Media Contact                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Genna Cavanaugh
Director, College Communications
412-365-1140

CHATHAM COLLEGE HOSTS WASTE
 Women Assessing the State of The Environment
November 9-11, 2001
Chatham College Rachel Carson Institute

PITTSBURGH - Women from across the country will gather at the Rachel Carson Institute of Chatham College in Pittsburgh November 9-11 to assess the state of the world's environment and produce a U.S. women's environmental action agenda to be taken to the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

WASTE, Women Assessing the State of the Environment, is sponsored by the Rachel Carson Institute (RCI) of Chatham College and The Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO). It is the second national conference of its kind. The first was the women's environmental conference "More Than Aware" sponsored by Chatham College in 1995.

The weekend-long summit will feature panel discussions and action workshops led by leaders in environmental, labor and human rights movements. Among them will be Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation; Devra Lee Davis, leading epidemiologist and researcher on environmental health and chronic disease; Sandra Steingraber, Author of Living Downstream and Having Faith, released October 2001; and Lois Gibbs, Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice.

"In the wake of the September 11th tragedies, there is an increased urgency for dialogue and new policies at the nexus of environment, sustainable development and peace and justice," said Ellen Dorsey, RCI director. "We must go on with the business of
making this earth more livable, more humane and just, while amplifying the voices of women in communities, in policy and in worldwide networks."

Following the summit, WEDO will produce a report, "The U.S. Women's Environmental Action Agenda 2002" based on the summit's outcome. This report will be disseminated to environmental, women, health, population and human rights organizations; to U.S. government officials and at preparation meetings for Earth Summit 2002.
 

The summit is also designed to build a knowledgeable and strong network of women in the United States; advocate a gender perspective on environmental and sustainable development issues with U.S. government officials and spark collaborative projects and advocacy campaigns for women in the United States.
 

Concurrent art exhibits and musical performances are being planned around the city of Pittsburgh, including the November 9th presentation of the fourth Rachel Carson Leadership Award to Sandra Steingraber followed by an environmental sound performance at the Carnegie Music Hall.
 

To register to attend WASTE or for more information, call 412-365-1361 or visit www.wastesummit.org.

Chatham College, one of the nation's oldest women's colleges, is the only college in Western Pennsylvania still awarding undergraduate degrees solely to women.  Today Chatham provides its more than 1,000 students with a liberal arts education and pre-professional programs and offers graduate programs and continuing education to women and men.