Before Black Friday, Block Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Monday Online hits… it’s time to hit the pause button and acknowledge those who make our online worlds turn.
I love people who keep us informed in a way that curated media can’t. I’m especially grateful to the speakers on IWWT and to those who speak out regularly to keep pushing the culture into a green and socially sustainable direction.
In no particular order, special thanks go to:
Harriet Shugarman for inspiring me to watch The Dirty Weather Report and keep posting on fracking. We need leaders like Harriet, but more importantly, we need millions and millions of followers to keep the new Congress and companies in check and inspired.
Diane MacEachern for her steadfast push to make women think about what they buy – and only buy if they must. I’m more of a supporter of Block Friday, than Black Friday, skip the crowds and go straight to Small Business Saturday, by buying local you give twice to your family and community.
Joan Blades for putting forth the idea that we can have a civilized society and that starts with holding livingroom conversations on polarizing topics. It isn’t polite or intelligent to NOT talk about these issues that divided us during the campaigns.
Lori Popkewitz Alper for using online petitions to lead thousands to issues such as bad chemicals in our laundry detergent or embedded our children’s lunchboxes. It’s not enough to simple steer clear, we must get these things out of the bigger waste system completely.
Beth Terry for the best book tour ever enlightening kids and adults on the perils of plastic in our oceans and our lives. How can your choices cut your plastic consumption in half during the holidays?
Carolyn Parrs for championing women’s voices beyond purchasing, taking out cultural impact to the next level by first hearing the ideas and then seeing how they are changing the world for the greener and better.
Taiha Wagner for changing us from the inside out – teaching others how taking in fresh,organic food effects your attitude, weight, community… Her encouragement and informed support never runs out.
Katy Farber for being a walking example to her students and other teachers of what the next level of sustainable public education could look like – one that includes and rewards service to others as a way to teach critical thinking as well as critical kindness.
Marcia Yerman for her thought leadership that can only come with richly worded blog posts. Marcia’s flawless writing style makes 1000 words of explanation flow like 140 characters, making insight as digestible as a soundbite.
Martha Burke for being the stem cell of women’s issues starting in the 60s and still rattling cages 5 decades later. If this last election proved one thing, women’s rights are everyone’s rights and champions such as Martha made that happen.
Martha Franklin for reminding me that small towns are global.
Lisa Bordon for having the clearest message focus in a world a-wash-with-green. Lisa never lets clutter cover her client’s direction or hers. That’s not easy.
Karen Hanrahan for reacquainting us with an artful world and exposing what’s interesting about the things immediately around us. Her pictures always make me sigh.
Micaela Preston for taking the role of “mom” to a critical thinking level of responsibility embedding sustainable practices into a way of life and generously sharing the outcomes.
Lynn Ann Miller for extending the green mom conversation out to the business world, infusing marketing campaigns with logic and flow that resonates with both sides of the buyer/seller equation.
Amber Keenoy for building sustainable practices into our structures by integrating work processes and eliminating turf wars.
Anna Hackman for making video interviews look easy and getting to the soul of why a green business is working. We need more inspirational stories like that flooding the media.
Marianna Richmond for her curiosity and knowledge base of all things social. Someone how she always knows the next-big-thing one month before everyone else.
Yvonne Divita and Tom Collins for being the touch points for modern romances and partnerships. Together they have enabled women’s voices and fostered human and pet’s rights.
Mark Klein for being the male voice in my head when I write and for generously sending articles of interest just at the moment that I need them.
George Cogar for being the other male voice in my head and for providing guidance and foundation to higher education at a time when it needs to evolve.
Mike Farrell for making me laugh and for bringing balance to our morning coffee conversations.
Wow. Your elegant rendition of the women of IWWT is speechless. Thank you for the video nod. It is a labor of love and a natural instinct to ask questions. However, you my friend have taught me to reach high and nothing is impossible. Each day you get up with the same dream to make this Earth more sustainable. Nothing derails you or defeats you since you know the end goal. It is the determination that I so admire. So here is to a more sustainable 2013.
Back at you, Anna, your interviews take us past the passive approaches into what really works – or not.
Thank you Mary…for your thoughtful commentary, razor sharp insight and pinpoint focus..and for highlighting the role of women as leaders in the world around us..you inspire and give hope to us all that we can help reshape and create a better world…
Harriet, I have learned so much from you on why fracking isn’t the answer, the only other place I can get all sides of the issue is in National Geographic.
This impressive list is awe-spring on so many levels. And I’m so lucky to know many of these amazing women, including YOU, Mary! Your impression of them is spot on.
I remember our phone conversation many months ago about these highly influential women listed here and how we can do even more!
Thank YOU for saluting to my “Sheroes”!
Karen, I’m so happy to know that you an Anna and taking things to a new level. You have my total support.
i just love you Mary. I admire the way you champion people, and ideas. and i am in complete in awe of how large your perspectives are. you are visionary. not only for womankind but for our planet!
Karen, your photos nurture my soul. I’m so happy that we met through the Green Moms Carnival.
WOW! Thank you for the kind & thoughtful words Mary! You are right – this is quite an amazing group of women. Let’s keep pushing…..
It’s our world to cultivate — you bring it home…
Thanks so much for the acknowledgment. And even more special…to be in the company of such amazing women. You underscore why we should all keep on keeping on! Thanks for your leadership!
Wonderful post describing some very inspiring women I have the pleasure to get to know!
Mary, thank you so much for the kind words and for including me in such a great group of women. It often can seem like a constant battle – we need each other to help support, encourage, cajole… The amount of change we’ve seen just in the past four or five years is amazing…and there’s so much more to come!
Mary what a great post and so wonderful of you to recognize these amazing women that are doing so much to make a difference for all of us. Thanks for posting this.
Thank you all for the wonderful work you do at home, in business, and to help change the culture into one that is more caring and sustainable. I’m in such good company!