NEWSBYDOROTHEE ROYAL-HEDINGER

Have you ever had the urge to grab your best friend and take a road trip across America? That's exactly what long-time friends Emma Bee Bernstein and Nona Willis Aronowitz did when they embarked on their GirlDrive project. But instead of a joyride, their road trip proved to be an extraordinary adventure in which they interviewed and photographed young women across the country, finding out what is important to them and what they think and feel about feminism.

Two years and many miles later, the long-awaited GirlDrive book (published by Seal Press) is now on the shelves. The book, which includes a gorgeous mix of photos, essays, interviews, and diary entries from their trip, is a tribute to the diversity and strength of women across the country.

From a screenwriter in LA to a burlesque star in Austin, a young mother in Madison to an artist in New York City, we view honest assessments of how these women see their place in society and get an intimate look into their struggles, hopes and fears.

In my work traveling around the country for OrganicNation.tv, the majority of farmers I've come across happen to be men. That's why I was really excited when I saw the Women, Food & Agriculture Network booth at FarmAid 2009.

I was lucky enough to get a chance to talk with WFAN's Executive Director, Leigh Adcock, about the importance of women's roles in building sustainable food systems as mothers, gardeners, landowners, activists and farmers:

WFAN is a community of women involved in sustainable agriculture whose mission is to "link and empower women to build food systems and communities that are healthy, just, sustainable, and that promote environmental integrity."

The network's main goals are:

1. To promote sustainable agricultural and community structures.

2. Insist on social and ecological justice for current and future human and non-human communities.

3. Provide opportunities for education on economics and environment that articulate a holistic view of agriculture, instill a sense of place, and draw forward useful experiences from the past.

4. Create networks that support communities of growers, consumers, workers and others who strive for sustainability, increase effective access to and use of existing resources, engage participants in experiential learning, provide safe places for self-expression, and respect the spirituality of the land and people.

5. Advocate change by exploring alternatives and challenge the globalization of economies, cultures of domination and institutionalized discrimination, the disintegration of landscapes, and oppressive conceptual frameworks.

If you're interested in learning more, be sure to check out their 10th Annual Fall Harvest Gathering of Women in Sustainable Agriculture Nov. 13-15 in Whalan, MN.

Photo of farmer Gail Thorpe by Mark Andrew Boyer

I'm just as happy as anyone that former cover model Crystal Renn didn't die of anorexia for her work - when she gave up starving herself, she also thought she had given up her career. Luckily, Crystal has found great success as a plus-size model, even walking down the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Despite this great news, it bothers me that in 2009, having a size 12 woman walk down the runway is a revolutionary act. Does it seem strange to anyone else that the women representing us in fashion are either size zero or size twelve and above? It's like the whole industry skips the entire size 4-10 category even though those sizes are what the majority of women are!

It's no wonder that younger and younger girls are starting to define their self worth according to their body weight. The message we're getting is: either you're perfect or you're fat, there's nothing in between. I know this topic has been raised many times before but I think it's important to ask, would it be so terrible to see someone who represents the average size woman in magazines and catwalks?

Photo via New York Post.

I think it's great when innovative people get together to deliver a consumer product while helping a cause like women's rights at the same time.

The Chicory Center’s Resistance Coffee Project, which is based in Chicago, roasts beans grown by the women of La FEM cooperative in Nicaragua. If you’ve had this coffee, you know its quality, and supporting La FEM also means supporting Nicaraguan women’s ability to acquire and own land and thus take fuller control over their fates.

According to a profile written by Just Coffee (their main U.S. fair trade distributor),

La FEM is not simply a coffee growing cooperative. Founded in 1996, they organized to work on issues of domestic violence against women, women's health, education, and job training. When we met them we were immediately impressed with their level of organization and their dedication to women's rights as a political and social imperative.

I'm excited by the entrepreneurial spirit in women around the globe and I think it's important that we support projects that empower women to benefit from fair trade. You can purchase La FEM Co-Op grown beans at Just Coffee or if you're in the Chicago area, get fresh Resistance Coffee delivered to your door.

Do you have a favorite consumer product or brand that helps to empower or support women? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Coming to theaters next month is a documentary film called CRUDE, which chronicles the epic battle to hold oil giant Chevron (formerly Texaco) accountable for its systematic contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon – an environmental tragedy experts call "the Rainforest Chernobyl."

