The results are in: Women are the key to a greener and more equitable world
Women, particularly Indigenous women and women of color, are catalysts for positive environmental change in the world. Because they often shoulder the heaviest impacts of climate change and environmental destruction, women know what our communities need in order to meet this moment on the planet. In fact, a new study by the United Nations found that:
"[W]omen and those in marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples, make decisions that support [climate] adaptation and mitigation efforts ... Increasing the participation of these groups in decision-making would lead to more effective and long-lasting climate policies.”
Yet, women—and the frontline communities they live in and advocate for—are systematically excluded from decision-making and the resources they need to enact change.
Women’s Earth Alliance’s U.S. Grassroots Accelerator bridges this divide, providing initiatives and movements built by women with the tools, resources and networks needed to exponentially grow their innovative solutions. Guided by a powerful group of Wisdom Keepers—movement Thought Leaders, seasoned organizers and advocates, facilitators, artists, and alumni from previous cohorts of the U.S. Grassroots Accelerator—each cohort of women leaders invited to join the Accelerator engages in a 16 week program intensive centered around holistic leadership and strategy development, covering topics such as:
Grounding in purpose & designing for action
Whole systems & ecological design
Radical strategy & scaling our impact
Storytelling & social media
Community organizing & building grassroots
Resource mobilization
The theme for this year’s U.S. Grassroots Accelerator is: Caring for Ourselves, Caring for the Earth. Frontline climate work is taxing in every way—emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This year's theme recognizes that, as the climate crisis worsens, it's critical to remember that our wellbeing and healing are essential in nurturing a thriving future for our communities, the earth and ourselves.
The 28 Leaders in this year's cohort work across all sectors of the environmental movement, from facilitating intergenerational sharing and stewardship in the North Mariana Islands, to creating rap and soul music as a form of resistance in QTBIPOC communities in the Bay area; from ensuring academic research incorporates traditional Indigenous ways of knowing into western scientific soil practices, to leading frontline political action to resist harmful chemical pollution in Virginia; from building a foundation of support for women entrepreneurship, to expanding solar energy accessibility for low-income communities.
After completing the initial program intensive, these Leaders will receive a seed grant to put their strategies for scaling their solutions into action. They will also join WEA’s Global Alliance where they’ll access ongoing mentorship, resource sharing and sisterhood.
Through these powerful women-led grassroots innovations, we are paving the way to a climate-conscious future.
P.S. Stay tuned for more information about each leader on our Instagram over the next few months!
Written by Lila Rubin, WEA Intern