February 2020 – Ecofeminism WGS 307

February 23, 2020February 25, 2020

Vegetarian Ecofeminism

Vegetarian Ecofeminism.

This image to me represents a human’s relationship to meat. I see what could be a male like figure, but that is unclear. This figure has a knife inserted into the meat as if it had killed the animal itself. It shows domination over a piece of flesh that it is about to consume. The image of the meat is sterile. It does not correlate to an animal or body part. It appears like just a thing on a cutting board. Perhaps the meat industry would prefer that we see meat in this way. Emotionless, faceless and non bloody? I’m sure animal rights activists would prefer we see images of animal cruelty when we are about to consume meat products. This character is faceless and emotionless as well. Maybe the professor wants us to see that the sterile meat and emotionless figure is how we see our meat. As not being an animal, but just as food that we consume.

As part of this weeks reading material, there was an article in Huffpost.com titled Meat Heads, by Zoe Eisenberg. The article mentions the relationship between food and the differences between men and women. In the media and in Western society we see time and time again a man chowing down on a rare or bloody piece of beef and a woman politely eating a salad or a plate of greens. This image plays into the stereotype that men need meat to build strong muscles and women are too ladylike or feminine to eat a “manly” piece of steak. It’s not often we see a man ordering a salad or something without meat in films or commercials. It further perpetuates the idea we already have about men eating the way they wish to and women carrying the burden of watching their “waistlines” to avoid gaining weight and becoming unattractive to men. “ In western society everything comes down to marketing. The idea that the bloodier the steak, the more manly the man is backed by the entertainment industry” (Ayinde Howell, vegan blogger iEatGrass.com).

In order to change these societal stereotypes of men and meat, we should focus on more men especially athletes who are vegan or vegetarian. There are several top athletes who have elected to follow either a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. Olympic medalist, track star, Carl Lewis is a vegetarian. While Colin Kaepernick, former quarterback for the 49ers is a vegan. These men are what society would consider “manly” men who have ditched the beef for carrots and broccoli.

In western countries, we are becoming more and more aware of the antibiotics, steroids, and hormones that the meat industry injects into our meat supply. Still our society elects to turn a blind eye and to follow keto diets, and feast on giant steaks. “Steroids are considered dangerous to athletes, but animals that have been genetically engineered and chemically induced to grow faster are considered a different issue” (Curtin).

America is very diverse when it comes to restaurants and eating out. There is really no reason that people in the United States need to stick to a meat heavy diet. There are so many restaurants that offer vegetarian and vegan options these days.

Gendered food
Gendered foods is a socially constructed idea that has been fed to us through the media for years. Women are expected according to society to be more dainty eaters. We continuously see how movies portray women on dates where they order just a salad, while the man orders meat. Here is a good example of a film perpetuating this stereotype of gendered food. https://youtu.be/gc_5tx7xRlg. It shows the woman ordering soup, salad and fish as her entree. The man then asks for information about the old 96er, a giant 96 oz. steak.

In the essay written by Deane Curtin, Contextual Moral Vegetarianism, Curtin writes that “women are often associated with vegetables and passivity, ladies luncheons offer dainty sandwiches with no red meat.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a women’s event where the offer is a vegetable platter, a fruit plate and finger sandwiches made with tuna fish or egg salad.

Ecofeminist perspective on non-human animals.

In the essay written by Greta Gaard, she informs us about the ecofeminist belief regarding non-human animals. She believes that even in the relationship between humans and domestic pets, that we humans are oppressors. “ To be a pet is to have all of life’s decisions controlled by someone else; when and what to eat, how to act, whom to socialize with, whether or not to reproduce. If the situation were offered to humans, we’d call it slavery”(Gaard).

As much as I agree that humans do oppress animals. I don’t know that I necessarily agree with Gaard’s perspective of the domestic pet/human relationship. Think for a moment about human babies, it’s much the same if you look at it. We are in complete control of our infants, and up until those infants grow into the appropriate age to be safely afforded freedoms of their own. We make all of the decisions for our children, just as Gaard describes how we do with our pets. We decide when and what our babies and young children eat. We choose their clothes, their toys, their bed times, their schools, even with whom they go on play dates. Until they are able to form their own friendships, we choose their friends. We certainly wouldn’t allow our two year old to run free out in the street simply because he asked. Neither would we allow our beloved pets to run free in the streets for the same fears, that they may become injured or killed. Gaard conveys the importance of providing the best life we can for our domestic pets, and I completely agree. Just like a human baby, our pets didn’t choose to come live in our homes. We made the choice, as such it’s our responsibility to provide the best home and environment possible.

