Speaking on the weekend commemorating the 25th anniversary of Earth Day, former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug said more women should be involved in helping determining the United Nations' environmental policy.
Before a full house in Collis Common Ground on Friday evening, Abzug said since women do not own large-pollution creating companies, they do not have a vested interest in maintaining environmentally damaging policies.
"Women are not superior to men," she said. "They just haven't had a chance to be corrupted by power."
Abzug's speech, titled "From Rio to Beijing: Changing the World for Women," kicked off the "Environmental Ethics in the 21st Century: Race, Gender and Justice in a Sustainable Environment" conference.
The conference, held this weekend, included a number of panel discussions and speeches.
Abzug, a leader in the feminist movement, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977.
She is currently the co-Chair of the Women's Environmental and Developmental Organization.
She said the purpose of the organization is to fight for gender equality and sustainable environmental policies in the United Nations.
An important movement to achieve equality for women in the United Nations is the Women's Action Agenda 21, a caucus of women from around the world, Abzug said.
Abzug said the group convenes every time the United Nations meets to review U.N. policies and ensure they do not ignore environmental and gender issues.
