in the Trump era. Photo credit: Grist

1 01, 2017

Why We March Against Trump: Violence Against Women And The Earth Is Linked

2017-11-01T10:10:30-04:00Tags: |

Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, shares an analysis in advance of the Women’s March on Washington, regarding the importance of diverse women across the United States standing up to decry the abuses of the Trump presidential administration, from social and economic, to environmental. Osprey offers insights into the manners in which global women are putting their bodies on the line everyday for health for their communities and the Earth; and raises a call for women to march and raise their voices in solidarity with each other to push back against the violation of women and the Earth which threaten to increase under US president Trump. Photo credit: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

1 01, 2017

Women Of Color Lead: A Call To Grow The Resistance Against Trump, To Converge In Washington

2017-11-01T01:55:28-04:00Tags: |

“It Takes Roots to Grow the Resistance” is a delegation of over 100 grassroots leaders from frontline communities impacted by the Trump’s administration’s policies. This delegation is organized by the Climate Justice Alliance,the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Right to the City Alliance. It aims to grow local power through a series of direct actions, marches and workshops. The importance of grassroots, communities of color and low-income representation in the movement is  highlighted by leaders such as Sylvia Lopez (Domestic Workers organizer, Mujeres Unidas y Activas), Ahmina Maxey (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA)) and Angela Adrar (Climate Justice Alliance). Photo credit: It Takes Roots to Grow the Resistance

1 01, 2017

As Climate Change Threatens To Strain Resources, Women Are Increasingly Re-evaluating Reproductive Decisions

2017-11-01T01:30:15-04:00Tags: |

Sara Kelly writes about how women are rethinking having children because of the environment, and how this is a controversial topic. According to Mother Jones, a child in Ethiopia produces 221 pounds of CO2 yearly, significantly less than an American one, at 45,000 pounds yearly. Josephine Ferorelli and Meghan Kallman, co-founders of the organization Conceivable Future, a network for parents and non-parents, created the forum to discuss this complex dilemma.

1 01, 2017

#ItTakesRoots At The People’s Climate March

2017-11-01T01:14:36-04:00Tags: |

In this short documentary of Aidan Un, we see a compilation of the People’s Climate March, which happened on President Trump’s 100th day in office, to protest his environmental policies and refusal to recognize climate change and its effects. The initiative included a water opening ceremony led by the Indigenous Environmental Network, and 150,000 people. Among those, Yuki Kidokoro, from the Climate Justice Alliance, speaks about the sacredness of water; Keema Green from ACE/REEP Right to the City, discusses the intersectionality of racial, social and environmental justice; and Elizabeth Yeampierre, from UPROSE, talks about the need for citizen and local participation to tackle climate issues. This initiative was a joint effort from Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, the Our Power Campaign and the Right To The City Alliance, among many other frontline organizations. Photo credit: Aidan Un

1 01, 2017

Wave Of Feminist Actions: #GOPHandsOffMe

2017-11-01T00:57:30-04:00Tags: |

The #GOPHandsOffMe online movement started as a reaction to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comment in 2005 about grabbing women “by the pussy” without consent. Grassroots Global Justice Alliance National Coordinator Cindy Wiesner shares her concerns with such a sexist comment and ponders about Hillary Clinton’s responsibilities as well. Another big concern was the negligence of climate change and how it affects women the most during the election. Jill Mangaliman, Executive Director of GGJ member organization Got Green, also points to the importance of having women at the forefront of change, resistance and solutions. Photo credit: Grassroots Global Justice Alliance.

30 12, 2016

Women Speak Out On Use Of Sexual Violence To Silence Them

2017-10-30T02:31:30-04:00Tags: |

This report from JASSS Just Associates shares the stories of women including Italia Mendez, one of hundreds of protesters arrested and held in prison by the Mexican government in 2006 in the village of Atenco. She suffered sexual torture while in custody, a form of torture that includes rape and sexual assault accompanied by a narrative that women’s transgressions from traditional roles brought on their punishment. Instead of remaining silent, Mendez is speaking out about her experience, giving a talk to students at New York University and filing a case with other impacted women in the Inter-American court. Photo credit: CIMACFoto/César Martínez López

30 12, 2016

Climate Change And White Supremacy

2017-10-30T02:18:12-04:00Tags: |

Bani Amor, woman journalist of Brooklyn and Ecuador, analyzes the connections between environmental degradation and white supremacy, both historically, and in the light of the US Trump administration. She discusses environmental racism in the placement of toxic facilities around black and brown communities, as well as how extractive, industrial economics has displaced sustainable, place based economies of people of color.  Photo credit: Alexxander Dovelin

27 12, 2016

Gender Just Climate Solutions

2017-10-27T16:33:46-04:00Tags: |

In this report, the Women and Gender Constituency showcases model technical, non-technical, and transformational climate solutions with a gender-just framework. The winning projects include solar cooker training for women and school children to prevent deforestation in Morocco; women-driven, community-based water assessments and management solutions to address water scarcity and disaster risk in Indonesia; and the preservation of sustainable, ancestral and artisanal fishing practices to protect the mangrove ecosystem and women’s economic autonomy in Senegal. Photo credit: Women and Gender Constituency

21 12, 2016

María María Acha-Kutscher, Feminist Visual Artist

2017-09-04T12:42:09-04:00Tags: |

Histories of women, including global histories of women’s knowledge of and connection to the land, are often rendered invisible in Western patriarchal narratives. Peruvian feminist and visual artist María Acha-Kutscher is fighting the erasure of women in history by drawing women who are at the forefront of resisting rape culture, racism and gender-based violence into a visible media platform. Her vibrant digital drawings portray a diversity of global women activists that span international social and political movements. Acha-Kutscher is depicting land defenders such as Melania Chiponda in her #DefendHer campaign and is focusing on visually amplifying Indigenous women’s portraits, including Zapatista movement women Commanders Esther and Ramona, and Macedonia Blas Flores, coordinator of “Fot’zi Ňaňho AC” (Help the Ňaňho). Photo credit: María María Acha-Kutscher

1 12, 2016

Naomi Klein: We Are Hitting The Wall Of Maximum Grabbing

2017-11-01T01:09:02-04:00Tags: |

Naomi Klein gave a powerful speech at the Sydney Peace Prize event after Donald Trump’s presidential victory. In her talk, she addresses the power of hate and of blaming “the others,” especially in times of economic crisis, how economic pain is very real, and how failed leaders are seen as the responsible for that. Klein urges all of us to fight racism and misogyny and explores themes such as climate justice, coal mines, Australian history and world politics. Photo credit: Reuters/Ivan Alvarado

30 11, 2016

Defending The Territory, Defending Life: Women Human Rights Defenders Resist Extractivism In Latin America

2018-03-06T18:04:32-05:00Tags: |

Across Latin America, women human rights defenders are creatively organizing themselves as they resist the extraction of natural resources that destroys their lands and ways of life. Since the 1990s, Latin America has received the greatest foreign direct investments for the extractive sector, which has nearly destroyed entire ecosystems and communities. Watershed headwaters, the Amazon jungle, and Andean lagoons all face threats. Most of these projects are imposed on marginalized communities, thereby demonstrating the link between social and environmental violence. In response to territorial destruction, women have risen up against mining projects, dams, and monocultures, only to be met by brutal repression, criminalization, and sexual and physical violence. Some defenders, such as Berta Cáceres of Honduras, have been murdered, while others, like Lonko Juana and Machi Millaray Huichalaf of Chile, have been imprisoned. Still, despite all the obstacles they face, women have been able to temporarily stop or paralyze extractions in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Chile, and Argentina. They have organized autonomously and organically, and they have led collective transformations of solidarity. Photo credit: Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition

28 11, 2016

5 Alarming Ways That Climate Change is Racist

2017-11-01T23:23:43-04:00Tags: |

Devi Lockwood, a woman activist, explains why environmental racism is considered as a form of violence against communities of color. In this article, she explores several different concepts of environmental and social justice and she calls us to recognize the interconnectivity between oppressions of race, gender, and environmental injustice. Photo credit: Everyday Feminism

27 11, 2016

What A Trump Presidency Means For Environmental Justice Leaders

2017-10-27T01:34:50-04:00Tags: |

Several environmental and climate justice leaders, including Madeline Stano, staff attorney for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, Cindy Weisner, national coordinator for the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Kandi Mossett of the Indigenous Environmental Network, Anne Rolfes, founder of Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Michael Leon Guerrero, executive director of the Labor Network for Sustainability, voice their concerns over the inauguration of Donald Trump and his environmentally detrimental campaign pledges. They provide sage advice for protecting the environment and rights of minorities, and suggest ways in which  everyone can contribute. Photo credit:  Jeff Swensen/Getty

26 11, 2016

Women Rising Radio On Anti-Nuclear Abolitionists

2017-10-26T23:27:21-04:00Tags: |

Jackie Cabasso, executive director of the Western States Legal Foundation, Abacca Anjain-Maddison, a senator from the Marshall Islands, Kate Hudson, head of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in Britain, Nadezda Kutepova, founder of Planet of Hope in Russia, Sharon Dolev, head of the Israeli Disarmament Movement, and Fujiko Yoshikawa, a Japanese American writer, discuss their work advocating for nuclear nonproliferation and peace in this podcast.

26 11, 2016

Women Rising Radio On Anti-Nuclear Abolitionists: Part Two

2017-10-26T23:25:41-04:00Tags: |

Women Rising Radio presents Part Two of their series on female anti-nuclear activists.  In Part One we profiled women struggling to eliminate nuclear weapons and war. Claire Greensfelder, formerly director of Greenpeace’s Nuclear Free Future campaign, Aileen Mioko Smith, director of Green Action Japan, and Ursula Sladek, a renewable energy pioneer, speak about their work to transition energy sources from uranium-based fuel and nuclear plants to more sustainable alternatives.

26 11, 2016

Midwives At Dakota Access Resistance Camps: We Can Decolonize, Respect Women And Mother Earth

2017-10-26T17:52:00-04:00Tags: |

Thousands of people from the United States, Latin America and Canada have joined the resistance at Dakota Access pipeline. Most of them are Indigenous peoples  from different tribes across the Americas. Multiple kitchens, a school and medical services have been set up. The first baby was born in the camp with the help of a group of Indigenous midwives. In this interview, Melissa Rose, Carolina Reyes, and Yuwita Win discuss the significance of effective reproductive health-care at the resistance camps. Photo credit: Democracy Now

25 11, 2016

Was A Mississippi Lab Owner Jailed Because Of Her Activism?

2017-07-20T17:51:16-04:00Tags: |

Tennie White is a Mississippi lab owner who has spent years speaking out to protect vulnerable communities impacted by pollution and environmental racism. Tennie was charged, convicted, and jailed for allegedly fabricating testing results by lawyers from the Environmental Protection Agency, an agency which she often criticized for their treatment of marginalized communities. Photo credit: Nicole Craine for The Intercept

22 11, 2016

From Standing Rock To Morocco: Women Against Corporate Polluters

2017-07-16T13:45:48-04:00Tags: , |

Women around the world are fighting for climate justice: Indigenous Moroccan activist Moha Tawja points out the parallel efforts between her community in Amazigh and the community of Standing Rock in North Dakota. Both groups of women are advocating against extractive industries and a lack of respect for tribal sovereignty.. Though a world away geographically, their efforts point to the global nature of Indigenous resistance against the exploitation of water, and the depth and strength of the movement. Photo credit: Nadir Bouhmouch  

1 11, 2016

Climbing PoeTree: Creativity Is The Antidote To Destruction

2017-10-27T20:02:43-04:00Tags: |

Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman, spoken word artists and activists of the group Climbing PoeTree, take the stage at the 2016 Bioneers Conference. In their performance, they discuss the intersection of oppressions of state violence, displacement and climate crisis—and how performance, music, and other forms of expression and art can serve as tools for collective liberation, as well as understanding and addressing social and ecological injustice. Photo credit: Bioneers

1 11, 2016

2016 Goldman Prize Recipient Destiny Watford Protects Communities From Pollution

2017-11-01T18:06:34-04:00Tags: |

When a plan to build the nation's largest trash incineration just a mile away from her high school was proposed, Destiny Watford sprung into action. Watford co-founded the student organization Free Your Voice, which helped organize young people from the community of Curtis Bay in Baltimore, Maryland to halt the construction of the site. Watford was honored by the Goldman Environmental Prize for her efforts. Photo credit: The Goldman Environmental Prize

1 11, 2016

The WECAN Women’s Climate Action Agenda

2017-11-01T10:01:24-04:00Tags: |

Drawing from the input and calls to action of over 100 global women leaders united by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, the comprehensive ‘Women’s Climate Action Agenda’  and ‘Women’s Climate Declaration’ set forth a strong analysis of how women are most impacted by climate change; and the solutions which they are calling forth and building - from eco-cities to international policy and trade; from seeds and farming, to oceans - from reconnecting with Nature, to the just transition for 100% renewable energy. Photo credit: Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network

1 11, 2016

Vien Truong On Creating An Equitable Environmental Movement

2017-11-01T02:52:32-04:00Tags: |

As the Director of Green For All, an organization based in the United States, Vien Truong works to position social equality and social justice at the forefront of climate policy making and the green economy movement. She gave this presentation at the 2016 National Bioneers Conference and (in the video) offers her perspective and experience on the ways in which green energy and sustainable economies can and do bring justice to low-income communities and people of color. Photo credit: Bioneers

1 11, 2016

Challenges By Young Women In The Struggle Over Environmental Justice

2017-11-01T02:03:47-04:00Tags: |

In this interview with FCAM, the Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres, María Antonia Recinos Ayala, president of the Santa Marta Women’s Organisation in El Salvador, speaks about her work advocating for young women’s rights in Central America since her youth, after experiencing how little control women had over state-protected development projects that destroyed the environment and communities. She now fights against mining projects in El Salvador and also advocates at the international level. Ayala participated in the COP22 meeting (22nd Conference of the Signatories of the United Nations Climate Change Convention), when she shared her anti-mining struggles and how important it is to have young women participating in decision-making processes for environmental justice.

1 11, 2016

Reflections From Tanika Thompson On The 10th World March Of Women International Meeting

2017-11-01T00:55:52-04:00Tags: |

Tanika Thomson is a Food Access Organizer at Got Green, an organization in Seattle, Washington, which supports people of color to fight for good jobs for youth, food security, and the implementation of participatory processes when dealing with climate change. She became in contact with the World March of Women and developed herself further as a feminist and food security advocate. Having attended the 10th World March of Women International Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, alongside other two representatives of the United States, Beva Sanchez and Helena Wong, Thomson had the opportunity of exchange experiences about women’s situation all over the world while strengthening her notion of the importance of solidarity worldwide, networking and female leaderships. Photo credit: Grassroots Global Justice Alliance.

