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Renewable Energy And Sustainable Technology

/Renewable Energy And Sustainable Technology

 

14 03, 2024

Who Are Green Jobs Really For?

2024-09-13T15:18:16-04:00Tags: |

The push for "green" jobs in traditionally male-dominated fields like energy and construction, while commendable, risks reinforcing gender disparities unless we expand our vision to include the care sector. Shockingly, despite women's significant contributions to the care economy, a report by the International Despite initiatives like Biden's American Climate Corps and the European Green Deal promising millions of new, well-paid positions, women remain significantly underrepresented in green industries. Shockingly, only 32% of jobs in renewables worldwide are held by women, as highlighted by a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency. By overlooking the significance of care jobs in green investment, policymakers miss an opportunity to create a more just and caring economy that prioritizes human rights, gender equity, and environmental wellbeing. Recognizing care work as essential to green investment isn't just about fairness—it's about harnessing the power of women to drive transformative change towards a sustainable future. By diversifying the green workforce and implementing gender-sensitive policies, we can pave the way for a truly inclusive transition that values the contributions of all individuals, regardless of gender.

16 11, 2023

Feminist Approach Key to Just Energy Transition in Asia — Coalition

2024-09-13T15:22:29-04:00Tags: |

The Asia Feminist Coalition calls for a feminist approach to energy transitions in Asia, aiming for a just shift to clean energy that tackles historical and current gender inequalities. This involves empowering women and integrating them into the renewable energy sector, while also overhauling economic, social, and political systems to combat systemic inequities. Promoting small-scale, locally owned, and gender-representative energy systems, upskilling women for participation in male-dominated pathways, and implementing gender-responsive policy frameworks are crucial. Ensuring women's control over natural resources and protecting community rights from large-scale clean energy projects are also key priorities. The coalition advocates for economies prioritizing state-led redistribution and increased international climate finance, with a focus on gender equality and debt cancellation for climate-vulnerable countries in Asia. These efforts aim to achieve a just feminist energy transition, fostering a more equitable and sustainable future in the region.

18 10, 2023

Eunice Foote: The First Climate Scientist’s Legacy

2024-09-16T10:10:50-04:00Tags: |

Eunice Foote, often overlooked in the archives of climate science, stands as a testament to the resilience of women in the face of historical erasure. While John Tyndall is celebrated for his work on the greenhouse effect, it was Foote who, in 1856, conducted groundbreaking experiments from her home in upstate New York, revealing the warming properties of carbon dioxide. Despite her lack of institutional support, Foote's findings, presented by a male colleague at a prestigious scientific gathering and later published in a respected journal, foreshadowed our current understanding of climate change by over 166 years. Her story resonates today as we grapple with gender disparities in scientific fields, with women and particularly women of color, still vastly underrepresented. Parenthood and discrimination are additional barriers faced by women, highlighting the urgent need for diversity and inclusion initiatives like Reclaiming STEM. Foote's legacy reminds us that progress requires recognizing and amplifying the contributions of all individuals, regardless of gender or background.

16 08, 2023

Meet the Ukrainian Woman Solving the ‘five fear factors’ of Wave Energy

2024-02-20T10:11:20-05:00Tags: |

Despite its potential to surpass wind power in efficiency, wave energy remains largely unexplored. Inna Braverman, CEO of Eco Wave Power, is changing that narrative. Inspired by her survival of the Chernobyl disaster as an infant, Inna has dedicated her career to advancing clean energy solutions. In tackling the drawbacks of offshore wave energy, she devised a groundbreaking land-based approach, repurposing existing structures for power generation. This innovative strategy not only mitigates environmental impact but also improves affordability and reliability. The US alone could meet 66% of its energy needs with wave power. Through pilot projects in Gibraltar and Israel, Eco Wave Power exemplifies the leadership of women like Inna in revolutionizing renewable energy technologies.  Photography Credit: Inna Braverman

22 05, 2023

For a Just Transition, Recruit More Women Electricians

2024-02-14T17:04:31-05:00Tags: |

The trades in general and electrical work specifically are largely male-dominated industries. Only 2% of electricians are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Nevertheless, to transition away from fossil fuels and toward electrifying cars and buildings, the United States will need approximately one million more electricians.  Unfortunately, women are often excluded from well-paid jobs because of widespread harassment and abuse, lack of visibility, exclusionary unions, childcare, and a lack of support for caregivers. Tonya Hicks was able to overcome various challenges on the basis of her gender and race and become an electrician, and opened her own firm, Power Solutions, in Atlanta. Hicks and her staff of nine specialize in renewable energy projects, home retrofits and electric vehicle chargers manufacturing. Photo Credit: Greg Morris Photography/Nontraditional Employment for Women

23 03, 2023

Italy’s Model For Renewable Energy Communities

2023-12-04T15:38:00-05:00Tags: |

The city of Naples, Italy, has endured not only high poverty and unemployment rates, but also some of the highest energy costs in the country. Within this context, the San Giovanni a Teduccio neighborhood of Naples, demonstrates a shining example of how renewable energy can serve as a solution to the unsustainable costs and environmental consequences of fossil fuel based energy. Anna Riccardi, president of the local grassroots organization Fondazione Famiglia di Maria, is working with the environmental nonprofit Legambiente, to implement solar energy in her community by installing solar panels on top of the building in which her organization resides. These panels currently provide energy to 20 households, who now pay up to 25% less than average consumers on energy bills. In addition, there are plans to add 20 new households to this microgrid soon. By sharing renewable energy among a community, this project fights inequality by making green energy accessible to low-income families. Legambiente strategically combines the solar array with education efforts on how to reduce unsustainable habits to maximize the long-term sustainability of the project. Workshops have also been set up to equip young people in the community with skills geared towards the larger energy transition - demonstrating how renewable energy communities can not only provide affordable energy, but promote new jobs and combat unemployment. San Giovanni a Teduccio may serve as a model for other communities in the transition towards renewable energy, with Riccardi emphasizing that there have already been positive ripple effects, with numerous communities in Italy planning to create similar renewable energy networks. Photo Credit: Legambiente/Fondazione Famiglia di Maria

8 03, 2023

Morocco’s Women can Lead the Way to a Green Future

2024-09-16T10:28:45-04:00Tags: |

In Morocco, the harsh reality of climate change manifests in exacerbated droughts, water scarcity, and extreme weather events, disproportionately impacting women and children. With women often at the forefront of climate adaptation due to their reliance on land use for livelihoods, they emerge as crucial stakeholders in addressing environmental challenges. Women, who constitute 45-80% of the agricultural workforce in the country, face hurdles in land ownership and leadership roles, aggravating their vulnerability. Despite reinforced national policies, inadequate funding perpetuates economic hardships. With dwindling water resources compounding agricultural challenges, prioritizing adaptation efforts, especially involving women, is imperative. Learning from the innovative strategies of women in rural areas, such as cooperative ventures that conserve water and foster economic growth, underscores their potential as change agents. Engaging women in adaptation initiatives not only promotes gender equality but also harnesses their invaluable knowledge for building a sustainable future. By integrating rural women into national adaptation policies and providing them with capacity-building opportunities, governments can better navigate environmental uncertainties and contribute to resilience-building efforts, ensuring a brighter future for generations to come.

21 02, 2023

The power of renewables: Productive use appliances as climate change solutions in sub-Saharan Africa

2023-05-26T15:13:01-04:00Tags: |

Sub-saharan Africa is globally the most vulnerable region to climate change. Factors such as structural weaknesses, governmental instability, and internal displacement makes Sub-Saharan Africa even more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as the environmental degradation combined with extreme weather conditions, such as prolonged drought, put enormous stress on countries in the region. At the moment, 570 million people in the region (48 percent) lack access to electricity, while 900 million people (83 percent) lack access to clean cooking. Across the region, communities in low-income countries often have limited access to high-performing appliances for income generation and rely on traditional and dirty energy sources, like kerosene or diesel. In order to improve access to these essential services and build climate resilient societies, productive use appliances (PUAs) powered by renewable energy are an opportunity for community-based action. Ranging from solar water pumps for irrigation and cold storage for preservation of food to solar cookstoves and grain mills for small-scale food processing, PUAs could support the region’s transition towards low-carbon energy sources and contribute to the rise of productivity and residents’ incomes. This would be a good strategy to reinforce the local economy through the creation of new job opportunities and the improvement of livelihood and food security. Nonetheless, it is important to increase the levels of scalability of these programmes and ensure that PUAs reach a broader pool of users through results-based financing, grants, and subsidies and ad-hoc training courses to develop entrepreneurial and business skills. Photo Credit: Jeffery M Walcott/IWMI

13 02, 2023

Renewable Energy Transition Empowers Women-Owned Coffee Business in Indonesia

2024-09-13T15:09:29-04:00Tags: |

In response to the climate crisis impacting coffee production in Indonesia, women-owned business, Lady Farmer Coffee in Karangkobar, Central Java, has pioneered a transformative shift towards renewable energy, particularly solar power, to drive their coffee drying operations. Led by founder Farida Dwi, also known as Wiwi, the plantation not only provides the quality and taste of Indonesian coffee but also serves as a beacon of support for women farmers in the region. Facing challenges posed by climate change and rising electricity costs, the adoption of solar energy not only mitigates environmental impact, but also enhances economic viability. Through partnerships with organizations like the Diversity Movement and Greenpeace Indonesia, Lady Farmer Coffee showcases the potential of renewable energy in overcoming climate-related hurdles, reducing drying time by 40% and costs by 35% in the coffee production process. This innovative approach not only secures the sustainability of coffee production but also fosters female entrepreneurship and resilience amidst uncertain weather patterns, setting a transformative example for the broader agricultural industry.

13 02, 2023

Young Women Explore Energy Careers at Co-op Girl Power Camp in Virginia

2024-09-13T15:05:43-04:00Tags: |

Girl Power Camp, hosted by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives is gaining momentum, attracting over 80 high school girls from across Virginia to explore careers in the energy industry. Through hands-on sessions led by industry professionals, participants engage in hands-on activities such as pole climbing, bucket truck operation, and drone piloting. They also delve into essential skills like fiber splicing, job interviewing, and financial management, highlighting the role of the girls in tackling diversity and inclusivity in the traditionally male-dominated energy sector. Girl Power has seen significant growth since its inception, receiving support from more sponsors and now offers scholarships. Looking ahead, there are discussions about expanding the camp to a two-day format and potentially including programs in other regions to accommodate more participants and further promote gender equality and professional development opportunities for young women in the industry.

10 02, 2023

Female solar workers can face prejudice. This woman wants that to change.

