By Kerry Brophy Lloyd

Even before Rachel Carson penned Silent Spring — her famous warning about the ill-effects of pesticides and pollution — women have been some of the most outspoken advocates for the Earth's plants and animals.

Now The Nature Conservancy and partners are bringing together a new generation of conservation-minded women to discuss the unique role women play in sustainability.

The first-ever Women's Conference on Sustainability is happening May 2-3, 2008 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The gathering — which will feature Melinda Kramer, founding director of the international women's organization Women's Earth Alliance, and Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal — will provide a format for discussions and ideas on how women around the world can contribute to true sustainability.

Nature.org spoke with Jen Simon, The Nature Conservancy's Greater Yellowstone outreach manager, about what the conference might catalyze — and why women are crucial in helping shape a brighter future for our planet.

Nature.org: Where did the idea for a Women's Conference on Sustainability come from?

Jen Simon: All of my primary teachers in the field of conservation seem to be women — amazing women active in community change. But then I look at the list of speakers at environmental conferences and it’s usually all men — sometimes there’s only one woman on a panel. 

So I started talking with my female friends in conservation — at work, over coffee — and the idea for a conference on sustainability for women, by women and about women took off. We seized on the idea and embraced that there is another way to approach the dialogue about how we’re treating the natural world. 
 

Nature.org: Why women? What's unique about the role women play in conservation today?

Jen Simon: Women seem to be talking about conservation and sustainability in a very different way than men. It seems to be tied to everyday decisions they make: where to eat, what to buy, how to spend their money, how to raise their children. 

In particular, I looked at women like Wangari Maathai of the Green Belt Movement and Melinda Kramer and noticed their projects don’t just address the environment; they address all facets of people in the community.

These projects include economic empowerment and social justice as a necessary component of a sustainable future. And that's a particularly inspiring idea: that you could use conservation to remedy a whole host of systemic issues. 

The other unique factor is the increasing ability of women to make financial decisions. And because women approach conservation differently than men, such decisions will become an increasingly important driver in whether and how sustainable products are distributed and developed in the coming years.
 

Nature.org: What are your goals for the conference? How is it different from other conferences about the environment?

Jen Simon: A lot of conferences follow a predictable format: Someone imparts their knowledge to you by standing at the front of the room for an hour or two. If you’re lucky, there’s a little time for questions or to engage with colleagues.

But invariably, that’s where the best information you get comes from — the exchange. So we wanted to create a completely different format that honors the knowledge of the presenters and the inherent knowledge of the participants as well. 

The conference follows the themes of women in arts, science, conservation, faith, communication, and politics. Women who work in each of these fields will lead a small group discussion centered on sustainability. 

We’ll hear about the important work that women do and have been doing — long before anyone coined the term “sustainability” or started shopping for a hybrid — and this is a forum for them to share.

We hope that women will leave the conference with a support network of other women who can together create lasting change. But we also want attendees to begin to recognize that, as Helen Keller said, “The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” That every day we are all already doing things that matter.

We want to have this conference every year and there has been so much positive energy around it that already several national speakers have come forward to sign up to speak for next year.
 

Nature.org: Who are some of your women role models in the field of conservation?

Jen Simon: Where do I begin? As I said earlier, Wangari Maathai and Melinda Kramer as well as Malinda Chouinard, co-founder of Patagonia sportswear, and Jane Goodall.

But really, I am surrounded by women who make personal and professional choices every day that make them model conservationists. Women who see something as simple as the plastic bags in the supermarket and take it upon themselves to educate other consumers, make reusable bags available and also convince the stores to provide a bag credit every time someone opts for a reusable bag.

And then, taking it full circle, these women provide shoppers with a way to donate that bag credit to a local organization so the community reaps the benefits in multiple ways. This kind of action is exactly what this conference hopes to honor. 

I am convinced that such small, individual and heroic acts — performed by women and men — truly have the biggest impact on us and the future of our planet. 
 

Kerry Brophy Lloyd is communications coordinator for The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming.

Nature picture credits (left to right):  Photo © Ian Shive (Hiking); TNC (Jen Simon)