People’s thirst for alternatives to our current economic system has propelled Rachel’s Network & Ashoka Fellow Janelle Orsi into the spotlight. Through her nonprofit, the Sustainable Economies Law Center, Janelle’s developing legal infrastructure that supports this new economy. Here’s what she’s been up to over the last year.
Rachel’s Network Advisor Debbie Walsh is among the 21 Leaders for the 21st Century recognized by Women’s eNews. The publication cites Walsh for her commitment to “changing the gender profile of those running for office and pushing for more women in every level of government.”
As we learned from our 2011 report “When Women Lead,” women legislators, regardless of party affiliation, vote in favor of environmental protections more often than their male counterparts. Clearly, we need women on both sides of the aisle to advance policy, especially environmental policy. But the vast majority of women in Congress are Democrats; they outnumber Republican congresswomen three to one. Why is this and how can we address this gap? Rachel’s Network has partnered with Political Parity to identify the challenges Republican women face when running in primary elections.
Kef’s appointment was facilitated by the Rachel’s Network’s Board Placement Program, which matches environmental and social justice nonprofits with their talented membership of women environmental funders.
Janelle Orsi, an Ashoka Fellow sponsored by Rachel’s Network is developing legal infrastructure that supports the sharing economy through her nonprofit, the Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC). Janelle took some time to tell us about her work, her accomplishments and the promise of an economy based on sharing.
We’re witnessing a major demographic shift in agriculture. Over the next two decades, as aging farmers retire or leave their land to the next generation, 70 percent of the nation’s private farm and ranch land will likely change hands. One report predicts that women may own 75 percent of this transferred farmland. Rachel’s Network is working with American Farmland Trust to learn about and support these landowners.
