No. 49: Why is environmentalism percieved as feminine?
Sorry for the Tuesday upload!! Happy International Compost Awareness Week! Check out the poll!
Hi so sorry for the surprise Tuesday upload! The majority of my energy has been on diverting my local college’s move-out stuff from the landfill (like seriously, it’s a LOT). Most of the items, which I’m collecting as donations, will be used in my upcoming clothing swap.
Anways… Happy International Compost Awareness Week!! If you want to learn more about the importance of composting and how to start, check out The Rot by
!According to the Compost Foundation (linked above), the benefits of composting include:
The use of landfill space and incineration can be reduced by at least one-third when organics are recycled. Focused attention on recycling organic residuals is key to achieving high-waste diversion rates.
Methane, a greenhouse twenty-five times as powerful as carbon dioxide, can be significantly reduced through the recycling of organics instead of their being landfilled.
Soil health and productivity is dependent on organic matter – the essence of compost -- to provide the sustenance for the biological diversity in the soil. Plants depend on this to convert materials into plant-available nutrients and to keep the soil well-aerated. Additional benefits include the reduced need for pesticide usage to ward off soil-borne and other plant diseases.
Compost offers a significant answer to climate change mitigation. Compost’s return to the soil serves as a “carbon bank,” helping to store carbon thereby removing it from the atmosphere.
Compost is a huge benefit for both water conservation and quality. When used in water quality projects, compost bind pollutants to the organics material and prevents them from entering our lakes, wetlands, streams and rivers. Soil erosion is mitigated, and water-holding capacity improved through compost’s enhancement of soil structure, binding soil particles together.
The gender gap of sustainability [is real]
A very brief explanation
Across many religions and legends, the idea of motherhood and femininity is associated with the environment. Mother Nature is rooted in Greek mythology and in North American indigenous (Iroquois tribe) culture there is a woman who fell from the sky. Overall, motherhood is synonymous with nurture, a key component of nature, which keeps us alive.
This feminity translates into today’s harmful consumerism. According to research in the Journal of Consumer Research, there is evidence to believe that people deem eco-friendly buying habits as “feminine,” as well as those said consumers identifying themselves this way. The lead authors even prove that women tend to be more environmentally conscious (Quartz).
Some research even suggests these habits (of women prioritizing such practices) could stem from women focusing on and emphasizing their altruistic ideals (Scientific American).
According to UN Women, “Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety.” We already knew some regions, generally developing nations, are disproportionately affected by climate change, but women and children in those corresponding areas are more vulnerable, too (as is the elderly and disabled). Seems like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos knew all along…
All to say, nothing has to be “masculine” or “feminine,” but now we know why some companies refuse to join in on the movement, thus avoiding the risk of losing their target audience. Likewise, everything is connected, like gender equity and climate justice, and it starts with us to create the necessary change!
Further reading:
Episode 21: How Women Built the Environmental Movement (Lady Science)
How Gender Stereotypes Affect Pro-Environment Behavior (Pacific Standard)
We Can’t Fight Climate Change Without Fighting for Gender Equity (Harvard Business Review)
A Security Camera for the Planet (New Yorker)
Wrap-up
Sorry again for the super late upload… but I hope you enjoyed and learned something new! Next week’s issue will be covering “how to become an environmental advocate.” Also please vote in the fun poll! ;)
Happy compost awareness week!!!