Ecofeminist approach to non-human animal companions
I accept my complicity in a system of inter species domination, that was created when man domesticated animals for his own pleasure. I serve as an ally to the animals to whom I’ve committed my life. I provide them with love, compassion, quality food, clean water and clean bedding. Gaard advocated for the bird in the video/pizzeria in a similar way. I believe this is an ecofeminist position on the relationship between non-human domestic animals and humans.

I do agree that once upon a time we made the decision to domesticate animals, and as a result we have a relationship with animals wherein they are completely reliant upon us for their survival. So, it is up to us and to ecofeminist to educate people on the proper care of animals. As far as non domestic animals such as those the meat and dairy industry see as food sources, I agree that the treatment of those animals is atrocious. While I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, I limit my meat consumption to no more than three times per week. I have fish one day and usually a form of poultry. However I do eat eggs and cheese. I try to buy responsibly, by buying bio (organic) meat, cheese and egg options. The bio market near my house offers cruelty free options of meat and eggs. Their suppliers are local farmers nearby, where chickens are free range and grass fed.

According to the essay written by Deane Curtin,“there’s a connection through food between the oppression of women and the oppression of non-human animals. Many western societies view non-human animals as food sources, or as inferior beings, so it’s easier for most to ignore the inhumane treatment of food source animals like pigs, chickens, cows and the like. Curtin talks about moral vegetarianism, an idea that we should try at all costs to avoid abusing or causing the pain and suffering of a sentient being for our own enjoyment or consumption. “For economically well-off people in technologically advanced countries, they have a choice of what food they want to eat”( Curtin). Ecofeminist, vegans, and vegetarians believe that non-human animals should no longer count as food.

How science is stepping in

Scientists around the world are working on new meatless options. They are creating meat using animal cells through a process called in vitro cell culture. Could this become the new way we enjoy a burger? This option will certainly upset the meat industry, but it could save lives. I believe that reducing our meat consumption is the best way to protect non-human animals. However, since we will never eliminate meat eaters completely, we can at least lobby for a more humane treatment of food source animals. “Factory farms are responsible for most of the 6 billion animals killed for food every year in the United States. If there were improved regulations, and strictly enforced rules against inhumane treatment of food source animals, these numbers could certainly decrease.

Cultured meat, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultured_meathttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultured_meat

Curtin, Deane, Contextual Moral Vegetarianism, spring 1991, http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-m/curtin01.htm, Feb. 20,2020

Dawson, Allen, These 19 elite athletes are vegan — here’s what made them switch their diet, 01, No. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.de/international/vegan-athletes-and-why-they-changed-their-diet-11/?r=US&IR=T02/22/2020.

Eisenberg, Zoe, Meat Heads: New Study Focuses on How Meat Consumption Alters Men’s Self-Perceived Levels of Masculinity, Jan.13,2017 HuffPost.com February 21,2020 Article: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/zoe-eisenberg/meat-heads-new-study-focuses_b_8964048.html?ncid=engmodushpmg00000006

Gaard, Greta, Ecofeminism on the Wing, (2001) 19-22 Feb. 21,2020 https://www.academia.edu/2489929/Ecofeminism_on_the_Wing_Perspectives_on_Human-Animal_Relations

Annotated bibliography
Greta Gaard is a writer, associate professor, activist, environmentalist and ecofeminist. She is currently a professor of English in Wisconsin. She works to bring awareness to the association between non-human animals and male domination/female oppression. She is a published author of several ecofeminist publications.

February 16, 2020February 18, 2020

Understanding Place

Growing up, I lived in a suburb outside of Los Angeles, California. Roughly a 30 minute drive to the beach without traffic. Often times during my life when I was pondering a difficult decision or struggling with something I sought solace and peace at the ocean’s edge.

I often found myself drawn to the power of the ocean. When I would sit on the sand and stare out into the vastness of the Pacific, I felt so small. My problems suddenly felt insignificant. The sounds of the city silenced by the sounds of the waves crashing in front of me. The experience always left me feeling at peace. Watching the ocean you realize how much power it holds, and how that power has never been conquered, it has only been harnessed for use. I can connect my feeling about the ocean to something Barbara Kingslover wrote; “Wilderness puts us in our place. It reminds us that our plans are small and somewhat absurd.”

Water is a vital resource for all living things. We humans cannot live without it. Perhaps that is why I find it so fascinating, because it is my life’s elixir.