2024-02-14T17:22:14-05:00Tags: |

The renewable energy industry is a much more diverse and inclusive sector than the traditional energy and fossil fuels sector. Thanks to its multidisciplinary dimension, solar employs proportionally more women than any other energy technology. Nonetheless, the vast majority of solar installers and service technicians are men, so women are likely to face discrimination or harassment at their workplace. In order to tackle these concerns, companies are encouraged to target the existing barriers to entry for women and underrepresented groups. Issues such as perceived gender roles, cultural and social norms, and discouraging workplace practices are being addressed through adequate diversity and equity trainings for all staff. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that the number of jobs in renewables could increase from 10.3 million in 2017 to nearly 29 million in 2050. Therefore, the sector represents a major opportunity for sustainable development and for women’s employment. Gender-blind energy sector policies and programs fail to integrate women’s experiences and expertise, and risk worsening the gender gap in the energy access context. Hence, it is important to ensure that women’s contributions, their skills and views represent an integral part of the growing industry. Photo Credit: N/A

23 07, 2022

Nigeria’s Solar Sisters Bring Clean Energy to Communities

2023-05-26T15:12:31-04:00Tags: |

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest energy access rate on Earth. Nearly 600 million people lack access to electricity and over 700 million rely on polluting fuels. Solar Sister is an organization that gives women an opportunity to become entrepreneurs while supporting the clean energy revolution. The movement launched its first pilot programme in 2010 and currently has over 8000 entrepreneurs, 87% percent of whom are women, who have been able to reach more than 3 million people living in rural communities with durable, affordable solar-powered products and clean stoves. One of the main goals of the project is to better understand the interconnection between gender and energy while highlighting the role of women at the forefront of the clean energy transition. Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the prolonged impact of the Covid-19 pandemic have exacerbated the energy crisis in the region and worsened socio-economic inequalities. Therefore, Solar Sister represents an opportunity to empower people across different regions while supporting local and national economies’ transition to clean, resilient and sustainable energy systems. Video credit: Emeka Gibson and Timothy Obiezu

12 06, 2022

Inside the Indian Eco-School that Proves Sustainable Design doesn’t Scrimp on Style

2024-09-13T15:13:24-04:00Tags: |

In the heart of India's Thar desert, the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School stands as a beacon of sustainable design and educational empowerment. Designed by architect Diana Kellogg, this oval-shaped marvel not only shields its 400+ students from blistering temperatures and sandstorms but also symbolizes feminine strength and infinity. Powered by rooftop solar panels and cooled by geothermal energy, the school utilizes local materials and traditional techniques, offering a model of eco-conscious construction. Beyond its walls, the project envisions a community-centric approach, with plans for a Women’s Cooperative to impart vital skills to local artisans. This initiative exemplifies how sustainable design can seamlessly blend style, functionality, and social impact.

13 04, 2021

Solar Mamas Brighten Rural Malawi

2021-04-13T17:37:39-04:00Tags: |

A group of women trained as solar engineers are installing solar power in homes and schools in Lilongwe, Malawi. Called the Solar Mamas, they are made up of eight older women and have brought solar power to over 200 households in villages surrounding Lilongwe. With this extra power, students are able to attend classes or do work at the school in the early mornings and evenings, while it is dark outside. Solar power in homes makes charging phones and batteries more accessible. The Solar Mamas are also training the youth in solar engineering to pass on their knowledge. Photo Credit: Lameck Masina

30 09, 2020

Women entrepreneurs are essential to last-mile distribution of renewable energy technologies

2023-03-29T12:08:18-04:00Tags: |

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shine Campaign launched a Recovery Fund aimed at uplifting women entrepreneurs and community organizations that are providing renewable energy to remote areas. Through microgrants ranging from $3,000 to $10,000, the campaign is financing projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America aimed at economic recovery through green jobs. Given that women with deep ties to their communities can mobilize lasting change, the fund also centers women’s initiatives surrounding the renewable energy transition and post-pandemic economic recovery. The Shine Campaign also prioritized funding energy projects near clinics in order to power medical equipment essential to COVID-19 response, addressing the intersection between equity, environmental justice, and health. Photo credit: Solar Sisters

29 09, 2020

Women Occupy One-Third of Workforce in the Global Renewable Energy Sector

2023-02-20T13:40:06-05:00Tags: |

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, a third of the 11.5 million people working in the renewable energy sector are women. As one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, renewable energy not only addresses the climate crisis, but it has the potential to drive socio-economic benefits. From providing rural communities with new job opportunities, to increasing the affordability of electricity, renewables such as solar photovoltaic technology and hydropower have spurred economic growth and directly addressed employment and energy gaps. In this article, Mercom Clean Energy Insights presents statistics on this fast-growing sector and argues that energy development policies should continue to pursue equitable employment, include women workers, and uplift marginalized communities. Photo Credit: MERCOM Clean Energy Insights  

29 09, 2020

Women Occupy One-Third of Workforce in the Global Renewable Energy Sector

2023-03-29T12:05:54-04:00Tags: |

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, a third of the 11.5 million people working in the renewable energy sector are women. As one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, renewable energy not only addresses the climate crisis, but it has the potential to drive socio-economic benefits. From providing rural communities with new job opportunities, to increasing the affordability of electricity, renewables such as solar photovoltaic technology and hydropower have spurred economic growth and directly addressed employment and energy gaps. In this article, Mercom Clean Energy Insights presents statistics on this fast-growing sector and argues that energy development policies should continue to pursue equitable employment, include women workers, and uplift marginalized communities. Photo Credit: MERCOM Clean Energy Insights

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

23 11, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez Demands Solar Company Rehire Workers Fired After Unionizing With Green New Deal in Mind

2020-10-23T23:05:45-04:00Tags: |

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the lead sponsor of the Green New Deal, which includes pro-justice and worker provisions in its effort to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. The need for these provisions became evident when twelve workers were fired from Bright Power, a solar energy company, after stating their intent to unionize. Ocasio-Cortez demands that Bright Power be held accountable and re-hire these twelve workers. She recognizes the danger of oil barons becoming renewable energy barons and continuing to exploit workers, regardless of the seemingly progressive purpose of their company. The Sunrise Movement and Senator Bernie Sanders also voiced their agreement with Ocasio-Cortez. Photo Credit: Bill Clark

3 03, 2019

For Women In Solar Energy, Progress And A Ways To Go

2020-10-07T00:39:34-04:00Tags: |

When Kristen Nicole, founder of Women in Solar Energy, penned an open letter calling out the hyper-masculine and ‘booth babe’ culture that portrayed women as sex objects, it sparked a revolution within the industry to start examining their women-specific policies and initiatives. The solar conference culture perpetuates objectification with abhorrent displays such as women in cages dressed in leather cat outfits. However, numerous programs aimed at addressing gender diversity and increasing women’s participation in the field have grown in response. SEIA’s Women Empowerment Initiative as well as Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy campaigns have contributed to the shift in the awareness around the need for diversity. Whilst more female workers make up the solar industry today, and there are more women speakers at conferences, there are still shortcomings in that women continue to earn less than men and face barriers in climbing up the career ladder. Women of colour are also disproportionately affected, and Erica Mackie, co-founder and CEO of GRID Alternatives, calls for the solar industry to not just be energy-centred but also justice-focussed, and to recognise the intersection between race and gender inequities. GRID’s Women in Solar Program aids women from diverse backgrounds and their She Shines retreat is aimed as a training and team-building exercise for women in the industry. Photo credit: Stefano Paltera, US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon

5 02, 2019

Emily Satterwhite of Appalachians Against the Pipelines

2019-04-13T15:55:11-04:00Tags: |

Emily Satterwhite detained the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline for 14 hours by chaining herself to a backhoe. She is an active part of Appalachians Against Pipelines, defending the mountains and forests in West Virginia. In this interview, she discusses the role of lobbyists, the influence of corporate interest, and the struggle to keep fracking pipelines outside of the state. She refutes many myths regarding pipelines, emphasizing that Dominion Energy and it’s investors are profiting, but there is no benefit for West Virginians.Photo Credit: Thunderdomepolitics.com

8 10, 2018

Yes, She Can! A Tale Of Two Women Transforming Their Local Energy Landscapes

2020-11-20T17:52:19-05:00Tags: |

Diana Mbogo and Margaretha Subekti are two female entrepreneurs expanding energy access and transforming daily life for their local communities in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and West Manggarai, Indonesia, respectively. In Dar es Salaam, where power outages are a persistent issue, Mbogo provides technical assistance and sells small-scale energy solutions to residents interested in renewable energy through her company Millennium Engineers. She is driven by the fact that energy is the backbone of development. In West Manggarai, Subekti empowers rural women and encourage sustainability through multiple people-centered businesses that she has founded. As a beneficiary and now leader of Kopernik’s Wonder Women program, she manages and supports over thirty women implementing recycling/upcycling projects and selling clean energy products in the community to foster economic independence. Additionally, Subekti’s Rumah Pintar offers community and guidance to neighborhood women and children and her local coffee shop maintains a strong business model of supporting local farmers.

26 08, 2018

From The Ground Up: An Exploration Of Energy Empowerment

2018-08-26T15:20:07-04:00Tags: |

Across the world, most notably in developing Asian countries and sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 1.2 billion people do not have access to reliable energy. A lack of energy sources is directly related to global poverty, and it has been estimated that 70 percent of the world’s poorest are female. Because women, particularly in Asia and Africa, are tasked with feeding and caring for their families, experts maintain that energy access and poverty must be examined through a gendered lens. Indeed, when energy sources are not readily available, women are often tasked with either walking miles to find wood or purchasing cheap kerosene lamps despite their documented health and safety risks. The links become clearer still once energy and health care are considered. Across the world, an estimated 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths occur in developing countries, and a lack of energy access only exacerbates the problem. Several entrepreneurial groups led by women, such as Solar Sisters, have been bringing light and empowerment to some of Tanzania’s most rural villages and becoming community leaders in the process. Photo credit: Various Pressures & Simon Black

18 05, 2018

Energy Has A Diversity Problem. We’re Calling On The Solar Industry To Fix It

2019-04-13T16:27:38-04:00Tags: |

Rosemary Lytle and Melanie Santiago-Mosier are two women of color leading in the NAACP and Vote Solar who are calling for greater diversity in the solar industry. An industry crippled with regards to equitable access to employment and economic opportunities, studies show that companies that hire diversely, perform better financially. And despite solar employment being twice what it was in 2010, women and people of color are less likely to earn executive level wages and be satisfied with their current position with half of African Americans feel stuck with respect to their mobility in the career ladder. With the very premise of the solar industry painting a better way forward, progress towards a diverse workforce can be made through equitable hiring practices. Other efforts involve adopting best practices when recruiting, creating a culture of inclusion, and allowing space for professional development. Community programs also aid in making the solar industry more accessible with the NAACP Power Up program allowing the incarcerated to break out of recidivism through solar job training and placement. Photo credit: Grid Alternatives

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

6 03, 2018

Why Can’t Renters Get Solar Power?