Besides the basic fact that women and children often face disproportionate risk in cases of environmental contamination, there have been studies looking at the specific impact on women in the region. One study cited by Han Shan, a coordinator of the Clean Up Ecuador Campaign led by US-based NGO Amazon Watch, has demonstrated the presence of contamination by oil pollutants in communities close to oil fields, at levels high enough to cause alarm. It also provides some evidence of an increased risk of spontaneous abortions in women living in the proximity of the oil fields, after adjustment for other better-known risks common in developing-country settings.

It's heartbreaking to see how indigenous women in particular are marginalized by big business and an unresponsive government. The trailer below shows one mother calmly explaining that her young daughter has cancer in her liver:

The film opens in New York on 09/09/09, followed by openings in L.A., San Francisco and D.C. In order for the film to gain real national distribution, it must nearly sell out in those key markets. So if you get a chance, please support this important film!

Word-of-mouth is priceless for a grassroots film like CRUDE. There's lots you can do to help spread the word and get involved in supporting the campaign. Visit ChevronToxico.com and you can sign up for updates on the latest news about CRUDE here.

Over the past few months of working on OrganicNation.tv, I've had the privilege of talking with cool farmers, gardeners, activists and sustainable business people around the country. Recently, I've been working with a lot of eco-fashion brands in particular and I've noticed a very pleasant trend: women-owned clothing companies are leading the industry in sustainable fashion.

Women like Ali Hewson who started EDUN in 2005, Tristan Gribbin and Marion McKee of SUST, Janel Garcia and Irene Clancy of Greenbees and Aysia Wright of Greenloop are not only smart, innovative and incredibly stylish, they're true pioneers who are steering an otherwise wasteful industry in the right direction.

At Greenbees, for every tire that is rescued from the landfill, four shoes are produced and Garcia and Clancy use only full-grain leathers that are byproducts of the meat industry and considered waste material. EDUN clothing is made from organic cotton whenever possible and SUST works with U.S. based organic cotton growers to reduce the carbon footprint of their products. SUST's brand ambassador Laura Jones is even embarking on a three-month Sustainability Across America Tour to spread the word about other sustainable businesses across the U.S!

Let's take a moment to salute all women business leaders who have made it their mission to not only turn a profit, but to help the environment as well. Keep up the great work ladies!

Do you have a favorite woman-owned business that is working to green their industry? Share in the comments section!

"We were circumcised, but we pray our daughters won’t be," - Malian immigrant to the U.S.

Today while browsing Women Make Movies, a great organization that promotes films by and about women, I came across the trailer for Mrs. Goundo's Daughter. The film by Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater centers around one West African mother's fight for asylum in the US to protect her two-year-old daughter from female genital cutting.

I was moved by the trailer's depth and urgency and haunted by the rare images of big-eyed Malian girls awaiting their excision:

In Mali, 85 percent of women and girls undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) as part of a traditional initiation ceremony. In the film, Mrs. Goundo fights to remain in the United States to protect her child from this fate. Using rarely cited grounds for political asylum, she must convince an immigration judge that her daughter is in danger.

From WMM,

Sensitive and moving, this important film reveals how women are profoundly affected by the legal struggles surrounding immigration. As issues of asylum, international law and human rights collide with FGM and its devastating health consequences, filmmakers Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater travel between an FGM ceremony in a Malian village involving dozens of girls to the West African expatriate community of Philadelphia, where Mrs. Goundo challenges beliefs and battles the American legal system for her child's future.

You can learn more about the film and purchase a copy here.

I like American Apparel's colorful and sexy clothing as much as the next girl but a recent visit to their website left me disturbed. I get that their brand promotes a barely-legal LA hipster vibe and that provocative images of pretty girls sell clothing. But am I crazy or is there something sinister about these photos?

Whether it's the practically pre-pubescent bodies, the blatantly pornographic poses or the girl's baby faces...it's definitely turning me off from this brand. They still have to sell these clothes to young women, right? Are we ok with this? Is there a point at which say, "ok guys, you're really grossing us out!"

In 2004, filmmaker Angela Shelton set out on a journey across the United States to meet other Angela Sheltons in an effort to survey women in America. What she discovered was that 24 out of 40 Angela Sheltons had been abused just like herself.