The human body is made up of sixty percent water. Water is used in making energy through a process called hydroelectricity. A lot of our fruits and vegetable are made up of mostly water. Tomatoes for example are ninety percent water. There are very few living thing on earth that can survive without water. Terry Tempest Williams asks the question “How do the stories we tell about ourselves in relationship to place shape our perceptions of place?” I think this is a very good question that we should all ask ourselves. For me, I feel that the story I tell about my connection to water shapes my appreciation for water and how vital it is for life. “Story bypasses rhetoric and pierces the heart. Story offers a wash of images and emotion that returns us to our highest and deepest selves, where we remember what it means to be human.” (Williams p.3) I hope through my story of water and the connection I feel to it, it brings some clarity to my reader about how we are small in comparison to nature.

In this weeks reading by bell hooks she connects the earth with the African American culture in the American South. Farming the lands and living from the crops you grow require water. It’s a vital resource that everyone in the world needs to survive and thrive. bell hooks expresses the importance of humans connection with the natural world. Like I feel connected to water, others feel connected to earth, soil, mountains, and deserts. “Wherever we live, we can restore our relationship to the natural world by taking time to commune with nature, to appreciate the other creatures who share the planet.” (Hooks p.37)

Although I no longer live near the ocean, I do live near a very large water way that runs a few hundred miles through a lot of East Germany. A portion of the Saale River is a short walk from my house. It’s not the ocean but it does the trick to soothe me almost the same. On any given spring or summer day you can find crowds of people enjoying the water. Sitting on the edge with their feet in the cool water, picnicking along the river’s edge, kayaking, canoeing or swimming. It’s a place for people to commune with nature. To use it responsibly and take from it joy and leave it alone for others.

City center fountain, Halle Saale Germany

Water and the connection to Ecofeminism;
Water is a vital resource for human life. Therefore it’s only logical that we take every step necessary to protect the resource. With global warming, caused by fossil fuels, and deforestation, the world’s oceans are heating up. Global warming is also causing the polar ice caps to melt which is creating sea levels to rise. This causes coastal land erosion and threatens seaside cities. The weather is also affected by warmer ocean temperatures. Severe storms that cause flooding are linked to warmer ocean temperatures. This affects women in the Global South especially who rely on farming and cultivating as their financial livelihood. Another threat on our ocean life is the food source which many men and women around the world rely on. “Right now it is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic—everything from plastic bottles and bags to microbeads—end up in our oceans each year. That’s a truckload of trash every minute”(Green peace.org).

The amount of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean has been compared to the size of Texas. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch as it’s nicknamed. The chemicals from the plastic leeches out into the water, and animals become infected by it. Humans then consume these contaminated fish, causing health issues. “Not only do the toxins in plastic affect the ocean, but acting like sponges, they soak up other toxins from outside sources before entering the ocean. As these chemicals are ingested by animals in the ocean, this is not good for humans. We as humans ingest contaminated fish and mammals”(Andrews).

Irish Sea, off the coast of Belfast, N. Ireland

We all have a responsibility to take the issue of global warming seriously. To me, this is what Terry Tempest Williams was referring to when she mentions bedrock democracy in her essay Red. A call to action, to protect our ecosystems, including the oceans. To try to do our part in eliminating our plastic usage and make the best environmental decisions we can. I’ve stopped using plastic bags, straws, food storage containers and water bottles. Living in Germany it’s easier as most of the country has reduced its plastic consumption quite considerably over the past several years. It starts with us, and little by little we can make a difference. We need governments of the world to do their parts as well, and I am hopeful with as much attention the world is shining on the subject of climate control that we can reduce some of the deadly affects on our environment.

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.”
— W. H. Auden

sources;

Andrews, Gianna. Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health., https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/case_studies/plastics.html

Hooks, Bell., Touching The Earth http://jdyck.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/1/5/19153179/touching_the_earth.pdf

Kingslover, Barbara., Knowing our Place http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_smallwonder_print.html

Protecting Our Oceans https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/

Shaw, Allyson., 5 reasons why water rules https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/5-reasons-why-hub/5-reasons-why-water-rules/

WHAT EFFECT IS GLOBAL WARMING HAVING ON OUR OCEANS?
https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/oceans/effects-of-global-warming-on-our-oceans#gs.x1l1g2

Williams, Terry Tempest. Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert. Pantheon Books, 2002.

