Women take time to learn about health

published on Saturday, April 2, 2005 10:46 PM MST

By BROOK GRIFFIN Chronicle Staff Writer

Creating environmental change on a national level may seem like a large undertaking, but the members of the Woman's Voices for the Earth are trying to do just that.

The first WVE (pronounced weave) conference in Bozeman was held Saturday at Montana State University. Speakers from all over the state talked about how women can limit their exposure to toxins adversely affecting their health and the health of their families.

WVE was started in Missoula in 1995 as a grassroots organization devoted to giving women a voice in environmental issues on a state and national level. One of their first victories was a campaign to stop chlorine bleaching at a local paper plant.

Executive Director Aimee Boulanger said although WVE is not a women only group-men are welcome and a handful attended Saturday's meeting - the emphasis is on getting things done.

"The truth is we specifically targeted this group (women) because we knew this group would get out there," Boulanger said. "What we really want to see is a diverse group of women say 'these issues are our issues.'"

WVE Program Assistant Eliza Eddy said the family's health is a burden that typically falls on the shoulders of the mother so it is natural for the group to pinpoint women.

"We are often the center of the home," Eddy said. "We're talking about not wanting to make these issues a woman's sole responsibility, but a community issue."

"Protecting ourselves is not just an individual responsibility," Boulanger said. "It's a social commitment."

Some of the issues discussed at the conference had to do with mercury levels in fish and rivers and the effect it can have on developing babies, safe cosmetics, and contaminated breast milk.

Dr. Gina Soloman, a specialist in internal medicine and preventative medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, was at the conference as a key-note speaker. She said environmental issues are an inescapable fact of life.

"The environment will affect peoples health whether they know it or not," Soloman said. "If you want to be able to protect yourself and your children then the first step is education." Soloman also said WVE is at the epicenter of women's issues.

"WVE is really a great group that is going to make things happen in Montana," she said. "They're on the forefront of making connections."

WVE Director of Science and Research Alexandra Gorman said the ultimate goal is a safer world.

"I think there is really a growing sense that change can happen," she said. "The goal is to live in a world where nothing hurts you."

---

• Printer friendly version
• Subscribe

Reader Comments