The Wen Forum is a programme of events exploring environmental and health issues through a feminist lens.
Category Archives: News
Did you know that Tampax and Lil Lets give free menstrual education in schools? Wen thinks it’s pretty dodgy that corporations that profit from disposable menstrual products are in charge of educating young people about their menstrual health. Often boys are left out of the discussion and details of correct disposal and reusable alternatives are…
The Tower Hamlets Food Growing Network is made up of community gardens and individuals who are passionate about growing food in our borough. Members of the network range from big growing projects growing produce to sell, to individuals growing tomatoes on balconies.
Mainstream activism into women’s menstrual experiences place ‘women’ as a standalone category and does not take into consideration minority women’s intersecting identities or their socioeconomic status. Research shows the BAME community are the most vulnerable and excluded segment of society. This means they are at higher risk of period poverty, menstrual stigmatization, and underrepresentation in discussions regards to menstrual health issues
There is an increasing awareness among consumers that the products we have in our homes are in some cases impacting negatively on our health. It’s been estimated that 90% of UK homes have carpet, more than any other country – but how much do we know about the carpets we buy?
The ability of gardening and growing your own food to inspire learning and discovery of common ground between people coming from different contexts is the driving force behind the Soil Sisters project, which sees the Women’s Environmental Network partnering with five womens’ refuges across northeast London to deliver gardening sessions and empower the residents of each refuge to transform their gardens into beautifully productive and therapeutic spaces.
Environmenstrual Coalition member Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) has released independent product-testing results that reveal undisclosed toxic chemicals in tampons.
Last week, along with France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Romania, the UK was called by the European Commission to Europe’s highest court after failing to address ‘unlawful’ levels of nitrogen dioxide-based air pollution. While the UK is not alone in this regard with 26 of the 28 EU Member States currently breaching air quality legislation that has been binding for years, WEN’s focus on linking women, health and environment make highlighting this issue in a local context invaluable.
Past intern, Anna Llie gives the low down on her internship with Wen.
Wen is calling on the government to revise their guidance on reusable period products, which are being made available to schools, via the free period product scheme. The current guidelines may unintentionally be providing barriers to pupils accessing them.