2018-07-13T17:34:04-04:00Tags: |

Steph Speirs founded Solstice with the vision of democratizing access to clean energy through community solar panels. With about 80 percent of Americans unable to install rooftop solar—whether it be due to building ownership, rooftop conditions, or cost barriers—she hopes to facilitate access to security, dignity, and opportunity by establishing an online marketplace for shares of neighborhood-based solar farms. Photo credit: Sierra Club

2 03, 2018

Maryland Must Stay Committed To Clean Energy

2018-07-13T16:41:27-04:00Tags: |

In this article, policy leaders Brooke Harper and Nicole Sitaraman outline the urgent need to realize Maryland’s clean energy future. They describe how access to clean energy, such as rooftop solar, offers an economic boost through energy savings and job opportunities as well as significant public health benefits and reduced healthcare costs. These benefits are in stark contrast to the high risks of asthma and cancer in African American communities due to disproportionate siting of oil and gas power plants. They go on to describe the year-long Solar Equity Initiative to facilitate this economic opportunity by providing workforce training, solar installations, and policy advocacy. Photo credit: Courtesy photos/LinkedIn

3 02, 2018

Atlanta Women Surprised By Billboards Honoring Their Clean-Energy Work

2018-03-02T20:15:42-05:00Tags: |

Felicia Davis, Malissa “Mali” Hunter, and the Rev. Kate McGregor Mosley are the “Atlanta Power Women” - recently honored with billboards by ATL100, a national campaign celebrating clean energy leaders with equitable visions for the future. Davis directs Clark Atlanta University’s Building Green Initiative, which advances carbon-reducing strategies across historically black colleges and universities across the nation. Hunter promotes healthy eating and renewable energy as a chef and partner of Tree Sound Studios. As executive director of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, McGregor Mosley helps the faith community reduce its carbon footprint. Photo credit: Itoro Umontuen

2 02, 2018

Lack Of Women In Energy ‘Holding Back Fight Against Climate Change’

2018-03-02T20:13:01-05:00Tags: |

Women who have studied and experienced a lack of female representation in the energy industry describe how the gender imbalance is inhibiting a robust, low-carbon energy transition. In fact, 67 percent of UK energy companies have men-only boards, industry events and critical discussions often exclude female voices, and women who claim executive positions may face sexual harassment. In light of these issues, Professor Catherine Mitchell of the University of Exeter organized an event with women-only panels to highlight the poor gender diversity and need for female leaders in energy. Photo credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

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

20 12, 2017

Ask A Solar Vet: Uniting Women Across Sustainable Sectors With WRISE’s Kristen Graf

2018-02-20T17:40:12-05:00Tags: |

For over eight years, Kristen Graf has served as the executive director of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), formerly Women of Wind Energy (WOWE), empowering women in the renewable energy industry. Graf and WRISE have been instrumental in building community and fostering leadership to chart a path for women’s advancement and the industry’s success. Photo credit: WRISE

15 12, 2017

Eight Great Women In The Business And Science Of Solar

2020-10-23T23:26:46-04:00Tags: |

The global photovoltaic industry required hard work and dedication, especially during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when the solar struggle in surviving as an industry needed the conviction of those working within it that it would one day lead the future of energy generation. The photovoltaic industry would not have come as far without the perseverance of eight key women who were fundamental in pioneering the solar scene of today. Izumi Kaizuka from Japan is an awardee of one of the most prestigious scientific awards in the global photovoltaic industry, the PVSEC Special Award, for her contributions in the study of solar technologies, business models and deployment. Renate Egan from Australia is crucial to the solar industry for her ability to match creative with the technical and leads the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics. Darlene McCalmont from the United States is founder of Regrid Power and currently runs a McCalmont Engineering. Nicola Pearsall from the UK is the director of the Northumbria Photovoltaics Applications Centre and leads its Energy Systems research group. These women, amongst the others highlighted in the article, have extensive resumes, but their accomplishments are not the most defining feature of these influential figures. Rather it is their deep passion and commitment that they have dedicated to the global photovoltaic industry that sees their contribution as long-lasting and meaningful. Photo credit: Pixabay

26 11, 2017

New Economy Trailblazer: Melina Laboucan-Massimo

2017-12-26T15:46:49-05:00Tags: |

Melina Laboucan-Massimo, member of the Lubicon Cree First Nation and leader of Lubicon Solar grew up in Little Buffalo, Alberta, a witness to the damaging impacts of the tar sands oil industry on the land and her community, including the observation that people in her community were trapped into cycles of working for the very companies undermining their health and futures. Her experiences inspired her to begin to envision a post-oil economy for her community and Indigenous peoples across the region, founding the community-run Pîtâpan Solar site and Lubicon Solar project. Photo Credit: Melina Laboucan Massimo

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!

3 11, 2017

Solar Panels And Indigenous Sisterhood

2017-11-12T17:07:16-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous women from across Canada refuse to wait for the Canadian government or courts to determine their own fate and the future of their children. And thus, a small but potent contingent of self-determining woman are uniting to provide solutions to climate change in the form of tiny homes, solar panels, and activism. This sisterhood forms at a time when fossil fuel companies, the Canadian government, and Indigenous rights are battling over the legality and ethics of the controversial Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline. Many women’s voices are represented in this story by the National Observer, including Melina Laboucan-Massimo (Indigenous rights educator and founder of Lubicon Solar), Anushka Azadi, Karissa Glenda, Kanahus Manuel (Secwepenc Indigenous rights advocate, birth worker, and one of the primary tiny homes warriors), Cedar George-Parker (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), and Anushka Azadi. Photo credit: National Observer

29 09, 2017

Indigenous Communities Being Left Behind In Canada’s Green Revolution

2017-11-12T18:07:31-05:00Tags: |

Heather Milton-Lightening is an Indigenous woman leader from Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan, who is trying to raise awareness among Indigenous communities of climate change and the lack of a just transition to a green economy, through her activity with Indigenous Climate Action. She says that when communities are facing many other pressing problems, such as poverty, they are less involved in the transition to clean energy. Photo credit: Brandi Morin/CBC

1 09, 2017

Why Moms (And The Rest Of Us) Must Fight For EPA’s Future

2017-11-01T01:31:58-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Vien Truong, CEO of Dream Corps, mobilizes mothers across the United States to use their economic and political clout to amplify the grassroots green movement and build clean, healthy communities. She advocates for strategies such as renewable energy, clean transportation, and female representation in government offices to eliminate pollution and the severe health impacts 0f fossil fuels. Photo credit: Dream Corps

31 08, 2017

Troubled By Flint Water Crisis, 11-Year-Old Girl Invents Lead-Detecting Device

2017-10-31T22:54:30-04:00Tags: |

Gitanjali Rao, 11, was horrified upon learning about the continued drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In response, she invented a device using carbon nanotubes and a smartphone app that will allow residents to test their drinking water for lead quickly. For her efforts, she was awarded the title of "America's Top Young Scientist." Photo credit: Bharathi Rao

31 08, 2017

Women Play Key Role In Solar Energy Projects

2018-02-20T17:48:14-05:00Tags: |

Women in Global South countries are taking a leading role in rural electrification using solar energy, through their efforts achieving economic independence and implementing sustainable solutions in their communities. With the support of Greenpeace, initiatives are growing including solar cooking trainings in Morocco and women-run solar cooperatives such as South Lebanon’s Deir Kanoun Ras el Ain project. Photo credit: SELCO/IPS

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

1 08, 2017

Low-Energy Homes Don’t Just Save Money; They Improve Lives

2017-10-31T20:39:13-04:00Tags: |

This article from 1 Million Women presents results on research about low-energy houses as opposed to regular houses, which take up a lot of energy and are a great factor of global carbon emissions. Specifically, it analyses the Lochiel Park Green Village in the South of Australia, a neighborhood of 103 zero-energy houses. Among the results are the significant health improvements on the people living in these sustainable homes, including a decision to quit smoking cigarettes by a woman living in one of the environmentally-friendly places. The advantages are also economic, as not having to pay energy bills saves a great amount of money for the residents. Photo credit: 1 Million Women

1 08, 2017

Confronting the Gender Gap In Canada’s Green Transition

2017-11-01T01:34:05-04:00Tags: |

Women constitute a very small section of the energy sector in Canada. Though this presents a challenge, it also represents an opportunity to train and recruit women and minorities to the green economy. As Canada is transiting from fossil fuels to a green economy, it needs a substantial policy that covers the gender gap and supports a healthy work-life balance. Photo credit: The Leap

21 07, 2017

Across The Nation, Indigenous Women Are Fighting For Renewable Energy

2017-10-22T00:02:16-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous environmental leaders Faith Gemmill of Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL), Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington State, Kandi Mosset of the Indigenous Environmental Network, and Wahleah Johns of Native Renewables and the Black Mesa Water Coalition are among the many Indigenous women in North America combatting climate change by advocating for renewable energy and resisting fossil fuel dependence. Photo credit: Molly Adams

19 07, 2017

Indigenous Students Bring Solar Energy To Rural Costa Rica

2017-10-20T23:20:43-04:00Tags: |

Martina Caballero, Lucia Montezuma, Ovidia Caballero, and Agripina Montezuma are powering their rural hometown of Punta Burica, Costa Rica, with solar energy. Through a government scholarship in 2016, they studied solar engineering at India’s Barefoot College and have joined over 150 women from 28 countries who have received university training and gone on to bring electricity to their hometowns. Photo credit: Barefoot College

15 07, 2017

David Suzuki Foundation Appoints First Indigenous Research Fellow

2017-10-25T22:51:08-04:00Tags: |

Cree leader Melina Laboucan-Massimo has dedicated her life to protecting Indigenous communities in Canada. Over the past ten years, she has fought against fossil fuel infrastructure and implemented renewable energy projects with Greenpeace Canada and the Indigenous Environmental Network. Now, as the David Suzuki Foundation’s first Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change fellow, she directs research on potential Indigenous-led climate solutions. Photo credit: David Suzuki Foundation

2 07, 2017

Women’s Mosque Goes Solar In India’s Clean Energy Push

2017-09-28T21:04:33-04:00Tags: |

The Ambar Mosque, a women-led faith center recognized for the promotion of women’s rights, recently installed solar panels in hopes of inspiring the adoption of renewable technology across the state of Uttar Pradesh. The spread of solar technology is making the cost of solar energy more competitive when compared to coal, thanks to the pioneering women at the Ambar Mosque. Photo credit: Climate Home

