By Irene Canalís.
A collection of interviews of diverse women who take part in climate change action, in both very noticeable and public ways as well as through everyday and less visible actions.
From grassroots environmental leaders to small farmers, mothers or sisters and different kinds of educators or artists, the profiles that are portrayed are not necessarily reflective of a single model, but the wide umbrella of possible actions we can be part of to heal the planet, the ecofeminist way. That means, approaching the idea of putting care and the sustainment of life at the center of socio-environmental and climate action. This collection of conversations tries to embody how personal stories link with theoretical concepts which do not need to be explicitly defined to be embraced. Its framework is strongly tied to Joanna Macy’s theories on ‘The Work That Reconnects’ and its language aims to be simple and understandable, from a very personal perspective.
The main motivation behind the birth of this project was to encourage social change and inspire transformation through sharing the real stories and examples that every interview or chapter aims to portray. The need arises from a personal realisation marked by the context of a global pandemic and the intensification of what we call the eco social crisis. With the aim to inspire audiences, this mini-series wants to show that there are many different ways to contribute and empower others in the same way meeting these women has motivated and inspired me. I found it very hopeful to listen to their own personal process towards a positive change, which in the great majority of the cases, involves hard challenges and long periods of time.
How the Ecovillage Movement changed Taisa Mattos’ path
In this conversation Taisa opens up about her roots and how she grew up by the beach “in a nice environment and a very supporting family”. That doesn’t mean her family would have necessarily wished her choices were the ones she made, as Taisa Mattos never prioritized settling or having a stable job. She needed to work on things she liked, that was the priority. Read the full article.
Interview with Shilo Shiv Suleman.
Shilo Shiv Suleman is an Indian visual artist & activist. Her work and practice encompasses art for social change, technology and magical realism through illustration and urban art. In this interview, she talks about imagination as an empowering tool. Watch the full interview.
Berta Garriga, a woman with ‘flying roots’ creating community.
In this interview, Berta talks about environmental education through nature but also about its very important role in cities or more urban areas. She also reflects out loud on the word ‘witch’ and its controversies from a feminist perspective. Read more and watch Berta’s interview.
Filka Sekulova: On happiness, mountains, Academia and transformation.
Filka Sekulova is an activist and a transdisciplinary scholar engaged with Degrowth and the study of meaningfulness, among many other things. In this interview, she reflects out loud on her personal story and early days, but also her last years in Academia. She touches deep topics such as coherence, meaningfulness, social change and connection to nature. Read this article & watch the full interview.
Inspiring Women Healing the Earth: Pupak Haghighi.
Pupak Hagighi defines herself as an artist, activist, writer, and earth healer, among others. In this interview, Pupak talks about her personal journey and its connection with making soil, rewilding, decolonising, and healing on different levels. Read more and watch Pupak’s interview.
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An earlier version of this blog has been previously published in: https://ecovillage.org/our-work/inspiring-women-healing-the-earth/
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Irene Canalís holds a masters in Political Ecology, Environmental Justice and Degrowth with a focus on the ecofeminist and ecovillage movements. She has served in different environmental education and community projects in Spain and Scotland holding communications, groups and events.