1 11, 2016

Cynthia Malone Pushes For Inclusivity In STEM Fields

2017-11-01T00:54:21-04:00Tags: |

Cynthia Malone is a conservation scientist and a current PhD student at the University of Toronto. During the Black Lives Matter movement, Malone got involved and worked with the Black Youth Project 100, an organization, whose approach to racial justice employs direct action and educational tools. She also co-founded the Diversity Committee at the Society for Conservation Biology, and her objective is to have more diversity in the scientific field. In order to achieve that, she also leads a network of scientists and activist of color from her field. Photo credit: Grist!

1 11, 2016

Dr.Vandana Shiva On The Importance Of Women Eco-Warriors

2017-11-01T00:34:12-04:00Tags: |

Dr. Vandana Shiva is a world renowned eco-feminist, intellectual and champion of food sovereignty for millions of small-holder, peasant and Indigenous farmers, most of them women from across the world. While women have long been experts and custodians of knowledge about our ecosystems, colonization and patriarchy have worked to both commodify this knowledge and women’s life-sustaining work. Drawing from decades within movements such as the historic Chipko movement in the central Himalayan region, Vandana’s writes about how there is no ecological justice without gender justice.

1 11, 2016

African Eco-Feminists Finding Solutions For A World In Crisis

2017-11-01T00:31:05-04:00Tags: |

What are the alternatives for African women in a world that is in deep crisis around an imminent eco-system collapse, resource wars, climate change and toxic socio-political and economic system? In this newsletter, women and feminists from the WoMin alliance in Africa try to answer these questions by giving specific context to the devastation in their lives and communities and the urgency of scaling up resistance and alternatives to these intersecting crises. Photo credit: WoMin

30 10, 2016

Dr. Rauna Kuokkanen: Indigenous Gender Justice

2017-10-30T20:17:30-04:00Tags: |

Dr. Kuokkanen is a Sámi woman and an Associate Professor of Political Science and Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto. During her talk, she presents a part of her new book and focuses on Indigenous gender justice. She points out how Indigenous feminist discourse links violence against Indigenous women to self-determination, self-government and the survival of Indigenous communities. Based on the data that she has collected, she advances a theory of Indigenous self-determination that affirms Indigenous women’s rights and gender justice. Photo credit: University of Alberta Faculty of Arts

30 10, 2016

We Want New Songs: Building A Movement To Dismantle Corporate Power

2018-03-01T12:23:42-05:00Tags: |

The very first Permanent People’s Tribunal was held in 2016 in South Africa, in Swaziland to be precise, and drew over 200 activists from the region to speak about corporate impunity. In a region that is home to some of the worst cases of ecocide and human rights violations from mining companies, the tribunal was a space for solidarity and truth-telling for WoMin alliance affiliated sisters from Somkhele and Fuleni communities in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa to talk about their challenges with coal mining and the resistance they were mounting against these abuses. Photo credit: Stop Corporate Impunity

30 10, 2016

Energy: A Women’s Rights Issue

2017-10-30T03:17:56-04:00Tags: |

This brief by the WoMin Alliance of Africa brings into focus the power relations at play around the question of energy by exploring what kind of energy is needed, how is it produced, who produces it and how is it distributed amongst various groups, using an eco-feminist and feminist political ecology framework. It is a quick and succinct reminder that in order to achieve energy justice for women, we must remember to deal with the questions of power in the cultural, socioeconomic and political spheres.

30 10, 2016

Strike A Rock: Out Of Dust And Iron, The Women Of Marikana Rise

2017-10-30T03:13:41-04:00Tags: |

On August 16th 2012, 37 striking mineworkers from Lonmin Plc demanded better living conditions and an increase in their wages before being brutally gunned down by the South African police. Hundreds were injured in what is now referred to as the Marikana massacre. The documentary “Strike A Rock” brings much-needed needed focus on the lives of women touched by the giant South African mining industry. The film is a story of two South African mothers and best friends, Primrose Sonti and Thumeka Magwangqana, who formed a women’s organization, Sikhala Sonke (We Cry Together) in order to fight for social and economic justice.

30 10, 2016

Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly Honors Women’s Environmental Contributions

2017-10-30T03:07:32-04:00Tags: |

The Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) commemorated the 2016 International Women’s Day (20th October) by organizing a public forum under the theme “Rural women in the front line in defense of climate change through nature conservation and development,” which was attended by approximately 350 women from the eleven chiefdoms of the Inkhundla. Representatives from the Tourism and Environmental Affairs Ministry as well as the Agriculture Ministry were invited to share knowledge regarding the country’s climate policies and agriculture’s potential to alleviate poverty. The women in turn raised concerns over the devastating impacts of industrial systems of agriculture as well as GMOs, the urgency of protecting seed sovereignty from corporate power and the need to tackle climate change. Finally, the women made the connection between the intimate violence they face and the greater economic and political violence they experience in public and at work, urging the state to quickly pass the domestic violence bill. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

30 10, 2016

Women Making Rights Real: Women Building Power

2017-10-30T02:55:37-04:00Tags: |

The Greater Phola Ogies region of South Africa has been impacted by the effects of nearby mining for decades. In response, Yvonne Sampear co-founded and chaired the Greater Photo Ogies Women’s Forum to bring 50 women leaders together to strategize about the challenges they were facing. One such challenge is the Kusile power station, which uses an estimated 17 million tonnes of coal per year, polluting the air and draining the community’s water resources. WoMin’s campaign Women Building Power is supporting the important work of grassroots collectives, including the growing Greater Phola Ogies activist network. Photo credit: WoMin

27 10, 2016

Challenging Corporate Power: Struggles For Women’s Rights, Economic And Gender Justice

2017-10-27T01:46:50-04:00Tags: |

This is a joint report produced by AWID and the Solidarity Report, a result of studies conducted in early 2016 in São Paulo, Brazil. It includes an analysis of the effects that corporate power has on the lives of women, including women from the LGBTQI community, Indigenous and black women, human rights defenders, and female workers. The struggles of these women in defying big corporations is portrayed in the report, and the recommendations at the end mention the need to seek collective power through various social movements. Photo credit: AWID

27 10, 2016

‘They Said They Would Rape Me’: Defenders Of Women’s Rights Speak Out

2017-10-27T01:11:22-04:00Tags: |

Activists advocating for women’s rights around the world are systematically targeted with threats and abuse. Daysi Flores, Renu Adhikari Rhajbhandari, Azza Soliman and Li Tingting, four campaigners from Honduras, Nepal, Egypt and China share their stories.

24 10, 2016

The Women Fighting Hunger One Neighborhood At A Time

2018-01-24T19:02:50-05:00Tags: |

East Boston, Massachusetts’ Community Soup Kitchen’s, Alleman Nijjar, along with head of Boston Office of Housing Stability, Lydia Edwards, have established a community soup kitchen to address issues of hunger, obesity, and diseases such as heart attack and diabetes, among the homeless and economically vulnerable people of the city. Monica Leitner-Laserna, a member of the soup kitchen and its menu-planning committee, also owns her own cafe which followed the principles of worker-owned co-operative restaurant. Both Alleman Nijjar and Monica Leitner-Laserna hope to continue their work bringing all East Boston citizens together at one table for a plate of good nutritious meal. Photo credit: Casey Walker

6 10, 2016

Violence On The Land, Violence On Our Bodies: Building an Indigenous Response to Environmental Violence

2017-12-06T14:21:18-05:00Tags: |

This report by the Women’s Earth Alliance and Native Youth Sexual Health Network examines case studies from across Indigenous lands of the United States and Canada, including the Dine/Navajo Nation, Lubicon Lake Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Ohkey Owingeh Pueblo, the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, and others - asking why and how Indigenous women in frontline communities are being impacted by intense environmental racism, and sexual and gendered violence due to expansion of extractive and toxic industries in their homelands. It also examines community-based strategies being implemented to resist impacts to health, safety and the land. Photo credit: WEA  

1 09, 2016

Women Of Color Speak Out On Break Free Pacific Northwest And Allyship For Climate Justice

2017-11-01T22:59:05-04:00Tags: |

Four members of ‘Women Of Color Speak Out’ discuss lessons they are learning in their collective work in movements for fossil fuel divestment, environmental justice, and decolonization. They share some of the challenges they are facing as diverse women of color working within an environmental world that too often remains controlled by white leaders and voices; reflect on some of the ways they are taking action to make climate spaces just and useful for POC and most impacted communities; and provide thoughts on what real white allyship looks like. Photo credit: Women Of Color Speak Out

1 09, 2016

Women Of Faith Working For Climate Justice

2017-11-01T03:03:06-04:00Tags: |

Increasingly women of faith are not only accepting the science of climate change, but are also working for justice for the primary victims of its impacts. This narrative shift can be accredited to the work of activists like Keya Chatterjee (Executive Director, U.S. Climate Action Network), Shantha Ready Alonson (Executive Director, Climate Justice Ministries), and Alaura Carter (Climate Justice Associate, Sojourners). In this video, the women tell stories about how they’re utilizing their faith to bring more people to the movement and working for climate justice. Photo credit: Sojourners

1 09, 2016

Women Leading Us To A Toxic-Free Future

2017-11-01T02:08:51-04:00Tags: |

Rachels Network introduces us to Erin Switalski and the work of Women’s Voices for the Earth. Within their projects, the organization has paid close attention to women’s beauty and hygiene products’ composition and the presence of toxic elements. In 2013, they found hazardous elements in Tide directed for moms; more recently, they found worrying elements in menstruation pads. For both discoveries, they have organized a campaign through social media, petitions, and offline demonstrations, attracting the media’s attention and pressing for changes and answers from the targeted company, with their voices being heard. Photo credit: Rachel’s Network

1 09, 2016

Intersectional Feminist Writer Says Climate Change Policy Must Include Voices Of Women Of Color

2017-11-01T01:35:42-04:00Tags: |

Like Classical liberal feminism, the mainstream media has been criticized for its exclusion of women of color. Ama Josephine Budge, a feminist author and artist, says feminism needs to be decolonized. Her recent interview with newsdeeply.com unveils her concern about the exclusion of colored women from climate change policy. Using the example of Berta Caceres, an Indigenous environmental activist who was killed for her work defending land and communities in Honduras, Budge argues for women of color to take center-stage in the climate fight. Photo credit: Zachary Maxwell Seutz

7 08, 2016

Women Of Color Speak Out: Break Free Pacific Northwest

2017-12-07T18:17:01-05:00Tags: |

Members of the Women of Color Speak Out collective, based in Portland, share reflections and analysis following their participation in Break Free Pacific Northwest direct actions, which included blockades of fossil fuel transporting trains by activists camped out for multiple nights on the train tracks, by kayaks on the water blocking oil shipping ports. They discuss feelings of success, learning, empowerment, and community strength, as well as issues of white fragility, privilege and oppression within the climate movement.

7 07, 2016

Mining Affects Indigenous Women Human Rights, Phil Women’s Groups Said At 64th CEDAW Session

2018-08-10T15:46:58-04:00Tags: |

On July 2016, The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) reviewed the human rights violations by the Philippine State. The CEDAW Committee was notified that the Philippines is institutionalizing gender biases, patriarchal structures and violence against women to further interests, specifically those of mining corporations. Kakay Tolentine from the Durmagat Indigenous community and BAI (National Network of Indigenous Women) representative highlighted the increases in extrajudicial killings, including 90 Indigenous land defenders between 2010 and 2016. The killing of Juvy Capion was raised to the CEDAW Committee. Capion, a B’laan woman leader who fiercely opposed the Sagittarius Mines, Inc. project on her ancestral lands was killed by military men in October 2012 along with her two young sons. Despite the laws passed to protect Indigenous women, the government fails to fulfill its obligations. Photo credit: WLB

3 07, 2016

60 Amazing Photos Of Women Protesting Around The World

2017-07-20T17:53:26-04:00Tags: |

From Venezuela to the Ivory Coast, Washington D.C to Turkey, these powerful photos capture women around the world making their voices heard. Protesting land expropriation, breast-feedings bans, the treatment of rape victims and the construction of the Israeli security fence along the West Bank, grassroots political movements give underrepresented women a voice. Photo credit: Yamar Naziri/Getty Images  

1 07, 2016

Shut It Down! By Rossmery Zayas

2017-11-01T00:59:01-04:00Tags: |

Rossmery Zayas works with youth to promote environmental justice at Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and advocates for campaigns against toxic facilities and pollutants in southeast Los Angeles. Recently she was involved with the closing of Exide Technologies and is now demanding that they clean their waste. “Jerry, Jerry Brown, shut it all down, right now” were the words sang by Zayas and others at the demonstration in May 2016  for a just transition to 100% renewable energy. She is also a delegate with the It Takes Roots to Change the System People’s Caravan, which fights an intersectional problems such as racism, sexism, and xenophobia. Photo credit: Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

21 06, 2016

Meet The Modern Urban Farmer: Robin Emmons

2017-07-19T21:12:37-04:00Tags: |

After seeing one of her family members surviving on canned food, Robin Emmons uprooted her entire yard to grow healthy and nutritious food. With the help of a local farmer who taught her to cultivate crops at scale, Robin now works on 10 acres of donated land, and runs a non-profit that harvests an estimated 35,000 pounds of produce annually. Pop-up farm now distribute the bounty in an area formerly considered a food desert. Photo credit: Alissa Hessler

1 06, 2016

Defending San Francisco Bay Area Communities From Polluters

2017-11-01T21:31:24-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Vivian Yi Huang, Campaign and Organizing Director for the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) speaks with Earthjustice about her work on environmental justice in immigrant communities and communities of color. APEN is a leading player in advocating for justice specially for Asian Pacific Islander communities, who face health issues related to industrial toxins while overcoming issues with access to language services and healthcare. Huang works organizing communites in the San Francisco Bay Area on projects like oppose the expansion of a Chevron refinery and building an new worker-centered economy. Photo credit: Chris Jordan-Bloch/Earthjustice

