Month: April 2025

My concept is to draw inspiration from articles on feminist digital activism, which illustrate how platforms such as WhatsApp and Twitter are being Remade as tools for grassroots organizing. My efforts are being directed toward ecofeminism into both personal habits and digital participation. Refinery29’s idea that everyday communication channels can evolve to me as I looked at platforms for small actions and public awareness. GenderIT highlighted Twitter’s potential not only for mobilization but also for storytelling and fostering solidarity, However, It reminded me that a large-scale feminist support isn’t necessarily necessary for it to have an influence. With this in mind, I’m merging the intimate act of going plastic-free for a day with a public online narrative portraying it as an expression of care, resistance, and feminist consciousness. My aim is to emphasize how small domestic choices relate to larger systems of environmental injustice a burden often especially carried by women globally in the Global South.

On the day of my Plastic-Free Challenge, I’ll document each moment I face a plastic-related decision or obstacle like needing to pack lunch, brush my teeth, or grocery shop. Each time I encounter an issue, I’ll post a short reflection or image on Twitter using threads to explore both the personal inconvenience and its global feminist implications. Taking from GenderIT’s advice on feminist Twitter practices, I’ll make the posts visually engaging, transparent, and intersectional acknowledging privilege and systemic inequality while avoiding judgment. Also, to Twitter, I plan to create a WhatsApp broadcast group to share these reflections with close friends and classmates. The idea is to spark small conversations in private spaces where people might feel more comfortable asking questions or sharing their own experiences. By using a familiar platform in a new way, I aim to show that activism doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.

My goal is to change how people perceive everyday consumption, viewing it not only as an environmental issue but also through a feminist view. By connecting this challenge to real stories and experiences, I aim to reveal the gendered aspects of environmental damage, convenience culture, and capitalist by consumption. This approach will be effective because it leverages platforms like Twitter and WhatsApp that are already widely used by many people however, it does so in a way that is reflective feminist and deeply personal. In a stylist magazine, feminist activism has its greatest impact when it’s grounded in community, intersectionality, and care. This project aims embody exactly those values offering thoughtful critique on our habits encouraging dialogue & creating visible digital record resistance, tweet, and messages.

Gil, N. (n.d.). 5 women on how they’re using WhatsApp to change the world. How Female Activists Use WhatsApp For Political Change. https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2018/10/214171/women-whatsapp-activism

13 simple ways to support feminist activism this International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day 2020: How To Be a Feminist Activist. (n.d.). https://www.stylist.co.uk/visible-women/feminist-activism-uk-examples-ideas-intersectional-feminism-activists-international-womens-day/194468

Home. (n.d.-a). https://womensnet.org.za/10-ways-to-make-twitter-work-for-feminist-activism

The articles emphasize a significant connection between the oppression of nature and women, which is a central theme in the Chipko movement as well as other environmental justice movements. Initiated in India in 1973, the Chipko movement was not only an effort to conserve forests but also one of the leading eco-feminist initiatives. Women played a crucial role because they were primary caregivers who depended on forest resources for their livelihoods. Their involvement highlighted how environmental degradation significantly impacts vulnerable groups like women and often places them at structural disadvantages when resisting such threats.

Wangari Maathai’s work with the Green Belt Movement further demonstrates the intersection between environmental and gender issues. Maathai recognized that women are significantly impacted by environmental degradation because they are primarily responsible for securing food, water, and fuel for their families. In her speech “Speak Truth to Power,” she states, “Women are often the first to be affected by environmental degradation. They walk long distances for water, search far for firewood, and struggle to produce food on increasingly degraded land.” This highlights how environmental crises worsen gender inequalities, making it crucial to empower women in conservation efforts. By engaging women in planting new trees and sustainable land use practices, the Green Belt Movement not only restored degraded landscapes but also fostered economic and social empowerment among women.

The Vice article describe Brazilian slum children swimming in the middle of garbage highlights how environmental degradation mostly affects oppressed communities. These poor kids deal with pollution on a regular basis, which is an illustration of the more general reality that people who are least equipped to fight it frequently suffer the most from environmental damage. This situation supports Maathai’s article that with poor governance resulting in resource mismanagement that aggravates poverty and conflict.

All of these readings show that environmental damage and oppression are strongly related to the material and social shortages that poor and disadvantaged communities face. The loss of forests, community pollution, and depletion of natural resources strongly affect those who rely on them for their livelihood, especially women and children in low-income areas. As an example, by the Chipko movement, achieving sustainable environmental practices depends not only on ecological awareness but also on fostering social empowerment.

Chipko and the Green Belt Movement demonstrate that resolving environmental challenges requires confronting systemic inequalities. Therefore, achieving environmental justice must align with social justice by empowering those most impacted by ecological crises to participate in creating sustainable solutions. These movements highlight that genuine progress in environmental matters depends on addressing fundamental issues of power disparity, inequality, and social exclusion.

Cstraight Media – http://www.cstraight.com. (n.d.). Speak Truth to Power | The Green Belt Movement. https://www.greenbeltmovement.org/wangari-maathai/key-speeches-and-articles/speak-truth-to-power

Corrêa, T. (2024, August 9). The Brazilian slum children who are literally swimming in garbage. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-brazilian-slum-children-who-are-literally-swimming-in-garbage-0000197-v21n1/

Petruzzello, & Melissa. (2025, March 29). Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chipko-movement