28 Posts Commemorating the Seminal Efforts of Female Environmentalists

March 8 is International Women's Day, and this is a day to honor all the women who have contributed to environmental stewardship around the world. However, this year we are forced to acknowledge that women are increasingly being targeted by a growing chorus of misogynistic voices.

In the era of trump sexism is thriving. The despicable abuse hurled at global climate icon Greta Thunberg by world leaders is a deplorable case in point.  The problem extends well beyond world leaders as demonstrated by the U.N. Development Program's Gender Social Norms Index in which nearly 90 percent of respondent indicated that they harbor some type of bias against women.

As explained by Nina Munteanu in a Vancouver Sun article, the reason that conservative men are so negatively disposed towards female environmentalists is because these women threaten their gender identity. She illustrated the link between climate-denial and misogyny by citing an August 2019 article by Martin Gelin which explains that attacks against Greta are "consistent with a growing body of research linking gender reactionaries to climate-denialism."

Celebrating Female Environmentalists on Women's Day

March 8, is International Women's Day, the most appropriate day in the 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.

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.

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.

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.”