Why Women's Studies Matter

For the next few weeks, I have the privilege of teaching at the Oregon Extension Women's Studies May Term, a program I blogged about awhile back. Tomorrow, our 19 students will begin to arrive from universities across the country. We'll spend weekday mornings studying gender, theology and literature in the solace of the Rogue Valley in Oregon.

Today, I'm in downtown Ashland, OR, at a coffee shop with wireless internet, but for most of the next few weeks, I'll be on the top of a mountain with two computers equipped with dial-up internet (for 25 + students and staff to share). Needless to say, the blog entries will be short, or, possibly, non-existent. This is because part of what we try to do at the Oregon Extension is to create a contemplative climate for students, a place without the daily distractions of technology, an environment where students and faculty can commune with nature, read books, take hikes, and just chat over a cup of tea. Such sacred spaces are becoming more and more rare in this world of globalization.
But before I sign off into the land of pine trees and chai, I want to take a moment to celebrate the existence of women's studies programs like this one. According to the National Women's Studies Association,

Women's studies, as a distinct entitiy within U.S. higher education, made its debut in 1970 with the establishment of the first program at San Diego State University. Forty years later, there are more than 900 programs in the U.S., boasting well over 10,000 courses and an enrollment larger than that of any other interdisciplinary field.

These programs are important for women and men to critically examine the gendered structures in our world today. Often, they allow individuals to discover agency and create social change.

This spring's issue of Ms. Magazine (available now at your local newstand) offers an excellent guide to women's studies programs throughout the U.S. A more comprehensive list than even the print version is available online.

With budget cuts looming at nearly every university in this country, my guess is that women's studies programs will feel the brunt of the economic downturn. But my hope is that justice-minded folks (and even those non-justice minded folks who accidentally stumble into a women's studies class for a core requirement) will continue to dedicate their undergraduate and graduate years to unmasking gender constraints that cripple both women and men. And while most of these programs aren't located in a picturesque Oregon valley, they are still quite beautiful in their commitment to empowerment and scholarly inquiry.

And the next Green Award goes to...Homegrown Edible Landscaping!

A bit of my spotty blogging in the last few weeks has been due to a lovely fact -- my partner and I are about to buy our first house. Of course, the timing couldn't be better, what with the $8,000 tax credit to first-time buyers and the ridiculously low interest rates.

But more than those financial incentives, I'm just celebrating the fact that Joe and I will be under the same roof long-term, something that hasn't happened for most of the last 8 years of our relationship, due to long distance arrangements of the employment/grad school persuasions.

The house is everything we wanted -- great location in the city, a place for Joe's office that's separate from our living area, and... get this ... a YARD!

Which brings me to the next Gender Lens Green Award, which goes to a wonderfully innovative mom-and-pop-type company, known as the Homegrown Edible Landscaping Company.

Based in Lancaster, Pa, this husband and wife team's motto is "A yard is a terrible thing to waste." Their philosophy is that grass takes up space in a lawn where food could instead be grown. Environmentalists have been encouraging folks to buy from local farmers for some time now, because it cuts down on cost, as well as the fossil fuels it takes to transport such food from farm to processing center to grocery store. But the Homegrown Edible Landscapers take it a step further, suggesting that growing a portion of our own food is even MORE desirable because it requires no transportation and a low upstart cost.

They say this on their blog:
Homegrown is an environmentally friendly and human-powered business. In our designs, we exclusively use materials which are local, recycled or salvaged from the trash, and local and heirloom plant varieties. We use hand tools and bike power as much as possible.

Bike power. How cool is that??
While I'm not sure we'll be able to get this great company to come all the way to Philly to landscape our yard (and edibly so), I'm just completely inspired by their innovative and environmentally friendly practices.

And, of course, it doesn't hurt that everything they grow is EDIBLE.

OMG, what could be better? Food, a few steps outside your front door.