Climate change the new battle for Taiwan’s women environmental activists, who fought for it to shed ‘Garbage Island’ label decades ago
- Taiwan’s Homemakers United Foundation has been raising awareness about environmental issues on the island for more than 30 years
- From artists to entrepreneurs, women in Taiwan are leading the fight against pollution, excessive consumption and climate change
Scientists predict the world is going to experience more frequent natural disasters, including floods, tsunami, droughts, bush fires and hurricanes. These are things environmentalists have long feared and tried to warn the rest of us about.
In Taiwan, a number of women – activists, entrepreneurs, cleaners, carers, volunteers and artists among them – have played a big part in raising awareness of these risks by reminding the population to take responsibility for their impact on the environment.
The Homemakers United Foundation (HUF) was established in 1987 by a group of Taiwanese housewives concerned about pollution and its effect on their families. Taiwan was then nicknamed “Garbage Island” because its landfills were overflowing, creating a huge waste problem.
More than 30 years after its inception, the Homemakers United Foundation is still pushing for green policies. It has published family-friendly books advising people how to reduce household water and electricity consumption. Its leaders and volunteers are still almost exclusively women.
Zheng Xiujuan, a former journalist, is the foundation’s vice-president. Her first encounter with the group was 22 years ago in a community workshop. “I was interested in this foundation because they were all female. Everybody could have a conversation, listen to each other and decide what to do together. If you want to go and take care of your family during work, nobody will judge you,” Zheng says.