Dear Friends,
In the span of just two weeks—while we attended the Women’s Funding Network Conference in D.C. and Climate Week in NYC—the world changed. Businesses, philanthropy, and governments emerged with unprecedented climate commitments, totaling billions of dollars. The marches, announcements, and events reverberated with a renewed urgency and a narrative shift about who should be leading decisions and how we can protect life on our planet. Not only is it unacceptable now to deny that we are facing a climate emergency, it’s literally uncool for any institution to not participate in solutions.
The call for diverse leadership in all levels of government and civil society is loud and clear. And while WEA Leaders around the world have never waited for permission to implement solutions and build alliances across boundaries, nations, or traditional divides of religion or class—the recognition that community-driven solutions create lasting change is now widely understood.
Still, just as these important institutional commitments were being announced, two more weeks passed in which the people of West Maui, Hawai’i reckoned with the devastation caused by the deadliest wildfires in modern U.S. history; our colleagues in Kalimantan, Indonesia endured two more weeks of fighting ongoing fires without water, masks, or supplies; and the people of Morocco and Libya experienced unimaginable loss of home and life in the wake of a deadly earthquake and destructive flood. In just two weeks the world changed.
We urgently and swiftly need to shift more decision-making power and resources to groups working for, with, and at the grassroots. Listening to and trusting the visions and innovations of grassroots women leaders is an elegant and necessary alternative to spending months and years of time developing new—and less effective—strategies for how to solve the climate crisis. Grassroots alliances make it possible to shuttle resources to where they are most impactful, both in times of crisis and stability. These networks—these movements—are the lifeblood of this time.
Friends, let’s not become numb to what is now being called “the new normal”. This is our moment to first listen and then take collective action. The future is in our hands, and when we look out across the 37,000 climate projects catalyzed throughout Women’s Earth Alliance since 2006, thanks to your work and partnership, we feel confident that the future is in good hands.
WEA together,
Amira, Kahea and Melinda
WEA Co-Directors
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Left: WEA Global Program Manager Dr. Annesha Chowdhury, PhD (middle) with friends at colleagues at the Climate March in NYC. Credit: Amira Diamond / Right: Frontlines of the Climate March in NYC. Credit: Amira Diamond
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Ripple Week 2023 is here: A virtual workshop series on regenerative land, food and health solutions
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Join us next month for Ripple Week 2023—our annual Fall series of free virtual events, designed to inspire, mobilize and amplify critical grassroots solutions. These powerful workshops will focus on regenerative women-led solutions nurturing our bodies, the land, and communities from farm to table.
Speakers include: Lyla June, an Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages; Jamila Norman, an urban farmer, activist and host of Homegrown on HBO Max and Magnolia Network; and leaders from Fondo Semillias—the first feminist fund in Mexico—which mobilizes resources for grassroots women-led efforts.
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Updates from the Alliance
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Meet the 2023 U.S. Regenerative Agriculture & Health Accelerator Cohort
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WEA is thrilled to announce the 2023 Cohort of our annual U.S. Grassroots Accelerator for Women Environmental Leaders.
The 27 diverse women leaders in this year’s program join us from across the continental U.S., Guam, Hawai’i and Puerto Rico and are stepping up to meet the challenges their communities face by providing essential food and health services during times of crisis. From assisting farmers in equitable food distribution and reinforcing soil health in California, to starting farms and supporting community gardens in Guam, to merging herbalism and doula practices in Missouri—these leaders are drawing from their lived experiences and devoted activism to create intersectional, long-lasting and just solutions for our communities.
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WEA's Women Ecopreneurs Fest Kicks Off in Indonesia!
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This month, eco-entrepreneurs from across Indonesia gathered for WEA’s Women’s Ecopreneurs Fest. The event is the culmination of our year-long Rural Climate and Economic Resilience Program (RuCLER), in partnership with Pratisara Bumi Foundation (PBF), to accelerate the growth of women-led eco-businesses and promote sustainable and resilient livelihoods. At the fest, nine WEA Leaders from seven provinces presented business plans to potential partners, showcased eco-products, and conducted artisan-led workshops.
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WEA and EDF Announce Partnership for Women in Sustainable Fisheries
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Above: Women fishers from Lampong gather to take part in a Women’s Entrepreneurship Workshop in Bali. Credit: Sarita Pockell
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Women play an important role in transitioning communities towards sustainable fishing practices, yet are not given the resources, training, and networking opportunities needed to lead. To address this critical gap and the far-reaching impact it has on our world’s fisheries, WEA is partnering with the Environmental Defense Fund to launch the Women and Fisheries Leadership Accelerator.
Through this Accelerator, WEA and EDF will provide holistic support for 50 women from 5 fishing communities to elevate their leadership in creating more sustainable fisheries. This program will be piloted in Lampung, Sumatra before scaling globally.
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Empowering Women’s Leadership, Preserving Nature:
WEA and Filha do Sol’s Women and Tropics Accelerator in Brazil
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Above: Leaders from the Climate Realities and Resilience Training, part of WEA and Filha do Sol’s Women and Tropics Accelerator Program in Brazil, deepen their knowledge of impact tracking to scale their work. Credit: Filha do Sol
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The Women and Tropics Accelerator Program in collaboration with Filha Do Sol is well underway, supporting over 100 women leaders to scale their entrepreneurial climate solutions in Brazil’s beautiful but fragile North East Region. Together we are restoring mangrove habitats, implementing waste management systems in multiple communities, growing regenerative food gardens, and advocating for enhanced environmental protections for their climate-ravaged ecosystem.
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Purpose-Driven Partnerships
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Avocado Green and WEA Celebrate New 1% For the Planet Partnership
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WEA is delighted to welcome Avocado Green to our Business Partner community. As our newest 1% For the Planet partner, a portion of their revenue directly supports WEA's work to catalyze more than 9,000 women-led environmental initiatives in nine countries this year. Check out the link below for a feature on WEA and this exciting partnership in Avocado Magazine, a publication focused on sustainability and eco-conscious living.
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ICYMI: Our Global Alliance in Action
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- WEA joins 75,000 other climate advocates and allies, including our colleagues in the Feminist Bloc, at the March to End Fossil Fuels in NYC.
- Fiona McLeod, WEA’s Communications & Development Manager, co-hosts Terra Verde, a weekly public radio program about critical environmental issues. On this recent episode, she speaks with Doria Robinson and Madeline Ostrander about how grassroots, urban farmers in Richmond, CA are transforming local food systems and building a blueprint for a just transition away from fossil fuels.
- Flávia Neves Maia, Co-Director of WEA’s Women & Tropics Program partner Filha do Sol, recently took to the stage to give a TED talk on how love can be a core value in the climate movement.
- WEA Leaders Roishetta Ozane and Sanjana Paul were featured on the Grist 50 for 2023, highlighting 50 people moving us toward a greener, more just future.
- Congratulations to WEA Leader Nalleli Cobo, who will receive the Citizen Activist of the Year Award by Consumer Watchdog for her powerful work challenging extractive oil industries in South Los Angeles. And to WEA Leader Camille Hadley, who was selected as one of the top 12 finalists for the 2024 LEAD Brevard Leadership for her work as ED of Little Growers Inc.
- WEA is excited to join Gyrenauts, a new web3 project where WEA is representing SDG 5: Gender Equality. Mint the WEA Gyrenaut NFT today!
- Looking for ways to take tangible action to protect the earth and your community? Check out our latest blog post, where we explore eight small changes you can make in your everyday life that can make a big difference for our climate.
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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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