14 06, 2017

Renewable Energy Projects Are Uplifting Maasai Women

2017-11-14T21:46:11-05:00Tags: |

Maasai women are at the forefront of their villages’ new use of renewable energy from solar panels and clean cookstoves, changing their traditional domestic roles and empowering themselves as community leaders. The Maasai villages are marginalized nomadic tribes located in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. An international collaboration called Maasai Stoves and Solar Project introduced the idea of new and clean energy for the stoves through solar panels, training women to be in charge of this transition and new installations. Kisioki Moitiko, the manager for the project in Tanzania, explains how the groups of women work and that each group chooses their own leaders; for example, Leah Laiza manages the workflow for her group, and Esupat Loseku is in charge of installing the new stoves and solar panels with her group. These efforts have diminished air pollution and improved people’s health. Men of the community, who used to guard their cattle from wild animals at night, can light the enclosures at night instead of standing watch, enabling them to spend more time at home with their families. Photo credit: Christabel Ligami

12 06, 2017

Valentina Tiem – Solar Sister Entrepreneur

2018-01-12T13:54:36-05:00Tags: |

Valentina Tiem is a Renewable Energy Entrepreneur who works in Haidom Village of the Manyara Region in Tanzania. Valentina believes that women should know how to manage their financial lives, and work with energy systems, as women are producers of future generation. Valentina has been successful in pursuing people to use renewable energy in her region, primarily because she has used her knowledge and trust and community relationships as a traditional midwife to connect with and educate her community members about  the negative impacts of fuels on their health, and positive impacts of using solar energy. Photo Credit: Solar Sister

3 06, 2017

From Leading An Enterprise To Leading The People: The Political Rise Of Gita Pariyar

2017-10-23T19:48:16-04:00Tags: |

Gita Pariyar is a formidable leader in Nepal. As a local business owner, community health worker, and ward member, Pariyar is committed to helping her community in Taklung, Gorkha District, through access to clean technologies, such as cookstoves and solar products. She is also a part of the Dalit caste, often called the “untouchables,” and dedicates her work to transforming perceptions of caste members and empowering other Dalit women. Photo credit: Empower Generation

1 06, 2017

Reflective Paint Helps Women In Slums Combat Extreme Heat Caused By Climate Change

2017-11-01T23:49:26-04:00Tags: |

Climate change-induced heatwaves are increasing across India, endangering millions of lives and livelihoods. In response, groups such as the Mahila Housing Trust, are working with women in 100 slums across five cities to experiment with low-cost approaches to cooling homes using reflective paint and other simple methods to reduce the direct impacts being felt by marginalized and impoverished residents. Photo Credit: Mahila Housing Trust, Pixabay

30 05, 2017

Ecologist Special Report: Empowering Women To Tackle Climate Change

2018-08-24T17:13:37-04:00Tags: |

The country of Benin in West Africa, is increasingly facing intense climatic changes in the already existing six-month dry season. The agriculture in districts such as Alibori are highly dependent on rainfall for food production. Therefore, to address this increasing intensity of climatic variations, 400 women from the district of Alibori have established Solar Market Gardens, where they can source a sustainable energy through solar charged water pumps and drip irrigation which allows the women to use the resources economically. This establishment has allowed for various social innovations, in turn, guaranteeing 185,000 people with access to renewable energy and stable crop production. This led the women to win “Women for Results” Climate Prize awarded by UNFCCC. Photo Credit: The Ecologist

17 05, 2017

Solar Energy Brings A Ray Of Hope To Salt Farmers In Gujarat

2017-09-29T15:22:14-04:00Tags: |

In Gujarat, India, women typically set aside 40% of their household income to buy diesel to power salt-producing pumps. A program designed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and India’s Self Employed Women’s Association has improved access to solar-powered pumps. The new technology has proven to be less expensive and more accessible and, as a result, many women and their families now have a more reliable source of income. Photo credit: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

11 05, 2017

Women Are Transforming The Energy Sector

2017-09-29T19:06:44-04:00Tags: |

Women are at the forefront of the fight against climate change and the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Kris Mayes is co-author to the renewable portfolio standards of Arizona, which requires the increasing adoption of renewable energy sources. Lorena Aguilar is global senior gender adviser to International Union for Conservation of Nature and advocates for the integration of women in the renewable sector. Suzanne Bertin, as executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, explains the various opportunities for women in a field dominated by men and encourages female participation.

19 04, 2017

Meet Kelly Charley, The Teen Inventor Working To Get The Navajo Nation Off Coal

2017-09-28T21:01:04-04:00Tags: |

Kelly Charley, a student at the Navajo Preparatory School, has developed a solar heater that is helping bring solar energy to Navajo households. Seeing her grandparents laboriously chop wood and use harmful coal for energy inspired her to find a way to bring renewable energy to Navajo homes. Read her story and get inspired by watching this video about her quest for a just and sustainable way of life. Photo credit: Fusion

14 04, 2017

The Crazy Lifestyle Of A Woman Who Repairs Wind Turbine Blades

2017-10-23T19:51:27-04:00Tags: |

Hailing from Rexford, Montana, Jessica Kilroy is a fearless rope-access technician who braves high winds and heights of 262 to 328 feet to keep the global wind industry in operation. Kilroy entered this line of work when brainstorming how to leverage her rock-climbing skills to support conservation efforts. She has been with Rope Partners for five years now and is one of only two women out of the company’s 75 technicians. Photo credit: Jeff Singer

27 03, 2017

Jackie Weidman Trains The Next Generation Of Energy Leaders

2017-10-27T10:45:29-04:00Tags: |

Jackie Weidman recognizes that an essential component of clean energy leadership is the participation of young people. In response, she began to recruit, train, and network a talented group of young professionals, which developed into the Clean Energy Leadership Institute. The Institute has already trained over 150 young energy leaders and is moving nationwide. Photo credit: Grist50!

21 03, 2017

Can Solar Pumps Give Nepal’s Women Farmers A Brighter Future?

2017-09-28T17:45:06-04:00Tags: |

Many families in Nepal struggle to grow crops during the dry season, in spite of available underground water resources. The Water Lands and Ecosystems CGIAR research programme examined the possibility of creating solar pumps to enable farmers to access the groundwater. Many women farmers benefited took advantage of the benefits of the project, which aims at expanding its reach to other rural areas. Photo credit: Thomas Reuters Foundation

15 03, 2017

Women Are Leading The Fight For Renewable Energy

2017-09-29T15:27:57-04:00Tags: |

Though American politics has recently become more hostile toward the renewable energy transition, women’s groups are bravely forging a path toward a renewable energy economy. One of these groups is Mothers Out Front, which inspires mothers, grandmothers, and other caregivers across the country to fight for the environment for their children and families. Kelsey Wirth, cofounder of the organization, is passionate about developing women’s leadership in the renewable energy sector.

13 03, 2017

Women’s Power List Celebrates Wind Industry’s Leading Female Figures

2017-09-26T13:49:46-04:00Tags: |

A Word About Wind recently launched a list celebrating women who work in the wind industry. The list celebrates the work of 100 women who were deemed the influential in the field. By publicizing the contributions of women in the wind business, the list promotes the work of women in an area where they are still underrepresented.

8 03, 2017

How Thailand’s Solar Power Visionary Built An Industry

2017-09-21T20:24:18-04:00Tags: |

Wandee Khunchronyakong is committing to turning Thailand solar. Known as a solar power visionary, she’s credited for starting a solar industry in Thailand after obtaining 34 solar farms in 2009. As CEO and founder of Solar Power Company Group, she is attempting to transform regions of Thailand’s energy production into renewable solar energy. Khunchronyakong believes not only in the power of solar but also that women in particular are special and productive innovators towards climate solutions. Khunchronyakong wants to mentor other women to move forward with climate-friendly economies, and keeps hope in the belief that environmental sustainability will come with the right amount of work and action. Photo credit: Climate Investment Funds

8 03, 2017

Powering Up: Meet The Women Electrifying China’s Energy Transition

2018-07-13T16:44:01-04:00Tags: |

Ni Huan and He Yisha are a few of the female leaders behind China’s green energy transition, fueling efforts at both the grassroots and business levels. Ni Huan’s decision to install an awning with solar panels at her Shanghai home has not only resulted in energy and cost savings but also drawn widespread interest from local schools, universities, and governments. Her community has since become a knowledge sharing hub for people interested in distributed solar projects. Since March 2015, her organization, Green-light Year, and its all-female team has provided eco-tours, workshops, and solar installations to over 1,600 people. Young entrepreneur and environmentalist He Yisha is the founder and CEO of two solar manufacturing companies, Unisun and Uper. Her leadership has helped these businesses achieve a global presence in only a few years and continues to inspire other women in the solar industry and country. Photo credit: Ji Zhe/Greenpeace

7 03, 2017

How Women Are Expanding Their Horizons With Solar Power

2017-09-28T20:55:12-04:00Tags: |

On International Women’s Day, activists and women from the Deir Kanoun Ras el Ain cooperative installed a project to provide solar energy in South Lebanon. The cooperative produces rosewater, apple vinegar, orange sauce, apricot jam, crackers and tomato paste, but recently diesel energy became too expensive to afford, grinding their operations to a halt. Now, with an abundant supply of solar power, the women are saving money and time while reducing their carbon footprint. Photo credit: Greenpeace International

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

18 02, 2017

East Africa: Women Bring Solar Power To Rural Tanzania

2017-09-21T21:04:54-04:00Tags: |

In northern Tanzania, Esupat Loseku of Enguiki village and Leah Laiza of Ngarash village build clean energy cookstoves and install solar panels across their communities as part of their work with the International Collaborative Maasai Stoves and Solar Project. The Maasai women are able to earn a sustainable living from installations, while promoting the use of cleaner, more efficient cookstoves that improve local air quality and reduce adverse health impacts. Photo: Christabel Ligami

6 02, 2017

From Tilonia To Santa Teresa: One Woman’s Journey Of Bringing Solar Energy To Her Village

2017-09-22T16:07:30-04:00Tags: |

Florentina Choc is a Barefoot College trained solar engineer working in the Mayan pueblo of Santa Teresa, Belize. Along with a colleague, Florentina is responsible for the planning and execution of the installation of a micro solar grid in her village. The project enabled the entire community to transition to 100% renewable electricity; they now use primarily solar energy, either from solar lanterns or panels. Photo credit: Pooja Choksi

1 02, 2017

Two Friends, One Mission: Access To Clean Technology In Gorkha

2017-10-23T19:45:19-04:00Tags: |

Gita Pariyar and Danu Ale are co-CEOs of the business Ashmita and Laxmi Saurya Urjah and Traders, bringing solar power to the remote villages of Nepal’s Gorkha District, which was acutely impacted by the 2015 earthquake. Part of the Dalit and Indigenous Magar castes, respectively, Pariyar and Ale face extreme discrimination and low standards of living, yet they are dedicated to empowering the women in their communities through access to health care, employment, and electricity. Photo credit: Empower Generation

