Thanks to everyone who came to the expo yesterday. It was a great success and we were glad to see members of the community come out and express their interest and learn about DIY, harmful products and their alternatives and women environmental activists.
Lots of people got busy making their own resuseable pads and we may have even convinced several women to try out the diva cup, though there were a fair share of remarks like "what is that??" or "you stick it in your...?" The most amusing, however, was the tampon that Tabitha put in a cup of water at the beginning of the expo to illustrate what happens to tampons when you flush them down the toilet. It looked like an exotic sea creature, and people had to ask what it was, picking up the cup inquisitively, and then putting it down with disgust when they got their answer.
We will be posting the information provided at the expo for our readers. Stay tuned for info on chemicals in cosmetics, tampon and pad alternatives, feminism and vegetarianism and DIY.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Syeda Rizwana Hasan
In Bangladesh, a densely populated and poor nation, a new industry has taken hold. Ship breaking, the dismantling of ships, had provided the resource limited country with much needed steel and employment. The practice, however, is extremely detrimental to the environment and the health of the workers it employs. The old ships leak toxic chemicals, including asbestos, PBC, lead and arsenic into the beach and ocean.
(Photo: Mark Lewis)
The workers who dismantle the ships are poor men, paid nearly a dollar a day, and are often as young as fourteen. Western ship owners pay Bangladeshi ship breaking operations to dismantle their ships, in a sense using the third world country as a dumping ground for their waste and toxic materials. Ironically, the profitability of the ship breaking industry lies in recycling. The extracted parts of the ships are resold into a market that places a high demand on the metals and other goods taken from the ships.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan is fighting the detrimental effects of this industry. A lawyer and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Hasan has advocated for worker's rights and environmental precautions. Through numerous legal battles, Hasan has increased the regulations on the industry, most notably in March of 2009 when the Supreme Court ordered the closing on 36 shipping yards that did not have sufficient environmental clearance, enacted restrictions on Greenpeace listed contaminated ships and established a committee to monitor its implementation.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Maria Gunnoe: Fighting Against Mountaintop Removal
Hailing from Bob White, West Virginia, Maria Gunnoe is a firsthand witness to the devastation caused by destructive coal mining methods. The central Appalachian region, while also home to coal deposits, is home to a unique and important ecosystem with diverse hardwood forests and pure water that is consumed by millions of people. Wild ginseng also thrives in the region and has been picked by generations. Today, its high demand in Asia makes it a lucrative business for the inhabitants of the impoverished area.
The industry that has had the most impact, in the past and today, is the coal industry. Gunnoe herself is the daughter of a coal-miner, and her roots in Boone County, West Virgina date back to her Cherokee relatives who fled there in the early 1800s. Raised to respect the land, Gunnoe saw the negative impact of environmentally irresponsible mining when, in 2001, a mountaintop removal mine was built next to her home.
The mine caused excessive flooding of her property and pollution that contaminated her land and water. This prompted Gunnoe to take action. She joined several organizations, including the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition where she organized meetings and workshops teaching people to use nonviolent protest and activism to fight mining. In March of 2007, OVEC won a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers that would repeal mountaintop removal valley fill mining permits in West Virginia if they were given without considerable environmental consideration. However, the Army Corps of Engineers went on to grant two permits for Jupiter Holdings to construct two new valley fills at the Boone County Mine adjacent to Gunnoe's property. OVEC countered the action in court, yet when asked to testify, the 20 people Gunnoe expected to testify with refused after having been intimidated by a group of coal miners, leaving her to take the stand as the sole community testifier.