Annotated Bibliography;
Terry Tempest Williams is an American author, feminist and environmental activist. She has written and published several books. The book Red; Passion and Patience in the Desert is a collection of essays written by Williams. Red, details her experience and passion for the Utah desert. She takes a political look at how the government has repeatedly failed to keep laws in place to protect National Parks, monuments and historic sites in the Utah desert. Williams is biased in her essay because she writes about it from the perspective of it being favorite place to be. She expresses her love for the American desert. Her goal is to make the reader see the importance of nature and wilderness, and why it’s important to protect it. She is pretty aligned with the other authors we read this week as all three Williams, Kingslover and Hooks all write about nature, the wilderness, and their connections to it. Williams essay helped me to see how politics plays a role in nature. How we need to do our part to advocate for the preservation of wilderness.

February 9, 2020February 10, 2020

Women and the Global South an Ecofeminist Perspective

Women in the Global South experience greater effects of environmental degradation compared to men, or Western women. In China, women are responsible for 90% of the rice cultivation. In Ghana 70% of crops are produced and harvested by women. These women are susceptible to financial harm by the effects of global warming on crops. (Klusener). In parts of India and Africa, women are raped while relieving themselves. Many women and girls go in groups to protect each other from men in neighboring villages. Excessive logging and deforestation in the Himalayas threaten indigenous women’s cultures and practices. In many countries women are the ones responsible for obtaining the water for their families or villages. Women are more susceptible to illness caused by contaminated water during pregnancy and lactation. These illnesses can lead to malnourishment and underweight infants, which can lead to higher levels of infant mortality.

Agarwal explains ecofeminism in a similar way that Shiva does. By bringing awareness to women of the Global South they bring into focus intersectionality. It’s important that we understand how environmental degradation affects women in poor and rural areas in comparison to how Western women might be affected. In last weeks reading, Karen Warren made a symbolic connection to women and the environment. In western feminism, we link nature to women symbolically. We take a look at Ecofeminism under the scope of patriarchy and the domination of men against women and nature. The Western perspective is that because men have always viewed women and nature as something in need of conquering, the connection to women and nature is made. Western feminists feel climate change of course, but not to the same degree that the women of the Global South might feel it.

Agarwal makes the comparison of ecofeminism of the west and of the global South in the following excerpt from her essay. “The ecofeminist argument is problematic on several counts. First it posits “women” as a unitary category and fails to differentiate among women by class, race ethnicity and so on. It ignores forms of domination other than gender”. (Agarwal p.122)

Of course both perspectives of ecofeminism is interesting and important. In the west we are continuously trying to fight against misogyny in all aspects of western life. In the Global South, they are concerned with health issues as it relates to globalization, capitalism, and an abuse of resources. Deforestation creates an end to cultural ways of life in areas of the Global South. We as western women can’t truly grasp what it might mean to survive as a woman in India or Africa. Having to first go fetch water without being raped or attacked. Second carry heavy jugs of possibly contaminated water. Third having to treat or boil the contaminated water before being able to use it.

Meanwhile women in the west are angry that we make .81 to a man’s $1.00. This is a first world problem that is leaps and bounds different than third world problems. I do believe that we need to continue to fight for equality. For equal rights and treatment in the United States. However, being woke on issues that affect the health, wellbeing and livelihood of women in the Global South make their issues seem far more urgent than the wage gap. I’d have to say that I am more drawn to the issue of Women in the Global South as an issue that the world needs to be more aware of.

In closing, It important that we keep in mind that ecofeminism, regardless from what perspective you are looking at it, at its simplest level, it is a fight against male domination. Women in the global South are not given political power to make changes on the governmental level. They are forced to deal with their issues through small grassroots movements. Which takes time and resources many do not have access to. Some scholars state “there can be no climate justice without gender justice. Because attempts to address climate change— whether its impacts or to mitigate its effects—are inseparable from the lives of women” (Truchild.org).

Agarwal, Bina. “The Gender and Environment Debate: Lessons from India.” Feminist Studies, vol. 18, no. 1, 1992, pp. 119–158. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3178217. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.

“Climate Justice and Gender Justice” https://www.truechild.org/climate-justice

Klusener, Edgar. “Are women in the global south ‘victims’ or ‘saviours’ in the face of environmental challenges”? April 18,2019 https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/global-social-challenges/2018/04/19/923/

London, Scott. “In the Footsteps of Gandhi: An Interview with Vandana Shiva”https://www.globalresearch.ca/in-the-footsteps-of-gandhi-an-interview-with-vandana-shiva/5505135

“Water and Gender”https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/gender/

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020

What is Ecofeminism?

