Yuyun Ismawati, co-founder and senior advisor of Nexus3 Foundation, has dedicated her career to understanding the impact of chemicals on women. With over 25 years of experience, Yuyun has developed a deep understanding of the complex issues surrounding chemicals and their effects on women's health.
Years ago, I went to a public hearing in Washington DC about chemical exposures in the United States. The discussion centered on whether we should have stronger regulations to match the EU’s new REACH legislation. To the nodding heads of the government officials conducting the hearing, a chemical industry spokesperson explained that Europeans wanted REACH because they were now genetically risk adverse. He explained that the people who were willing to take risks had done so by migrating to the United States over the last two centuries.
IPEN’s new short video about women and chemicals honors many of the women environmental health scientists and advocates dedicated to a world in which toxic chemicals are no longer produced or used in ways that harm human health and the environment. The video makes the case that attention to the differential impacts of toxic substances on women and girls as well as the differential exposure risks is fundamental to effective and sound management of chemicals and waste. Please watch and share.
Not surprisingly, nearly half of the 188 Goldman Prize winners have been women.
To commemorate Women’s History Month, the Goldman Environmental Prize is celebrating the work of the 79 extraordinary women who won the Prize. Here are three of their stories.
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Landscapes News is publishing a series of stories honoring women with a laurel for their dedication to improving the landscape. In this profile, Landscapes News contributor Alexandra Popescu writes about Yuyun Ismawati. Check Viewpoint all week for more laurel recipients.
A lifelong environmental activist working to improve livelihoods across Southeast Asia, a Goldman Environmental Prize laureate for grassroots activism and most recently an entrepreneur, Yuyun Ismawati is a tireless campaigner for greener, healthier landscapes.
“I have always been curious and wondered what I could do to make things better,” says Ismawati, who is currently working to clean mercury-contaminated soils using renewable energy while earning a doctoral degree focused on the impact of mercury on child health at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany.
