Ecofeminism - Blog Posts
don't ever forget about the brave palestinian women that continue to fight for their families and their people 🇵🇸♀️
here is a link to donate feminine hygiene kits and link for food/care items for all palestinians! donate if you can!
Ana Mendieta, Silueta series, 1973-80.
"I have been carrying out a dialogue between the landscape and the female body. Having been torn from my homeland (Cuba) during my adolescence, I am overwhelmed by the feeling of having been cast from the womb (Nature). My art is the way I reestablish the bonds that unite me to the Universe. It is a return to the maternal source."
Woman and Nature: The Roaring Inside Her by Susan Griffin
Text ID:
It is decided that the angels live above the moon and aid God in the movement of celestial spheres.
The Chipko Movement
“ When their appeals were denied, Bhatt led a group of villagers into the forest and embraced the trees to prevent logging. After many days of agitation, the government canceled the company’s logging permit. The Chipko movement can essentially be called a women’s movement. Women, being solely in charge of cultivation, livestock and children, suffered the most due to floods and landslides, caused due to rise in deforestation in the face of urbanisation. ”
SOURCE :
one of my favorite ecofeminism/black feminism reads is definitely The Green Belt Movement by Wangari Maathai, it's an inspiring story of encouraging people to help their country improve the environment with new ideas for the rest of the world to have hope in
there's only one book left on Amazon but you can buy used ones there!
ecofeminism philosophy is so interesting I read it awhile ago at 17 and since then it's really changed my perspective of how men view women AND nature, both taking what's not theirs as if it's property
Who Really Feeds the World? by Vandana Shiva
from the 'wholistic + abundant {lifestyle}' Pinterest board
Wangari Maathai by Katherine Krizek
“Every person who has ever achieved anything has been knocked down many times. But all of them picked themselves up and kept going, and that is what I have always tried to do.”
The holistic approach to sustainable development that Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement, embodies embraces human rights and women’s right in particular. Her tree planting campaign empowered more than 300,000 women to plant more than 51 million trees, generating income for the rural women participants and promoting environmental consciousness in her native Kenya.
An accomplished scholar and a tireless political and environmental activist she was the first African woman to receive a Nobel prize.
Born 1940, Kenya
@/consciousstyle on Instagram
from the 'create & transform {handicrafting hobbies}' Pinterest board
Wangarĩ Muta Maathai
The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Wangarĩ Muta Maathai, Ph.D. (1940-2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist.
Born in Ihithe, the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, Maathai studied at boarding schools and was rated first in her class. East African colonialism was ending around the same time as her high school, and Maathai was one of 300 Kenyans selected to study in the United States in the Airlift Africa program for college.
She received a bachelor's in biology with minors in chemistry and German, and then a master's in biology. She would receive her Ph.D. in veterinary anatomy from the University of Nairobi.
In 1977, Maathai started the 'Green Belt Movement', a grassroots-based NGO focused on environmental conservation, under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya. The Green Belt Movement is a holistically-minded one, and it believes that equality for women, economic development, and justice are parts of environmental justice rather than obstacles.
Since the Green Belt Movement started, over 51 million trees have been planted and over 30,000 women have been trained in environmental-related trades.
Maathai was an elected member of the Parliament of Kenya, the 1984 winner of the Right Livelihood Award, an author of several books, and a winner of both the Nobel Peace Prize (2004) and Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006)
from the 'wholistic + abundant {lifestyle}' Pinterest board
With ecofeminism, the political focus turns outwards. Its first premiss is that the ‘material’ resourcing of women and of nature are structurally interconnected in the capitalist patriarchal system.
Maria Mies and Vandana Shiva - Ecofeminism
Men treat women and nature exactly the same. Both have the ability to create life. When men won’t interfere, both have the ability to self-regulate. Some women choose to have children, some won’t. Human populations won’t grow unsustainably when women have agency. Nature, too, has it’s own ways of maintaining balance.