The community reaction has been mixed, mainly because coal mining is the largest source of employment. Gunnoe has been threatened, her children harassed. Her daughter's dog was shot in an act of intimidation and wanted posters of Gunnoe have been posted in the local grocery store, among many other incidents. Despite the intimidation and threats she has received, Gunnoe continues to fight the coal companies. At present, she advocating for the Clean Water Act. Her resilience is astounding and her grassroots connection to the land lies at the heart of her motivation. She writes in a firsthand account found on www.stopmountaintopremoval.org, stating,
"My yard was completely washed out. My fruit trees are gone. My nut trees are gone. I woke up the next morning and looked at this massive trench in my front yard and just really…it took me three days to absorb it. I went from crying – sobbing – to being very mad. This was three years ago, and I’m still mad. And honestly, I’m a little madder than I was then because I realize how many tentacles this evil has. It goes all the way to Washington, D.C. And if I have to go up against it and fight for my home, I’m goin’ against it. It’s even the United States government. And that alone is pretty intimidating. But at the same time, so is that wall of water sittin’ back up on that mountain waitin’ for me. "
Goldman Prize Biography
Ginseng in Appalachia
Video on Gunnoe
Gunnoe Describes Impact of Mountaintop Removal
The industry that has had the most impact, in the past and today, is the coal industry. Gunnoe herself is the daughter of a coal-miner, and her roots in Boone County, West Virgina date back to her Cherokee relatives who fled there in the early 1800s. Raised to respect the land, Gunnoe saw the negative impact of environmentally irresponsible mining when, in 2001, a mountaintop removal mine was built next to her home.
The mine caused excessive flooding of her property and pollution that contaminated her land and water. This prompted Gunnoe to take action. She joined several organizations, including the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition where she organized meetings and workshops teaching people to use nonviolent protest and activism to fight mining. In March of 2007, OVEC won a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers that would repeal mountaintop removal valley fill mining permits in West Virginia if they were given without considerable environmental consideration. However, the Army Corps of Engineers went on to grant two permits for Jupiter Holdings to construct two new valley fills at the Boone County Mine adjacent to Gunnoe's property. OVEC countered the action in court, yet when asked to testify, the 20 people Gunnoe expected to testify with refused after having been intimidated by a group of coal miners, leaving her to take the stand as the sole community testifier.
The community reaction has been mixed, mainly because coal mining is the largest source of employment. Gunnoe has been threatened, her children harassed. Her daughter's dog was shot in an act of intimidation and wanted posters of Gunnoe have been posted in the local grocery store, among many other incidents. Despite the intimidation and threats she has received, Gunnoe continues to fight the coal companies. At present, she advocating for the Clean Water Act. Her resilience is astounding and her grassroots connection to the land lies at the heart of her motivation. She writes in a firsthand account found on www.stopmountaintopremoval.org, stating,
"My yard was completely washed out. My fruit trees are gone. My nut trees are gone. I woke up the next morning and looked at this massive trench in my front yard and just really…it took me three days to absorb it. I went from crying – sobbing – to being very mad. This was three years ago, and I’m still mad. And honestly, I’m a little madder than I was then because I realize how many tentacles this evil has. It goes all the way to Washington, D.C. And if I have to go up against it and fight for my home, I’m goin’ against it. It’s even the United States government. And that alone is pretty intimidating. But at the same time, so is that wall of water sittin’ back up on that mountain waitin’ for me. "
Goldman Prize Biography
Ginseng in Appalachia
Video on Gunnoe
Gunnoe Describes Impact of Mountaintop Removal
News Update: 4 Women Recieve 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Prize, awarded to six grassroots environmental leaders from the six inhabited continents, was given to four women recipients on April 20th, 2009. The awards commend the women for their outstanding work in environmental activism, giving them not only recognition, but $150,000 to pursue their visions, the largest prize for environmental grassroots work. The female winners are:
North America: Maria Gunnoe of Bob White, West Virginia, activist against mountaintop removal mining and valley fill mining in Appalachia.
Asia: Rizwana Hasan of Dhaka, Bangladesh, fighting against Bangladesh's ship breaking industry.
Europe: Olga Speranskaya of Moscow Russia, leading a transformation of nongovernmental organizations into a force to address the issues of toxic chemicals in the region.
