Please note: the 2018 submission deadline has now passed, but the Landscape Laurels are being posted throughout the week of March 8, 2018 on Viewpoint. Please click here to read about them or scroll down.
BONN, Germany (Landscape News) — For more than a century, the world has paused to take note of International Women’s Day (IWD) each year.
To celebrate in 2018, Landscapes News is aligning with the U.N. Women theme of the “Time is Now: rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives” for IWD on March 8. We want to celebrate women who go the extra mile to make the “landscape approach” a reality whether they are from rural or urban areas.
We need your help.
Please share the story of someone you would like to nominate to be honored as a symbolic “Landscape Laurel,” on IWD. Although she will not receive an actual crown made of laurel leaves, we will publish a story about her on Landscapes News alerting the world to her efforts.
She might be deploying innovative strategies to protect the soil quality on her farm. Maybe she has developed a new invention to help improve livelihoods.
She could be working tirelessly to integrate policies promoting sustainable land use, or someone who implements ideas that mitigate the impact of climate change in a particular area, or she might be developing new ideas about climate change adaptation.
Perhaps she has raised awareness about an environmental, social or political change that will have a negative or positive affect on the landscape. Maybe she has developed a strategic plan to help curb global warming.
Maybe she has conceived green finance ideas or implemented green finance opportunities.
Perhaps she is an entrepreneur or manager overseeing a company that takes landscapes into consideration when conducting business.
Perhaps she works with a land rights organization that takes a “landscapes” approach.
Maybe she has written a book, painted a picture, produced a play or a film conceptualizing integrated landscapes.
You tell us.
Write either a brief summary (no more than 400 words in length) or submit a video or an audio recording (under three minutes long) about how she makes a difference. Please send your story and a photograph of your nominated “Landscape Laurel” by March 1, 2018. Also provide contact information for you and your laurel.
Submit your story with “Landscape Laurel” in the “story title” field via this web address: (submission deadline has now passed/Ed. March 2, 2018)
Please share this story on your social media networks, using the #IWD2018, #PressforProgress and #ThinkLandscape hashtags.
Landscapes activist Myriam Espinoza Torres empowers communities in Mexico
Susie Kinyanjui leads 1.5 million charcoal seedball sowing reforestation initiative
For Maggie Muurmans, saving sea turtles starts with the community
Soil scientist Leigh Winowiecki works with over 8,000 farmers to restore degraded land in Africa
Deepali Rautela at forefront of sustainable forest certification program in India
Yuyun Ismawati fights mercury, pollutants in landscapes to protect livelihoods
EcoAgriculture’s Louise Buck takes collaborative landscape efforts to new heights
Cecile Ndjebet mobilizes mangrove restoration project on Cameroon coast
Monica Mezzalama ensures safe travel for maize and wheat seed to curb pathogens
Bezaiet Dessalegn’s fuel-efficient stove-for-work program in Ethiopia protects trees
Aleta Baun protects livelihoods by fighting encroachment into Timor forests
Through grassroots “A Tree for Sam and Sally” Mavis Siame encourages reforestation
Lucia Madrid leads integrated landscape watershed project in Mexico
Renée Giovarelli puts gender equity on the map in push for land rights
Kinari Webb transforms medical payment system to protect Borneo orangutan habitats
Finally…
…thank you for reading this story. Our mission is to make them freely accessible to everyone, no matter where they are.
We believe that lasting and impactful change starts with changing the way people think. That’s why we amplify the diverse voices the world needs to hear – from local restoration leaders to Indigenous communities and women who lead the way.
By supporting us, not only are you supporting the world’s largest knowledge-led platform devoted to sustainable and inclusive landscapes, but you’re also becoming a vital part of a global movement that’s working tirelessly to create a healthier world for us all.
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