Men treat both women and nature as their property, as something to use for their purposes. Men will strip a woman of her rights and use her and make her birth children for him until she dies. Men will strip nature of her rights and use her and plant monocrops and use artificial fertilizers until the land is barren and ecosystems collapse.
The male fantasy of never ending growth drives both actions, as does the male failure to consider other beings experiencing anything at all. Women and nature, we exist only for his purposes.
from the 'wholistic + abundant {lifestyle}' Pinterest board
Clean water is a human right.
Digital illustration of a indigenous woman and her child sitting on the floor. She’s looking back and is wearing a grey bodycon dress with text that reads, ‘clean water is a human right.’ Behind her, a toddler is looking at you and is wearing a green striped shirt and green pants. Between them is a water bottle labeled ‘sink water’ filled with a brown liquid.
hi, I saw your primal chic beauty post and want to recommend a deodorant that goes with all the values you speak to and is actually better for your skin and environment and so insanely simple: potassium alum salt!!! I buy mine from Holland and Barret and it is just a rock that I use after the shower and makes my sweat odourless (good thing is that I still sweat so it means it doesn’t block my sweat glands/not antiperspirant)! No harsh chemicals, pure natural source and dare I say economically very friendly. Wanted to contribute to you just like you’re generous with us with your knowledge/advice!
Hi Nonnie! I love this! And for people who sweat lightly potassium alum salt is a wonderful alternative, I enjoyed crystal and Thai 100% Crystal however, with my job I wear very light blue scrubs (Ciel blue, the same color as the residents in Greys Anatomy) day in and day out and I sweat heavily, so for those like me looking to avoid visible sweat marks, I reccommend switching to a non-aersolized solid antiperspirant stick from aersolized products like dry sprays. My Dove 72-hour stick is cruelty free, alcohol free, and PETA approved, and it is gentler but similarly effective to the clinical strength sprays I used to use without the propelants and air pollutants.
For our comfort and our ability to stick with a more sustainable option, we sometimes have to take smaller steps, like eliminating aersols. Let's use sunscreen as an example: I could switch to an unscented zinc mineral sunscreen rather than my current titanium oxide fragranced sunscreen, but I'd be less likely to bother wearing sunscreen if I didn't like the feel of the sunscreen product I use, so I switched to the lotion formula from the aersolized one, and when I switched to Sun Bums aersolized formula it was because they lacked certain chemicals that cause damage to reefs that my Neutrogena spray had.
If we dive straight into the most ecologically gentle option and most minimalist skincare, we may become discouraged because of negative results we have and then decide to go back to our least ecologically friendly option, vs if we balance sustainability with personal comfort, we're more likely to stick with those more eco-friendly options and gradually continue our journey to even more sustainable options.
(This light blue, and trust me, it shows ALL the moisture)
I'll be doing a video version of this soon! Stay tuned! February! Next week's post will be about pantry staples and stable shelf goods for paleo diets & dirty paleo diets (includes fermented dairy, oats, wild rice, and ancient grains, this is my personal diet)
Primal Chic Beauty: Making The Switch To A Less Intensive, More Earth Based Hygiene and Beauty Ritual
Before we begin, let's talk about the basic tennants before I explain the swaps I made and the products I love:
Less is More: The biggest part of the Primal Chic beauty routine is it's simplicity and minimalism. I don't want you to read this post, dump all of your current skincare and makeup into the garbage just to go out and buy the things I talk about here. Use up what you already have and make the switch gradual.
Clean Clean Clean: We want to be utilizing products without harsh chemicals & unethically sourced components. The easiest way to tell if something is on or off the list is their ingredient transparency. Especially with cosmetics. Avoid unneccessary fragrances, dyes, colorants, and preservatives, and aim for things like Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Sulfate Free, and Triclosan free. Aim for companies that are transparent about their supply chains, both for the labor in creating them, and in their ingredient sourcing. I also prefer women owned and family owned brands rather than the "clean" lines of bigger companies.