1 06, 2016

“I’m Living In A Sacrifice Zone”: Women Speak Out For Climate Justice

2017-11-01T02:27:10-04:00Tags: |

This Huffington Post article covers the September 2015, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN International) symposium titled “Women Speak: Climate Justice on the Road to Paris & Beyond”. Framing the discussion, co-founder and Executive Director, Osprey Orielle Lake speaks about the disproportionate impacts of climate change for women and how they must be leaders in the process of tackling such a problem. Global presenters Melina Laboucan-Massimo (Lubicon Cree) speaks about environmental pollution and contamination in her area, creating “dead zones”; Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, Jacqui Patterson, speaks about the harm of living close to coal plants and the correlation of food sovereignty and contaminated soil; Indigenous Kichwa leader Patricia Gualinga Montalvo speaks on the struggle against oil companies in Ecuador; Thilmeeza Hussain, founder of Voice of Women speaks about survival in face of global warming; and finally, Cherri Foytlin brings participants’ attention to sacrifice zones, where POC and Indigenous populations suffer from toxic elements. Photo credit: Huffington Post

30 05, 2016

Beva Sanchez-Padilla Reflects On The International Meeting of World March of Women

2017-10-30T02:28:39-04:00Tags: |

Beva Sanchez-Padilla, Xicana woman leader with the Southwest Organizing Project, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance and New Mexico Con Mujeres, joined the 10th International Meeting of World March of Women outside Maputo Mozambique to meet with other women leaders from across five continents and discuss feminist visions and strategies for social, climate and economic justice. Beva reflects on the importance of solidarity between women across borders - and most especially between those women leaders working to organize with poor, rural, and communities of color. Photo credit: Grassroots Global Justice Alliance

28 05, 2016

Climate Change Is A Racist Crisis: That’s Why Black Lives Matter Closed An Airport

2017-10-28T22:39:03-04:00Tags: |

Alexandra Wanjiku Kelbert, a woman activist, analyses why the climate crisis is a racist crisis. Climate change may not only affect people of color but the communities in the global south are mostly affected of the impacts of climate change. Additionally, in order to fight the crisis, there is a need for white people to engage in a society that privileges them through racism and anti-black racism. Photo credit: The Guardian

27 05, 2016

Climate Policy Shaper: Heather McGhee

2017-10-27T02:56:22-04:00Tags: |

Heather McGhee is the President of Demos, a non-profit research and advocacy organization that fights against economic and political inequality with policy aligned with climate sustainability. The organization’s work is directly influencing national policy. Currently McGhee is developing a vision for a clean energy economy that will see benefits going to all communities. Photo credit: Grist 50!

26 05, 2016

Women in the semi-arid region of Brazil

2023-11-29T17:51:45-05:00Tags: , |

Despite facing historic discrimination and lack of opportunities, women in Bahia, Brazil are working to sustain their families and communities, and assert their independence and autonomy. Women have been taking on agricultural roles, waking up early to farm and tend to their crops. This allows them to provide for their families, contribute to the “formal” economy, and ensure food security for their communities. Many are able to sell their excess product in cities, generating more income and providing non-toxic nutrition options for people in rural areas. Women all throughout Brazil are now influencing public policy to alleviate the injustices that work against women, and provide support for them to thrive.  Photo credit: Fabiano Vidal 

7 05, 2016

Florence Robinson Protected Communities Of Color From Pollution

2017-07-20T17:54:25-04:00Tags: |

“Cancer Alley” is an 80 mile strip of land along the Mississippi River where low-income communities of color co-exist with petrochemical plants, hazardous waste incinerators, and landfills. Florence Robinson, a resident of Alsen and a biology professor at Southern University, organized her neighbors in order to dismantle a hazardous waste disposal pit in 1993. She is the recipient of a Heinz Award for her work against environmental racism. Photo credit: heinzawards.net

1 05, 2016

Revolutionary Mothering: Mothers Are Not The Ones Destroying The Earth

2017-10-27T19:55:20-04:00Tags: |

Guests including China Martens, Mai’a Williams, Victoria Law, and Cynthia Dewi Oka explore “revolutionary mothering” on the Laura Flanders show. Mai'a Williams, poet and former journalist for teleSUR English, speaks regarding the important role of mothers in standing up on the frontlines to combat environmental violence and create community systems for the health of all. Photo credit: Laura Flanders Show

30 04, 2016

Rural Woman Wins Land Battle Where Women’s Rights Are Contested

2017-10-30T03:11:18-04:00Tags: |

Barbara Saunyama, a farmer, mother of three girls and widow since 1996, understands firsthand the myriad ways in which patriarchy works to dispose women of their land. Immediately after her husband died, her brother-in-law ordered her to leave her home and go back to her parents because she had only given birth to girls and therefore had no claim over her land. Downcast but unshaken, Barbara managed to receive training from organizations that gave her more confidence to challenge her brother-in-law, eventually winning the battle over her land. Now a member of the Rural Women’s Assembly in Zimbabwe, Barbara continues to fight for the full realization of the rights of women over their natural resources and bodily autonomy. Photo credit: ActionAid

29 04, 2016

Women In Food: Karen Washington Forges Path For Black Farmers

2017-10-31T14:30:20-04:00Tags: |

Karen Washington knows it’s not possible to talk about food systems and sustainability without addressing the race and gender dynamics of who has been and is tending to the land. She emphasizes that food is at the intersection of environment, education, labor and health. In the 1980s, with no former farming experience, Washington transformed an empty lot into an urban garden with guidance from elders and from Mother Nature herself. One of the most difficult hurdles she came across was buying land as a woman of color. She went to on to be one of the leaders of the black farming movement in the United States after working hard to dispel stereotypes around black farming. Today she’s a pioneer and leader in the black farming movement and is co-founder of the Black Farmer and Urban Gardeners Conference. Photo credit: Karen Washington/SeedStock

27 04, 2016

The Environmental Equalizer: Sudha Nandagopal

2017-10-27T03:04:07-04:00Tags: |

Sudha Nandagopal oversees Seattle’s Environmental Justice Initiative, a unique program that recognizes environmentalism is typically unequal in the distribution of benefits and burdens of policies. As a means of increasing equality and community-driven solutions, Sudha convenes a working group representing the interests of people of colour, immigrants and refugees, low-income, and limited-English individuals to participate in environmental decision-making. Photo credit: Bill Phillips

26 04, 2016

Metro Buses Converted Into Mobile Food Markets For Low-Income Neighborhoods

2017-10-26T00:02:13-04:00Tags: |

Women are taking economic and political leadership in Toronto by transporting quality food to low-income neighborhoods through mobile food markets made from reused city buses. FoodShare, a non-profit working with Toronto communities and schools to improve the quality of food for all people, has teamed up with United Way Canada and the city of Toronto to make the project possible. The mobile buses offer a selection of everything from onions to lettuce to apples, and travel to low-income neighborhoods twice a week, transforming the quality food accessibility in the Toronto region. Photo credit: Blackbuisness.org

23 04, 2016

Palestinian Woman Creates Seed Bank To Save Her Heritage

2017-07-19T21:20:33-04:00Tags: |

Vivien Sansour of the Palestinian Heirloom Seed Library in the West Bank city of Beit Jala is working to preserve native varieties of seeds, traditional farming methods and Palestinian culture in the face of dire climate pressures and military occupation. Photo credit: Peter Beaumont/The Guardian

21 04, 2016

U.S. Women Leaders Reflect On Health And Climate Change: What Is At Stake, What Can Be Done?

2017-11-01T13:51:39-04:00Tags: |

During a session of online U.S. Women’s Climate Justice Initiative Education and Advocacy trainings presented by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, women leaders Dr. Sylvia Hood Washington, Cherri Foytlin, Pramilla Malick and Dr. Perry Sheffield share their experiences as frontline community leaders and professionals working with issues of environmental pollution and human health impacts from climate change. Dr. Sylvia Hood Washington, Co-Advisor on the Environmental Justice Advisory Board of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, shares on industrial pollution in Illinois and disproportionate impacts on communities of color; Indigenous leader Cherri Foytlin speaks on environmental racism and impacts of fossil fuels in Louisiana; Pramilla Malick of Protect Orange County and Stop the Minisink Compressor Station speaks on her community investigation to expose health impacts of fracking and gas infrastructure; and Dr. Sheffied, Environmental Pediatrician, presents on how toxic exposure and environmental degradation affects children’s health. Photo credit: Emily Arasim/WECAN

19 04, 2016

To Empower Communities Of Color, Power Our Country With Clean Energy

2017-09-29T19:00:21-04:00Tags: |

Among the many initiatives that aim at expanding the use of renewables in the United States, the work of Wahleah Johns is a remarkable example of energy democratization. She is a member of the Navajo nation and works to broaden access to renewable energy across her people’s territory. Her work as a vice-chair of the Navajo Green Economy Commission entails advancing economic opportunities related to renewable energy and her community’s traditional economic practices.

18 04, 2016

This Baltimore 20-Year-Old Took Out A Giant Trash Incinerator

2017-10-31T15:40:13-04:00Tags: |

Baltimore is one of the most polluted cities in the United States, and the neighborhood of Curtis Bay is particularly afflicted by respiratory disease caused by industrial emissions. Upon learning of a proposed trash incinerator in Curtis Bay, Destiny Watford led a four-year campaign to halt the construction of this harmful incinerator next to many of Baltimore’s public schools. Photo credit: Doug Kapustin/The Washington Post

1 04, 2016

Miya Yoshitani Of Asian Pacific Environmental Network Speaks Out For A Just Transition

2017-11-01T03:14:02-04:00

Miya Yoshitani of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network speaks with New Economy Coalition about the effects of the fossil fuel economy on communities of color at the conference Common Bound. She focuses on the negative impacts of the fossil fuel industry in Richmond, California and she elaborates on how communities can end their reliance on the fossil fuel economy and build something new. Photo credit: Common Bound

1 04, 2016

The Milk Maven: Katie Hinde

2017-11-01T02:56:16-04:00Tags: |

Scientist Katie Hinde is pursuing environmental justice through research on breast milk. Recognized as an environmental leader by Grist, Hinde believes that understanding how milk shapes immune and metabolic systems can generate solutions to tackle disparate health impacts on poor communities. Through analysis of milk samples across the globe, Hinde is uplifting women’s role as mothers and supporting better alternatives for breast milk. Photo credit: Cary Allen-Blevins

1 04, 2016

Women Leading Direct Action And Non-Violent Civil Disobedience: Tools For Your Advocacy Work

2017-11-01T02:21:08-04:00Tags: |

The second Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network’s online education and advocacy training of 2016 was called “Direct Action and Non-Violent Civil Disobedience: Tools for your Advocacy Work.” Molly Dorozenski, Media Director at Greenpeace U.S., discussed the dilemma of putting our own bodies on the line for a cause and shared stories of six women in London, activist Faiza Oulahsen, and the #ShellNo Seattle movement led by Indigenous leaders. Sharon Lungo, co-founder of the Indigenous People’s Power Project (IP3) and Executive Director of the Ruckus Society, spoke about racial justice and grassroots action in an intersectional manner, and how these direct actions and civil disobedience can bring about change. She also exemplified the South Central Farm’s non-violent struggle in Los Angeles to save the farm. Marla Marcum of the Climate Disobedience Center works with faith-based, youth and grassroots groups. She supported campaigns and projects such as Climate Summer, Better Future Project and 350 Massachusetts, among many other civil disobedience efforts. Photo credit: Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network

31 03, 2016

Elizabeth Yeampierre And Allies Standing For Social And Climate Justice, Not Gentrification

2017-10-31T01:10:16-04:00Tags: |

Elizabeth Yeampierre is a former civil rights lawyer and dean at Yale, who currently leads an initiative called Uprose and participates in the Working Families Party and a labor unions’ coalition, both local organizations from the industrial waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York. Their goals are to revive the area, maintain it as a working and active place, make greener, more sustainable and climate-change resilient jobs, products and public spaces locally. Yeampierre has achieved quite a lot with these organizations, but reminds us that now the area is being scoped by big enterprises, who want to build a streetcar line until Astorias, Queens. These top-down projects are not on their best interests or commonly made, opposed to long-term community improvements and claims made by Yeampierre and other grassroots initiatives’ works at the waterfront. Photo credit: David Gonzalez/New York Times

27 03, 2016

The Climate Power-Shifter: Vien Truong

2017-10-27T03:00:27-04:00Tags: |

Vien Truong is the director of Green for All, an advocacy group focused on clean energy, green jobs, and income equality. The organization, along with a coalition of other environmental justice groups, collaborated to get California’s SB 535 Bill passed, which requires companies producing large amounts of pollution to cut down on their emissions or be held financially responsible. Photo credit: Grist 50!

