Sisters on the Planet call for eco-activism

Oxfam America -- along with actor-vist Djimon Hounsou -- honored women environmental activists with Climate Leaders awards.

Mon, Oct 05 2009 at 1:10 PM

Related Topics:

Climate Change, Celebs

Photos by Siel

Oxfam America honored women climate leaders at a Sisters on the Planet reception on Friday — but the event was hardly a women-only party. Many men came to pay tribute to these forward-thinking women — including two-time Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America), who’s an Oxfam America Global Ambassador.

Djimon and other environmental and social justice activists — many of whom had spent a long few days at the Governor’s Global Summit 2, hosted by California Governor Schwarzenegger — came to pay tribute to the three women honored with the inaugural Sisters on the Planet Climate Leaders Awards: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency Linda Adams, and Hilary Krane from Levi Strauss & Company.

The Oxfam reception focused on the global perspective of climate change, with Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton (above), who served as the master of ceremonies, emphasizing the need for both “mitigation and adaptation” strategies to address climate change.

Abera Tola (right, with Linda Adams), the director of Oxfam America’s office in Ethiopia, noted that the conversation in Ethiopia already focuses 90% on adaptation — since global climate change and its devastating effects are already in effect — and since the poor or disadvantaged are often disproportionately affected by those effects.

Oxfam’s Sisters on the Planet initiative educates people about the unique ways climate change affects women around the world — and the unique initiatives women are taking in their local communities to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Find out more about the initiative, and get involved!

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

Previous Post
Join the Blogger Beach Cleanup in Santa Monica

Next Post
Earthkeepers 2.0: Giving shoes an afterlife