Dear Friends,
As we welcome in the Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere, we recognize that Winter has left us with a lot to take stock of:
From this week’s IPCC report—offering both warnings on the dangers of fossil fuels, and also a blueprint to change course—to the outrageous approval of the destructive Willow oil drilling project in Alaska, to the devastating train derailment and toxic spill in East Palestine, OH, it’s no surprise if many of us are feeling heavy and disheartened.
That’s why this month, we’re grateful for connection and community.
Here at WEA, every week begins with a Team meeting. A theme that emerged this week was a deep and abiding gratitude for this community and the care and compassion that sustains and carries us—and the earth—through these heavy moments.
We see that same care and compassion echoing throughout the WEA community.
On March 8th, we celebrated International Women’s Day and the transformative power of grassroots women-led solutions to create global impact. We also asked you to tell us how you are stepping forward, in ways big or small, to protect our earth and our communities—and your responses were awesome! From working on a forestry crew to writing a children’s science book to running advocacy campaigns—YOU are how we know our collective ripples of action and care are reaching further and further.
Below, you’ll find even more examples of the care and compassion it takes to get us through these times—how WEA Leaders are coming together across communities, countries, and regions, partnering to bring their urgently needed solutions to life; how they are rising to protect Alaska and East Palestine, OH; and how YOU can be a part of it.
So in the face of all that is heavy, or in transition, or rebirthing with the Spring, here’s what we know: Together, we have everything we need to meet this moment on this planet.
WEAre Together,
Amira, Melinda, and Kahea
WEA Co-Directors
P.S. 🎵 Reunited, and it feels so good! 🎵 From New York, California, Bali and South Africa, our team couldn’t have been happier for the chance to spend time together IRL. As we always say: each time we gather, the world changes!
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Grassroots Women and Climate Justice: What’s Working and Why
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Bioneers Conference
Friday, April 7th | 3:00 PM PT
Berkeley, CA
At this year's Bioneers Conference, WEA's Co-Founder and Co-Director Amira Diamond will join fellow feminist climate movement leaders for a powerful conversation on gender and climate justice. Together, we'll discuss grassroots women’s climate justice initiatives offering equitable and vibrant solutions to the climate crisis; the essential need to amplify and invest in BIPOC and grassroots women's climate leadership; and emergent directions in movement-building, healing and transformative change.
Use code WEA20 to get 20% off of your Bioneers Conference passes for being part of the WEA community!
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Updates from the Alliance
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Grassroots women are saving Kenya’s last tropical rainforest
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Nestled along the eastern edge of the Congo Basin forests, the Kakamega rainforest is an endangered ecosystem. Despite being home to species found nowhere else in the country, the Kakamega has been under attack for decades. WEA and our longtime partner, Kenyan women-led NGO WWANC, are mobilizing a grassroots movement of women who are growing native trees, reforesting the landscape, and protecting Kenya's last tropical rainforest.
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Transforming a widow’s life in Uganda
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At 38 years old and the widowed mother of 5, Namuddu Harriet had begun to feel weighed down by the compounding challenges she faced on a daily basis. That’s when she heard about WEA and UWWI's COVID & Climate Resilience Training to support Ugandan grassroots women to address the impacts of the pandemic and climate crisis—a training which would give Namaddu the tools to launch her own green business and change her life.
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The dangerous implications of the East Palestine, OH train derailment
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WEA Leader Alyssa Carpenter (Citizens for Arsenal Accountability) is based in the New River Valley, in the Ohio watershed, and has been actively supporting her community since the recent train derailment and chemical spill in East Palestine, OH.
In this short video, Alyssa shares what happened in East Palestine, its implications, and what people need to do to protect themselves.
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Growing communal forests and community leaders in Indonesia
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WEA's Hutan Komunal (Communal Forest) Program—which launched in Fall 2022 with 130sqm of demonstration plots in Bali and East Nusa Tenggara—is growing!
WEA Leader Lia Putrinda of Bhakti Alam Sendang Biru Foundation recently held a native forest training in Malang, East Jawa for 100 community members. Lia is equipping them with the agroforestry and stewardship skills needed to grow and co-manage 400sqm of native forest within the Clungup Mangrove Conservation area—where Lia and her team and currently planting 4ha of mangroves, growing native food, establishing 5 community-owned nurseries, and improving the health and livelihoods of the Tambakrejo village.
Watch the stunning video of the Malang native forest training above.
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Purpose-Driven Partnerships
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As we close out Women’s History Month, we wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to our International Women’s Day business partners:
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ICYMI: Our Global Alliance in Action
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Grow the Alliance! Hit FORWARD and share this email with your friends and family.
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Women's Earth Alliance (WEA) empowers women’s leadership to protect our environment, end the climate crisis, and ensure a just, thriving world.
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