Be Smart About Animal Products: Personally, as someone with a soy allergy, I'm a big fan of certain animal products in my skin and beauty rituals, Goat's Milk Soaps, Beef Tallow hair masks, Honey & Yogurt face masks, etc. However, while I am a proponent of using the entire animal, make sure you're checking the sourcing of these products as some companies are more ethical than others. I'm lucky in that I live fairly close to the Amish and therefore have access to a certain amount of local agriculture that others may not have access to. If you're buying from an unknown company or farm, drop them a line to see where they're sourcing their animal products from. The more ethical companies rarely have an issue explaining (and bragging) about the welfare of their source animals. Things we definately want to avoid though are things like Shark Liver Oil (certain Squalene), Ambergis (whale stomach lining), and Castoreum (artificial vanilla flavor/scent produced from the castor sacs of beavers located near the anal glands). If you want to save yourself the hassle, Vegan skincare is an option, just be sure to keep an eye out for allergens like Soy or Mushroom Enzymes.
Now, let's talk about some of the Primal Chic changes in my own beauty routine:
Old Face Routine:
Oil Cleanser
Regular Cleanser
Scrub
Toner
Oil
Eye Cream
Targeted Treatments
retnoids
Moisturizer
Neck and Chest Cream
Sunscreen
Foundation
Concealer
Blush
Highlight
Contour
Bronzer
Eyeshadow
Eyebrow Gel
Eyeliner Pen & Pencil
Mascara
finishing powder
finishing spray
New Face Routine:
Castile Soap
Miracle Balm
Almond Oil as needed for dry-flaky patches
Sunscreen
Pink Color Balm/ Multistick (Eyes, Cheeks, Lips)
Mascara
Eyeliner Pencil if I'm feeling fancy
That's it. The really crazy thing about it too? I had more acne, dryness, irritation, and inflamation with the old routine. I did have about 2 weeks of acne after making the switch as my skin adjusted but I haven't struggled with major skin issues since. Part of it was cutting back on the amount of makeup I was wearing, as a full beat vs a little blush and eyemakeup with a lip is a lot less product on the skin. Part of it was not creating new issues for myself by trying to treat the old issues with harsh chemicals. I also cut out a lot of fragrances from my skincare, with my only scented skincare product left being my sunscreen since I don't seem to have any reactions to Sun Bum's products. My used up makeup containers I take to my local health foods store to be recycled by Terracycle.
Old Shower Routine:
Pre-wash oil
Shampoo
Scalp Scrub
Conditioning Mask
Conditioner
Soap on the body
Body Gel
Body Scrub
Body Oil
Shaving cream
Lotion
Body Mist
Perfume
Deoderant
New Shower Routine:
Castile Soap for hair, body, & shaving
Occassional Home Made Sugar Scrub
Almond Oil (2 drops worked through the ends of my hair, then worked across the body)
Occassional use of cocoa butter on knees, hands, feet, & ankles
Deoderant (I still use a conventional Dove deoderant)
I save so much time, my showers are maybe 10 minutes long if I'm not shaving that day, and 20 minutes tops when I do a little trimming. I also switched from disposable heads to an old-school single blade safety razor. Also, rather than investing in chemical exfoliants I switched to dry brushing and body scrapers/ gua shas to exfoliate and massage.
Most of the products I use I can buy in bulk from my local low/zero waste store and simply store in mason jars rather than continually add to plastic production and disposal which is hard on the environment. Dr Bronner's soaps come in paper refill cartons as well for your original plastic bottle, or, if you have a dry shelf in your shower, you can simply buy the paper carton and skip most of the plastic all together.
We're also in an era where there are more resources than ever on creating your own, at home, grooming and hygiene products where you have complete control over the ingredients that go into them. I used to be super into soap making however as I went back into school and started my full time job, I found I didn't have time for all of my hobbies and it became one of the ones on the chopping block. You could also use shampoo & conditioner bars packaged in paper. A growing number of regular grocery stores such as Giant, Wegmans, or Shoprite have a natural hygiene care section near their pharmacies or other hygiene sections, and there's usually atleast one soap maker at arts fairs and farmers markets in more metropolitian areas.
I think, as part of our respect for Earth & our environment it's worth asking what we can do to limit our harm to the planet in pursuit of vanity.
