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Ecofeminism incorporates issues of ecology, race and economics. The environment is a feminist issue, as the procuring of natural resources is, throughout the world, traditionally a woman's domain. Women gather water, gather fuel, cook for their clan. Lack of clean water, lack of wood, overpopulation limiting the food supply -- all are issues confronting women, says Karen J. Warren. Warren, of Macalester College, was one of four diverse speakers in a panel on "Women's Role in the Environment" at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference at UO March 2. The EMU Fir room overflowed with men and women, many of whom sat against the walls, stood in back or clustered in the hallway near the doors to hear the speakers discuss both academic and practical approaches to ecofeminism. Warren gave a whirlwind philosophical overview of ecofeminism -- its definitions, types, and prerogatives; longtime environmental attorney Karin Sheldon offered her personal history of how she got started in the field; UO political science Professor Irene Diamond, who has been instrumental in obtaining large grants for the Center for the Study of Women in Society, examined definitions and offered a couple of anecdotes, and environmental writer Terry Tempest Williams read "The Bowl," a short story from Coyote's Canyon. Ecofeminism also incorporates issues of race and economics. Environmental justice is of paramount importance, noted Warren, as "Race is the primary determinant of where toxic landfills are located in the U.S." Carcinogens appear in the breastmilk of women who reside near those landfills. Sheldon pointed out that it was Rachel Carson's Silent Spring that galvanized the public toward environmental awareness, making environmentalism part of the women's movement from the beginning. When Carson targeted pesticides not only for their harmful direct effects but also for their endocrine disruption, male scientists called her a "junk scientist" and merely a "science writer." She was not the only woman disparaged for her efforts. Women who approached Sheldon in the early part of her practice with complaints of pesticides and other concerns were often self-critical: "What do I know, I'm just a housewife," or "just a nurse," she said. Often, pressure was put on their husbands to get them to quit drawing attention to problems. But, says Sheldon, those women educated themselves at local libraries, and soon she realized how important it was to listen to their instincts in knowing when something was amiss. When a national poll was conducted in the early '90s rating importance of issues, it was women who consistently rated the environment as a top priority. Next, UO professor Irene Diamond offered her viewpoint that the term "'ecofeminism' isn't as helpful as it was 11 years ago." She is now working with other terms such as "umbilical ecology" to move beyond ecofeminism's current ideology. The fact that women are tied to the Earth through the practice of giving birth needs more attention, she said. Williams concluded the presentation with a reading from Coyote's Canyon. A woman leaves her family and returns to the land where she was raised, makes clay bowls and frees herself to swim in the river. When she allows herself to completely let go and freely wallow in the mud and reunite with the nature-based part of her psyche, she is ready to return home. The session concluded with a Q&A period that was more lively than much of the panel discussion. Aniniput ("Firefly"), a woman from the Philippines, said women must remember their ties to the land but in our culture, we've forgotten it. Maia Cheli-Colando said many women still fear death and must move beyond that to unite with the earth. As far as the term "eco-feminism" goes, Cheli-Colando addressed the rancor that sometimes surrounds such words. "I find the politics of anger no longer useful," she said. The importance of women actively fighting for environmental justice was perhaps best summed up by Sheldon, who said, "What makes us powerful is that we have the truth." -- Aria Seligmann Back to Environmental Law Conference Index
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