Women are the Key to a More Sustainable Future

The importance of women to the future of our species goes way beyond their procreative power.  Female leadership is better leadership and this augurs a better world.

Women's Day is an opportunity to advocate for true equality and to share the evidence revealing why women are the more sustainable sex. Empowering them is good for people, the planet and profits. If we want to move forward we need to unambiguously assign blame. Women's rights are human rights and men that deny these rights need to be called out.

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.

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:

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.

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.

Event - Women in Green Forum

The sixth annual Women in Green Forum will take place on August 26th 2015 from 8:00 am to 6:45 pm at TreePeople in the hills of Los Angeles (Coldwater Canyon Park, 12601 Mulholland Dr,, Beverly Hills, CA).

This unique event is the premiere series highlighting women's impact on the environmental industry. The event includes interactive workshops, and professional networking opportunities. This event will address issues in the built environment, community, government and the economy.

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.

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.

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.

Female Faith Leaders Say Climate Change is a Priority Issue

Climate change is emerging as a salient theme for women leading faith communities. Antje Jackelén, and Rev. Jane Shaw offer two stellar examples climate leadership.

Jackelén is Sweden’s first-ever women archbishop and Rev.  Shaw is the new dean of religious life at Stanford University.

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:

Video - Women Environment Leaders from the Himalayas

The video is based on interviews with women environmental leaders from the Hindu Kush Himalayas including Arzu Rana Deuba and Meena Khanal from Nepal, Shandana Khan from Pakistan, H.E Dr. Hussun Banu Ghazan, Minister of Women’s Affairs from Afghanistan, Chime Wangdi from Bhutan, and Govind Kelkar and Devaki Jain from India.

Video - Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy Forum (WISER) Keynote Speech

Here is the Keynote speech from the Women in Sustainability, Environment and Renewable Energy Forum (WISER).

Video - Women’s Claims on Environmental Sustainability

• Moderator: Bridget Burns, Advocacy and Communications Director, Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
• Noelene Nabulivou, activist from Fiji, affiliated with DAWN, Diverse Voices and Action for Equality, and the Women’s Major Group
• Wanjira Mathai, Project Director, wPOWER Hub, Wangari Mathai Institute, Kenya and Board Chair, Green Belt Movement
• Yong Jung Cho, 350.org, coordinator of efforts directed towards youth engagement in New York in the lead up to the UN Climate Summit

Video - Women's Earth Alliance (WEA)

Women's Earth Alliance's foresees a world in which women powerfully participate in the development of global sustainability—thereby reducing poverty, encouraging democracy, promoting peace, and enhancing the social and environmental health of the planet. WEA invests in grassroots women's leadership to drive solutions to our most pressing ecological concerns – water, food, land, and climate. We link women community leaders with the resources, trainings, funding, and partnerships they need to build self-reliant, environmentally sustainable, and healthy communities. Check out this short video depicting the profound potential within women's leadership for social and environmental transformation, and WEA’s work to support that shift.

Infographic - Enviromental Benefits of Empowering Women and Providing Access to Sustainable Energy

Event - Women In Green Forum

Women In Green Forum will take place August 26th, 2014 at the Luxe Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA. The theme is Design Your Impact. Some of the issues that will be addresses include inspiration,greener transport, Sustainability Solutions and Technologies, Sustainability in the Built Environment, clean technologies, Sustainability and Innovation.

Bill McKibben on the Triumph of Activism in the Wake of the Delay of the Keystone XL

While Bill McKibben is among those who want the President to kill the Keystone XL project, he heralds the delay as a victory for environmental activists.  Another delay means that oil is not flowing from Alberta to the Gulf Coast and that in and of itself is a great accomplishment.

"Every day we delay a decision is a day when 830,000 barrels of oil stays safely in the ground." 350.org founder McKibben explained. He also went on to say that the fight will continue. "Together we’ve kept them at bay for three years now, and will continue to until perhaps the beginning of next year it seems," McKibben said. "The climate fight can’t be delayed. We need to keep building the movement, and we need to keep putting heat on leaders like President Obama till we win not delay the decision on the Keystone XL pipeline."

Video - Women on the Margins: The Shriver Report and Implications for Sustainability

As reviewed in a recent study in The Shriver Report titled, “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink,” many women are denied access to power in the workplace and in addition to undermining the role of women in society, this impedes environmental advocacy.  By decreasing barriers to women in the workplace we can move forward on a host of sustainability issues.

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.