Impediments to Women in the Workforce Inhibit Environmental Action
Decreasing barriers to women in the workplace can shift the balance of power and help us to move forward on a host
of sustainability issues.
Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, so this is an
opportune time to review the importance of women to the health of the planet.
While women represent roughly half of the population, they have yet to assume
their rightful role at the highest levels of decision making.
We have good reason to believe that as the power of women grows, they will be
a civilizing force in business. There are a number of female environmentalists who
have played pivotal roles over the years. There are also a number of studies
which show that women are better for
the environment than their male counterparts.
100 Inspirational Female Environmentalists
Here is a series of comprehensive lists of female environmentalists
from well known environmental organizations and individuals. From
activists to sustainability focused business women, this ethnically and
geographically diverse group of women includes both young and old and
everything in between.
While we are seeing a growing number of young feminist climate activists,
there is still so much that needs to be done in the area of gender
equality. The inclusion of women is key to climate action. Whether in
the workplace or in the home, women are the greener sex. Simply put, empowering women is synonymous with climate action.
Trump’s Victory has Spawned Unprecedented Opposition
The inauguration of Donald Trump marks the start of a very dark time in the history of the world. However, it has also given birth to a movement that gives us reason to hope.
The scale of the protests against Trump is unprecedented. The protests
started even before inauguration day and they steadily grew. These
protests culminated in the Women’s March in Washington D.C., across the
US and throughout much of the world. This was not your average protest.
It was the largest March in US history with almost three million
Americans participating in every state in the union. This protest was
larger than even the biggest civil rights protests, there were more
people present to protest Trump than there were at protests against the
Vietnam war, this event even dwarfed the Million Man March.
Celebrating Female Environmentalists on Women’s Day
calendar year to recognize the work done by women in the service of the
planet and its inhabitants. Throughout history there have been a number
of female environmentalists who have shown inspired leadership. Here are
some of those women as reviewed in the Huffington Post.
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson is often credited with launching modern environmentalism
in the U.S. after releasing the famed book Silent Spring, which
celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Remembering Berta on International Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day 2016 we mourn the loss of Berta Cáceres, a
truly heroic environmental organizer. On March 3rd she was gunned down
in her hometown of La Esperanza, Intibuca in Honduras. Her assassins are
still at large and unlikely to ever be brought to justice.
Berta was an indigenous women who championed land and resource rights.
In 1993 she co-founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous
Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She was a dedicated protector of
the natural world who bravely stood up to powerful corporations, corrupt
governments and police with ties to death squads.
Canadian Sheila Watt-Cloutier the World’s Leading Voice on Arctic Climate Impacts and Human Rights
is an Inuit activist who was instrumental in helping the world understand the
link between climate change impacts in the Arctic and human rights. At 60, this
grandmother continues to be a leader of human rights for people living in the
Arctic. Although she currently lives in Iqaluit, she was born into a traditional
Inuit family in Kuujjuaq, in Northern Quebec’s Nunavik region.
Empowering Women is Synonymous with Combating Climate Change
If we want to address climate change around the world and in the
developing world in particular we need to see more women in leadership
roles. There is good evidence to support the idea that when women lead
communities are more sustainable.
Climate change is a critical issue for everyone, but it is especially
hard on women. Happily women are also an essential part of the solution,
not only because they make up half (48.1), but because women tend to be
more green in their lifestyle choices and women in the workforce tend
to more sustainable.
Women are More Environmentally Friendly
According to a large number of studies, women are greener than men in both their attitudes and their actions. One study
shows that women have a greater stake in managing climate change as
they are “more likely to lose their lives and otherwise fare worse than
men in extreme events from heat waves to hurricanes and tsunamis.”
According to an international survey by Synovate, women are greener than
men. A study published by France’s National Institute of Statistics and
Economics shows that women emit less carbon than men. Men emit an
average of 39.3 kilograms of carbon per day, women emit an average of
32.3 kilograms of carbon per day.
Event – It’s Time 2015: The Partnership Summit to Elevate Women’s Leadership
The inaugural It’s Time 2015: The Partnership Summit to Elevate Women’s
Leadership, will take place the inaugural summit will take place May
1-3, 2015 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
It’s Time 2015 will feature Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter. This
cross-sector initiative brings women and men together to achieve gender
equity and empower women and girls at all levels to be leaders. It is
expected to draw up to 2,500 attendees representing a full spectrum of
social and economic diversity, while satellite events occur
simultaneously in partner cities across the U.S.
It’s Time Network is a diverse network of women and men working to
evolve democracy and affirm the value of interdependence between all
people and groups. Building connections between political leaders, grass
roots activists, local communities, and national associations, ITN’s
mission is to generate awareness around the importance of empowering
women and girls and galvanize action across a range of issues including:
Indigenous Women Struggling with Climate Change and Environmental Degradation
Women are on the front lines of climate change and environmental
degradation and this is particularly true of indigenous women. Those who
are socially and economically disadvantaged will be the hardest hit so
this is an immense concern to indigenous women and the situation is even
worse for such women living in developing countries.
The climate-induced environmental threats they face include sea-level
rise and shifts in the ranges of important species of food bearing
plants.