31 01, 2017

Architect June Grant Designs For Change

2017-10-31T16:28:46-04:00Tags: |

June Grant is a Jamaican architect in the United States focused on technology and design. She has a technology firm called Blink!Lab, through which she applies new technology and 3-D printers to make prototypes and designs that save energy and deal with waste on many fronts: water, energy, heat, etc. She tells us how small details and the use of topographic and geographic data can make a big difference in saving energy and resources. At the moment, June is working at San Francisco Bay Area, dealing with the rise of the sea level and its dangers to those living to close to the water, and has come up with an innovative wastewater treatment plant that could tackle a lot of the community’s environmental issues. Photo credit: Lori Eanes

25 01, 2017

Home-Grown Kenyan Solar Farm Powers Computers And Protects Girls

2017-09-29T19:11:13-04:00Tags: |

Ten years ago, residents of the village of Olosho-Oibor decided to install solar panels to meet their most basic energy needs, as they had no connection to the national power grid. They never thought that the solar farm project would grow to become an energy provider for computers used by women entrepreneurs for their businesses, children who need to study long hours, and a centre that protects girls from early marriage and female genital mutilation. Photo credit: TRF/Benson Rioba

1 01, 2017

Katherine Lucey And The Solar Sisters Revolution

2017-10-02T23:10:36-04:00Tags: |

Energy poverty affects 1.6 billion people around the world, most of them women and girls. Understanding women’s crucial role in family well-being and economic prosperity, Katherine Lucey founded Solar Sisters to recruit, train and mentor women to build sustainable businesses selling portable solar lamps, mobile phone chargers and clean cookstoves. The organization supports female entrepreneurs with sales and distribution of renewable energy equipment and, since its launch, has employed more than 1,000 women. Photo credit: Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

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

15 12, 2016

Woman Engineer Lights Up Zambia’s Rural Community

2017-10-14T15:45:05-04:00Tags: |

Energy systems expert Likonge Makai is helping to power Zambia’s rural communities, where less than 5% of the population have access to electricity. Since forming in November 2014, her nongovernmental organization, LiChi’s Community Solution, has impacted over 1,800 people through solar-powered charging kiosks, lighting kits, and energy systems for homes and schools. These projects not only provide efficient, affordable energy for phones and lighting, but also enable quality education, sustainable business operations, improved health, and environmental sustainability. Photo: IEEE

14 12, 2016

Japan’s Grandmother Solar Engineer

2017-09-26T13:59:30-04:00Tags: |

Tarahing Masanin volunteered to learn about solar energy in India, spending six months attending a training provided by Barefoot College to become a solar engineer. Since she returned home to Japan, Tarashing has already worked in over 100 households to install solar equipment, providing alternatives to her community in terms of energy resources. Photo credit: The Star

7 12, 2016

Women’s Initiative For Sustainable Environment (WISE) Innovates With Clean Cookstoves

2017-09-28T17:21:37-04:00Tags: |

The Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Environment is a Nigerian grassroots organization that implements projects for a healthier environment. The organization now works within the household cooking energy market to provide households with clean cookstoves. Photo credit: Women’s Initiative for Sustainable Cookstoves

7 12, 2016

It Was A Blighted City Block, But This Woman Is Turning It Into A Solar-Powered Ecovillage

2017-09-29T15:18:02-04:00Tags: |

After running for Highland Park’s city council three times, Shamayim Harris decided that she needed an alternative plan to make things better in her city, which has a history of administrative negligence. That’s when the idea of Avalon Village was born: an ecologically sustainable neighborhood that hosts a variety of community services, such as a center for children to eat meals and receive help with homework, all powered by clean energy sources. Photo credit: Zenobia Jeffries

15 11, 2016

Rachel Kyte On The Global Energy Access Challenge

2017-09-29T15:11:09-04:00Tags: |

During the 22nd Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Rachel Kyte shared her opinion about accessibility to energy. Rachel is the chief executive and United Nations Special Representative at Sustainable Energy for All and believes that access to energy does not necessarily exclude climate action. She talks about the feasibility of energy accessibility, the promotion of renewable energy, and necessary improvements to the field.

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!

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.

19 10, 2016

Can This Woman Restore Kenya’s Faith In Solar Power?

2017-09-29T19:15:16-04:00Tags: |

As a competent solar engineer, Daphin Juma doesn’t forget her childhood in the Haruma slum of Nairobi without access to energy. Now she is determined to provide everyone with electricity and intends to do that with the help of sunshine. Daphin took part in a program developed by the Women in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship in partnership with USAID and Strathmore University that trains women as solar engineers. The idea is to make the most of Kenya’s potential on solar power, with adequately trained solar engineers, while closing the gender gap in the sector. Photo credit: Daphin Juma/Facebook

17 10, 2016

Bringing More Women Entrepreneurs Into The Clean Renewable Energy Revolution

2017-09-28T21:09:11-04:00Tags: |

According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, access to energy at low rates can increase greatly with the use of decentralized sustainable energy technologies. Moreover, another report, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, asserted the possibility of lowering levels of carbon at the entire globe. In spite of all the good news, many clean energy initiatives are planned by and for men, ignoring the fact that women manage household energy use in developing countries. Thus, even though clean energy is a feasible solution to climate change, policies lacking gender sensitivity may endanger that for as long as they do not address barriers to women entrepreneurs in developing economies. It is time for a change!

13 10, 2016

Deodotta, A Solar Energy Entrepreneur Who Helps Students

2017-09-26T12:41:34-04:00Tags: |

Like some of her fellow community members, Deodotta is a solar energy entrepreneur. At night, she opens her house for students who wish to continue their studies and have no light at home. It not only helps students in need, but also reduces the use of kerosene. In her community, over half of the population has already switched from kerosene to solar energy. Photo credit: Solar Sister

8 09, 2016

Clay Stoves Help Reduce Carbon Pollution, Greenhouse Effect

2017-09-29T18:48:28-04:00Tags: |

Eunice was inspired by a simple homemade stove in her mother’s house to teach women in her community in Kenya how to build their own clay stoves. The stoves not only require less wood for burning but also reduce smoke, which is connected to the respiratory problems Eunice had witnessed as a health worker. Photo credit: Gichuru Mugira

8 09, 2016

Supporting Mali’s Women Farmers To Adapt To Climate Change

2017-07-19T20:49:35-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers in Mali are seeing their crops suffer from drought linked to climate change. In response, Fatoumata Diarra, a member of the women’s cooperative in the village of Massantola, explains how women in her community are using water-efficient agroecological practices to produce vegetables for consumption and sale. Part of the profits are reinvested into the maintenance of both a solar-powered well and mill that grinds grain into flour, freeing women's time for other endeavors. Photo credit: Imen Meliane/UNDP Climate Adaptation Mali

29 08, 2016

Six Nations Woman’s “Earthship” Is Radically Sustainable

2017-10-29T01:00:21-04:00Tags: |

First Nations woman Ohwehhoh (Flower) Doxtador is challenging unsustainable city living with her very own “earthship” —an alternative, low-cost, off-the-grid solar home constructed from a combination of upcycled and natural materials. The home produces its own solar electricity, utilizes natural and recycled materials for heating and cooling, and recycles rainwater. The structure shelters Ohwehhoh, her daughter and her five grandchildren. Photo credit: Jess Tribe

22 08, 2016

Empower Women To Tackle Energy Poverty In India

2017-09-28T20:51:09-04:00Tags: |

In rural India, women are in charge of supplying energy for their households, as they are the ones who collect wood and buy kerosene. As a result, women are most affected by the lack of access to energy, as energy and poverty are highly correlated in India. Aneri Patel, a young entrepreneur who founded ENVenture, an incubator for local organizations working on clean energy businesses, explains how programs that address poverty have been emphasizing gender-sensitive approaches to stimulate off-grid renewable energy access. Photo credit: Michael Bennet

19 07, 2016

Shining: Co-Powering Communities of Shan State

2018-02-20T18:25:29-05:00Tags: |

Local leader Shining works in solidarity with ethnic minority communities along the Thanlwin River Basin in Myanmar’s Shan State. An alumnus of EarthRights International’s Mekong School, Shining co-founded the Mong Pan Youth Association and Weaving Bonds Across Borders to educate and cultivate leaders at the local and international levels. Through trainings and workshops, she helps to build the communities’ capacity to engage in the EIA process, advocate for their rights, and defend the environment against the proposed Mong Ton Dam and future projects that risk severe short-term and long-term impacts. Photo credit: EarthRights International

14 07, 2016

Erika Mackey Offers Solar Solutions To People In Africa

2017-10-02T23:23:46-04:00Tags: |

Erika Mackey is COO and cofounder of Off-Grid Electric, a solar pay-as-you-go company founded in Tanzania. In their model, customers pay the same price as, or even less than, what they pay for kerosene, which has been a great incentive to switch power sources. The company has already expanded to other countries and aims at providing renewable and affordable energy for households and businesses. Photo credit: Power for All

9 07, 2016

From Basket Weavers To Salt Farmers: Women Leading A Renewables Revolution

2017-10-01T17:39:15-04:00Tags: |

Around the world, women are innovating to contribute to the renewables revolution. Throughout Africa, many women are becoming solar entrepreneurs, such as Hilaria Paschal from Tanzania. Along with other women from the local solar energy community, Hilaria sells solar lights and cookstoves as a solution to energy poverty and climate change. In a similar project, Hansa Chaudhary, from India, has been able to provide her community with off-the-grid clean energy technology while saving money for college. As for Bhavnaben Mangabhai, an Indian salt farmer participating in a Global Fairness Initiative project, the adoption of solar powered salt pumps has lightened her chore burden and helped her save money. Photo credit: Solar Sister

6 07, 2016

Meet Africa’s Solar Sisters

2017-10-24T19:45:53-04:00Tags: |

Chantal Uwingabire of Cyeza, Rwanda, and Fatma Mziray of Moshi, Tanzania, are Solar Sister entrepreneurs helping to electrify and empower their local communities through solar energy technology. Through their leadership and networks, these women are helping to power the three-quarters of the African population who live without modern energy. Photo credit: Solar Sister

2 07, 2016

Bringing Power To The People: Women For 100% Renewable Energy

2017-07-16T14:32:59-04:00Tags: |

Diane Moss, co-founder of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute, Wahleah Johns, Solar Project Manager with the Black Mesa Water Coalition, and Lynn Benander, CEO and President of Co-op Power, are leading the transition to renewable energy in the United States. They shared lessons and best practices from their work transitioning fossil fuel infrastructure to community-owned renewable solutions at the “Women for 100% Renewable Energy: From Installation to Advocacy” open online training presented by the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network: U.S. Women’s Climate Justice Initiative. Photo credit: Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network

13 06, 2016

Assessment: Gender Equality, Economic Empowerment, Clean Energy Model

2017-10-23T20:19:13-04:00Tags: |

Solar Sister’s women entrepreneurs, including Rose, Hilaria, and Basilisa, support education and health, local business growth, income security, and expanded mobility for their community members and themselves by selling clean energy technologies. For example, Hilaria and other solar businesswomen in Mwada village have helped women better afford water during Mwada’s drought crisis through energy savings. Photo credit: Lindsey Allen and Serena Chan

12 05, 2016

Women And Energy-Saving Technology Transform Lives In Rural Ethiopia

2017-10-01T17:49:41-04:00Tags: |

Ethiopian women have been transforming their communities while earning income in a sustainable manner. Kimiyaa Umar participated in a United Nations programme that provides women with entrepreneurial training and a small loan, enabling Umar and her fellow participants to save money and create an energy-saving cookstove cooperative. Photo credit: UN Women/Fikerte Abebe

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.