This image represents Mother Earth. In this weeks reading of Warren’s Introduction to EcoFeminism by Karen Warren, she explains how women are related to nature. By calling the earth Mother Earth, and Mother Nature, we have learned to associate the earth in a feminine aspect. As such, there can be a connection to women in the natural sense.

In this picture you can see that there is a female rising from the earth with her nurturing arms around not only the humans but also the land and plant life. This reinforces the idea that women are thought to be nurturing. So when capitalism takes over and our lands are raped of resources, that action can be linked to the subjugation of women as it relates to nature. Hobgood puts in very eloquently in her essay when she says “Oppression of the natural world and of women by patriarchal power structures must be examined together or neither can be confronted fully”.

Warren made eight connections between women and nature in her essay. The connection that I feel explains how I interpret eco feminism the best is her explanation on symbolic connections. Like I mentioned above, symbolically we refer to nature in a feminine way. We also refer to using resources from nature in feminine terms. Terms such as “conquering” or “tilling virgin soil” insinuates control and domination. Warren goes on to share how women are often referred to in animal terms. These include names like; chicks, foxes, hens, cows, bitches and beavers to name just a few. Men often use these kinds of terms when referring to women. Especially when those women are either in power positions professionally, or when a man feels disrespected by his unwanted advances.

What the heck is Ecofeminism anyway?

In 1974, a French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne published a book Le féminisme ou la mort, (Feminism or Death)where she coined the term “eco feminism”. She brought to the surface the connection between women and the environment. “Citing toxic masculinity as the cause of population growth, pollution, and other destructive influences on the environment” (Divinity). This is a good example of one of the beliefs of EcoFeminism. However as evidenced in the many forms of feminism, it is interpreted differently by everyone. As Hobgood wrote in her essay; “as ecofeminism continues to shift and grow, different positions will surely form and surface, while other positions and alliances will fade away or be replaced by more urgent connections”. Because feminist theory is varied in its beliefs, we cannot say that EcoFeminism theory is based on one united belief. However, the basis of EcoFeminism as I understand it is continued awareness of how we can preserve nature and it’s resources. By learning more about global warming and the devastation it is causing on our health, we can start making more informed choices.

I tend to lean toward the connection of women and ecology in the sense that women do need a nutrient rich earth to be able to produce healthy humans, for the basis of furthering the population. If we continue to invade green space and allow deforestation in the name of capitalism and corporate greed, the human race will suffer. The women of the global south are most at risk as they are exposed to toxins that other areas of the world are not. In researching more on the topic of EcoFeminism, I came across several very interesting essays. On bitchmedia.org, in an essay written by Alison Parker, she writes; “Environmental destruction is a form of violent oppression, and many forms of life share this similar kind of experience. Ecofeminism focuses mainly on likening the oppression of nature to the oppression of women” (Parker). Patriarchy and capitalism is a domination of nature. Since the industrial revolution nature has been used and abused by capitalists and as a result we are feeling the various ways our globe has been affected.

In closing, Eco feminist theory is probably more relevant today than in previous years. Women’s rights and climate change are a focus of many countries across the globe. Eco feminist theory is an important world topic these days especially with the election of “Donald Trump, who has eliminated the EPA’s Clean Water Rule, has put into effect plans to weaken smog standards and reject the Clean Power Plan, has called climate change a hoax, and has withdrawn from the Paris Agreement”. (Divinity) His actions are a direct attack on our environment. Proving further that capitalism is working against climate protection. We must find ways to preserve nature. “Oppression of the natural world and of women by patriarchal power structures must be examined together or neither can be confronted fully”. (Hobgood)

Ecofeminist theory is one way to bring awareness to issues like, the protection of women and humans, the preservation of species, as well as race, and of course environmental issues.

sources:

Ecofeminism: Historic and International Evolution. Laura Hobgood-Oster, Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas.

Ecofeminism: what is this movement that links women’s rights and ecology? http://www.breakingandtrending.com/news/ecofeminism-what-is-this-movement-that-links-womens-rights-and-ecology-1

Fertile Ground: Intro to Ecofeminist Thought by Alison Parkerhttps://www.bitchmedia.org/post/fertile-ground-intro-to-ecofeminist-thought

Understanding Ecofeminist Activism In The Face Of Global Climate Change By Dakota Divinity https://slutmouth.org/sluts-new/2018/6/26/understanding-ecofeminist-activism-in-the-face-of-global-climate-change

Warrens introduction to Ecofeminism, by Karen J. Warren. https://thereitis.org/warrens-introduction-to-ecofeminism/