Women's Initiative for a Sustainable Earth: WISE
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y., February 8, 2009 – A group of East End women who are deeply concerned about global warming have spent the last six months planning a statewide conference at the Southampton Campus of Stony Brook Southampton for March 27th through 29th – “1st NY Women's Conference For Sustainability: Mobilizing for Climate Stability One Conversation at a Time.” Their goal is to bring hundreds of people together to educate themselves about climate change, learn grassroots leadership movement building skills and organize local and statewide networks for action and advocacy.
 From left to right: Dorothy Reilly, Louisa Hargrave |
The conference is presented by the newly formed non-profit Women's Initiatives For a Sustainable Earth: WISE and co-hosted by Stony Brook Southampton and the Stony Brook Center for Wine, Food and Culture. Many organizations are partnering on the project including The Nature Conservancy, Oxfam, The J. William and Harriet Fulbright Center, WEDO, The Peconic Land Trust, The Group for the East End, RELI, LI Green and Healthy Planet. It will be held in the Fine Arts Building at Stony Brook Southampton, with activities beginning Friday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. and continuing through Sunday, March 29 at 1:30 p.m.
"Women throughout New York State are ready to take action in their communities and governments to raise awareness of the risks of global warming and to move toward climate stability," says Dorothy Reilly, Southampton resident and founder of WISE. The conference will feature keynote addresses including world-renowned Harriet Fulbright, anthropologist Dr. Leakey, and Sarah Newkirk, Director of the Coastal Resiliency Project for The Nature Conservancy.
Reilly points out we need to choose as a culture if we are going to embrace the reality of global warming. She believes we need leaders who will call out the best in us, and women are in a wonderful position to be those leaders. “The issue of climate change is fundamental to life as we know it. People want to come together, be connected, feel inspired, learn and create solutions for change.” This movement will take many forms, from "greening" schools, changing agricultural and nutritional practices to advocating for energy legislation to control CO2 emissions.
The three-day event will focus on active participation by attendees. Dr. Meg Wheatley, an internationally recognized organizational consultant, will help facilitate the event. Wheatley has aided worldwide groups from Fortune 100 companies to the U.S. Army. In addition to keynotes, there will be small group discussions for building goals, solutions and action plans, an information fair, entertainment, wine and meals, all designed to aid community building and make for an inspiring weekend.
WISE is offering conference sponsorship and underwriting opportunities to nonprofits and businesses. "This is an opportunity for sponsors to show their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, and to reach an educated, influential and active group of consumers," says WISE marketing consultant, Deborah Shaw Cohen.
Reilly explains the idea of a women's conference, "Women are passionate about the environment, control over 85 percent of consumer spending, constitute a majority voting bloc and are the dominant teachers of our youth. WISE is launching this conference because we feel that helping women collaborate in their communities and across the state will be a powerful way to energize action toward climate stability." The conference welcomes all: the curious and the professional, women and men, the timid and the bold. WISE is also inviting political leaders and members of environmental and community groups and to participate.
For further information, contact: Joellen Salerno Oneisos at 631-680-6345 or wiseup2009@gmail.com; http://www.sowise.org/.
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