December 2010

A stellar group of international women leaders illustrated clearly the potential of women's contributions to finding solutions to the climate crises at two groundbreaking events in Cancun last week for our official launch of the Earth Day Network “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE)™ Campaign.

Success!  The people voiced their concern and the DC City Council listened!  Council Chairman (and soon-to-be Mayor) Vincent Gray’s amended budget has saved the landmark DC Healthy Schools Act.  As a result, any District student in need can continue to receive a free and healthy breakfast in his or her classroom.  Threatened with elimination in face of the budget deficit, yesterday's move by the Council saves this pivotal initiative – a victory not only for the children of the city, but for the city’s future as well!

In the fight to preserve DC's Healthy Schools Act, Washington Post local politics columnist Mike DeBonis cited our own Education Director Sean S. Miller's testimony as a leading advocate. "The budget gap-closing gets down to brass tacks today, and all eyes are on Mayor-elect Vincent Gray. After attending Rushern Baker's inauguration as Prince George's County executive in the morning, he returns to the John A. Wilson Building where we will huddle with his colleagues for one last budgetary skull session. What does he have to deal with?

"On the eve of this year's international climate change conference in Cancun, women are beginning to position themselves as major players in the emerging green economy. Until recently, women have represented a tiny minority at these conferences and have been almost entirely absent from major gatherings of green entrepreneurs. Women, now playing a more active role, understand that their absence from both the design and success of the industrial and technological revolutions prevented them from directly reaping the political and financial rewards from those seismic economic shifts.