27 03, 2016

Webinar Highlights: Corporate Power And Women’s Economic Justice

2017-10-27T01:56:52-04:00Tags: |

In February of 2016, a webinar on gender justice regarding ecology and economics was organized by the Association of Women in Development (AWID) and the Gender and Development Network (GADN), leading up to the 61st Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The webinar was moderated by Ana Abelenda, from the Association for Women's Rights in Development, and the speakers were Kunthea Chan, from JASS Southeast Asia, Chidi King, from the International Trade Union Confederation, Rachel Moussié, a consultant, Dr. Mariama Williams, from South Centre, and Jessica Woodroffe, from the Gender and Development Network. The online meeting focused on measures to limit the tremendous power of global corporations regarding the violation of women's rights, including the concepts of economic justice and feminism in the discussion. Photo credit: AWID

27 03, 2016

Human Rights Defenders Paying A Heavy Price To Ensure Gender Justice

2017-10-27T01:42:55-04:00Tags: |

The assassination of Berta Cáceres, Honduran environmental activist and leader of the Lenca people, sparked international uproar for the stopping of unlawful and brutal attacks on activists. Women are often in the firing line as victims of these attacks. They are the target of violence by corrupt governments and corporations and repressive institutions. The matter has gained interest amongst academics and civil society groups. According to Jagoda Munic, chairperson of Friends of the Earth International, environmental justice can not be attained without eradicating violence against women. Photo credit: Young Feminist Fund

12 03, 2016

Women On The Front Lines Fighting Fracking In The Bakken Oil Shale Formations

2018-03-01T12:25:13-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous women are leading the grassroots resistance to stop fracking in North Dakota. where a rapidly growing industry has brought widespread damages to the land, as well as a sharp increase in violence against local women, girls and Indigenous communities who suffer as a result of the boom in oil extraction close to their homes. The Women's Earth and Climate Action Network reports on time spent near Fort Berthold Reservation with local Indigenous woman protectors including Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara) of the Indigenous Environmental Network. Photo credit: Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network

11 03, 2016

Women Act For Climate Justice: 10 Days Of Global Mobilization

2017-10-31T23:48:28-04:00Tags: |

The Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network (WECAN) International is supporting grassroots advocates to safeguard the rights of women and Indigenous communities in the face of climate change. In 2016, WECAN kicked off 10 days of global mobilization to highlight the environmental challenges affecting girls and women and called for communities to shift the equation. Women shared their photos and statements, and participated in educational events and projects, protests, and marches. Photo credit: WECAN

8 03, 2016

Iconic Activist In Rio Watches As Her Home Is Bulldozed To Make Way For The Olympics

2019-01-21T19:51:23-05:00Tags: |

Like many other Rio de Janeiro residents, Maria Da Penha’s home was demolished by bulldozers to make room for the 2016 Summer Olympic headquarters. De Penha’s home was one of the last to go, and she has been fighting to preserve the history and culture of her community and to keep the government accountable. The government displaced most of the Vila Autodromo residents with cash buyouts or the promise of new apartments, and seized the land with eminent domain. Rather than just an economic concern, de Penha sees this as an attack on fundamental human rights, and says that all citizens need to be respected. Photo Credit: Will Carless

8 03, 2016

How Women-Led Movements Are Redefining Power

2017-06-21T07:30:07-04:00Tags: |

Eriel Deranger, who belongs to the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation of Alberta, Canada, has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the cultural, health and climate dangers of tar sands. She believes that as a matriarchal society, the power of her community comes from the women. All over the world women are reclaiming leadership roles and emerging as powerful voices against climate and social injustice. Photo credit: Rucha Chitnis

8 03, 2016

Celebrating The Power Of Environmental Feminism

2017-07-20T18:20:47-04:00Tags: |

Women around the world are at the forefront of life-changing movements, from Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha who pressured the state of Michigan to admit to high levels of lead in Flint’s water to Majora Carter, the urban planner and Black environmentalist behind "Greening the Ghetto." Photo credit: UN Women

1 03, 2016

Young Girls Learn About Gender Justice And Environmental Stewardship

2017-11-01T01:03:37-04:00Tags: |

Mary McLeod Bethune had advocated for civil rights for African Americans her entire life and led multiple initiatives for education. For example, she spearheaded a partnership between the Sierra Club and the National Park Trust to host an event for the Washington School for Girls in Anacostia, composed of mainly African Americans, called Every Kid in a Park. The idea is for everyone to have access to their public and free park as a way to put youth more in contact with nature and help educate the next generation of environmental leaders. Kirin Kennedy and Margaret Mills spoke to the students and explained how anyone can be an environmental steward and how gender equality is essential. Photo credit: Sierra Club

14 02, 2016

‘Little Teresa’ Helps São Paulo Women Fight Drought And Male Domination — With Rain Barrels

2018-02-14T22:26:46-05:00Tags: |

Terezinha da Silva is an active leader in her São Paulo community, helping her neighbors weather the region’s severe two-year water crisis, while empowering women to advance sustainable solutions. Terezinha has developed a low-cost rainwater harvesting barrel that helps save money and keeps water on-hand for use during times of drought shutoffs. She believes passionately in the power of women claiming their dignity and achieving economic independence, especially in a male-dominated nation that has high levels of violence against women. She has also co-founded a women’s collective called Bread and Art and local nonprofit, Movimento de Defesa do Favelado, through which she is teaching women how to build and install over 50 rain barrels in the community and advancing a new project on vertical community gardens. The community organizing effort has built awareness of water resources, put power in the hands of the community, and placed a spotlight on the lack of government accountability. Photo credit: Anne Bailey

11 02, 2016

16 Women Who Are Standing Up To Violence

2017-07-20T18:27:52-04:00Tags: |

At an annual gathering organized by peace organization Inclusive Security, strong women activists from around the world shared their stories. These 16 women - hailing from South Sudan to Ukraine, Myanmar to Mexico - are fighting violence in all its forms. Photo credit: The Institute for Inclusive Security  

10 02, 2016

A Kentucky Domestic Violence Shelter Helps Women Grow Food And Confidence

2017-07-19T21:38:33-04:00Tags: |

Donna, a resident of Greenhouse 17, is just one of many women benefiting from new skills and confidence at this shelter for victims of domestic violence. The shelter's innovative model includes a small farm business, which provides employment to women who harvest vegetables and produce handmade crafts to sell. Photo credit: Sarah van Gelder

6 02, 2016

Good Things Happen When A NAACP Leader Becomes A Climate Activist

2017-07-20T18:28:02-04:00Tags: |

Kathy Egland serves on the NAACP National Board committee on environmental and climate justice. As a child, she protested racial segregation, and now she is fighting for a clean, safe environment. Hurricane Katrina was a turning point for Egland, who has made environmental justice a priority ever since. Photo credit: grist.org  

30 01, 2016

Vien Truong Celebrated With CLCV Environmental Leadership Award

2017-10-30T02:15:32-04:00Tags: |

Vien Truong is a fearless advocate of climate solutions that benefit low-income communities and communities of color. She currently leads Green for All’s work building a green economy and was a key driver of the California Senate Bill 535, the Charge Ahead Initiative, and the California Climate Credit, all of which directs state resources to benefit disadvantaged communities. Photo credit: California League of Conservation Voters

27 01, 2016

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš Is Bringing Latinos To The Climate Policy Table

2017-10-27T15:32:26-04:00Tags: |

Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, founder of Azul, explains in this article the ways that the conservation movement can be more equal and inclusive. Gutiérrez-Graudiņš is working to dismantle institutional barriers in the environmental movement and increase the presence of Latino voices in California’s climate policy making. She wrote in the introduction for La Verde Paper: Latino Perspectives on Conservation Leadership, released by La Madre Tierra and Resource Media, that although the conservation movement has failed to adequately engage people of color, on-the-ground movements exist and are engaging with and impacting policy in communities. Photo credit: Resource Media

23 01, 2016

The Butterfly Effect

2018-01-23T17:13:38-05:00Tags: |

Nancy Hill, a writer and photographer living in Portland, Oregon, writes about the importance of new initiatives to engage prisoners and inmates at correctional facilities in opportunity to re-gain a dignified and purposeful life through working as part of programs cultivating plant species needed for restoration efforts. Photo credit: Nancy Hill

1 01, 2016

Women We Love: 25 Influential Women In Food And Agriculture

2020-10-10T20:35:41-04:00Tags: |

This article lists an international array of influential women farmers and system changers who are helping to combat the climate crisis through their agricultural and food work. Some of the women and their respective organizations include: Food Corps co-founder Debra Eschmeyer; urban gardener and Executive Director of Abalimi, Tengiwe Cristina Kaba; agricultural engineer and founder of IBS Soluciones Verdes, Susana Chaves Villalobos; community activist and co-founder of Black Urban Growers, Karen Washington; farmer and founder of the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network, Denise O’Brien; and Dinnah Kapiza, the CEO of Tisaiwale Trading, a chain of farm supply stores in rural Malawi. Photo credit: Food Tank

1 01, 2016

Steph Speirs Plants Community Solar Gardens

2017-09-22T16:11:44-04:00Tags: |

Steph Speirs believes that the democratization of solar energy is the way to mainstream the use of solar technology. She is co-founder and CEO of Solstice, a company that plans community solar projects for those who may not own their properties or don’t have the means to afford their own panels. The idea has already spread throughout Massachusetts, with a goal to expand it nationwide. Photo credit: Grist

1 01, 2016

The Toxic Assault On Black Women’s Health

2017-11-01T03:08:51-04:00Tags: |

Erin Switalski, Executive Director of Women’s Voices for the Earth, writes as a white ally about how Black women’s health has often been underrepresented in the reproductive justice conversation and yet, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure and/or experience premature births and low birth rates due to environmental contaminations. Additionally, Women’s Voices for the Earth examines how many beauty products marketed specifically for Black women contain the highest rates of toxic components on the market. The organization calls for everyone reading the article to come together and uplift the needs and health concerns of Black women--as voiced by the women themselves. Photo credit: Women’s Voices for the Earth

30 12, 2015

Women’s Movement Building In The Philippines

2017-10-31T16:02:24-04:00Tags: |

This compilation, edited by Dr. Judy M. Taguiwalo and entitled “Women’s Movement Building In The Philippines: A Journey of Meeting Challenges, Drawing Lessons, and Strengthening Resolve to Advance Women’s Emancipation and Empowerment” explores the best practices of women’s leadership in various social movements across the Philippines. Profiling such women leaders as Aida Santos of the Women’s Education Development Productivity and Research Organization, and Cham Perez and Carmi Espineda of the Center for Women’s Resources, the publication gives voice to these powerful advocates to tell their stories in areas such as militarism, public health, environmental protection, and sexual and reproductive rights. Photo credit: JASS Just Associates

23 12, 2015

Filipina Trafficking Survivors Launch A Cleaning Co-Op

2017-09-24T20:12:07-04:00Tags: |

Judith Daluz is organizing Filipina women into a cleaning business cooperative she created after breaking free from an exploitative employer. All of the workers at Damayan Cleaning Cooperative are also part owners, and approximately 50 percent of them are trafficking survivors. The co-operative has created an avenue towards labor independence, where these women workers own and control their modes of production and enjoy health care and better pay, freeing them from dependence on abusive labor arrangements. Photo credit: Damyan Cleaning Cooperative

8 12, 2015

Terisa Siagatonu Brings Poetry To Paris

2017-09-04T11:57:16-04:00Tags: |

Samoan-American Terisa Siagatonu has brought her stunning poem “Layers” to Paris COP21 to communicate the connections between environmental racism, social justice and climate change. She is part of the Spoken Word for the World crew, an arts-based collective aimed at centering Indigenous female voices in the fight against climate change. Photo credit: New Internationalist

25 11, 2015

Reproductive Rights In Native America

2018-02-22T20:10:09-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous peoples around the world are experiencing dire impacts from colonization, fossil fuel, mining and other extractive industries - and Indigenous women are additionally facing major violations and challenges to their bodies and health. Indigenous women face disproportionately high levels of sexual violence, and are often restricted in their access to reproductive health care. However many Indigenous-women led groups are pushing for change. The Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Centre (NAWHERC) on the Yankton Sioux Reservation, South Dakota, and young leaders in the Diné (Navajo) Nation, Keioshiah Peter and Jake Skeets who have created the #RezCondomTour to promote safe sex and expression in Dinétah. By connecting the campaign to Diné culture and philosophy, as well as the decolonization and climate justice movements, they have attracted many young followers. Photo credit: Medium

18 11, 2015

Women Of Color Speak Out: Systems Of Oppression

2023-04-16T16:31:01-04:00Tags: |

Climate activist group ‘Women of Color Speak Out’ is changing the face of the white-dominated climate space by uplifting the voices of women of color through educating and informing their communities on the climate crisis. At the Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle, climate activists Sarra Tekola, Afrin Sopariwala, Zarna Joshi, and Yin Yu of the Women of Color Speak Out group speak on how racist systems of oppression have created and maintained our climate crisis. Women of Color Speak Out highlights the historical and current uneven impacts of capitalism, colonialism, and the prison industrial complex on the environment and people, as well as solutions for just system transitions. Emphasizing that marginalized communities have been/are bearing the brunt of violence from these oppressive systems both directly and indirectly through climate change, this educational presentation is rooted in truth telling and a call to action for local and global solidarity. 

1 11, 2015

Indiana NAACP Environmental Climate Justice Chair, Denise Abdul-Rahman Speaks At Indiana Mama Summit April 8, 2015 At The Indiana State House

2017-11-01T17:54:41-04:00Tags: |

At the Indiana Mama Summit 2015, climate leader Denise Abdul-Rahman called for the state of Indiana's Department of Environmental Management to halt the burning of coal and the dumping of coal ash, practices which disproportionately impact people of color and low-income communities. Denise Abdul-Rahman was instrumental to passing the NAACP Clean Power Plan Resolution, which calls for coal ash to be defined as “special waste” and calls for special disposal to avoid the harmful health impacts of coal waste. Photo credit: Indian Green Outreach

1 11, 2015

Cindy Wiesner: Global Climate Politics – Paralysis Above and Movement Below

2017-11-01T03:59:06-04:00Tags: |

Cindy Wiesner shares the story of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance with university students as a part of ‘"Sustainability" or Survival? Popular Responses to Global Climate Change’, a video series highlighting the work of global and local NGO and movement leaders at the forefront of critical mobilizations efforts for climate justice. Photo credit: Pitt Global Studies

1 11, 2015

Environmental Racism: Black Communities Face More Health Risks From Industrial Pollution

2017-11-01T02:59:03-04:00Tags: |

In this interview, Jacqui Patterson speaks about her work fighting environmental racism as Director of NAACP’s Environmental and Climate Justice Program. She is leading an investigation that aims to show this disproportionate health impacts of industrial pollution on low-income communities and communities of color. For example, 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant and residents of Stokes County, North Carolina, in particular, suffer severe nerve damage and cancer risk from coal ash pollution. Photo credit: RT America

30 10, 2015

An African Ecofeminist Perspective On The Paris Climate Negotiations

2017-10-30T20:35:14-04:00Tags: |

WoMin, or African Women Unite Against Destructive Resource Extraction, comment on the shortcomings of the 2015 Paris climate talks. The members of WoMin are organizing against non-renewable energy and mineral extraction in dozens of African countries. Along with that, they have outlined alternative development framework consisting of climate and ecological justice, energy justice, food justice and gender justice in Africa. Photo credit: Heidi Augestad

30 10, 2015

WoMin Alliance Launches Crowd-funding Campaign For Pan African Film On Women’s Resistance To Mining And Destructive Extractive Industries

2017-10-30T03:22:21-04:00Tags: |

The popular African proverb “Until the lions get their own historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter” reminds us of the importance of telling our own stories. WoMin, an African gender and extractives alliance, is taking this saying to heart by crowd-funding of a ground-breaking pan-African feminist film entitled “No Good Comes from the Mine” to highlight African women’s resistance to coal, oil and uranium mining in South Africa, Uganda and Niger, as well as the people-centered alternatives that these women and their communities are building. Photo credit: WoMin

30 10, 2015

Confronting Women, Violence And Climate Change In Bolivia

2017-10-30T03:03:40-04:00Tags: |

The women of María Auxiliadora, outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia are demonstrating to the world what resilience looks like, from their efforts in climate change adaptation and ecological farming to their work to confront abuse, violence against women and patriarchy. In this piece we hear from Bolivian women’s activist Leny Olivera and photographer Carey Averbook, who spent several months documenting the women-led collective community. Photo credit: Carey Averbook

