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To learn where we need to go, we have to learn where we’ve been. Take #WaterActionWednesday time today to learn more about the history and leadership of Women in the Environmental Protection movement!

Water Action Wednesday Women's History Month

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Podcast

Episode 27: Women in Water: “When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.” We are excited to feature a special Women in Water podcast in celebration of Women's History Month! Hear from three incredible leaders in the Clean Water Movement: Deirdre White of ASDWA and Source Water Collaborative, Lynn Thorp of Clean Water Action and Source Water Collaborative, and Jennifer Peters of Clean Water Action. They chat about their passion for water, current work, and advice for women thinking about a career in water. 

Radio Segment

WEMU Issues Of The Environment: Women's History Month-The Life And Legacy Of Mary Beth Doyle

Mary Beth Doyle was a Michigan environmental advocate and activist She helped bring the Ecology Center to international prominence and improved the health of environment and inspired others to do the same. She worked at the local, state, and national level working to shut down a Detroit hospital incinerator, convincing a national retailer to stop selling children's chew toys made with polyvinyl chloride, and helping communities across the state tackle toxic pollution problems.
 

Read

Profiles
Women and the Environment [National Park Service]

Stories of women engaging with the environment—from the local to the global level.

Essay
Feminism and Indigenous Environmentalism: Two Case Studies Within the Americas [Western Carolina University]
Discusses two case studies of Indigenous Women Lead movements: The Water Protectors and the #NoDAPL movement in the United States and Berta Cáceres and the Civic Council of Popular Indigenous Organizations (COPINH) in Honduras.

Watch

Lecture
American Women in Environmental History [PBS]
Nancy C. Unger, an associate professor of history at Santa Clara University and author of "Beyond Nature's Housekeepers: American Women in Environmental History" examines how the unique environmental concerns and activism of women framed the way the larger culture responded.

 

Video Oral History
Agnes Baker Pilgrim | The Life and Times of Grandma Aggie [Southern Oregon University]
Agnes Baker Pilgrim was a member of Oregon’s Takelma tribe who traveled the world as a vocal advocate for clean water and Indigenous rights. She co-founded Southern Oregon University's Konaway Nika Tillicum Native American Youth Academy and The International Council Of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers.
 

 

Video and Interview
First Person To Ever Dive Inside An Iceberg: Jill Heinerth [Dive Talk]
An elite cave diver and explorer as well a presenter, author, and underwater filmographer, Jill Heinerth captained the first ever expedition dive into an Antarctic glacier. As a Explorer-In-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and vocal advocate against climate change, she recorded the effects on the people, land, and wildlife in the Arctic for the 2019 documentary "Under Thin Ice".

For Clean Water Kids

 Reading List
Guardians of the Planet: 16 Women Environmentalists You Should Know [A Mighty Girl]
Profiles about  trailblazing women working to protect the planet, each with recommendations for further reading based on multiple age ranges.

Video Storybook
Tree Time: Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya [New York Botanical Gardens]

Wangari Maathai founded Kenya’s Green Belt movement and was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.

Additional Reading: Lists

10 Woman Environmentalists You Should Know About [GreenPop.org]

5 Women Who Have Revolutionized the Environmental Movement [University of Connecticut]

All My Environmental Heroes Are Black Women [Vogue]

States/Regions
Related Priorities

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This year, International Women's Day is centered on the theme of #EmbraceEquity. We believe International Women's Day is every day and support full equality for women and justice for all.

Women's History Month - Recognizing The Women Who Inspire Us

In recognition of Women’s History Month, Clean Water Action is thrilled to raise the voices of strong women in the environmental justice field who continue to encourage us to take action and better our communities.

Clean Water 50 Stories: Kathy Aterno

To celebrate Clean Water Action's 50th anniversary, we’re sharing our history and journey with the people who have joined us along the way as we worked to protect clean water through #CleanWater50Stories.