Islands: Yunyun Ismawati of Denpasar, Bali, creator of waste management programs that employ and empower the poor and protect the environment.
Past recipients of the prize, such as Wangari Maathai, have used the recognition and support to achieve great ends, in her case, creating the Green Belt movement which would eventually result in the ultimate recognition: the Nobel Peace Prize. Many others like Maathai are working to help the environment, the majority at a grassroot level.Richard Goldman, founder of the Goldman Environmental Prize, the environmental movement sees this situation like this: "By looking to the grassroots, where small-scale community and economic development is flourishing and networks of like-minded organisations are building real infrastructure, we may be able to find a new way forward built on community involvement and stability instead of a financial house of cards. " The 2009 recipients of the Goldman Environmental award indicate the immense passion and dedication that individuals have for the environmental cause as well as the female leaders that embody these traits and values.
North America: Maria Gunnoe of Bob White, West Virginia, activist against mountaintop removal mining and valley fill mining in Appalachia.
Asia: Rizwana Hasan of Dhaka, Bangladesh, fighting against Bangladesh's ship breaking industry.
Europe: Olga Speranskaya of Moscow Russia, leading a transformation of nongovernmental organizations into a force to address the issues of toxic chemicals in the region.
Islands: Yunyun Ismawati of Denpasar, Bali, creator of waste management programs that employ and empower the poor and protect the environment.
Past recipients of the prize, such as Wangari Maathai, have used the recognition and support to achieve great ends, in her case, creating the Green Belt movement which would eventually result in the ultimate recognition: the Nobel Peace Prize. Many others like Maathai are working to help the environment, the majority at a grassroot level.Richard Goldman, founder of the Goldman Environmental Prize, the environmental movement sees this situation like this: "By looking to the grassroots, where small-scale community and economic development is flourishing and networks of like-minded organisations are building real infrastructure, we may be able to find a new way forward built on community involvement and stability instead of a financial house of cards. " The 2009 recipients of the Goldman Environmental award indicate the immense passion and dedication that individuals have for the environmental cause as well as the female leaders that embody these traits and values.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Julia Butterfly Hill
Julia Butterfly Hill
California, United States of America
California, United States of America
Hill is an American activist and environmentalist. Hill is best known for living in a 180-foot tall, 600-year-old California Redwood tree for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999. Hill lived in the tree, affectionately known as "Luna," to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. Originally, Hill was not officially affiliated with any environmental organization, deciding by herself to undertake the act of civil disobedience. Soon, Hill was actively supported by Earth First!, among other organizations and volunteers. A resolution was reached in 1999 when the Pacific Lumber Company agreed to preserve Luna and all trees within a 3-acre buffer zone. In exchange, Hill agreed to vacate the tree. In addition, $50,000 that Hill and other activists raised during the cause was given to the logging company, as stipulated by the resolution. The $50,000 Earth First! paid to Pacific Lumber was then donated to a local university to do research about sustainable forestry.
In 1999, Hill co-founded The Circle of Life Foundation, which no longer operates on a day to day basis.
Julia Butterfly Hill's website
Wangari Muta Maathai
Wangari Muta Maathai
Kenya
Maathai, who recently spoke at Goucher College, has the distinction as being the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya from 1976-87 and was its chairman from 1981-87. It was while she served in the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the people in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. This organization is known as the Green Belt Movement. She has also addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit. In December 2002, Maathai was elected to parliament with an overwhelming 98% of the vote. She was subsequently appointed by the president, as Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya's ninth parliament.
Maathai has won numerous awards for her work, including:
The Sophie Prize (2004), The Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), The Conservation Scientist Award (2004), J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), WANGO Environment Award (2003), Outstanding Vision and Commitment Award (2002), Excellence Award from the Kenyan Community Abroad (2001), Golden Ark Award (1994), Juliet Hollister Award (2001), Jane Adams Leadership Award (1993), Edinburgh Medal (1993), The Hunger Project's Africa Prize for Leadership (1991), Goldman Environmental Prize (1991), the Woman of the World (1989), Windstar Award for the Environment (1988), Better World Society Award (1986), Right Livelihood Award (1984)
In addition to all these, Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work.