30 10, 2015

Meet Yifat Susskind of MADRE

2017-10-30T02:49:10-04:00Tags: |

The Nobel Women's Initiative profiles Yifat Susskind - the Executive Director of MADRE, an organization that works with women’s human rights activists from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to combat violence against women and promote women’s health, environmental justice and international peace. Susskind is also a proficient writer and journalist, having covered women’s issues for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy in Focus and other publications. Photo credit: Nobel Women’s Initiative

30 10, 2015

Meet Felicitas Martínez Solano, Mexico

2017-10-30T02:46:53-04:00Tags: |

Nobel Women's Initiative profiles leader of the Regional Coordinator of Community Authorities - Community Police (CRAC-PC) in the Costa-Montaña region of Guerrero, Mexico, Felicitas Martínez Solano, an Indigenous Me’phaa human rights defender. She is responsible for the administration of justice and re-education in cases brought before her, practicing accountability and transparency for the Me’phaa and Na Savi indigenous people. Solano also founded the Guerrero Coordinator of Indigenous and African-descent Women to address maternal mortality and women and children’s health. Photo credit: Nobel Women’s Initiative

30 10, 2015

Information And Communications Technologies For Feminist Movement Building, Activist Toolkit

2017-10-31T16:00:28-04:00Tags: |

JASS Just Associates, in partnership with Women’sNet and the Association for Progressive Communications, has published a guide to using information and communication technologies (ICTS) for women’s rights activists and advocates in Africa. The toolkit includes strategies for online-to-offline organizing and movement building, including telling stories that break down gender norms and inspiring others to take concrete steps to make change. They profile stories of powerful online activists, such as Nana Karkoa, who uses her blog “Adventures from the Bedrooms of African Women” to combat stereotypes of African women’s passivity in the bedroom. Similarly, photographer Zanele Muholi uses digital multimedia to publish the stories of lesbian, bisexual and trans women and promote the multifaceted ways women can experience their gender and sexuality. Photo credit: Just Associates

28 10, 2015

Rinku Sen Speaks: ‘Both/And/All: Environmentalism And Racial Justice’

2017-10-28T22:36:38-04:00Tags: |

Rinku Sen, a dynamic and influential social, racial and gender justice activists shares an inspiring speech at Bioneers Conference, calling all people to face and address our completely intertwined ecological and social justice crises. At the same time, we must learn how to do it without losing our minds, our friends or our fights. Photo credit: Bioneers

27 10, 2015

Resisting Urban Industrial Emissions In South Africa’s Vaal Triangle

2017-10-27T02:43:16-04:00Tags: |

The Vaal Triangle in South Africa comprises several cities and towns that are responsible for some of the world’s highest carbon-emitting industries. Caroline Npaotane is the co-coordinator of the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance. Along with a dedicated group of activists, Caroline is driving efforts to fight polluting industries. Their work has helped to bring in new air quality standards in the area, and has led to the Vaal Triangle being named as a priority area for climate change mitigation by the government. Photo credit: Thys Dullart

26 10, 2015

Meet Young Indonesian Leader Magdalena Kafiar

2017-10-26T23:54:58-04:00Tags: |

Magdalena Kafiar is an Indigenous Papuan priest who works throughout Indonesia reporting on human rights violations. Her work as an activist encompasses education about women’s rights, advocacy for justice, and surveying environmental destruction. As part of the Young Indonesian Women Activists’ Forum (FAMM), she defends Indonesia’s people against the extractive activities of foreign companies, the military, and the police. Photo credit: Global Fund For Women

26 10, 2015

Veronica Malecdan Confronts Social And Ecological Injustice In The Philippines

2017-10-26T23:36:45-04:00Tags: |

Veronica Malecdan is an activist from the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. For her, advocacy started after her experience as a migrant worker in Hong Kong, where the challenges she faced made her realize the importance of fighting injustice. After returning home, she began to fight for the rights of the Igorot Indigenous peoples of Cordillera region, who are faced with commercial mining, power plants and other hazardous development projects. As Secretary General of Innabuyog, an alliance of Indigenous women’s organizations in the region, Veronica is helping draw the connection between work to address land, food, women’s rights, militarization and violence against women. Photo credit: Urgent Action Fund

26 10, 2015

Young Women Representing At Black Farmers And Urban Gardeners Conference

2017-10-31T15:58:44-04:00Tags: |

Oakland resident Karissa Lewis is a black radical farmer focused on providing people with quality food in the face of rising rents and living costs in the East Bay’s quickly gentrifying landscape. The founder of Full Harvest Urban Farm, and employee at the Center for Third World Organizing, Lewis’s political commitments have included issues of environmental racism, while also engaging in struggles that deal with police brutality. She is a member of the Bay Area Black Lives Matter chapter and the BlackOut collective. Photo credit: Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners Conference

25 10, 2015

Extractivism’s Impacts On Women’s Bodies, Sexuality And Autonomy

2017-10-25T22:48:56-04:00Tags: |

This collection of six papers produced by the WoMin alliance focuses on the environmental, social and economic impacts of industrial mining to working class, poor and peasant women in Sub-Saharan Africa. The papers deal with the realities of sex work associated with the mining industry, sexual and reproductive health rights of the women working in mines and in proximity to mining areas, migration issues, the toxic masculinities witnessed within mining communities and the violence which women in these spaces often endure. This collection serves as a reminder of the myriad of problems that extractivist projects bring with them and specifically the gendered nature of these issues, which our movements must constantly analyze and work to dismantle.

1 10, 2015

Women Environmental Tacticians

2017-11-01T23:21:20-04:00Tags: |

Rabble podcasts hears from global women leaders Sandra Steingraber, biologist, leader of the We Are Seneca Lake movement, and anti-fracking advocate; Osprey Orielle Lake, Founder and Executive Director of Women's Earth & Climate Action Network; Sonia Guajajara, National Coordinator of Brazil's Association of Indigenous Peoples, Maranhão, Brazil; Casey Camp-Horinek, Ponca Nation elder and Indigenous Environmental Network representative; and Nina Gualinga, Kichwa youth leader from Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon - regarding the diverse manners they are standing for climate justice, from storytelling and science education, to petitions, blockading, marching, speaking out, and even putting their lives on the line. Photo credit: Rabble.ca

1 09, 2015

Weathering The Storms Together: Grassroots Women’s Response To Climate Change

2017-11-01T02:31:17-04:00Tags: |

Kahea Pacheco and Melinda Kramer of the Women's Earth Alliance reflect on the importance of women's environmental leadership, and share the story of Sunita Rao, an Indian seed saver, farmer and founder of Vanastree, a seed saving collective of women farmers. Her organization, Malnad Mela, is taking many vital actions to lead the way, including a festival for women farmers to come together and exchange experiences and traditional knowledge to improve Indigenous solutions to threats to their seeds, crops, food and water security. Photo credit: Women’s Earth Alliance

1 09, 2015

From Ecuador To Nigeria – Women Speak For Climate Justice, Build Solutions

2017-11-01T02:23:07-04:00Tags: |

The Global Women's Climate Justice Day of Action happened on September 25th, 2015, including women from more than 50 countries. The main idea of this initiative was to draw attention to how women are disproportionately affected by climate change and the importance of having women at the forefront of decision-making processes to of tackle climate issues. Throughout the world, different expressions and demonstrations happened. In Nigeria, African women gathered for a March for Energy, Food and Climate Justice, protesting the extraction of fossil fuels and its impacts on the environment, explained WoMin (African Women United Against Destruction Resource Extraction). Belen of Ecuador also discussed protests against non-renewable energy and the demand for a transition to green energy sources. In India, Reetu Sogani of Chintan International Trust spoke about how women exchange seeds to protect their rights to connect with nature. Caritas Pakistan organized discussions about climate change and the planting of fruit trees. Many other organizations around the world organized different speeches and events for this day, such as Winona LaDuke, Founder of Honor the Earth and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice; and Women's Earth and Climate Action Network Executive Director, Osprey Orielle Lake, who was the main organizer of this initiative. Photo credit: WoMin

28 08, 2015

5 Ways That Black Women Suffered Due To Katrina

2019-03-04T01:23:31-05:00Tags: |

A report published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWRP) reveals the ways black women, especially those in public housing, struggled and suffered because of Hurricane Katrina. After interviewing 184 black women in public housing, the institute came away with five major insights dispelling myths about hurricane recovery. While some black women did find better lives in other cities, most of the black women interviewed wanted to come back to New Orleans. But, the report found, this transition was made very difficult because of poor recovery practices that often exacerbated existing inequalities. The report found that most women did not have enough housing to return to; the new housing situation also brought insecurities and a sense of not belonging to one place; and the vouchers provided aren’t covering their daily needs. Further, the public transportation infrastructure makes it even more difficult to get to work, and social safety nets were disrupted, making black women more vulnerable to various kinds of violence. Among IWRP’s recommendations were: improve communication among service providers, expand tenant vouchers, diversify policies for women and inclusion of low income women, and prioritize the voices of low-income women in planning decisions. Photo Credit: REUTERS/Lee Celano

14 08, 2015

Black Mesa: From Coal To Solar Energy

2017-09-29T19:21:21-04:00Tags: |

Wahleah Johns believes that the adoption of solar energy is a matter of environmental justice within Navajo communities. Companies such as Peabody Coal have been extracting coal and water found in Navajo territories for their profit at the expense of the Indigenous people who lives there. As member and Solar Program Director of the Black Mesa Water Coalition, Johns argues that the sustainability of the Navajo nation depends on the adoption of clean and community-controlled energy. Photo credit: Our Power Campaign

7 08, 2015

La Finca Del Sur: Gardening For Social Justice In The South Bronx

2017-07-19T21:49:27-04:00Tags: |

Situated in the middle of a concrete jungle, La Finca del Sur is a thriving urban farmer cooperative led by Latina and Black women and their allies. Founded in 2009, the organization supports women of color to grow fresh and healthy food. Staff and volunteers are committed to building healthy neighborhoods in this low-income community through economic empowerment, nutritional awareness, food sovereignty, and advocacy for social equality and food justice. Photo credit: WhyHunger.org

6 08, 2015

Why Women’s Work Is Key To A Just And Sustainable Future

2017-06-20T21:29:49-04:00Tags: |

The concept of women’s work refers to often underpaid tasks, from caring for the elderly and doing cooking and cleaning to reproductive, educational and emotional labor in many forms. However, in a low-carbon future, women’s work will be indispensable, as our economy moves away from consumer-driven industries that rely on fossil fuel energy to a caring economy. Photo credit: National Domestic Workers Alliance  

11 07, 2015

After The Storm: Colette Pichon Battle

2017-11-11T10:40:42-05:00

Colette Pichon Battle, attorney and Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy, speaks about the intensity of the post-disaster recovery efforts in South Louisiana. The only woman lawyer from her community, she returned home to help the residents of her home navigate the legal process of recovery from Hurricane Katrina. However, after the BP oil spill happened, she knew that it was going to be a legal fight to help the people recovering from Katrina secure justice in the face of fossil fuel extraction and climate-related natural disasters. She is fighting to preserve the Earth's delicate balance for her community and future generations. Photo credit: Lady Walker

31 05, 2015

A Tale Of Two Supermarkets: One Transition Town’s Efforts To Respond To Gentrification

2017-10-31T15:57:25-04:00Tags: |

Jeanette Origel is a Community Leader Fellow for the Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition (JP NET) and Sarah Byrnes is the Director of the New England New Economy Transition (NET) project at the Institute for Policy Studies. Both leaders write about the importance of thinking about the people in the community when planning concrete ways of improving a place’s resilience - be it through urban farms, renewable energy, or alternative ways of mobility. This is because by improving a community’s resilience, many times the neighborhood improves and then gentrifies, expelling its original inhabitants. Jeanette tells personal stories about her parents fear of prices increases and difficulties in finding products from Latin American countries after local renovations. Food access is only one example of how gentrification can affect a community. This is why Jeannet and Sarah work to bring communities closer together, teaching about climate change and how to adapt, mitigate and be resilient to it. Photo credit: NET

28 05, 2015

Ruth Nyambura: Protecting Rights Of Nature Front Line Defenders

2018-03-01T12:26:14-05:00Tags: |

Ruth Nyambura, from the African Biodiversity Network, pointed out during Paris International Rights of Nature Tribunal that we should deal with the rights of Mother Nature along with the protection of the people who defend her and the problem of their criminalization. First, it is important to build an understanding of the system which uses the criminalization of these defenders and focus on how to demand the rights of Indigenous defenders by States which have committed genocides. Furthermore, there is a need for a systems approach to the climate crisis: we need to talk more about racism, colonization, patriarchy and borrow ideas of climate justice for the protection Rights of Nature defenders. Photo credit: Rights4Nature

25 05, 2015

Black Women: Tipping The Balance With Michelle Deshong

2018-03-01T12:26:27-05:00Tags: |

Dr. Michelle Deshong of the Kuku Yulanji and Butchulla Nations speaks about how Black and Indigenous women have helped movements for civil rights in Australia and worldwide. Drawing on historical examples, she highlights women’s leadership in the fights for Aboriginal and Indigenous rights in this TedX talk. Photo credit: TedXJCUCairns

30 04, 2015

Vegan Praxis, Black Lives Matter, And Water Rationing: A Conversation With Dr. A. Breeze Harper

2017-10-30T02:20:46-04:00

Dr. A. Breeze Harper, author of ‘Sistah Vegan: Food, Identity, Health, and Society: Black Female Vegans Speak’, speaks on the need to challenge mainstream health food and vegan movements, mostly all-white spaces, to think critically and engage with issues of racial justice and climate action. Photo credit: The Feminist Wire

24 04, 2015

The Color of Food: These Sisters Are Building A Second Career As Farmers

2017-08-22T09:22:18-04:00Tags: |

Two retired sisters in North Carolina are re-cultivating their family land and growing organic produce. The sisters are overcoming the challenges in the area of land degradation, climate change, encroaching construction, and heir property law. Joyce and Carol are now members of the Southern African American Farmers Organic Network and are thriving as producers of fresh food for their community. Photo credit: Natasha Bowens