Environmental insults are compounding the climate crisis. This is more
than just a disruptive inconvenience for indigenous women, it is a
direct threat to their physical, social and economic well being. For
these women, many of whom live in a very close relationship with the
natural world, climate change is an existential threat.
WECAN: Female Advocates of Climate Justice
Women advocated for climate justice with a day of action on February 14th 2014. A group known as WECAN
(Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network) took action for mother Earth
and climate justice in collaboration with One Billion Rising for
Justice.
Leading up to and on February 14th WECAN’s members documented women-led
solutions, testimonies and successes in the field of environmental and
climate justice throughout the world. Click here to see these actions.
Female Climate Justice Leaders and Environmental Champions (350.org)
Women are among the first to feel the impact of climate impacts.
However, women are also at the forefront of efforts to find and
implement sustainable solutions. Here are some of the female climate
justice leaders assembled by the staff at 350.org for International Women’s Day.
– Melina Laboucan-Massimo: Climate & Energy Campaigner Greenpeace Alberta Tar Sands Campaign
“She’s an amazing leader from the frontlines of the tar sands and has
worked tirelessly to connect the issue of missing & murdered
indigenous women with climate justice.”
– Lidy Nacpil: Convener of the Philippine Movement for Climate
Justice and Asia coordinator of Jubilee South, vice president of the
Freedom from Debt Coalition of the Philippines. She also serves on the
board of 350.org and is the coordinator of the Global Campaign to Demand
Climate Justice.
Dr. Brundtland the Mother of Sustainable Development (Video)
Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland is widely regarded as the mother of sustainable
development and she is a highly effective political and environmental
activist. On January 18, 2016, Dr. Brundtland received a Lifetime
Achievement Award at the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2016 for her global
leadership on sustainability. Dr. Brundtland is the first female
recipient of this award.
On behalf of the UN Foundation, President and CEO Kathy Calvin
congratulated Dr. Brundtland and highlighted the legacy of her work:
Video – Women Underrepresented on Boards of Directors
Women can bring a vast array of skills into business, this includes a
greater awareness of the value of sustainability. Despite this fact
women represent only 17 percent of the membership of Fortune 500 boards
of directors. In this video professor Kellie McElhaney of the University
of California Haas School of Business profiles the gender gap in the
corporate board rooms and outlines specific barriers and best practices
for addressing this situation.
WAGE: Women and the Green Economy
To
accelerate and provide the new thinking and creative power for a global
post-carbon economy, Earth Day Network is engaging women business,
government and NGO leaders in its “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE®)
Campaign. WAGE® is working today to create a policy agenda for Rio+20
and generate relevant national initiatives that will promote the green
economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women and
channel green investment to benefit women.
Green Economy Guide for Women
A
manual from the Department of Labor offers guidance to women interested
in entering the green workforce. The guide is entitled, “Why Green Is
Your Color: A Woman’s Guide to a Sustainable Career.” Currently green
jobs are largely dominated by men but there are many opportunties for
women. The guide is a comprehensive manual designed to assist women with
job training and career development as they enter into innovative and
nontraditional jobs.
Female CSR and Sustainability Leaders (Triple Pundit)
As with every other aspect of the corporate world, men dominate the
senior echelons of the CSR and sustainability movement. However there
are a number of women who are showing that they not only are as good as
men but they may even be better. The data shows that having an executive team that includes women offers better CSR performance.
Despite the ongoing inequality women are gaining momentum in the CSR and sustainability world.
Here is Triple Pundit’s list of 35 inspirational women that are leading the push for sustainable change.
1. Pamela Alabaster, SVP Corporate Communications, Sustainable Development & Public Affairs, L’Oreal USA.
Renewable Energy Education for Women
Ecotech
Institute, a pioneer college dedicated to renewable energy and
sustainability, offers a great environment for women to train for
careers in renwable energy. On February 16th, Ecotech held a Women in
Renewable Energy meeting to bring together women at the campus to “share
ideas, help each other with classwork and empower one another as they
embark on a green career.”
The 21 Most Powerful Women in Sustainability (gb&d magazine)
Here are the recipients of the inaugural Women in Sustainability
Leadership Award, presented by gb&d which describes itself as “the
magazine for today’s leading green professional.” It is the only
magazine covering green building and design across industries.
The list starts off with the top ten most powerful women in
sustainability followed by eleven additional women who warrant honorable
mentions.
Visionary Women: The Profiles of Two Important Environmentalists
Angella Nazarian’s new book, Pioneers of the Possible: Celebrating Visionary Women,
includes profiles of two important environmentalists.
Marina Silva, who ran for president of Brazil last year and is referred
to as the Al Gore of Brazil. She’s been working tirelessly to save the
Amazon and was at the forefront of passing legislation for the
environment. Illiterate and living in the Amazon jungle as a rubber
tapper until age 16, she is also the winner of the prestigious Goldman
prize.
Wangari Matthai of Kenya, the first environmentalist to win a Noble
Prize. She founded the Green Belt Movement that has led to more than 13
million trees being planted in Africa. Her movement has spread to
other African countries.
