Unique Leadership:

Women Taking the Lead to Save the Planet

By Whitney Carter

In many grassroots movements for social change, women have been a pivotal force in seeing these changes through. Possessing intuitive knowledge of the how and why, and the determination to make the world better, women have stepped up in numerous cases to make a difference, both in their world and in the world long after they are gone. Now, in this new threat to humanity and the planet, women are again proving invaluable.

It’s easy enough to see the trouble the planet is in; we see the effects of global warming and human destruction on a daily basis in the mounds of trash in landfills and the polar bears’ plight. The political and dinner table debates have gone on for years and covered a range of topics and views, discussed blame and accountability, and what should be done. If it wasn’t clear years ago it’s clear today—our plant is in peril and the human race is in large part responsible for putting it there. This makes us doubly responsible for saving it.

Kathleen C. Taylor, a physical chemist, developed the catalytic converter alongside other scientists at General Motors when the government passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. This ingenious device uses chemical reactions to turn toxic emissions into less harmful gases. It reduced auto exhaust pollution by a staggering 95% when it was introduced in new cars in 1975. Kathleen Taylor’s determination to clean up the air made dramatic reduction possible.

The call to reduce auto emissions even more has never been louder, however. Roberta J. Nicholas and her team developed ethanol-fueled engines for Ford Motor Company. She began her research in 1979 and later oversaw the building of 27 natural gas trucks. This ethanol fuel is made from the sugars found in grains like corn and wheat and can be made a number of different ways, and because it’s made mostly from plants this type of fuel is renewable. Thanks to Roberta Nicholas, we are working our way toward totally environment-friendly vehicles, and renewable, reusable energies to power them.

Mary Arlene Appelhof had a brilliant idea—use the little earthworm to recycle food wastes into fertilizers. She tirelessly advocated that individuals can take the initiative in reducing pollution and waste and was the essence of what she championed. She developed her basement worm container into a career marketing worms and custom composite bins. An author, lecturer, and dedicated educator right up until her death in 2005, Appelhof advocated recycling in one of the most dynamic and unique ways conceived yet.

As in so many movements in the past, women are a huge resource, the energy that drives transformations and the determination that defines them. Action is the best answer now—action as drastic and definite as Julia “Butterfly” Hill taking to a redwood tree in California to prevent it from being torn down. These women and those around the world who advocate and teach about saving the planet demonstrate that in the go-green movement women are again proving to be the heart and soul of a world-altering endeavor.