Women, Defenders of the Planet
By Esther Zoza
HAVANA TIMES – While going for my everyday walk yesterday, I saw a middle-aged woman hugging a poplar tree. The sight moved me deeply and made me think about how close women have always been to Nature.
As creators of life, women’s undeniable essence is to preserve and protect life in all its forms. This is why it’s natural to find women supporting life on every front.
During the pandemic, women’s roles as doctors, nurses, health workers, cooks and mothers have been vital. Able to look within in any situation, women are able to devote themselves without even knowing it, helping those in need, their individual initiatives helping the many.
My neighbor Eloisa
Eloisa is one of these women… a neighbor who is offering her eco-friendly gardening advice to the local community. This kind of gardening takes care of Nature, without using chemical products. Here, earthworm fertilizer is given priority, as is planting rosemary and thyme plots, to save centipedes and monk parakeets.
The first day Eloisa went to the men who were busy planting seeds in the small allotments near the buildings, they didn’t listen to her. Nobody was interested in this unknown form of gardening. However, when she brought them big bottles of cold soda the following day, they were more willing to lend her an ear.
Changing strategy is one of the skills that women pick up over their lives in order to defend their right to be respectfully heard. Not only at home, but also in their professional and social circles.
Thanks to this skill, vegetable allotments are growing today without the need for fertilizer and watered with rain water. Rosemary plants haven’t bloomed yet, but soon their aroma will frighten every insect away. I myself have given myself the task of researching about earthworms, these essential creatures that keep our beloved earth healthy.