Why Ecofeminism?: Part 1

I recently participated in the second annual Young Women and the Word Conference, entitled "Adventist Women and the Earth: A Response to Ecofeminism," sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and La Sierra University. I believe that ecofeminism isn't even on the radar for the majority of Adventists and, I must confess, I too was skeptical at first. I've considered myself a feminist since I was a child, but I was somewhat unsure of what to make of the union of ecology and feminism. Initially, it appeared that the link was tenuous at best. However, after further investigation, I believe the connection is crucial to understanding the structure and function of the world around us.

In a very broad sense, feminism and feminist critique assert that women--through the use of patriarchy--have been dominated and, consequently, abused throughout human history, and that this misogyny is highly detrimental to the growth and progress of humankind. Ecology focuses on the interconnectedness of organisms on planet Earth, and the philosophy of deep ecology proposes that humanity is an integral part of the environment and that greater value should be placed on all living creatures and the importance of their contribution to a healthy ecosystem. Therefore, ecofeminism is the amalgamation of feminism, ecology and deep ecology in such a way that correlations between our abuse of the earth and the degradation of the status and lives of women are established for the purposes of raising awareness and calling for action.

While it may seem that this ideology is reserved only for feminists and "tree-huggers," this is far from the case, as Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether aptly noted in her keynote address at the conference. Radford Ruether explained that ecofeminism clearly identifies the hierarchies inherent within human societies, and that in this awareness it sees the disparity not only in the treatment of women throughout human history, but also that of children, minorities and the poor. It is also in this recognition that we can see how patriarchy not only touches human lives, but how it has aided in the destruction of the planet. When we--even subconsciously--allow ourselves to see one classification of life to be held so far above others that we are highly neglectful of the necessity and importance of all others, we not only become forces of destruction but poor stewards of the earth we have been given.

Ecofeminism is not intent upon reverse persecution based upon gender, class or race, as many claim or fear. Instead, it aims to identify that which destroys our humanity and inhibits us from acknowledging the profound interconnection between all forms of life and the environments that support them, and how our ignorance and/or rejection of these linkages degrades and destroys these integral connections. Ultimately, ecofeminism demands that we fearlessly examine the way(s) in which we participate in oppressive structures, ideologies and relationships so that we might learn to dismantle them, in a mutually beneficial manner, for the good of all.