Poland Archives - Women Speak

Mothers vs. Loggers: The Destruction Of Białowieża Forest Splits Poland

Karina2018-12-19T17:29:01-05:00Tags: Poland|

Matki Polki na wyrębie (“Polish Mothers at the Felling” in Polish) is a grassroots group of mothers who protested against the rampant logging practices near Warsaw. Logging tripled in 2016, especially in the region of the Białowieża forest. Jan Szyszko, the Polish environmental minister of Białowieża, claimed that logging would save the trees from beetles. However, the authorities failed to consider the historical and environmental importance of the trees. Most of the animals are dependent on the lichens, mosses, and fungi and other parts of the Białowieża ecosystem for their survival. Thus, mothers are coming forward to save their great heritage. Photo credit: Tomasz Wiech.

Jadwiga Lopata: 2002 Goldman Prize Recipient, Europe

Karina2017-11-09T20:10:10-05:00Tags: Poland|

Jadwiga Lopata, a former computer programmer who has worked on rural preservation since the mid-1980s, received the Goldman Environmental Prize. Jadwiga created an eco-tourism program that promoted the environmental, economic and health advantages of small family farms over large-scale factory agriculture. She is currently working on a campaign which fights the advance of supermarket chains, and at the same time she is helping to ensure a future for local food.