14 04, 2016

Solar Sister Stories: Neema, Beatrice, And Mpaji

2017-10-23T20:15:14-04:00Tags: |

Local teachers Neema, Beatrice, and Mpaji are Solar Sister entrepreneurs in Tanzania, enabling families’ access to light and energy savings for reinvestment in their children’s education. As educators, they support a culture of trust and serve as a community resource for families that are interested in owning or already own solar lanterns. Photo credit: Serena Chan and Lindsey Allen

30 03, 2016

Sheila Oparaocha’s Take On Gender And Energy

2017-09-28T20:44:51-04:00Tags: |

Sheila Oparaocha is International Coordinator at Energia, an international network that tackles gender and renewable energy issues. In this talk she explains the evolution of thinking around gender and renewable energy from 1990 to the present day. Sheila exposes the transformations that led to the establishment of the Sustainable Energy for All Decade, the first two years of which were dedicated to Energy for Women and Children’s Health. She also gives examples about targeted programmes that have successfully addressed gender and energy. Photo credit: Energia

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!

9 03, 2016

Eisha Mohammed, The Solar Engineer Who Overcame Prejudice In Tanzania

2017-10-01T17:35:33-04:00Tags: |

Eisha Mohammed lives in rural Tanzania but traveled to India to receive training in solar entrepreneurship from Barefoot College. Despite her disability and prejudice from members of her community, she now works installing and maintaining solar equipment in her village. Overcoming her community’s resistance to her breaking gender norms and becoming a solar technician, she has proven to many the benefit of women’s involvement in solar energy, and her community is grateful for the improved access to energy. Photo credit: UN Women/Stephanie Raison

8 03, 2016

Want More Renewable Energy? Put More Women In Power

2017-10-23T19:41:32-04:00Tags: |

Women represent only 16 percent of board positions and 14 percent of senior manager positions across the top 200 global utilities, despite women being a critical resource against climate change, and gender diversity contributing to the development of renewable energy. Deborah Oberon of AllGrid Energy, Isabelle Kocher of Engie, and Catherine Tanna of EnergyAustralia are among this group of women leaders advancing practical strategies for renewable energy development.

15 01, 2016

Maria Theresa Lauron: CPDE / UN Sustainable Energy For All Forum

2017-10-24T19:50:47-04:00Tags: |

Maria Theresa Lauron engages in research, education, and advocacy on socioeconomic issues in the Philippines and global development practices through her dual roles as Chair of the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness and Programme Manager of the IBON Foundation. At the 2015 Sustainable Energy For All Forum, Lauron aimed to recenter frontline communities and civil societies in global energy policy discussions by emphasizing energy technologies that are sustainable and nondestructive and calling for greater government’s responsibility in advancing climate change solutions. Photo credit: UN NGLS

1 01, 2016

Jodie Wu Brings Renewable Energy To Tanzania

2017-10-02T23:14:39-04:00Tags: |

Jodie Wu founded Global Cycle Solutions, a company that supports rural entrepreneurs to provide their communities with access to renewable technologies throughout Tanzania. Her team works with the distribution of products such as solar lanterns and clean cookstoves, reducing fossil fuel consumption and generating job opportunities in the renewable sector. Photo credit: Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Awards

1 01, 2016

Emily Kirsch, Co-Founder And CEO Of Solar Startups Incubator

2017-09-21T21:19:00-04:00Tags: |

After working with Van Jones on the policy side of the green jobs movement, Emily Kirsch became interested in small-scale solar finance while working at a startup that experimented with crowdfunding solar projects. She noticed that such startups often struggle to attract seed funding and in-kind donations that nascent businesses need to grow. Kirsch went on to co-found Powerhouse, a business dedicated to funding and supporting small-scale solar startups. In her profile for Grist magazine’s “50 People You'll Be Talking About in 2016,” she emphasizes the importance of women in renewable energy. Photo credit: Grist

1 01, 2016

Empower Generation: Nepal’s Clean Energy Entrepreneurs

2017-10-24T19:42:20-04:00Tags: |

With support from Empower Generation, grassroots women are leading a clean energy revolution in Nepal. Women including Sita Adhikari, Pabitra Aryal, and Lalita Chaudhari are CEOs of local solar enterprises which sell products ranging from solar lamps to mobile chargers. Already active community members, these women have expanded their role by helping to bring electricity to their energy-poor villages. Photo credit: Empower Generation

1 01, 2016

Nicky Phear’s Innovative Climate Change Curriculum

2017-09-28T17:30:51-04:00Tags: |

Nicky Phear was central to the establishment of the Climate Change Studies program at the University of Montana, the first undergraduate program of its kind in the United States. Through the program, students are encouraged to develop clean energy solutions and advocate for sustainability. Phear designed unique classes that make the program stand out, such as the Cycle the Rockies course, in which students learn about clean energy and climate change while cycling through Montana. Nicolette also developed a similar initiative in Bhutan. Photo credit: Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Awards

1 01, 2016

Nine Women Receive Clean Energy Education And Empowerment Awards

2017-09-28T17:25:59-04:00Tags: |

The fifth Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Women in Clean Energy Symposium granted awards to nine women active in the field of renewable energy who have demonstrated exceptional leadership. The C3E began as a commitment made by the United States at the Clean Energy Ministerial, a forum of 24 major-economy governments, to close the gender gap and stimulate women leaders within clean energy. The award is divided by categories, such as entrepreneurship, advocacy, business and research. Meet nine women who are at the forefront of renewable energy solutions. Photo credit: Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Awards

1 01, 2016

Elena Lucas Brings Energy Data Into The Light

2017-09-22T16:14:19-04:00Tags: |

Worried about how the lack of accessible data storage for energy producers impacts energy startups, Elena Lucas decided to find a solution. Elena is a co-founder and CEO of UtilityAPI, a startup that wrangles energy data and delivers it to the companies who need it—and has brought the cost of installing solar panels down by 5 to 10 percent. Lucas believes that more opportunities should be open for women in tech-related fields, making a point to employ an equal number of women and men at UtilityAPI. Photo credit: Grist

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

Meet Safa Al Jayoussi, A Leading Environmental Expert And Advocate In the Arab Region

2017-09-26T13:55:37-04:00Tags: |

Safa Al Jayoussi has worked on many successful environmental campaigns in the Arab world. As an expert and environment advocate, she became the founder and executive director for IndyAct in Jordan, an organization that empowers independent environmental activists in the Middle East. Her most recent activities include campaigning against nuclear power plants and advocating for a binding agreement between Arab League countries during the COP21 talks. Photo credit: Arab Woman Platform

1 01, 2016

Erika Symmonds: The Solar Economy Should Benefit Everyone

2017-09-26T13:39:40-04:00Tags: |

As jobs in the renewable energy sector grow, opportunities tend to be more accessible to privileged groups. In response, Erika Symmonds offers capacity-building courses to individuals from low-income backgrounds. She is the Director of Workforce Development at GRID Alternatives, an organization specialized in providing training for people of color and low-income communities. Photo credit: Grist

9 12, 2015

Three Solar Power Projects Where Women Are Taking The Lead

2017-11-12T18:17:52-05:00Tags: |

Women are often excluded from larger decision-making processes—a likely reason for their stronger presence in grassroots movements and ground-level solutions to climate change, particularly in the Global South. Three examples of women’s projects related to solar power show the benefits of decentralizing clean energy for everyone. Solar Sister is a women-led project that puts women at the center of the sales network that is bringing the clean energy of solar lamps and clean cooking stoves to the poorest and most remote communities in rural Africa. Solar Grannies is an Indian project focused on older women who are trained to be solar engineers by the Barefoot College in Rajasthan. Eden Full Goh is an American woman who invented a solar panel that efficiently uses sunlight throughout the day, while at the same time filtering and cleaning water. Photo credit: Greenpeace

27 11, 2015

Shell Advert: “Renewables Are Unreliable, Like Women”

2020-12-02T19:58:00-05:00Tags: |

This humorous analysis illustrates not just the greenwashing inherent in Shell’s 2015 advert on natural gas, but also underlines the ways in which it heavily relies on antiquated gender stereotypes. It portrays renewable energies as unreliable and in dire need of a strong partner (enter natural gas). Not only is the portrayal of renewable energies as unreliable not up to date, the suggestion of natural gas as a “clean” alternative to other fossil fuels openly ignores its negative climate impacts. Photo Credit: Shell

23 11, 2015

Shannon Dosemagen: How The BP Oil Spill Inspired A New Citizen Science Model

2017-10-25T22:48:09-04:00Tags: |

Shannon Dosemagen is the cofounder and president of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science. Through her organization, Dosemagen offers an open-source platform for community-based science to target environmental pollution and protect public health with a justice lens. The project stemmed from her efforts to develop “community satellites” to document and make transparent the impacts of oil spills. Believing that impacted communities should have access to tools to defend themselves and create change, Dosemagen and the Public Lab connect the public to technology and expertise to collaborate on environmental justice solutions. Photo credit: Bioneers

18 11, 2015

South African Women Should Fight For 100% Renewable Energy

2017-10-20T23:17:41-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Dr. Yvette Abrahams calls on rural South African women to lead the country into a 100% renewable energy future as a means to mitigate climate change impacts, redirect funds filtering out of the state due to fossil fuel imports, and elevate women’s participation in the local economy. For example, she highlights how women in the Northern Cape’s !Kheis Local Municipality are engaging with their community and receiving a steady wage via training to maintain residential solar systems. Photo credit: AFP

