arbofo

Yesterday was Earth Day, and wow, I’m still sorting through all the related blog entries saved in my Google RSS feed reader. It’s tricky to think about the overlap (or lack thereof) between our spheres of thought - like environmentalism and feminism.  Rana did a great job of addressing her thoughts on this junction in a guest post over at Shakespeare’s Sister.  I recommend checking out the whole thing, but here’s something to get you started:

In other words, masculine environmentalism is, when reduced to its most basic, about defending a vulnerable earth from “rapists” in order to ensure that (male) human beings continue to have access to it. Feminine environmentalism, on the other hand, is about protecting one’s body, family, and home from outside attacks by (male) corporations.

This gendering of the movement shapes the way that we think about environmental issues, and the way that we address environmental problems, in ways that are subtle, but significant.