23 04, 2015

Loving Earth Is Complicated, Says This African-American Pastor

2018-01-23T19:49:26-05:00Tags: |

In this interview, Dianne D. Glave, an African-American pastor known for her work and literature on environmentalism, aims to break the stereotype that African-Americans are not active environmentalists. She explains how the legacy of slavery has impacted the relationship between African Americans and the land. Focusing on African American women and the challenges they face, Glave makes many connections, including how black women’s hair is still deeply connected to racism, often resulting in black women investing time and energy in hair treatment to follow colonial-era beauty stereotypes, thus keeping them out away from the water and wild places. Photo credit: Grist

1 03, 2015

Resistance And Solutions: US Women On The Frontlines Of Climate Change Training

2017-11-01T02:13:42-04:00Tags: |

The third online education and advocacy training of WECAN’s U.S. Women’s Climate Justice Initiative was entitled “Women on the Frontlines of Climate Change: Resistance & Solutions”. This event sought to share stories about climate justice, women and frontline communities. It featured four women leaders: Kandi Mossett, Casey Camp Horinek, Jacqui Patterson and Pennie Opal Plant. Mossett is an Indigenous North American who serves as the Native Energy & Climate Campaign Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. She fights the harmful consequences of the economic exploitation of her region, Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, and stopped the construction of a new waste pit close to a vital water source. Horinek is a Native rights activist, actress and environmentalist from the Ponca Nation in Oklahoma. She works with the cultural identity, education and empowerment of Native and non-Native allies on civil rights and environmental issues. Patterson is Coordinator and co-Founder of Women of Color United and Director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. As a researcher, she documented the illnesses experienced by community members living close to a coal-ash pond. Opal Plant is a founding member of Idle No More SF Bay, Movement Rights, and the Bay Area Rights of Nature Alliance. The Movement Rights organization provides legal and organizing support to communities assert their rights to self governance. Photo credit: Kandi Mossett

22 01, 2015

This Urban Farmer Is Growing Jobs In Her Richmond Community

2020-11-07T17:31:45-05:00Tags: |

In her hometown of Richmond, California, Doria Robinson invests in the health of her community through her role as executive director of Urban Tilth. Through her environmental activism and work with Urban Tilth, Till has overseen the launch of a Richmond-based CSA, the creation of an urban garden spanning 42 blocks, the passing of Richmond’s first urban agriculture ordinance, and the initiation of various education-based community volunteer and work programs within the urban garden. Robinson’s work in Richmond emphasizes the importance of local food systems and the various ways communities benefit from food justice initiatives. Photo Credit: Twilight Greenaway

1 01, 2015

WoMin Launches Fossil Fuels, Energy And Climate Justice Toolkit

2017-10-01T17:46:47-04:00Tags: |

African Women United Against Destructive Resource Extraction (WoMin) has developed and launched the project Women Building Power, a collection of useful materials and tools for African women-led grassroots campaigners to address problems relating to fossil fuels, renewable energy and climate justice. The project introduced seven booklets that give tips for practitioners on how to deal with common challenges and organize communities for climate justice.

1 11, 2014

Kathrin Henneberger On One Billion Rising For Climate Justice

2017-11-01T03:01:00-04:00Tags: |

Kathrin Henneberger is a German activist for climate justice and member of the European Youth Climate Movement. She writes this article on the impacts of climate change on women for the European campaign “Push Europe” and in support of the OneBillionRising campaign. With statistical data to support her text, Henneberger writes about how generally women, especially those in situation of poverty or extreme poverty, are the ones that suffer the most from climate change hazards. She urges us to pay attention to the special needs of women in climate justice matters at multiple levels: local, national and international. Photo Credit: One Billion Rising

30 10, 2014

Nalini Singh Of Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women At COP20

2017-10-30T21:06:01-04:00Tags: |

In this interview from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP20 meeting in Lima, Peru, Nalini Singh of the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) discusses the how climate change is negatively impacting women’s sexual reproductive health and human rights. For example, she shares how women often have more children than desired because they lack options or information on family planning. Photo credit: Climate Home

30 10, 2014

Beata Tsosie-Peña, An Activist Artist With The Future In Mind

2017-10-30T02:24:44-04:00Tags: |

Beata Tsosie-Peña, Indigenous artist, activist, mother and community leader from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, in the Southwest U.S. - shares her thoughts on what feminism, climate justice, and self care mean to her in her work as coordinator or Tewa Women United’s Environmental Health and Justice program, and in her daily life. She reflects on the intersection of her work in many areas, including with protection of traditional Indigenous agricultural seeds; opposition to ongoing regional nuclear contamination; Indigenous language reclamation; birth and midwifery work; and in confronting violence against women and the Earth. Photo credit: Third Woman Press

27 10, 2014

Hands On: Women : Climate : Change – Women Seeking Solutions

2017-10-27T11:11:41-04:00Tags: |

Local women in four continents are redefining the narratives of tackling climate change in policy, protest, education and innovation. For instance, Maheshvari in South India delivers satellite information on weather conditions to help protect fishermen’s livelihoods. Similarly, Jasmine Thomas is supreme force in preventing efforts to build tar sands pipelines threatening water security. These women are working at the grassroots level not only to protect our environment, but also to create sustainable life for future generations. Photo credit: IAWRT

26 10, 2014

What Does Genuine, Legitimate Participation By Women Look Like?

2017-10-26T23:16:25-04:00Tags: |

This powerful piece written from the frontlines of the People’s Climate Summit in Lima by Leny Olivera examines what authentic inclusion of women in the climate movement looks like. She offers a true-life example of a just transition to a sustainable and more inclusive system in the form of Community María Auxiliadora, in Bolivia. Furthermore, the author points to that inextricable link between extractive industries (or the causes of climate change) and the violence against and subjugation of women. Photo credit: The Democracy Center

26 10, 2014

Former Black Panther Launches Oakland Urban Farm To Give Ex-Prisoners A Fresh Start

2017-10-26T00:46:26-04:00Tags: |

In West Oakland, former Black Panther Elaine Brown is using her tradition of revolutionary action to support ex-prisoners with job opportunities in urban gardening. West Oakland Farms is blooming with a colorful palate of peppers, corn, kale, squash and tomatoes. The inspiring 72-year-old radical envisions a joint project that will offer affordable housing, a fitness center, a juice bar and a grocery store, all run by her NGO, Oakland & the World Enterprises. Brown’s objective is to connect poor Black women and men to autonomously run land based resources that provide economic opportunities in a dramatically gentrifying city. Photo credit: Twilight Greenaway

25 10, 2014

Identifying Opportunities For Action On Climate Change And Sexual Health

2017-10-25T23:03:29-04:00Tags: |

This study released by Arrow, a women’s sexual and reproductive rights group, provides guidance for addressing gender equality as well as sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the context of climate change. This study reveals that gender equality objectives are being mainstreamed and incorporated in national level adaptation plans and policies. However, the degree to which these gender equality objectives are being operationalised, through appropriate and sustained allocation of human and financial resources along with political leadership and commitment, remains uncertain. Arrow offers solutions such as continuing the collecting of data and information, building and adapting on existing progress, and supporting women seeking support in these matters.

1 10, 2014

One Billion Rising For Climate Change Awareness Around The World

2017-11-01T02:36:53-04:00Tags: |

One Billion Rising participated in the largest march for climate change to date: the People’s Climate March, through which activists from all over the world demanded action and change in the way resources are used, advocating a transition to clean and renewable energy. The article reports on actions in New York City and Santa Fe, United States; New Delhi, India and Dumaguete, Philippines, with comments from Eve Ensler, Bing Ve, V-Day and One Billion Rising Organizer, and Jessica Montoya, One Billion Rising Coordinator. Photo credit: One Billion Rising

30 09, 2014

Women’s Movement For Access To Babassu Oil

2018-07-31T12:10:32-04:00Tags: |

The award winning short film, Brazil’s Warrior Women, tells the story of women in North Eastern Brazil and their hard battle to maintain their communities’ way of life. The coconut of the Babassu Palm Tree has been their decades-long source of livelihood; however, in recent years they have faced intimidation and threats from large-scale farmers. Babassu women have created a grassroots movement and established the ‘Free Babassu Law’ in seven states. The law gives landless coconut gatherers rights to collect from palm groves. These inspiring women are now able to plan for the long-term, diversify their business and secure their future. Photo Credit: If Not Us Then Who?

29 09, 2014

Breaking The Gridlock Of Climate Change Negotiations: Learning From Allies

2017-10-16T23:37:08-04:00Tags: |

Women across the world are pushing back on the essentialist, NGO-ized, bureaucratic and technocratic narrative that permanently positions them as victims of climate change and in need of constant “capacity building” in order to rescue themselves from this tragedy. Women on the frontlines of climate change, such as peasant farmers or Indigenous women resisting mining operations on their lands, are not only providing radical solutions, but are also actively engaging within other cross-cutting justice movements and frameworks. Women have long understood the dangers of silo movements and politics, and in a world where their oppressions are increasingly interconnected, we need bolder transversal and transnational frameworks/movements for justice. Photo credit: WECAN International

29 09, 2014

Women March With The Message “No Climate Justice Without Gender Justice”

2017-06-19T21:47:52-04:00Tags: |

Women are on the front lines of climate justice advocacy, and they demonstrated their passion during the historic People’s Climate March in New York City. A diverse group of women and organizations gathered for the march and despite the diversity, one coherent message rings clear– there are inseparable links between the climate crisis, the prevailing economic model, and women’s marginalization. The depth of the movement and the strength of women’s voices are undeniable. Photo credit: Julie Gorecki

19 09, 2014

Kelsey Juliana On Climate Change: The Next Generation

2021-03-03T19:55:34-05:00Tags: |

In this video, 18 year-old Oregonian Kelsey Juliana is interviewed about her life-long journey of activism on climate change issues. Following in her parents’ environmental activist footsteps, she was invited by Our Children’s Trust to take part as co-plaintiff in a major lawsuit that could force the state of Oregon to take stronger action against carbon emissions, the cause of global warming and natural disasters. This legal strategy aims to protect the atmosphere based on the public trust doctrine developed by Mary Christina Wood in her book Nature’s Trust. Wood advocates that government should be accountable for any failure to protect the environment and resources that are held in public trust and needed for citizens to survive. Besides the legal route, Kelsey took part in the Great March for Climate Action across America, reaching Washington on 1st November for the UN global summit on climate. Video Capture: Bill Moyer

11 09, 2014

Voices Of Hope/Elizabeth Yeampierre: “There’s Nothing More Sustainable Than A Poor Person”

2023-04-16T16:28:45-04:00Tags: |

Elizabeth Yeampierre is a Puerto Rican attorney with African and Indigenous ancestry who has been an integral part of New York City's environmental justice efforts. She is highly experienced in community organizing, adaptation and resilience. At the Voices of Hope symposium, Yeampierre draws on her years of activism and lived experience to identify the biggest challenge to addressing the climate crisis: privilege. Throughout her speech, Yeampierre speaks to many ways in which power and privilege is hindering the transformative change to climate justice as well as solutions from the perspective of a frontline, grassroots level. Yeampierre poses questions for the listeners to reframe/redefine what they think of as community, place, potential, and being an American. 

2 09, 2014

The Pain In Our Hearts – A Conversation With Yudith Nieto

2019-01-14T17:52:08-05:00Tags: |

Yudith Nieto is a community advocate with the Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS) fighting against capitalism, marginalization, and racism in the U.S. Her home community of Manchester, a neighborhood of Houston, is surrounded by industrial pollution, which impacts the health of people regardless of age. She has been working to mobilize a younger generation to fight against environmental and human injustice, especially in the face of mounting gentrification.  Photo Credit: The Life Support Project

28 08, 2014

Deon Haywood: Nine Years After Hurricane Katrina, It’s All About The Takeover

2017-11-13T18:58:38-05:00Tags: |

Deon Haywood, Executive Director of Women with a Vision, explains her work fighting for reproductive justice, LGBTQ rights and justice for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. She points out that recovery efforts in New Orleans have been multifaceted—on the one hand, economic growth has helped certain parts of the city grow, while other neighborhoods are still dealing with property loss and food deserts. She links the fights against colonization and imperialism to current racialized patterns of gentrification and wealth creation in New Orleans. Photo credit: The Laura Flanders Show

11 07, 2014

These Women-Run Co-ops Are Pushing Back Against The Feminization Of Poverty

2017-06-27T21:29:35-04:00Tags: |

Women in the United States still work in two thirds of the country’s minimum-wage jobs. However, several women-led cooperatives, such as Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security (WAGES) are challenging the status quo. WAGES runs five eco-friendly house cleaning cooperatives where the employees vote on business decisions and the profit is distributed equally. Photo Credit: The Working World  

30 04, 2014

Embodying Self-Determination: Resisting Violence Beyond The Gender Binary

2017-10-30T20:19:49-04:00Tags: |

In this talk, Dr. Sarah Hunt, Assistant Professor in the First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program at the University of British Columbia, argues that the erasure of trans and Two-Spirit people is a form of violence which is directly connected to colonialism. She suggests practices of decolonization to advance Indigenous gender-based narratives and make them more inclusive. Photo credit: Social Justice Institute UBC

15 12, 2013

Wind And Solar Power Best For Navajo Nation

2017-09-26T14:54:18-04:00Tags: |

Wahleah Johns, a Navajo member, clarifies the reasons why wind and solar power are beneficial for Navajo communities and should be promoted as necessary alternatives to coal. Among many arguments, she points out that unlike coal, wind and solar are renewable sources of energy. Wahleah also demonstrates that these sources of renewable energy are more economically viable than coal.

