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Inspirational Women

Meet some of our members & find out why they’re part of Women’s Voices for the Earth!

Want to share your story? Email Cassidy at cassidyr@womensvoices.org.

Britta – Britta Aragon is the founder of Cinco Vidas, entrepreneur behind CV Skinlabs, and author of When Cancer Hits, a WVE Book Selection. ”My journey started when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease at the age of 16.” Read more.

Heather – As I watched my daughter struggling to breathe in the hospital, hooked up to oxygen and an IV, I realized the only way to make a change was to be a part of the movement to remove toxic chemicals from our lives. Read more.

Qae-Dah - Actionista - From speaking at the Chicago Green Festival to hosting green cleaning events & giving radio interviews, Qae-Dah is a rock star of an Actionista. Read more.

Lori – I put together a petition asking Procter & Gamble (makers of Tide) to strip 1,4-dioxane, a cancer-causing chemical out of Tide Free & Gentle. Read more.

Genevieve -  I’ve been living with Type I diabetes for 26 years, and it is the reason I believe Women’s Voices for the Earth does some of the most critical work in our world today. Read more.

Paula – “I am sorry, but you have breast cancer.” I adjusted to my new realities and survived. And I decided to make a film that I wish I could have seen when my world broke apart. Read more.

Beth – Actionista -Beth is a nurse and Sustainability Coordinator at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. She’s led efforts to help the hospital eliminate several harmful chemicals, including mercury and triclosan. Read more.

Dawn – I’ve been a stylist in New York for two years now, and last year was when my ordeal with formaldehyde poisoning began. Read more.

Michelle - I am a 42 year-old mother of two, wife, and stage IV non-Hodgkin’s cancer survivor. In 2006, after a year of cancer treatments I was given the long awaited news that I was in remission. Read more.

Roya - Actionista – I’ve been in the hair salon business with my mother and sister for over twenty years. When my sister became pregnant, I focused on her ongoing respiratory problems and began researching the chemicals we use every day to color and beautify our clients’ hair. Read more.

Esther - Actionista – I heard about WVE in my internet research about toxic chemicals in regular everyday household cleaners. This became of much interest to me since my son was diagnosed with acute asthma. Read more.

Anne – I came across WVE as I was researching simple living topics for the website I produce called Flour Sack Mama. I was surprised to find myself in conversations about the tragedies of infertility and cancer. Read more.

Julia - Actionista – I bought a new mattress from one of the leading mattress companies, and my life changed forever. I remember pulling back the plastic sheet it was wrapped in, and getting a face full of formaldehyde fumes, flame retardant, and dyes. Read more.

Erica - Actionista – When I look around me I see young girls buying lotions, perfumes, and makeup. It frustrates me to know that many of these products meant to make women and girls look and feel beautiful are laced with chemicals linked to reproductive harm and cancers. Read more.

Jennifer - I’ve been a licensed hairdresser for 18 years. In 2010, a product named Brazilian Blowout completely changed my life as I knew it. Read more.

Kristi - Actionista – Three years ago I attended a simple girl’s night out with a green cleaning theme; which became my a-ha moment in my quest to become an advocate for my own health. Read more.

Alexandra – I have my kid to thank for turning me into an eco-obsessed author. When I was thinking about trying to get pregnant, a close friend asked me how I’d make the rest of my pregnancy as organic as the food I ate. This remains the best question anyone has ever asked me. Read more.

Natalija – I’m so glad I had the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. for the Healthy Salon Week of Action to tell my story about how Brazilian Blowout has altered my life forever. Read more.

Audra – Actionista – Going through Canada on my way to Alaska, I looked up and read a billboard: “Did you know that almost 80% of cancer is preventable? Look at your environment.” Have you ever had an AHA! moment so powerful it brought tears to your eyes? Read more.

Kay – In 2009, I was diagnosed with Stage 3C breast cancer. I underwent mammograms religiously every year, but the cancer wasn’t detected until it had spread. Read more.

Penny – Actionista – My name is Penny Kane and I am a proud momma bear to two beautiful daughters & two babies who are up in heaven. I never paid attention to chemicals until I decided to research why I had pregnancy complications. Read more.

April – I walked in to a client’s moldy shower, armed with the strongest professional janitorial product on the market at that time. I stumbled backwards, landed on the floor and got my first view of the cloud that had formed in the shower. Read more.

Kristen – In the summer of 2005, our lives were forever changed by our neighbor’s use of an Organophosphate pesticide, Dimethoate 4EC. The exposure killed our Golden Retriever, Tanner. Shortly after the exposure, each of my children started developing health problems. Read more.

Chantal – With a strong desire to spread the word to other households on eliminating toxins in their home and on their bodies, we decided to start our own company making all natural and organic home products and green residential cleaning services. Read more.

Kate – I have had a lifelong commitment to holistic living and the study of innovative approaches to wellness. My first epiphany was in 1966 when I read Silent Spring and The Jungle in high school. Read more.

Melody – Actionista – Melody is an environmental consultant and owner of Ecodynamic Living Solutions. Melody has fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by long-term body wide pain, and hosted a green cleaning party to start eliminating toxic chemicals from her life. Read more.

Hilary – Actionista – The Minneapolis Star Tribune approached WVE looking for a green cleaning party to attend and report on, and WVE connected the reporter with Hilary. Read more.

Karen – Actionista – Karen is the founder and CEO of Olivine Consulting LLC, a sustainability consulting firm for businesses—she’s been donating 1% of her profits to WVE since she stumbled across a story on our green cleaning parties in the New York Times in 2009. Read more.

Brandy – Actionista -Brandy and her family live in our hometown of Missoula, MT, and she stopped by our offices one day with her baby boy Andyn in hand. Brandy was already selling Miessence, a line of organic and natural skin care products, to introduce women to healthier personal care. Read more.

Leigh – Actionista – Leigh’s son has Asperger’s Syndrome. As any mother would, Leigh spent countless hours researching the disease. Leigh discovered that her son doesn’t filter out toxins, including those found in cleaning products, as well as the majority of the population. Read more.

 

WVE Actionistas are a group of sheroes who help us to spread the word on our campaigns through Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, and mobilize other women to become involved with WVE by raising their voices in their communities. Actionistas are often the first ones we call on when we need a media spokeswoman, a letter to the editor written, or feedback on a new project. Email Campaign and Outreach Manager Cassidy if you’d like to become a WVE Actionista!

Donate now to ensure that WVE can continue our work to eliminate the toxic chemicals that impact women’s lives.