5 11, 2015

Solar Sister Stories: Beatrice, Teaching, And Community

2017-10-23T20:12:56-04:00Tags: |

Beatrice is a respected leader in Tanga, Tanzania, as both a head teacher and Solar Sister entrepreneur. By connecting with her students and neighbors, she has provided solar lights and clean cookstoves to most of her community, allowing students to study in the evening and reducing exposure to air pollutants. Photo: Solar Sister

29 10, 2015

Ibu Inspirasi: Indonesian Wonder Women Provide Climate And Gender Justice Through Low Carbon Emission Technologies

2017-10-29T00:49:53-04:00Tags: |

In Indonesian, the program name Ibu Inspirasi refers to a group of inspiring Indonesian women that are providing low carbon emission technologies to their local communities. Ibu Inspirasi is also shielding especially underprivileged women from their specific vulnerability to climate change. In English, the women of Ibu Inspirasi are called wonder women for their work initiating and providing solar lanterns, water filters, and fuel efficient cooking materials that replace polluted air with safer air for women to cook over. Over the next three years these climate and gender leaders will be training 250 new green technology agents in East Indonesia after receiving a grant for their outstanding work. Photo credit: UNFCCC

20 10, 2015

Unleashing The Power Of Women Via Renewables

2017-07-20T16:27:03-04:00Tags: |

Although still under-represented in the energy sector, Lorena Aguilar of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Global Gender Office stresses how women play an integral part in solving problems related to clean energy and emissions reductions. IUCN's Gender and Renewable Energy Network Platform provides a space for climate change mitigation professionals to swap resources and collaborate on gender-inclusive renewable initiatives. Photo credit: The Huffington Post

19 10, 2015

India’s Super Solar Grannies

2017-05-02T06:21:19-04:00Tags: |

In India, 320 million people are unconnected to the electrical grid, especially in rural areas. With the support of NGO Barefoot College, grandmothers in Rajasthan’s rural villages are trained for six months to be solar engineers and then work as professional solar engineers in their communities.  Photo credit: DFIC from Flickr

6 10, 2015

17-Year-Old Deepika Kurup Combats Water Injustice With New Invention

2017-07-12T20:44:53-04:00Tags: |

Budding young scientist Deepika Kurup has developed a life-saving and sustainable solution to combat the global water crisis. Her solar water disinfection system is poised to help millions access safe and clean water. She is also forging a path for women inventors in a traditionally male-dominated field. Photo credit: Forbes Magazine

30 09, 2015

Biogas Digesters Help Women Respond To Climate Change

2017-10-31T12:13:09-04:00Tags: |

Poorer countries are hit hardest by climate change, as they struggle to manage the economic costs and health consequences of climatic disasters. However, women in the Global South are adopting smart technologies to respond. One such technology is the biogas digester, which simultaneously provides sanitation and animal waste management, a free, cleaner cooking fuel alternative, and produces organic fertiliser. Photo credit: Hilary Bambrick

29 09, 2015

Feminist Electrification: Gender Planning For Pro-Women Outcomes In Rural Electrification

2017-10-23T19:54:50-04:00Tags: |

In rural Haiti, EarthSpark brings a feminist electrification lens to its work, amplifying women’s engagement in the electrification process through involvement in infrastructure planning, workforce training, business ownership support, and access to clean technologies to improve health and quality-of-life impacts. As illustrated by the Haitian proverb fanm se poto mitan (“women are the pillars of society”), women’s participation in infrastructure projects significantly improves project sustainability, management, work environment, and investment returns. Photo credit: EarthSpark

22 09, 2015

Women Of Kenya Harvest Rainwater

2017-07-12T20:47:35-04:00Tags: |

Worldwide, 1.2 billion people live in water-scarce regions, where waterborne diseases like diarrhea spread easily and women spend hours per day collecting water. Rose Atieno and Catherine Ondele are bringing clean drinking water to rural villages in Kenya as part of a wider initiative to empower women by providing them with the skills to harvest rainwater. Photo credit: Karin Slater

21 09, 2015

Senegalese Fisherwomen Strive For Sustainable Use Of Sea Resources

2017-10-01T18:13:24-04:00Tags: |

Women are the primary producers of processed fish in Casamance, Senegal, providing a steady income to women-headed households and saving tonnes of fish from being wasted. However, Bineta Mané, President of the Women’s Union of Fish Processors, explains that most women use inefficient wood-burning stoves that encourage the exploitation of local forests while producing smoke linked to heart disease. After switching to more efficient stoves, the women’s collective is seeing twin environmental and economic benefits of these new processing technologies. Photo credit: UN Women Senegal

17 09, 2015

In Moroccan Oases, Women Watch Plants And Incomes Grow

2017-10-01T17:53:12-04:00Tags: |

In Errachidia, Morocco, women are producing medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) for sale using solar energy, while protecting oases from desertification. MAPs are more profitable than other crops and require little water to grow, providing a stable income while helping to maintain desert agriculture in the face of climate change. Photo credit: UN Women Morocco

16 09, 2015

In Mali, Renewable Energy Boosts Agricultural Production Of Female Farmers

2017-10-01T17:57:46-04:00Tags: |

Women in rural Mali are benefiting from an initiative sponsored by UN Women and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that provides solar-powered mills, freezers and dryers cost-free to female entrepreneurs. Women are using the technology to extract, dry, grind and process fruit and local products such as mangoes, ginger, tamarind and hibiscus flowers. In Mali only 18 percent of the rural population has electricity, so the solar-powered equipment is a game changer. For Kadidia Diawara, mayor of a rural township, this project is beneficial not only to women but also to the entire community. Photo credit: UN Women/F. Kanakomo

12 09, 2015

Three Solar Power Projects Where Women Are Taking The Lead

2018-02-20T18:18:02-05:00Tags: |

Women are underrepresented in international climate negotiations and the energy industry. However, that hasn’t stopped women leading the way in these three grassroots solar energy solutions that exemplify the benefits of decentralized clean energy for the world’s most vulnerable and the planet.  Solar Sisters aim to eradicate energy poverty in Africa by creating a women-centered direct sales network through which women can buy solar items to use and sell in their communities. The Barefoot College in Rajasthan, India, trains older women to become solar engineers which in turn increases their social standing and benefits their communities. Eden Full Goh, a young American engineer has invented a simple solar technology that also cleans drinking water as it tracks the sun, removing the choice women are often forced to make between clean water and energy. Photo credit: Unearthed, GreenPeace

11 09, 2015

Woman-Led Solar Project Powers Indigenous Community

2017-10-22T00:18:16-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous activist Melina Laboucan leads the Lubicon Lake First Nation’s renewable energy efforts in western Canada. She is directing the development of a large-scale solar installation on Indigenous land in hopes of powering the local health center, reducing health risks from fossil fuels, and signaling the tribe’s commitment to sustainable, non-extractive energy. Photo credit: Greenpeace

2 09, 2015

These Indigenous Women Solar Engineers Changed Their Village In Chile

2017-07-17T16:59:26-04:00Tags: |

Liliana and Luisa Terán were picked to travel to India to receive training in solar panel installation and maintenance from the Barefoot College. Despite facing barriers caused by traditional cultural views of women in their native Chile, they are bringing electricity and earning respect across communities in the Atacama desert region. Photo credit: Marinela Jarroud/IPS

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

9 06, 2015

We Are All Solar Sisters: Women For 100% Renewable Energy Training Recap

2017-10-24T19:36:17-04:00Tags: |

Spurred by the U.S. Women’s Climate Justice Initiative, the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN International) held an online education and advocacy training to cultivate women climate leaders in the renewable energy space. Angelina Galiteva and Diane Moss of the Renewables 100 Policy Institute, Cathleen Monahan of Grid Alternatives, Allison Archambault of EarthSpark International, Lynn Benander of Co-Op Power, and Osprey Orielle Lake of WECAN International discussed the case for renewable energy and how women have the power to lead their nations towards an equitable, low-carbon economy. Photo credit: WECAN International

5 06, 2015

Zanzibar’s Solar Mamas Flip The Switch On Rural Homes, Gender Roles

2017-07-17T23:26:59-04:00Tags: |

With the lowest electrification rate in the world, less than 10 percent of Africa's rural population has access to electric power. However, rural women in Zanzibar are taking steps to electrify their communities: these “solar mamas” have received training to install solar panels on their neighbors’ roofs. The solar-powered light reduces the risk of fires while enabling women to work after dark and young children to study at night. Photo credit: Sam Eaton

3 06, 2015

Toting Panels On Donkeys, Maasai Women Lead A Solar Revolution

2017-07-17T17:38:10-04:00Tags: |

Jackline Naiputa, leader of the Osopuka Edonyinap women's solar energy group, is one of many incredible Maasai women on the frontline of Kenya’s solar revolution. More than 200 women have been trained in solar panel installation and are bringing clean, affordable energy to communities across the remote region. Photo credit: TRF/Leopold Obi

28 04, 2015

Dawn Lippert Fosters Renewable Energy In Hawaii

2017-10-02T23:34:32-04:00Tags: |

As founder and director of Energy Excelerator, Dawn Lippert facilitates the establishment of renewable energy businesses by helping startup companies secure seed funding. The work that has started in Hawaii has expanded to other areas, always taking into account the specifics of each place, as Dawn explains in this talk. She is also founder of the Board of Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE), which supports women leaders in the renewable sector. Photo credit: TedXHonolulu

1 04, 2015

Women Thriving in Solar Industry—In Spite of Major Gender Gap

2017-10-22T00:07:36-04:00Tags: |

Women account for only 20 percent of the solar industry’s workforce, yet they demonstrate tremendous leadership across solar education, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Eden Full heads her own solar tracking company, SunSaluter, which she launched at the age of 19 years old. Anna Bautista serves as the vice president of construction and workforce development at GRID Alternatives. Dr. Lidjia Sekaric supports technology commercialization under the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. As Solar Sister’s director of engagement, Caroline Mailloux helps empower rural women to expand access to electricity in their communities. These women are dedicated to advancing solar as a solution for greater health, safer living, gender equity, and economic prosperity. Photo credit: 1776

26 03, 2015

First Solar Engineer Grandmother For Mosetén Nation In Bolivia

2017-10-23T20:10:10-04:00Tags: |

Maria Vani of the Mosetén Nation is Bolivia’s first Indigenous solar engineer and resident solar grandmother. Through training at Barefoot College in India, Vani now installs and maintains solar panels for rural and Indigenous community members in Villa Concepcion, offering a cleaner, more affordable energy alternative. Photo credit: WECAN International

20 01, 2015

Mary Nichols, California’s Environmental Rock Star

2017-10-02T23:18:58-04:00Tags: |

Mary Nichols is chair of the California Air Resources Board, part of the California Environmental Protection Agency. An expert on air quality and climate change, Nichols advocates for stronger environmental regulations that will reduce CO2 emissions, such as California’s cap and trade program. She has been called a “rock star” by the LA Times and is considered one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Photo credit: California Air Resources Board