The resulting film,“Searching For Angela Shelton” (which you can stream for free on Snag Films) becomes more than a survey of women, it’s a journey of self discovery during which Angela decides to finally confront her past and her own father - on Father’s Day.

When you hear statistics that say one in every six women will be raped in her lifetime, it's hard to comprehend what that really means. But this poignant and deeply moving film helps to give those numbers a face. With it’s cinema verite style and candid interviews, you can’t help but feel that you’re on the road with the five-person crew.

Keep in mind, this is definitely not a light-hearted movie and it certainly doesn't spare the viewer discomfort. But I think this work is vitally important because it fights against the taboos and silence surrounding survivors of sexual and physical abuse. The film also does a beautiful job of showing the beauty and strength of a group of American women from all walks of life.

Angela reaches out and connects to a group of women because they share a common name but more importantly, she discovers that they share a common experience.

The main message of the film comes out when an Angela Shelton in New York City tells the story of being assaulted as a teenager but escaping because her best friend stayed with her and fought back. She says, "all of us females should stick together. Unity." As the filmmaker states later on in the film, "we're all Angela!"

For more information about Angela Shelton visit her website and learn more about the Angela Shelton Foundation which has been formed "in order to empower all survivors to heal and lead joyful lives not matter what their name is."

This week, J-Lab announced their awards for three new media journalism projects started by women. The entrepreneurial news ideas - including franchises for community news sites, a food policy and strategies start-up, and a health Web site for women ages 18 to 27 - each won a $10,000 award to launch their projects.

What really excited me about this awards program was not only it's emphasis on female business leaders but the amount of submissions the competition received. The award winners were selected from a whopping 435 proposals focusing on diverse subjects like new ideas for geographic communities, racial and ethnic issues as well as health and environmental issues.

The number of proposals increased 129 percent from last year’s total of 190. This shows that women are feeling more comfortable about taking risks, stepping into leadership positions and making their ideas a reality.

From the press release,

“There was an incredibly competitive field of creative ideas to address specific issues proposed by women who have a great deal of optimism about the future of news and information,“ said Jan Schaffer, director of J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism, which administers the program. J-Lab is a center of American University’s School of Communication in Washington, D.C.

The Chicago-based McCormick Foundation funds the New Media Women Entrepreneurs initiative. “We are elated about the number and quality of the proposals,“ said Clark Bell, the foundation’s journalism program director. “This initiative showcases the energy, creativity and innovation of media entrepreneurs. These women are not waiting for the next big thing. They are determined to create it.“

Here are the winners:

ChickRx - Harvard MBA student Stacey Borden and partner Meghan Muntean will lead a team of women in launching an “edgy, approachable, engaging” online health resource uniquely targeted to women, ages 18 to 27. It will have content and Q&As, updated daily, from medical, family and nutrition experts, addressing such questions as: “Can drinking too much Diet Coke increase my risk of getting cancer?“ “Can I lose five pounds in week without starving myself?“ “Why am I unhappy, even though I know I shouldn’t be?“ Borden is the former campus relations director of 85 Broads, a national professional women’s group.

Women’s Community News Franchise - Former MytopiaCafe.com editor Michelle Ferrier will develop a complete infrastructure, to be franchised, for those who want to launch hyperlocal news sites. A demo site will launch later this year in West Volusia County, Florida, piloting services that will include a Web platform, software development, market analysis, some content, and legal and marketing assistance. Such an infrastructure, says Ferrier, will permit citizen journalists and community members to “focus on what they are most passionate about - building their community conversation through good local information and networking.“

The Good Food Fight - Three media-savvy Seattle women will connect consumers interested in food with larger public policy issues that affect food choices, security, safety, health and sustainability. Partners Kristin Hyde, Jen Lamson and Amy Pennington will use their deep experience in policy, marketing, journalism and digital campaigns “to leverage the growing concern and interest in food with a call to arms.“ They plan to use a business-to-business model as well as their own outreach to leverage support from subscribers, sponsors, donors and foundations.

Way to go ladies! I can't wait to hear about how these projects develop in the future.

For more information about The McCormick Foundation New Media Women Entrepreneurs (NMWE), visit their website: newmediawomen.org

Photo via gcoldironjr2003.