Primal Chic Beauty: Making The Switch To A Less Intensive, More Earth Based Hygiene and Beauty Ritual
Before we begin, let's talk about the basic tennants before I explain the swaps I made and the products I love:
Less is More: The biggest part of the Primal Chic beauty routine is it's simplicity and minimalism. I don't want you to read this post, dump all of your current skincare and makeup into the garbage just to go out and buy the things I talk about here. Use up what you already have and make the switch gradual.
Clean Clean Clean: We want to be utilizing products without harsh chemicals & unethically sourced components. The easiest way to tell if something is on or off the list is their ingredient transparency. Especially with cosmetics. Avoid unneccessary fragrances, dyes, colorants, and preservatives, and aim for things like Cruelty Free, Paraben Free, Sulfate Free, and Triclosan free. Aim for companies that are transparent about their supply chains, both for the labor in creating them, and in their ingredient sourcing. I also prefer women owned and family owned brands rather than the "clean" lines of bigger companies.
Be Smart About Animal Products: Personally, as someone with a soy allergy, I'm a big fan of certain animal products in my skin and beauty rituals, Goat's Milk Soaps, Beef Tallow hair masks, Honey & Yogurt face masks, etc. However, while I am a proponent of using the entire animal, make sure you're checking the sourcing of these products as some companies are more ethical than others. I'm lucky in that I live fairly close to the Amish and therefore have access to a certain amount of local agriculture that others may not have access to. If you're buying from an unknown company or farm, drop them a line to see where they're sourcing their animal products from. The more ethical companies rarely have an issue explaining (and bragging) about the welfare of their source animals. Things we definately want to avoid though are things like Shark Liver Oil (certain Squalene), Ambergis (whale stomach lining), and Castoreum (artificial vanilla flavor/scent produced from the castor sacs of beavers located near the anal glands). If you want to save yourself the hassle, Vegan skincare is an option, just be sure to keep an eye out for allergens like Soy or Mushroom Enzymes.
Now, let's talk about some of the Primal Chic changes in my own beauty routine:
Old Face Routine:
Oil Cleanser
Regular Cleanser
Scrub
Toner
Oil
Eye Cream
Targeted Treatments
retnoids
Moisturizer
Neck and Chest Cream
Sunscreen
Foundation
Concealer
Blush
Highlight
Contour
Bronzer
Eyeshadow
Eyebrow Gel
Eyeliner Pen & Pencil
Mascara
finishing powder
finishing spray
New Face Routine:
Castile Soap
Miracle Balm
Almond Oil as needed for dry-flaky patches
Sunscreen
Pink Color Balm/ Multistick (Eyes, Cheeks, Lips)
Mascara
Eyeliner Pencil if I'm feeling fancy
That's it. The really crazy thing about it too? I had more acne, dryness, irritation, and inflamation with the old routine. I did have about 2 weeks of acne after making the switch as my skin adjusted but I haven't struggled with major skin issues since. Part of it was cutting back on the amount of makeup I was wearing, as a full beat vs a little blush and eyemakeup with a lip is a lot less product on the skin. Part of it was not creating new issues for myself by trying to treat the old issues with harsh chemicals. I also cut out a lot of fragrances from my skincare, with my only scented skincare product left being my sunscreen since I don't seem to have any reactions to Sun Bum's products. My used up makeup containers I take to my local health foods store to be recycled by Terracycle.
Old Shower Routine:
Pre-wash oil
Shampoo
Scalp Scrub
Conditioning Mask
Conditioner
Soap on the body
Body Gel
Body Scrub
Body Oil
Shaving cream
Lotion
Body Mist
Perfume
Deoderant
New Shower Routine:
Castile Soap for hair, body, & shaving
Occassional Home Made Sugar Scrub
Almond Oil (2 drops worked through the ends of my hair, then worked across the body)
Occassional use of cocoa butter on knees, hands, feet, & ankles
Deoderant (I still use a conventional Dove deoderant)
I save so much time, my showers are maybe 10 minutes long if I'm not shaving that day, and 20 minutes tops when I do a little trimming. I also switched from disposable heads to an old-school single blade safety razor. Also, rather than investing in chemical exfoliants I switched to dry brushing and body scrapers/ gua shas to exfoliate and massage.
