What’s Missing from #MeToo and #TimesUp: One Indigenous Woman’s Perspective

Indigenous Woman Mother Earth

As I have watched the national dialogue unfold around sexual harassment and sexual violence, I can’t help but take notice of the lack of tie in to a much larger picture: namely, how men have abused their power to dominate and inflict violence upon not only women (and women of color in particular), but our Mother Earth. And they absolutely are related.

The roots of colonization and patriarchy in the Americas included the strategy of stealing lands from Indigenous peoples, inflicting violence and domination over women, and further exploiting those lands for monetary gain. But this is not some distant past — it is happening at an alarming rate today. Both the land, water, and Indigenous women have been ‘othered’ and devalued in our society. Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assault and rape than any other ethnic group and the unsolved cases of Murdered & Missing Indigenous Women (#MMIW) are staggering. Extractive industries play a major role in this violence and I encourage you to visit www.landbodydefense.org for a report and toolkit on how to support these resistance efforts. Another resource on MMIW community-led work is at It Starts With Us.

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Guess What? Spending Time in Nature Actually Improves Your Mental Health & Productivity

nature improve health_women of green

When was the last time you went outside just to enjoy nature? If it’s been a while, it might be time to head outdoors — especially if your mental health or productivity could use a boost. That’s because nature has been shown time and again to have healing benefits to those who simply spend time in the fresh air, around lush foliage, taking in incredible landscapes. But what exactly are the benefits of spending time in nature? Here are four ways the outdoors can improve your mental health and stoke your productivity.

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It’s Time to Mother Nature: Women of Green’s New Campaign

its_time_to_mother_nature_women_of_green

This year, we had so much fun creating our Earth Day message for you and hope it will encourage others to see Earth Day as everyday! We gathered some of the most talented female artists we knew and created a Mother Nature Art Poster that is shown above. We named the campaign “It’s Time To Mother Nature” and began with the beloved long-eared owl (I have had numerous close encounters with these mystical birds so I just had to start with them). However, the whole point of our Mother Nature campaign is to increase awareness of the extremely volatile nature of all nature on our planet today. With reverence to the owl family, we created our owl out of human bodies. Two female models (I’m on the left) were body-painted and positioned to shape the owl’s head. It’s the first in a series of Women Of Green Art Posters and our plan is to create one a month for the next six months. But there is a good chance we’ll never stop! If you are an animal or nature lover like me, you can purchase our Mother Nature Owl Art Poster here. The proceeds from this collection will go toward our Women As Game Changers Entrepreneurial Training for women who are determined to change the world through their life’s work.

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Winter Solstice: A Chance To Take A Breath With The Sacred

Lawrence Hall of Science, Berkeley

“Something in us needs to know that at the end of the longest night, there will be light.” In 2015, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will begin on Dec. 22 at 4:48 a.m. UTC. To calculate the turning point in your time zone, click here. Officially the first day of winter, the winter solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. This is the longest night of the year, meaning that despite the cold winter, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice in 2016. The winter solstice is celebrated by many people around the world as the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light. The Talmud recognizes the winter solstice as “Tekufat Tevet.” In China, the Dongzhi Festival is celebrated on the Winter Solstice by families getting together and eating special festive food. Until the 16th century, the winter months were a time of famine in northern Europe. Most cattle were slaughtered so that they wouldn’t have to be fed during the winter, making the solstice a time when fresh meat was plentiful. Most celebrations of the winter solstice in Europe involved merriment […]

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