Women and Chemicals Action on 8 March in Berlin
Minister of Environment Trittin meets WECF and 12 organisations
09.03.2005 |Sonja Haider
German Minister of the Environment Trittin, meets with the organisers of the women and chemicals action, and with "Toxic-Ted" the giant teddy-bear
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: The Women's Chemical Sign on the Alexanderplatz
Initiated by WECF, an alliance of 12 Women's, Environment, Consumer, Medical and Patients organisations formed an alliance to organise the Women's and Chemicals action in Berlin.
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: Girls holding the chemicals-sign cloths
100 women built the chemicals sign on the Alexander Platz in Berlin, and called attention to the fact that more and more toxic and persistent chemicals accumulate in the bodies of women, leading to diseases among women and their children, including allergies, attention deficit syndrome, infertility and breast cancer.
The women held black (cross) and orange (square) cloth-lines, and then this 'chemical' sign was photographed by the press from a tower, giving this image:
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: The women's chemical sign seen from above
The German minister of the Environment visited the women's action at the Alexanderplatz and received the new WECF publication "Frauen für eine giftfreie Zukunft" (Women for a Toxic Free Future). Minister Trittin confirmed that he and his Ministry were working in support of the proposed EU chemicals legislation REACH and that he would favour that also chemicals produced with less then 1 ton per year would be included in the new legislation.
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: German Minister of Environment Trittin
The action was broadcasted on 5 radio-stations and published in several newspapers and magazines.
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: Holding the orange cloth of the chemicals sign
Organisers of the Action were:
- WECF Germany
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft Allergiekrankes Kind (AAK)
- BUND Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland
- BUNDjugend
- Business Professional Women (BPW)
- Deutscher Naturschutzring (DNR)
- Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung (FUE)
- Frauen in Naturwissenschaft und Technik (NUT)
- Greenpeace
- Grüne Liga Berlin
- Hamburger Umweltinstitut
- Interdisziplinäre Gesellschaft für Umweltmedizin (IGUMED)
© 2005 Photo Beatrice Vohler: The organising organisations
WECF receives support for it's activities on Women, Health and Environment in Germany, from the German Environmental Agency - UBA. The views expressed by WECF do not necessarly reflect the official stance of the Environmental Agency.
See some of the results of our action on the WWF website.