1 01, 2015

Anya Cherneff Empowers Nepalese Women With Solar Energy

2017-10-02T23:05:33-04:00Tags: |

Anya Cherneff cofounded Empower Generation, a social enterprise that links solar energy suppliers with Nepalese women, who then distribute the technology in their communities. The company has already supported 15 women-led businesses to deliver 50,000 solar products to people in need. Anya believes in encouraging women to participate more in the energy sector and speaks publicly about her work to share her vision. Photo credit: Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Awards

1 01, 2015

Indian Women Initiate Water Management System For Women Farmers

2017-10-29T21:35:05-04:00Tags: |

In the Indian state of Gujarat, drought is disproportionately affecting female farmers, whose income is dependent on the monsoon. Leelaben Lohana is one of five women members of the women-initiated Bhungroo group. Bhungroo is a climate change resilient water management system that collects and stores rainwater underground. It is liberating women from the imposed debt and vulnerability that comes with drought. Bhungroo is also turning to the agricultural knowledge of Indian women in exchange for land ownership and local governance, protecting women from having to migrate into urban poverty by gaining self sufficiency in their local regions instead. Photo credit: UNFCCC

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 08, 2014

Solidarity, Group Farming And Solar Panels In The Jungles Of Kerala

2017-08-26T10:41:28-04:00Tags: |

As part of ‘Kudumbashree,’ an anti-poverty and gender justice movement in the region of Kerala, India, women of the Muthavan tribe from Edamalakudi, Idduki district have installed solar panels on homes as part of the village council program and helped 240 families in the village with their energy needs. The women are farming organic crops as a group, in small plots focusing on millet, paddy, tapioca, plantains and cardamom. The women are very clear and confident of their goals, including patrolling restricted-access “jeep roads” to prevent logging, mining and poaching. Photo: Madhuraj, Mathrubhumi Weekly

10 06, 2014

Mothers Light Up Homes In Rural Tanzania

2017-09-22T16:01:24-04:00Tags: |

Arafa Mwamba, along with other women in her community, works as a solar engineer in Chekeleni, Tanzania. The women have been trained by Barefoot College in the field and can now perform all sorts of operations to install and maintain solar equipment. They have expanded their business to offer their services in nearby villages, including providing nighttime lighting which has improved public safety for women and girls.

4 06, 2014

Caribbean Women Protect Their Crops With Green Technologies

2017-10-02T23:01:40-04:00Tags: |

Women farmers from Barbados, Grenada and Jamaica have been battling infrequent rainfall linked to climate change. Understanding women’s fundamental role in agriculture, the Caribbean Policy Development Center and UN Women recently invested in deepening the women’s expertise in sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture. Women farmers are now rotating crops, employing renewable energy technologies, harvesting rain and using greenhouses to amplify their crop yields. Photo credit: UN Women

23 04, 2014

Empowering Women In Renewable Energy: Interview With Rabia Ferroukhi

2017-10-22T00:10:27-04:00Tags: |

In this interview, Rabia Ferroukhi, senior policy advisor at the International Renewable Energy Agency, discusses how governments and businesses should amplify women’s participation in the renewable energy sector. She highlights how women—often suffering from extreme poverty—can gain relief from long hours of household labor, reduced vulnerability to indoor air pollution, and employment through renewable energy. She shares recent government efforts to enable women’s success, such as gender audits in the energy sector, access to funding and training, and gender equity in the labor market. Photo credit: IISD Reporting Services

1 01, 2014

Women Are Harvesting Geothermal Energy In El Salvador

2017-09-28T17:39:09-04:00Tags: |

Women from the Berlin municipality of El Salvador are taking part in a new project to increase their incomes and combat climate change. By using heat waste from the region’s geothermal plant, these women are able to dehydrate fruits to sell, in addition to using geothermal condensate to water plants that they trade afterwards. Besides providing women with employment, the project benefits the environment, since it makes use of renewable geothermal energy. Photo credit: United Nations

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.

12 10, 2013

Swedish Co-Op Creates A Stake For Women In Wind Industry

2017-09-21T21:11:02-04:00Tags: |

The creation of the all-women wind energy co-operative Qvinnovindar in Falköping, Sweden, began in 2007, when Wanja Wallemyr gathered with nine women to collectively finance a community wind project. The initiative has grown to over 80 women members and has received awards for its vanguardism in a predominantly male industry. Photo credit: Grist

1 01, 2013

Erica Mackie: Working For More Accessibility To Solar

2017-09-28T17:35:18-04:00Tags: |

Erica Mackie is the co-founder and CEO of GRID Alternatives, a not-for-profit dedicated to providing low-income communities with access to solar energy. She is an engineer who works to implement renewable energy projects. Her awareness of the underprivileged communities’ unique need for affordable energy has made her partner in the organization. Photo credit: Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Awards

18 06, 2012

Women’s Major Group Members At Rio+20 Call For End To Nuclear Power

2017-10-24T19:39:26-04:00Tags: |

Makiko Imai of the Japan Civil Network for the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, Sascha Gabizon of Women in Europe for a Common Future, Kaisha Atakhanova of the Social-Ecological Fund of Kazakhstan, Svetlana Slesarenok of the Black Sea Women’s Club of Odessa, Ukraine, and Christine von Weizsäcker of Ecoropa are among the representatives of the Women’s Major Group at Rio+20 advocating for an end to nuclear power and the irreversible harm of radioactive materials, and pushing for an international commitment to safe, clean energy development.

18 05, 2012

Women Convert Solid Waste Into Bio-Gas In Nepal

2017-10-01T18:00:53-04:00Tags: |

It was 1992 when sixteen women gathered in Kathmandu to create the Women’s Committee for the Preservation of the Environment (WEPCO). The organization works to recycle solid waste via community composting, paper recycling and the production of bio-gas, while providing employment opportunities for the community.

16 05, 2012

Salvadoran Women Put Their Faith In Agroecology

2017-07-11T16:50:43-04:00Tags: |

Growing tired of losing their family harvests to scorching temperatures and flooding, women in Los Lagartos, El Salvador began to reforest local lands by planting an "energy forest." Over four dozen women now maintain mango, avocado, and nance (golden spoon) trees, in addition to plantains and trees that can be used for their firewood. With the help of an agroecology program run by the Association of Communities for Development, they are achieving food sovereignty and improving their energy security. These women are leading by example, exercising their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. Photo credit: Claudia Ávalos/IPS

10 05, 2012

Lighting Up Lives: African Women Train As Barefoot College Solar Engineers

2017-10-01T18:05:12-04:00Tags: |

Women from Uganda, South Sudan, Liberia and other African countries are taking advantage of the opportunity to become solar engineers through Barefoot College. Stella is a hard-working grandmother from Malawi who graduated from the program in India and returned to her village to work in solar energy. As for Bawor Mamma, her work as a solar engineer provides relief from the daily chores of farming and the opportunity to help her community access renewable energy. Photo credit: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh

17 03, 2012

Rural Women Learn Modern Irrigation Technology In China

2017-10-01T18:09:33-04:00Tags: |

The Yellow River waters the crops of China’s Ningxia Gui Autonomous district, on which thousands of farming families depend. However, due to climate change, the river’s water flow has become uneven, resulting in either flooding or water scarcity. The difficulty of farming under these conditions has pushed many men to seek opportunities in urban areas, leaving behind their wives and children, who take on full-time farming duties in addition to traditionally gendered chores. Because women are key to water management in the region, UN Women invested in providing advanced irrigation technology to local women farmers, helping to save water and promote sustainability. Photo credit: UN Women/Hong Gao

1 01, 2011

Solar Sister, Uganda: A Green Energy Revolution Powered By Women

2017-09-22T15:20:45-04:00Tags: |

About 130 female entrepreneurs in Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan have fought to close the gender gap in their communities by providing solar-powered lighting to rural areas. As the primary consumers of household energy, women are key players in the shift to clean energy, which improves air quality and lowers CO2 emissions. Furthermore, many households in rural parts of Africa spend up to 30% of their monthly income on kerosene. Renewable electricity is lightening this economic burden, which often falls on women’s shoulders. Photo credit: Solar Sister

1 01, 2011

Ursula Sladek: Resisting Nuclear Energy in Germany

2017-10-22T00:13:32-04:00Tags: |

A 2011 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, Ursula Sladek is the founder and president of Schönau Power Supply (EWS), a position from which she fights nuclear energy dependence and promotes renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Black Forest region and across Germany. Sladek established Germany’s first renewable energy co-op and led a campaign to control the Schönau grid in response to the Chernobyl nuclear disaster’s lasting impacts on human and environmental health and the barriers to public input on utility energy supply. Her company now serves over 100,000 customers in Germany and continues to invest in safe, reliable, clean energy and local energy co-ops. Photo credit: Goldman Environmental Prize

1 11, 2010

A Cooperative Approach To Renewing East Kentucky

2017-11-01T21:33:15-04:00Tags: |

In this article, Sara Pennington, the New Power Campaign Organizer with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, writes about the Renew East Kentucky plan. The plan would reduce the region's dependence on coal-fired power plants, improving air and water quality while creating jobs in renewable energy and reducing rates. Photo credit: Solutions

22 02, 2010

Solvatten: A Solution To Clean Water Challenges

2017-09-21T20:28:53-04:00Tags: |

Over the course of 11 years, Petra Wadstrom, a Swedish inventor, designed the Solvatten solar-powered water purifier to help provide clean water to 1.2 billion people who currently lack access. Wadstrom hopes to inspire teachers and students through her invention and to open up discussions about climate change and poverty alleviation.

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. 

1 07, 2008

Sierra Leone’s First Women Barefoot Solar Engineers

2017-07-17T23:46:32-04:00Tags: |

After ten years of civil war, the people of Sierra Leone are rebuilding their lives, homes and infrastructure. Nancy Kanu and Fatuh Koma received training from the Barefoot College to install and maintain solar panels. Now they not only provide electricity to their villages, but are also respected figures in their communities. Photo credit: makingitmagazine.net

15 08, 2006

Micro-Hydro Powers Rural Development In Cameroon

2017-08-26T13:42:40-04:00Tags: |

Though approximately 96% of Cameroon’s grid-based electricity comes from large dams, a large part of the population still lacks access to affordable power. However, women like Mrs. Tagme of Bansoa, Cameroon are taking advantage of micro-hydro power provided by Pelton turbines and local NGO ADEID. Women receive training in the administration, maintenance and community management of the infrastructure, including community finance mechanisms: things are looking up for Cameroonian women. Photo credit: Terri Hathaway

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