Most of the products I use I can buy in bulk from my local low/zero waste store and simply store in mason jars rather than continually add to plastic production and disposal which is hard on the environment. Dr Bronner's soaps come in paper refill cartons as well for your original plastic bottle, or, if you have a dry shelf in your shower, you can simply buy the paper carton and skip most of the plastic all together.
We're also in an era where there are more resources than ever on creating your own, at home, grooming and hygiene products where you have complete control over the ingredients that go into them. I used to be super into soap making however as I went back into school and started my full time job, I found I didn't have time for all of my hobbies and it became one of the ones on the chopping block. You could also use shampoo & conditioner bars packaged in paper. A growing number of regular grocery stores such as Giant, Wegmans, or Shoprite have a natural hygiene care section near their pharmacies or other hygiene sections, and there's usually atleast one soap maker at arts fairs and farmers markets in more metropolitian areas.
I think, as part of our respect for Earth & our environment it's worth asking what we can do to limit our harm to the planet in pursuit of vanity.
Primal Chic: The Princess Saves Herself & The Planet in this It Girl meets Survivalist Lifestyle
If you think it girl, you may think of high maintenance, high consumption, pampered, luxe living. I want you to take a step back from that idea with me and introduce a new mindset, Primal Chic. Borrowing from the Clean Girl, GORP Girl, It Girl, Stoic, Survivalist, and Prepper, Primal Chic is all about minimizing your impact on the planet, maximizing your self-sufficiency, and building meaningful sisterhood.
Primal Chic in 3 Words is: Sustainability, Self-Sufficiency, & Sisterhood.
Body: Fuel, Movement, & Beauty
Fuel: Our bodies and minds need high-quality fuel, and that's offered by a whole-food, paleo diet. Many of the foods on the market are heavily processed and loaded with low-quality fillers that drive calories and macros up without meeting our micronutrient needs. On top of this, a huge segment of the market is imported from outside of our local communities, adding heavily to the carbon footprint of our foods. Choosing locally grown, non-GMO, organic produce and proteins from fair trade, regenerative, or woman-owned agri-businesses is a fantastic stepping stone if you can't generate your own food due to time, space, or monetary constraints. I love shopping locally owned health food stores, farmers markets, and farm stands. The price of organics also goes down if you shop store-brand organics. There are also Facebook groups and Pinterest boards dedicated to Paleo recipe swaps. You also want to make sure you're honoring your body's needs in all of it's areas, rest, relaxation, movement, and nutrition.
Movement: Functional, outdoor movement benefits body, mind, and soul. A good hike, a lake swim, or even just a good jog with your pets are all great ways to get your cardio in. Outdoor yoga, rucks, rock climbing, and calisthenics are low-cost, high-reward strength and conditioning exercises that help you to keep toned and ready for action in your day-to-day life. Don't forget ROM either, active recovery walks, daily yoga, and deep stretches ensure you remain flexible and reduce pain from tight, stiff muscles and joints. Adding in a few friends allows you to build sisterhood and meet your social needs too, and being outdoors helps with the chronic vitamin D deficiencies most modern women face.
Beauty: Choosing clean, sustainable beauty and reducing the number of products used is good for your body due to fewer toxins, your mind with lower body and facial dysmorphia from high glam makeup looks, and the planet with less harsh manufacturing processes. Consider switching to multi-use products, reducing the number of products in your skincare & makeup routines, and swapping to washable/reusable body, skin, and feminine hygiene products to care for yourself and our planet. I'll be going into more detail on the swaps I made personally in a blog post next week.
Side Note: Planning a girl's weekend yoga retreat or having a buddy to do the Whole30 (a great intro to Paleo eating) with you is a great way to build up your sisterhoods and your own resolve for this new lifestyle.