7 12, 2013

Maldives Activist Says Democracy Is Essential For Credible Leadership On Fighting Climate Change

2017-12-07T18:06:50-05:00Tags: |

Thilmeeza Hussain of Voice of Women, Maldives, speaks with Between the Lines News during the International Women's Earth and Climate Initiative Summit on the connection between democracy, strong, free electoral systems, and climate leadership. Thilmeeza reflects on the toppling of the Maldives first democratic government, and what this has meant for the country's ability to respond to pressing climate impacts. Photo credit: Between the Lines

1 11, 2013

Nohra Padilla Leads Improvements In Recycling And Waste Sustainability In Bogotá

2017-11-01T02:47:42-04:00Tags: |

Nohra Padilla has had a long history of experience with waste picking, as she started the occupation from an early age to help her family. With the pass of years, she became one of the main leaders of waste pickers from Bogotá, growing the Association of Recyclers of Bogotá (ARB) into an organization of more than 3,000 informal recyclers and the National Association of Recyclers in Colombia (ANR), with 12,000 members into strong institutions that revolutionized the infrastructure of waste management nationwide. In 2011, Padilla managed to lead a law that prohibits contracts for waste management that do not offer jobs for informal pickers and had them be recognized as a part of the recycling and waste process in Colombia. Even amongst threats to her well-being, Padilla has achieved great improvements for sustainability and waste management in her country. Photo Credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

1 11, 2013

Gigi Francisco Of DAWN And Civil Society Groups: Stop The SPICE Project

2017-11-01T01:17:18-04:00Tags: |

Multiple civil society organizations worldwide are campaigning for the UK Government and Research Councils to stop the SPICE Project (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering), in which they inject aerosol in the stratosphere, in attempts to cool down the rising temperatures. Gigi Francisco, the Global Coordinator of DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era), a global south feminist network, worries that the 10th Convention on Biodiversity meeting in Japan and the agreements on geo-engineering are not being honored and are a setback to finding sustainable development solutions. Diana Bronson from ETC Group, an international technology watchdog, alerts us to the consequences of trying to block sunlight to reach our earth, such as food insecurity and changing rains, among others. Photo credit: Hands Off Mother Earth

1 11, 2013

Afro-Colombians Campaign Against Aerial Fumigation – And Win

2017-11-01T01:10:32-04:00Tags: |

Yolanda Garcia Luango of community organization Aso Manos Negra, alongside many other human rights and environmental activists, farmers, Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, fought for the Colombian government to halt to the spraying of toxic chemicals such as glyphosate. This action is part of the Colombian authorities’ strategy, supported by the United States, to kill coca plants and fight opiate drugs since its early stage, causing many Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities to suffer from exposure to such dangerous components. Photo credit: Global Greengrants Fund

30 10, 2013

Meet Rebecca Johnson, UK

2017-10-30T02:44:22-04:00Tags: |

In this profile from Nobel Women's Initiative, Rebecca Johnson, alumna of the 1980’s-era Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and the continuing Aldermaston Women’s Peace Campaign is profiled for her long history of peace advocacy and activism. She founded the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy in order to support the development of multilateral disarmament and security treaties. She serves as a strong feminist voice for nuclear non-proliferation and world peace. Photo credit: Nobel Women’s Initiative

8 10, 2013

Interlinking Gender, Economic And Ecological Justice In Latin America: Towards A Development Based On The Sustainability Of Life

2017-10-08T22:13:52-04:00Tags: |

Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) is showing how gender is wedged in the middle of economic and environmental justice in Latin America. In this educational document DAWN emphasizes how the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) fall short, especially in addressing the essential intersections between the economy, gender, and ecological justice. In turn, DAWN educates and advocates for a systemic transformation rooted in gender, economic and ecological justice in Latin America. Photo credit: DAWN

25 09, 2013

Women And Climate Change: Supporting And Uplifting Women In Africa

2017-10-25T23:10:33-04:00Tags: |

In this compelling interview, Thom Hartmann, Osprey Orielle Lake and Rosemary Enie of Women’s Earth and Climate Action discuss the impact of climate change on women in Africa after the International Women's Earth and Climate Summit (2013). Women bare the brunt of the work when it comes to food and agriculture, as well as water and the growing cases of environmental changes, such as desertification, only increase the risks women face on a daily basis. Lake and Enie call for women to be seen as agents of change, rather than being seen as victims. Photo credit: The Big Picture RT

25 08, 2013

Degrowth And Equality Of The Sexes?

2017-09-24T20:34:58-04:00Tags: |

In this interview, Sarah Nemno asks France’s Degrowth party member Vincent Liegey about how gender equality fits into degrowth economics. Liegey argues is that a degrowth of economics also means a degrowth of inequalities, including gender disparities. In exploring the topic, the two discuss the decolonization of our imaginations, of our western ideas of development, and above all of our masculinist and patriarchal frameworks. Photo credit: Projet Decroissance

1 07, 2013

Vanessa Rule Tells The Story Of Mothers Out Front

2017-11-01T03:05:16-04:00Tags: |

Hundred of mothers came together in 2013 to co-write the “Declaration of Protection For Our Children Against Climate Change.” This act ultimately solidified the mission for Mothers Out Front and continues to empower mothers, grandmothers and caregivers from around the U.S. to join the climate movement and protect their children from the impacts of climate change. Vanessa Rule, who tells her story in this recording, is the Co-Founder and Director of Learning and Expansion at Mothers Out Front. Photo credit: mgielissoc

1 06, 2013

Activist Dolores Huerta Speaks Out About Sexual Assault On Female Farmers

2017-11-01T00:43:29-04:00Tags: |

In this interview, Dolores Huerta, a Latino labor leader, civil rights activist and founder of the United Farm Workers of America, recounts her experience in the agricultural labor movement from the 1960s until today. She gives us insights into women farmers’ vulnerability to violence, sexual harassment and rape. A lack of information, knowledge on their rights, language barriers and spatial isolation, combined with  fear of retaliation and unemployment not only for the women, but to the whole family, makes it harder and rarer for women to come forward against this kind of violence. Dolores also speaks about union movements as a way of tackling impunity and defending farmers’ rights before agribusinesses. Photo credit: PBS

27 04, 2013

International Women’s Earth And Climate Summit Declares Climate Emergency

2017-10-27T12:00:02-04:00Tags: |

The International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit declared climate emergency at the first International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit held in Suffern, New York. Over 100 women from the northern and southern hemisphere came together to discuss the solutions to prevent climate change at the local and international level. There are major hurdles to overcome in preventing climate change, such as the tar sands in Canada and gas pipelines like the Keystone XL in the United States.

24 04, 2013

Becoming a Habitat: Motherhood, Faith and the Environmental Human Rights Movement

2025-04-24T17:09:14-04:00Tags: |

The Bioneers is a podcast series that platforms and celebrates scientific and social solutions to restore people and the planet. This episode is about the work, research, and activism of Sandra Steingraber in the fight against pervasive pesticide use and chemical dependency. Steingraber is an American biologist, ecologist, poet, mother, author, and activist. She is also a survivor of bladder cancer, a diagnosis she received as a 20 year old college student. She advocates for the adoption of a rights-based environmental justice framework in order to fight against both toxicity and injustice. She describes the idea of ‘chemical trespass,’ the concept that in modern chemical-filled American society, people are not safe from chemicals at home, work, or even within their own bodies. She emphasizes how the link between carcinogens and the environment is still largely missing from the conversation around cancer and medical health care. Bladder cancer is a quintessential ‘environmental cancer.’ Steingraber grew up in a region with statistically elevated cancer risk due to the industrial pollution lining the Illinois river. Such toxins and carcinogens bioaccumulate, building up in our bodies over time and leading to health complications. Federal laws are falling behind chemical science, with chemical compounds still found in common plastics linked to cancer, obesity, hyperactivity, heart disease, and infertility—and disproportionately harming communities of color and low-income communities. This episode shows how this public issue with personal consequences has motivated Steingraber to use biology and activism to fight for legislative reform and better chemical management systems.

30 01, 2013

Feminist Movement Builders’ Dictionary

2017-10-31T15:52:58-04:00Tags: |

Words have political power, which is why Just Associates decided to create a dictionary especially for feminist movement builders. This publication provides a diverse lexicon for activists, organizers and women leaders to use in their work. The document was compiled using the expertise of diverse women from Mesoamerica, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa.

1 01, 2013

BP Oil Spill 5 Years Later: Environmental Justice Struggle Continues in Gulf Region After 2010 Spill

2017-11-01T21:46:09-04:00Tags: |

Monique Harden, attorney and Co-Director of Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, speaks on Democracy Now! three years after the catastrophic BP Oil Spill, sharing environmental justice analysis of the impacts of the spill, and ongoing lawsuits and efforts for clean up and justice. Advocates for Environmental Human Rights is a non-profit public interest law firm. In collaboration with Co-Director Nathalie Walker, Monique Harden has spearheaded numerous initiatives, such stopping land theft from historic African-American community in Mossville, Louisiana; advocating for the human rights of displaced Gulf Coast hurricane survivors; and preventing the building of waste dumps near schools. Photo credit: Democracy Now!

5 12, 2012

Vandana Shiva: Everything I Need To Know I Learned In The Forest

2017-06-20T07:37:11-04:00Tags: |

Vandana Shiva is an internationally-renowned activist for biodioversity and against corporate globalization. Vandana has been responding to deforestation and attacks on nature since the 1970s, when peasant women in her region of the Himalayas rose up together in defense of their forest. Logging in the area led to landslides, floods, and scarcity of water and fuel, with the burden falling heavily on local women. Since that time, Vandana says that biodiversity and biodiversity-based living economies became her life’s mission, acting as a documentarian and activist, spreading the message that the failure to understand biodiversity and its many functions is at the root of the impoverishment of nature and culture. Photo credit: Suzanne Lee

1 11, 2012

Beverly Wright: Justice And Equity In The Face Of Climate Change

2017-11-01T18:01:56-04:00Tags: |

Beverly Wright is the Founder and Executive Director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. A powerful environmental justice advocate, she spoke to about justice and equity in relationship to climate change at the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's (CEC) Joint Public Advisory Committee workshop entitled "Resilient Communities in North America" in New Orleans. Photo credit: CECweb

1 11, 2012

La Via Campesina Booklet: Stop The Violence Against Women

2017-11-01T00:48:30-04:00Tags: |

Within the Global Campaign to End Violence Against Women, started in 2008 by La Via Campesina, this booklet on violence against women, available for downloading, was produced. It aims at informing and sharing discussions, events and progress from the campaign and offers a guide to understanding what violence against women is, what kind of attitude can consist in violence against women, what kind of consequences it has, and also how this appears and happens within the agribusiness and capitalist systems. Finally, it also debates ways of fighting to end gender violence. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

27 10, 2012

Governments Gamble With Our Future; South Feminists Demand Responsible Action Now

2017-10-31T15:44:25-04:00Tags: |

Even though the Rio principles are reaffirmed at Rio+20, the outcome is imbalanced regarding sustainable development without sufficient attention to gender, social justice and women’s rights. In addition, systemic inequities and economic growth are prioritized over ecology and equity. Feminists in the global South demand the governments to start addressing the structural transformations that are required in order to move towards an efficient sustainable development.

13 09, 2012

Cambodia: Detention Of Women Land Activists

2019-04-13T16:15:43-04:00Tags: |

Yorm Bopha and Tim Sakmony, are the latest targets of the Cambodian authorities’ attempt to intimidate Cambodia’s human rights defenders and social activists. Bopha and Sakmony, have protested against forced evictions in Phnom Penh and were both arrested in 2012 on false accusations. Both women have been detained before their trial, which is unwarranted under Cambodian law.  In view of the Cambodian authorities’ established record of abuse of the law and misuse of the courts to prosecute social activists and human rights defenders for their legitimate exercise of basic human rights. international organizations have stated that the legal actions against Bopha and Sakmony are motivated by their involvement in protests and campaigns on behalf of the land and housing rights of the Boeung Kak and Borei Keila communities.

29 05, 2012

Spotlight on gender and food security in Burkina Faso

2019-04-13T15:45:36-04:00Tags: |

Women play a large roll in the agricultural labor force of Burkina Faso. They are involved with sowing seeds, collecting water and wood, harvesting crops, processing grain, and preserving and processing non-timber. Despite doing so, they have limited knowledge on how to access resources and extension services such as micro-credits, land rights, access to technology and know-how. Additionally, they are also responsible for their children’s education, hygiene, and sanitation around the house. As the increasing effects of climate change loom ahead, there’s concern that women in Burkina Faso need to do more to find water and wood, with little regard for their responsibilities at home as a productive family member. Women are more likely to come in direct contact with the land as they are present from production to the processing of products. Given their relationship with agriculture, women have a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of climate change on land and community. Climate-proofed food security can only be achieved if gendered-approaches to climate adaptation are taken. In Burkina Faso, the challenge lies in lifting certain social barriers, which are rooted in tradition, religion, and culture. Photo Credit:  N. Palmer (CIAT)

25 05, 2012

Violence Against Papuan Women: The Resource Extraction Link

2017-10-25T23:49:18-04:00Tags: |

A new report by the International Center for Transitional Justice makes clear the links between natural resource extraction and violence against Papuan women. The report, titled Enough is Enough!, is the result of an initiative begun in 2009 to document incidences of violence against women and human rights abuses in Papua over the past four decades. The report also includes sections on the growth of women’s organisations, on domestic violence and on equality in the context of Papuan Indigenous institutions. Photo credit: International Center for Transitional Justice

1 11, 2011

Kari Fulton, Climate Leader

2017-11-01T17:49:29-04:00Tags: |

Kari Fulton is a powerful voice in the movement for environmental justice. A proud graduate of Howard University, Fulton is the co-founder of Checktheweather.TV, a digital community that amplifies the voices of young people of color working for environmental justice. She has worked at Green For All and also served as Interim Director of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, and as the National Youth Campaign Coordinator for the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC). Fulton helped coordinate Power Shift 2009, the largest lobby day and youth summit on climate change in United States history. Fulton was included in Ebony Magazine's 2010 Power 100 list. Photo credit: Green For All

1 11, 2011

Launch In Africa Of The Vía Campesina Campaign Condemning Violence Against Women

2017-11-01T01:18:39-04:00Tags: |

The African peasant members of La Via Campesina gathered during the 2011 World Social Forum, in Dakar, Senegal, to launch an African campaign of the international movement to fight violence against women, originally launched in 2008. Women farmers, besides suffering from the violence women face on a daily basis, also face social and economic exclusion and oppression. Being a farmer’s movement, the campaign in Africa set out to conduct activities regional and nationally at the legal advocacy level, to ensure legal protection for women, raise awareness regarding violence against women, strengthen partnerships in multiple levels, especially with the World Women’s March, and claim more female participation in political and public processes. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

1 11, 2011

Where Are The Women At Occupy Wall Street? Everywhere, And They’re Not Going Away

2017-11-01T00:29:04-04:00Tags: |

Sarah Seltzer speaks with a dozen women involved in instilling a lens of equality to the Occupy Wall Street movement at Zuccotti Park in New York City. The horizontal structure of the movement, preserving direct democracy, creating safe spaces, and creating power outside of a misogynistic arena, are discussed as successful anti-oppression tactics for the Occupy movement, and all other movements seeking justice and equity for all. Photo credit: AP Photo/Andrew Burton

31 10, 2011

Lessons From Ag. Street Landfill, An African American Neighborhood Built On Toxic Dump

2017-10-31T01:13:03-04:00Tags: |

Elodia M. Blanco, an environmental justice advocate on the Gulf Coast, tells us about moving to a black neighbourhood in New Orleans around 30 years ago, built on top of a landfill, and its many deadly consequences - and how that turned her into a fighter for environmental justice. Elodia fought for more than 20 years for rights and reparations for her community, who did not know their houses were built on the toxic dumping ground for Hurricane Betsy. She became the President of Concerned Citizens of Agriculture Street Landfill, and after years of struggle, offline lobbying and advocating for justice, some results from their class action lawsuit have been coming out recently. She strongly recommends people to never forget to ask questions when moving into a new place, because if people do not ask them, they are not going to be told willingly. Photo credit: Thom Scott/The Times-Picayune

30 10, 2011

International Changemakers: Honoring Elder Women Activists

2017-10-30T03:32:40-04:00Tags: |

In this Women Rising radio project, three elderly women are interviewed and honored for their far-reaching contributions to social causes, environmental justice, women’s rights, peacebuilding, and civil rights. Dr. Helen Caldicott is an Australian advocate for the international anti-nuclear movement and founder of the Nuclear Policy Research Institute. Dolores Huerta is Latino woman who fights for civil and women’s rights for farmworkers and co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. Mairead Corrigan Maguire co-founded the Community of the Peace People and advocated for a peaceful movement in Northern Ireland, which won her a Nobel Peace Prize.