Source: nobelprize.org
Wangari Muta Maathai interview
Green Belt Movement
Kenya
Maathai, who recently spoke at Goucher College, has the distinction as being the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya from 1976-87 and was its chairman from 1981-87. It was while she served in the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the people in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. This organization is known as the Green Belt Movement. She has also addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit. In December 2002, Maathai was elected to parliament with an overwhelming 98% of the vote. She was subsequently appointed by the president, as Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya's ninth parliament.
Maathai has won numerous awards for her work, including:
The Sophie Prize (2004), The Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), The Conservation Scientist Award (2004), J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), WANGO Environment Award (2003), Outstanding Vision and Commitment Award (2002), Excellence Award from the Kenyan Community Abroad (2001), Golden Ark Award (1994), Juliet Hollister Award (2001), Jane Adams Leadership Award (1993), Edinburgh Medal (1993), The Hunger Project's Africa Prize for Leadership (1991), Goldman Environmental Prize (1991), the Woman of the World (1989), Windstar Award for the Environment (1988), Better World Society Award (1986), Right Livelihood Award (1984)
In addition to all these, Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work.
Source: nobelprize.org
Wangari Muta Maathai interview
Green Belt Movement
Arshinder Kaur
Arshinder Kaur
Punjab, India
Kaur has worked on the academic level to the grassroots to enhance her community’s understanding of environmental sustainability. She has organized and coordinated schools with Navdanya on themes of ‘Organic food & Culture’, Gandhi and Non Violence, Soil as a living system, Water democracy and Third International Conference on Water and Women 2005. Arshinder has developed resource materials and worked with students and farmers throughout India to incorporate sustainable techniques and alternatives. Arshinder has also developed a system for the standardization of several traditional plants in the Indian system of medicine - Neem, Diospyrus, Careya arborea, Cucumber and Trichosanthes.
Presently, Arshinder is working on the biodiversity, traditional rights of people in Madhya Pradesh, India and the impacts of exploration work on the immediate communities. She is also focusing on raising funds for the protection and trying to execute conservation methods there of for the gradually decreasing population of peacocks and turtles all over in the northern states of India.
Kaur's advice for women working to better the environment:
"I would say that if any woman is pursuing this goal of improving the environment, the most important thing is to find the most effective way that you can to do it. An ant can do more work than an elephant can do. And the ant biting the elephant can initiate the elephant to go on a rampage, or find food, etc. What I am trying to say is one should not have the fear that you are a woman, that is the most important thing. If you are persisting on your path with an honest and an open attitude, then there is nobody who can say 'stop' to you because you definitely will go ahead. But one should not simply be ambitious in the sense of 'I want to get a name or political fame in doing this work.' Because the cause is the most important thing. You must be persistent about any task that you do, and honest about whatever you are doing."
-from womensearthalliance.org
Punjab, India
Kaur has worked on the academic level to the grassroots to enhance her community’s understanding of environmental sustainability. She has organized and coordinated schools with Navdanya on themes of ‘Organic food & Culture’, Gandhi and Non Violence, Soil as a living system, Water democracy and Third International Conference on Water and Women 2005. Arshinder has developed resource materials and worked with students and farmers throughout India to incorporate sustainable techniques and alternatives. Arshinder has also developed a system for the standardization of several traditional plants in the Indian system of medicine - Neem, Diospyrus, Careya arborea, Cucumber and Trichosanthes.
Presently, Arshinder is working on the biodiversity, traditional rights of people in Madhya Pradesh, India and the impacts of exploration work on the immediate communities. She is also focusing on raising funds for the protection and trying to execute conservation methods there of for the gradually decreasing population of peacocks and turtles all over in the northern states of India.
