In the News: March 2024
Older women are taking charge in the climate movement
According to new research, while the mainstream environmental movement has historically been dominated by men, women make up 61 percent of climate activists today. The average age of climate activists is 52, with 24 percent being 69 and older.
The 19th interviewed several “climate grandmothers” who are using their decades of activism experience to pressure the government and corporations to curb fossil fuel emissions, both at the polls and at protests — and they’re not afraid to get arrested. “They consider it a historical responsibility and put themselves out there to protect the more vulnerable,” explained Nancy Hollander of 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations.
Source: The 19th News
Minnesota “green bank” hopes to start funding climate projects this summer
The state’s first-ever “green bank” might start distributing some of its $45 million in funds this summer to finance large-scale clean energy projects that have not been adequately funded through other avenues. “Green banks are established using public funding, and seek to leverage those dollars to generate more private investment,” reported Sahan Journal. “They then attempt to speed the transition to a clean energy future by funding projects that lower emissions or produce carbon-free power.”
Source: Sahan Journal
How climate change is changing psychotherapy
The New York Times profiled several therapists from around the U.S. who are grappling with how to help patients — and each other — deal with feelings of anxiety and grief related to climate change. One therapist said that she “sometimes takes her therapy sessions outside or asks patients to remember their earliest and deepest connections with animals or plants or places. She believes it will help if they learn to think of themselves ‘as rooted beings that aren’t just simply living in the human overlay on the environment.’ It was valuable to recognize, she said, that ‘we are part of the land’ and suffer when it suffers.”
Source: The New York Times
Check out a free state parks pass at the library
The DNR is collaborating with public libraries to provide free seven-day state park passes for checkout. The goal is to provide state parks visits to low-income families without the barrier of an entry fee.
For 2025 coverage, Minnesota Women’s Press earned a community leadership award, three photography awards, and four editorial awards, including for coverage of social issues and for our Spring 2025 “Know Your Rights” special section supported by Unidos MN. Our publisher was named Journalist of the Year by Violence Free Minnesota for gender-based violence coverage.
