Today on Earth Day we honor the extraordinary women who are doing their part for the planet. The See Jane Do team feels fortunate to have connected with and interviewed incredible women who have united their passion with environmental action.
We are inspired by the actions of women like Ursula Sladek one of the 2011 Goldman Environmental Prize winners who founded a citizen-owned renewable energy company as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. We are moved by women like shrimp boat captain Diane Wilson who put everything on the line to prevent chemical companies from pouring toxins into her water source. We are motivated to help others when we hear the stories of women like Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish, Melinda Kramer of the Women's Earth Alliance, Lydia Olympic, tribal activist, and Erin Switalski of Women's Voices for the Earth.
We are thrilled to feature several of these "Extraordinary Janes" at our 2nd Annual Passion Into Action, women who are environmental action heroes in every sense.
PIA keynote speaker, Jean Shinoda Bolen author of Like A Tree: How Trees, Women, and Tree People Can Save the Planet believes that we are on the edge of either evolution or extinction and it's up to us, as women to be visionary activists and feminine feminists.
Jean Shinoda Bolen is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and an internationally known author and speaker who draws from spiritual, feminist, Jungian, medical and personal wellsprings of experience. She is a major advocate for a United Nations 5th World Conference on Women, a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, and past board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the International Transpersonal Association.
Click hereto listen to Jean's interview on KVMR with Elisa Parker and Michael Stone.
Bioneersco-founder Nina Simons returns to Passion Into Action this year as a keynote speaker. She'll share tools to take our passion into action as a collective. Nina emphasizes the power of story and admits that it took her some time to define her own story. A turning point for Nina was when she viewed the film, The Burning Times. She has since united her passion for the planet with restoring the feminine. In addition to co-leading Bioneers Nina offers her program Cultivating Women’s Leadership to strengthen women’s effectiveness to create positve change in their community.
Click hereto listen to Nina's interview on See Jane Do on KVMR.
In addition to the keynote speakers, the Passion Into Action workshop presenters will harness their personal stories and environmental triumphs in order to empower and train others to do the same.
Kim Stravers is traveling from Mammoth to lead the workshop, Unite & Ignite Communities Around Green Issues. Kim is the co-founder and community engagement director for the Mammoth Lakes Trails & Public Access Foundation (MLTPA), a nonprofit that advocates for and actively participates in the planning, implementation, and stewardship of outdoor-recreation opportunities in Mammoth Lakes, California, and neighboring areas. Within one year of moving to this small ski town, and in light of the then-boom private-development climate, she and fellow citizen John Wentworth successfully brought much-needed attention to local issues regarding the protection and enhancement of access to the public lands that completely surround their town.
Jessica Reeder and co-leader Amber Clisura are two extraordinary young women who have challenged the belief that happiness and success are not determined by how much new stuff we have. Their passions have led to projects that demonstrate it's possible to make something out of nothing.
Jessica started the blog UpRooted, a sustainable travel project about her two-year journey around the U.S. to promote the dual practices of sustainability and volunteerism. Following her travels when Jessica settled in Reno, Nevada rather than blog about eco adventures she created Love and Trash a "Do It Yourself" site that would help people live more sustainably and live better on less in their community.
Amber Clisura is a fashion designer who isn't wearing pants for the next 365 days. Following a car accident and a deep depression Amber was in need of some inspiration. She had been designing women's denim jeans (at one point she owned over 40 pairs) for the Eco-Premium line Del Forte Denimand that's pretty much all she wore. Looking at the lighter side of life (and going green) Amber went shopping in her closet and discovered clothes she hadn't worn in years. Rather than throw them out, she began to upcycle her pants into skirts. Upcycling is taking something you were going to toss and turn it into something else. Amber said, "down with pants and up with skirts" and launched NO PANTS 2011.
Don't miss their workshop, Upcycle Your Life and learn how social media can take your passion to the next level.
A common theme on our program is the purchase power women hold. With women influencing 85% of what's bought or purchased in the United States women have the ability to create a dramatic shift in the kinds of products we want or don't want.
As the co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Stacy Malkan has enabled a national movement to shift the $50 billion beauty industry away from harmful chemicals and toward safer products. Stacy Malkan discovered that beauty isn't just skin deep. Many women expose themselves to over 200 chemicals daily through their personal care products. Stacy first learned about the toxic beauty industry when working as a reporter in Colorado. Her curiosity soon led to concern followed by activism. She is the author of the award winning book, Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry.
Utilize the power of your purse in Stacy Malkan's workshop, The Girlcott: 5 Strategies for How Women Can Change the World in 2011.
The Passion Into Action experience extends beyond speakers and workshops. The event includes one of the hottest fashion troupes in the country. Haute Trash takes fashion to another level. Members take throw-away items and turn trash into fashion. This creative collaborative will walk the Passion Into Action runway showing off recycled couture and one of a kind upcycled designs. Founded over 20 years ago Haute Trash has put on 100's of shows and leads educational programs in recycled fashion. They are fun, inspiring and truly "wow" the audience with their phenomenal garments. Trash bags, bottle caps, and duct tape take on an entirely new meaning when Haute Trash is involved.
Also from Nevada County, Reinette Senum co-founder of APPLEand Mali Dyck of the APPLE Center will be available to connect with attendees and share their latest projects to create sustainable communities including, the Alpha Building.
These women represent just a sampling of the environmental action heroes who are participating in Passin Into Action. In order to create a substantial shift to enhance the planet it is imperative that we connect and work together. Passion Into Action is the event to cultivate the relationships and develop a plan in order to make the change possible.
We look forward to seeing you there! Click here to register for the conference.
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