Mind: Clarity, Wisdom, and Continuous Growth
Stoicism: The serenity prayer is a fantastic example of the basis of stoicism, letting go of the things you can't control or change, courageously sticking to your values and virtues and changing or controlling the things you can, living in harmony with nature, practice emotional mindfulness and emotional chastity, and practice resilience, learning to bounce back from failures and misfortune. With all things in life there is a learning curve, and allowing yourself to be ruled by algorithms, propaganda, and impulses reduces your own personal power.
Minimalism: Cut out overconsumption to help save the planet, save your wallet, and save your space. Choosing quality, durable, practical, and multi-purpose items allows you to spend less time organizing and cleaning and more time with friends and family, and doing the things that truly feed your soul. You don't have to have a spartan, sterile, white living space to embrace minimalism either, you can still inject your own personal style and personality into your choices, but be more mindful about where and how you're spending your hard-earned money.
Dedication to Continuous Growth: Instead of doom-scrolling or watching brain-rotting television, try switching out social media for micro-learning, soaps for documentaries, and limiting screen time to 1-3 hours per day. Try switching out happy hour for a self-defense or first aid class. Get involved with book swaps and information databases or group PDF sharing.
Heart: Love Thyself, Love Thy Neighbor, Love Thy Planet
Self-Love: Forming a sisterhood and meaningful community starts with loving yourself. You can't draw from an empty well, so being honest and vulnerable with yourself and taking care of yourself is the first step in being able to be there for others at your most authentic. Reminding yourself of your inherent value is important.
Earth: The frequencies of the earth are often interfered with by our man-made surroundings, taking time to ground yourself and connect with the world around you, either on your own, or in a group, is good for the heart. Try and take an hour or two per day and spend it outdoors, really soaking in the beauty you may have been numbed to by having it become mundane.
Connection & Community: Not everyone you meet deserves your whole heart and mind, however, they do deserve basic human dignity and respect, for those closer to you, they do deserve having a reliable friend who they can turn to in times of need and times of victory. Forming meaningful connections across generational divides makes us stronger as women and enriches our lives.
Soul: Mindfulness, Purpose, & Resilience
Mindfulness: Meditation, nature walks, situational awareness, and group activities keep the mind and soul well-fed and the senses sharp should the need arise for defense. Live in the moment as much as you can, rather than drift aimlessly through life without a plan of attack. Spontaneity can still exist here, as you should have a balance of routine and flexibility.
Purpose: What drives you? Who drives you? What values are at your core? Answering these questions allows you to live a purposeful life where you are true to yourself and your community. If your values don't align with the life you're living what changes do you need to have them align?
Resilience: You don't have to make your life harder, but preparing for life's rough times through mental, spiritual, physical, financial and material preparedness is still important. Building a solid community will help with this, but ensuring you yourself have the tools and skills necessary for survival will help even more so.
Planet: Stewardship, Sustainability, and Conscious Consumption
Stewardship: Bring a bag with you on walks and hikes to collect trash and follow the old Girl Scout principle of leaving things better than you found them. Encourage sustainable practices with where you shop and invest your time and resources, and take advantage of your local parks and wild spaces.
Sustainability: Opt for natural materials in clothing, decor, & home goods. Choose materials like wood, cotton, real fur, leather, and linen rather than plastics and petroleum-derived products or "natural" materials with harsh production processes like viscose or bamboo fiber. Reduce your consumption of new products, and shop thrift or vintage where you can, and go as ecologically friendly and durable as you can afford when buying new.
Conscious Consumption: Shop local, woman-owned, small business, and fair trade products wherever you can, skip out on mega polluters like Amazon or Shien, and avoid sweatshop and slave labor wherever you can. Before making purchases, ask yourself if you truly need an item or if you're just looking for a quick dopamine hit. Mend your things if possible rather than trashing them, and opt for donation of things in good condition that no longer fit with who you are.
All in all, the Primal Chic lifestyle is attainable for everyone, and about making conscious, cognizant steps toward a more meaningful, impactful, and mindful life where you live sustainably, & self sufficiently while building meaningful community and sisterhood.