30 10, 2011

Celebrating Women Activists: South Africa’s Mphatheleni Makaulule

2017-10-31T15:00:40-04:00Tags: |

Mphatheleni Makaulule from the VhaVenda tribe of Northern South Africa, in Limpopo province, has dedicated her life to protecting the sacred natural sites and ecosystems in her community as well as reviving Indigenous knowledge and the role of the women chiefs and spiritual leaders known as the Makhadzi. Having built the Luvhola cultural village with the help of her community close to two decades ago, as well as establishing the Dzomo La Mupo committee with local Makahadzis, Mphatheleni’s work challenges the socioeconomic order that oppresses women and nature and forges ahead to build a more egalitarian world. Photo Credit: The Ecologist

23 08, 2010

A Hard Fight For Political Representation In Biloxi, Missouri

2017-08-26T15:40:50-04:00Tags: |

Sharon Hanshaw first gathered a group of women to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Katrina in funeral home, one of the only buildings left standing amid the devastation in Biloxi, Missouri. A beautician turned activist, Sharon helped found Coastal Women for Change, a group that advocates for low-income people and people of color that are often overlooked in the redevelopment process. Traveling with the tour Climate Wise Women, Hanshaw continues to tell her story, highlighting the intersections of environmental racism, classism, gentrification and the disproportionate burden women continue to shoulder in the face of climate change. Photo credit: Debbie Elliott/NPR

24 01, 2010

Statement On Gender, Economic And Ecological Justice By Young Africa Women Activists

2018-01-24T12:17:06-05:00Tags: |

Young African women played an important role in the “African Women’s Decade”, including through a gathering of women activist in Accra, Ghana for the Regional Consultation and Training on Gender, Economic and Environmental Justice. As part of the 5 year anniversary of the Maputo Protocol around women’s rights, the women participants issues a statement raising calls for inclusion of sexual rights, and urged the national legislations to adopt inclusive and sustainable strategies to prevent climate change. Lastly, they demanded from different governments to ensure women’s right to land and property, and end discriminatory practices and laws around land rights.

1 11, 2009

Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Olga Speranskaya Of Russia Protecting People And Land From Toxic Waste

2017-11-01T02:45:20-04:00Tags: |

Olga Speranskaya is a Russian scientist and Director of the Chemical Safety Program at the Eco-Accord Center for Environment and Sustainable Development (Eco-Accord). She leads a coalition of organizations, government representatives and academics in 11 countries from the former Soviet Union. This network is focused on identifying and eliminating toxic chemicals from the environment and diminishing exposure that can harm people’s health. Her campaign works towards a toxic-free environment and convinced nine national governments to accept the Stockholm Convention forbidding the dumping of pollutants into the environment. Photo credit: The Goldman Environmental Prize

1 11, 2009

Climate Hero Sharon Hanshaw

2017-11-01T02:06:50-04:00Tags: |

Sharon Hanshaw became a climate change advocate and leader for her community after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her house, workplace and community in Mississippi. After that, she gathered with other women to think of how to recover from the damage and became the director of Coastal Women for Change, a NGO created to foster economic empowerment and recovery, training for jobs and climate change resilience. In this interview, she tells us more about this process and how she has been trying to raise awareness in the communities and also with politicians about how climate change hazards increases the likelihood of natural disasters, which affects poor communities the most. Photo credit: Liliana Rodriguez/Oxfam America.

30 10, 2009

Mari Rose Taruc Speaks In Copenhagen At Chevron International Headquarters

2017-10-30T02:59:19-04:00Tags: |

Mari Rose Taruc from the Asian Pacific Environmental Network spoke at Chevron’s international headquarters in Copenhagen about the link between Asian-American populations and tar sands. Her home of Richmond, California is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, which disproportionately impact communities of color. The Asian Pacific Environmental Network fought alongside Communities for a Better Environment and the West County Toxic Coalition to halt the expansion of a local Chevron refinery. Photo credit: RTC_USA

30 10, 2009

Las Mujeres Hablan (The Women Speaking) Against Nuclear Contamination

2017-10-30T02:41:35-04:00Tags: |

Las Mujeres Hablan is a network of women leaders from New Mexico who are working for global nuclear disarmament. For decades, the Los Alamos National Laboratory has manufactured plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads and weapons on occupied Pueblo Indigenous land, in the Pajarito Plateau of the Jemez Mountains. The women are speaking out by building relationships with decision-makers and drawing attention to the issue, advocating for peace and nuclear disarmament. Photo credit: Nobel Women’s Initiative

11 10, 2009

After Hurricane Katrina, Sharon Henshaw Founded Coastal Women For Change

2017-05-07T10:16:02-04:00Tags: |

Sharon Henshaw became a leader on climate change after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her home, her beauty parlour, and the homes and livelihoods of her neighbours. Henshaw and several dozen women met regularly to discuss how to meet the community’s needs in the context of climate change and the increased risk of natural disasters. They founded Coastal Woman for Change, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the community and the local economy recover, providing emergency preparedness training and gaining government support. 

14 12, 2008

Environmental Disasters In The Asia-Pacific: What About Reproductive Health In Emergencies?

2018-02-14T22:04:43-05:00Tags: |

The Asia-Pacific is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change induced disasters, which pose a serious threat to maternal and infant health. Such was the case in Myanmar after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, where women in the Ayeyarwady Delta women were affected by the destruction of homes and roads, as well as the death of midwives, which increased the risks associated with childbirth. In 2004 in post-tsunami Indonesia, the interruption of access to reproductive health services, particularly contraceptives, impacted women on Aceh and Nias Islands. These examples and others emphasise the importance of a gendered approach to disaster management, and responses that recognize the two-way relationship between reproductive health and women’s empowerment.

1 11, 2008

Declaration Of The Third Assembly Of The Women Of La Via Campesina

2017-11-01T00:46:57-04:00Tags: |

During the fifth International Conference of the La Via Campesina, in Maputo, Mozambique, 2008, women from all over the world gathered to make a joint declaration. In this text, they reaffirm their fight against gender norms that violate the human dignity of women worldwide - as well as the neoliberal economic system that perpetuates such practices, which affect women and girls in rural areas the most. Not only that, but they also claim their right to nondiscrimination and their sexual and reproductive rights. The women of the Via Campesina commit themselves to reach a violence-free rural world, with justice, solidarity and with food security. Photo credit: La Via Campesina

30 10, 2008

Domestic Dirt In The Coal Rush: Women’s Struggle For Home And Community

2017-10-30T02:57:17-04:00Tags: |

This paper, by Georgina Murray and David Peetz of Griffith University in Brisbane, uses oral history to explore the gendered historical experiences of coal mining towns in the Bowen Basin. The Bowen Basin is home to vast reserves of coal, which underwent a boom in the 20th century that resulted in vast profits for some but poverty for many of the community’s members.

1 02, 2008

Black Ancestral Medicine in Ecuador’s Pacific Coast

2023-11-08T12:58:39-05:00Tags: |

In the North of Esmeraldas region in Ecuador, Afro-Ecuadorian women healers use their ancestral knowledge, along with other medical systems, to create a hybrid healing community. Benita Angulo, colloquially known as Venus, has been a practitioner of her traditional medicine in San Lorenzo for decades. While most places in Ecuador now have access to Western healthcare practices, San Lorenzo has been left out. Parteras (midwives), such as Venus, have been continuing their practice for women in the area. Their practices emphasize natural and local sources of healing, and center the patient in their practice. The Ecuadorian government has not adapted its public health system to meet the diverse population needs, and many parteras are outpriced and traditional knowledge is lost. Traditional practice has unique benefits and roles in Latin American populations, and must be regarded equally to Western medicine in public health matters. Photo credit: Raul Ceballos

19 06, 2007

Women Absorb Up To 5lbs Of Damaging Chemicals Each Year Thanks To Beauty Products

2020-04-24T16:19:20-04:00Tags: |

he average woman can absorb as much as 5 pounds of threatening chemicals each year through cosmetics alone. Research within the cosmetic industry still lacks sufficient data on the many ways human-made compounds may react to each other. As a consequence, studies are showing links between common cosmetic chemical ingredients and irritation, inhibited bacterial growth, premature aging, and, in some cases, cancer in female consumers. Scientists claim that absorbing harmful chemicals are in some cases more dangerous than consumption due to their immediate absorption into the bloodstream. Photo Credit: Fiona Macrae

30 10, 2006

Environmental Justice Campaigns Provide Fertile Ground For Joint Efforts With Reproductive Rights Advocates

2017-10-30T03:27:30-04:00Tags: |

Black people and communities of color (mostly low-income) have for centuries borne disproportionately the impacts of environmental degradation as well as racist reproductive health policies. While the two issues have been a point for strong organizing and movements over the years, it has become imperative to treat these two justice issues as mutually reinforcing and connected oppressions that these communities face. In finding common ground, activists across the United States are analyzing and actively dismantling environmental racism and discriminatory health policies that are built on market fundamentalisms and building more just world for their communities and others.

30 10, 2006

Rural Women’s Assembly Presents On Movement Building In Mauritius

2017-10-30T03:09:36-04:00Tags: |

Members of the Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) together with close to 100 activists, largely from Africa, attended an international conference on ecology that was held in Mauritius and hosted by the Centre for Alternative Research and Studies (CARES), an eco-socialist collective in the country. RWA’s presentation focused on building the movements, agency and voice of poor rural women in Africa who are fighting the effects of climate change and its structural causes. For the women of the RWA, the struggle against climate change is a struggle against capitalism and most importantly, a daily struggle for alternatives and world that is truly just for all. Photo credit: Rural Women’s Assembly

1 06, 2006

Majora Carter: Greening The Ghetto

2017-07-20T17:56:40-04:00Tags: |

Majora Carter is a leader in urban environmental justice and a key organizer of the grassroots movements to "green the ghetto," pushing for South Bronx's first open water park and a greenway along the waterfront. Through her work with Sustainable South Bronx, Majora Carter has spearheaded sustainable job training programs and the development of urban green belts and parks in underserved and low-income communities across the city. In this TED Talk, Majora discusses environmental racism and the impacts of industry on people of color, and how a critical environmental justice framework can help people re-claim and re-green public spaces. Photo credit: ted.com

1 11, 2005

Kaisha Atakhanova Challenged A Government Plan To Import And Store Foreign Radioactive Waste In Kazakhstan

2017-11-01T01:57:37-04:00Tags: |

Founder and director of the Karaganda Ecological Center, an organization that promotes citizen democratic processes and environmental protection, Kaisha Atakhanova is a biologist that led a campaign to prevent a legislation that would have allowed nuclear waste to be imported commercially in Kazakhstan. Atakhanova organized a network of over 60 NGOs to fight the legislation and organized the campaign that stopped it from happening. With her efforts, the visibility of nuclear contamination issues increased and Kazakh civil society was strengthened. Photo credit: The Goldman Environmental Prize

8 01, 2005

Gender Equality And State Environmentalism

2025-01-25T11:39:57-05:00Tags: |

In this empirical study from a large sample of nation-states, Kari Norgaard and Richard York analyse the correlation between gender equality within state organs of government and state environmental policy. They find that countries with greater gender equality and women in power (e.g. government, parliament) are more likely to support ecological protection and ratify international environmental treaties. The authors posit that gender and eco-feminist theories can help better understand state environmentalism, and inform the relationship between society and nature more positively. Since women tend to be more risk-averse, engage in social movements and suffer disproportionately from environmental disasters, the authors argue that gender equality and pro-environmental values could be factors for ecological reforms. They conclude that feminist theories can contribute greatly to further empirical work on environmental sociology, and that global environmental efforts would be more effectively supported through elevating the status and representation of women in politics. 

1 11, 2004

Rashida Bee And Champa Devi Shukla Lead Fight For Justice From Union Carbide Gas Disaster

2017-11-01T02:51:02-04:00Tags: |

In 1984, Bhopal, India suffered what would be the world’s biggest industrial disaster: the Union Carbide gas leak that killed more than 20,000 people. More than 20 years have passed and victims and their offspring still have no justice. Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla, two Bhopal activists, are demanding justice for survivors. In 1986, both women, former workers at the factory, organized an independent union to fight for their worker’s rights and conditions and better wages, which helped them achieve gains for their class. In 2002, they organized a hunger strike that had unimaginable reach also to other countries and more than 1,500 people participating, and have, ever since, continued fighting to find justice for their own. Photo credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

1 11, 1994

Laila Iskandar Pioneers Justice And Health In Waste Management In Egypt

2017-11-01T02:41:35-04:00Tags: |

Laila Kamel Iskandar was a pioneer in waste management. She started an innovative social and environmental project of earning money out of recycling household waste in a community near Cairo, improving the lives of garbage collectors. She also began an informal school to teach about hygiene and health, with a flexible schedule to keep up with families of garbage collectors, where children started helping out and working at an early age. Laila later became the Volunteer Field Director for the Rag Recycling Center at the Association for the Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.), an organization with different projects targeted toward the garbage collector community, fostering tourism in the area. She also runs a Rug-Weaving Center for girls, where they learn handcrafts, and also to read, write and do basic calculations. Photo credit: The Goldman Environmental Prize

Copyright © 2017-2025 Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, International. | All Rights Reserved
FacebookTwitter