Kaur's advice for women working to better the environment:
"I would say that if any woman is pursuing this goal of improving the environment, the most important thing is to find the most effective way that you can to do it. An ant can do more work than an elephant can do. And the ant biting the elephant can initiate the elephant to go on a rampage, or find food, etc. What I am trying to say is one should not have the fear that you are a woman, that is the most important thing. If you are persisting on your path with an honest and an open attitude, then there is nobody who can say 'stop' to you because you definitely will go ahead. But one should not simply be ambitious in the sense of 'I want to get a name or political fame in doing this work.' Because the cause is the most important thing. You must be persistent about any task that you do, and honest about whatever you are doing."
-from womensearthalliance.org
Josette Perard
Josette Perard
Port au Prince, Haiti
Josette Perard is the co-founder of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, whose accomplishments include 12 years of working with peasant organizations in Haiti on sustainable development and environmental justice. Her work with Lambi Fund of Haiti has accompanied over 100 peasant organizations on grassroots projects that have impacted over 1.2 million Haitians. Every year, Perard organizes two conferences for grassroots women in Haiti, training them to be environmental activists. In addition, she has motivated grassroots organizations to commit to planting tens of thousands of trees.
Perard talked about her work and said,
"I am the Haiti Director of the Lambi Fund of Haiti,which organizes grassroots organizations on sustainable development and environmental justice. Sustainable agricultural projects, ox plows and grain mills help increase food security and income for peasant families. Many of these projects benefit women, who bear more of the burden in the agricultural economy.
The conservation of Haiti's waning natural resources is central to all Lambi Fund projects. Community cisterns and irrigation systems help communities secure safe and efficient water supplies while community reforestation projects curb deforestation – the most rapid in the Western Hemisphere.
I organize women's groups in the North and the South every year. Last year I organized a conference called 'Women, Organizing and the Environment' and we taught Haitian grassroots women to use alternative energy sources such as solar ovens. This year I organized a Haitian women's conference called 'Families, Health and the Environment' and we discussed water quality, hygiene and how it relates to family health."
-from womensearthalliance.org
Lambi Fund of Haiti website
Women's eNews names Perard one of the 21 leaders for the 21st century, 2006
Port au Prince, Haiti
Josette Perard is the co-founder of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, whose accomplishments include 12 years of working with peasant organizations in Haiti on sustainable development and environmental justice. Her work with Lambi Fund of Haiti has accompanied over 100 peasant organizations on grassroots projects that have impacted over 1.2 million Haitians. Every year, Perard organizes two conferences for grassroots women in Haiti, training them to be environmental activists. In addition, she has motivated grassroots organizations to commit to planting tens of thousands of trees.
Perard talked about her work and said,
"I am the Haiti Director of the Lambi Fund of Haiti,which organizes grassroots organizations on sustainable development and environmental justice. Sustainable agricultural projects, ox plows and grain mills help increase food security and income for peasant families. Many of these projects benefit women, who bear more of the burden in the agricultural economy.
The conservation of Haiti's waning natural resources is central to all Lambi Fund projects. Community cisterns and irrigation systems help communities secure safe and efficient water supplies while community reforestation projects curb deforestation – the most rapid in the Western Hemisphere.
I organize women's groups in the North and the South every year. Last year I organized a conference called 'Women, Organizing and the Environment' and we taught Haitian grassroots women to use alternative energy sources such as solar ovens. This year I organized a Haitian women's conference called 'Families, Health and the Environment' and we discussed water quality, hygiene and how it relates to family health."
