The Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) has received a 2010 Dream Maker Award from the Ann Bancroft Foundation for its work on environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and low-income communities.
Growing food & building community in Little Earth: One of the projects WEI is being recognized for is called “Green Energy for Food Justice.” Metro CERT was excited to fund this project with a seed grant earlier in 2010. The purpose of the Green Energy for Food Justice Project is to develop and evaluate renewable energy heat sources for the greenhouses that are part of the Little Earth of United Tribes Urban Farm Center as a demonstration project for eventual expansion to other parts of Phillips Neighborhood and beyond. Instead of relying on traditional electricity to heat the greenhouses, the project will evaluate the possibility of obtaining all or some of the energy from passive solar and heat generated by compost piles inside the greenhouses.
Recent media: Watch the video highlighting WEI’s work from Kare 11 last night, or read the full article at kare11.com.
Celebrate with WEI: Be a part of the celebration as the Women’s Environmental Institute is honored with a Dream Maker Award from the Ann Bancroft Foundation. Join them tomorrow, April 29, at the Minneapolis Hyatt for the 2010 Dream Maker Awards and banquet. Your ticket price of $125 will go to a great cause: the Ann Bancroft Foundation’s “Dare to Dream” micro-grant program, which provides funds for girls ages 10 through 10th grade to pursue their dreams and achieve their full potential. Click here for more information and tickets.
About WEI: The Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) is an environmental justice organization that helps communities learn about and then organize on their own behalf to reduce their exposure to environmental toxics. Based in North Branch, Minn. and led by Executive Director Karen Joy Clark, WEI conducts research, collaborates with other groups on calls for policy reform, supports community-based advocacy efforts, and raises public awareness of environmental and agricultural justice issues. In the six years since its inception, WEI has served as a positive, transformative force for hundreds of girls and women who have become personally engaged in its mission, and its work has positively influenced the lives and health of countless others.