-from womensearthalliance.org
Lambi Fund of Haiti website
Women's eNews names Perard one of the 21 leaders for the 21st century, 2006
Kaisha Atakhanova
Kaisha Atakhanova
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kaisha Atakhanova is a biologist from
For her work, Atakhanova was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2005. The Goldman Prize is given annually to grassroots environmental activists from six geographic areas: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and
Naughty Recycling
I remember when my first vibrator broke. Not only was it tragic to lose something that had seen me through such good times, but it also caused pangs of grief in my heart to know that my cute little yellow vibrator would end up in a landfill somewhere, polluting the earth. Thanks to one of my newly discovered modern heros, Mr. David Kowalsky, I can now rest easy when the time comes to say goodbye to one of my plastic friends. Founder of RecycleMySexToy.com, Mr. Kowalsky takes old sex toys and breaks them down into their recyclable parts that are then sent off to companies that will use them. Not only do women gain the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping the planet, they also receive a $10 gift certificate towards one of Mr. Kowalsky's partner sites such as VibratorShopping.com. The cycle of sustainability and pleasure continues!
In addition to recycling sex toys, the website features a section of "10 Ways You Can Go Green," where, along with the usual advice to hop on a bike or eat locally, readers are urged to enjoy romantic candlelit dinners and shower together to save water. Indeed, sex and saving the environment are not as far removed as one might think. Coming up, eco-friendly lube and more!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
What is Ecofeminism?
First coined in 1974 by the French feminist Françoise D'Eaubonn, the term ecofeminism does not yet have a single definition. The combination of feminism and ecology rests on the belief that women’s issues and environmental issues are similar and interlinked. A key reasoning behind this is that women are disproportionately affected by ecological damage. In addition to this, women are often caretakers of the land in cultures around the world, giving them greater insight into how to help foster and sustain the environment.
Ecofeminism is an inclusive view and evidence of this can be seen in the many women environmental activists in the United States and around the world. This blog will feature these women activists and provide insight into ecofeminism and women’s role in the environmental movement.
A good resource for getting acquainted with ecofeminism is eve (ecofeminist voices emerging) online, as well as the book Ecofeminism & Globalization by Heather Eaton and Lois Ann Lorentzen.
Stay tuned for more on ecofeminism. Is it an expression of old gender roles? How does it impact indigenous movements? There’s lots more to come…
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Maura Harrington
Maura Harrington
County Mayo, Ireland
Maura Harrington is a retired school principle and now an activist and spokesperson for the Shell To Sea campaign. Shell to Sea is a campaign based in Rossport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. It opposes the proposed construction of a high-pressure raw gas pipeline through Rossport, and continues to oppose the ongoing construction by a conglomerate of Royal Dutch Shell, StatoilHydro, and Marathon Oil of a refinery in nearby Bellanaboy, Co. Mayo, intended to refine the untreated gas from the pipeline. The source of the gas is the Corrib Gas Field, located near Co. Mayo off the west coast of Ireland.
On September 9, 2008, Maura began a hunger strike. The strike was a protest against the arrival of the Solitaire, a ship sent to begin the building of the gas pipeline. On September 19, Maura ended her hunger strike when the Solitaire left for repairs.
Maura Harrington Ends Hunger Strike
Maura Harrington Hunger Strike Interview - YouTube
Shell To Sea Campaign
County Mayo, Ireland
Maura Harrington is a retired school principle and now an activist and spokesperson for the Shell To Sea campaign. Shell to Sea is a campaign based in Rossport, Co. Mayo, Ireland. It opposes the proposed construction of a high-pressure raw gas pipeline through Rossport, and continues to oppose the ongoing construction by a conglomerate of Royal Dutch Shell, StatoilHydro, and Marathon Oil of a refinery in nearby Bellanaboy, Co. Mayo, intended to refine the untreated gas from the pipeline. The source of the gas is the Corrib Gas Field, located near Co. Mayo off the west coast of Ireland.
On September 9, 2008, Maura began a hunger strike. The strike was a protest against the arrival of the Solitaire, a ship sent to begin the building of the gas pipeline. On September 19, Maura ended her hunger strike when the Solitaire left for repairs.
Maura Harrington Ends Hunger Strike
Maura Harrington Hunger Strike Interview - YouTube
Shell To Sea Campaign
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