Earth Day: A Celebration of Innovation and Perseverance
Written by Carina Rudolph-Math, a VSFS Intern with the U.S. Department of State
As this year’s Earth Day approaches, we recognize the continued contributions that women and girls make to scientific progress, all around the world. While major advancements have been made in recent years to close the gender gap in STEM fields, science continues to be a male-dominated discipline. The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) encourages women’s empowerment across all disciplines through educational and mentoring opportunities offered to enterprising women. AWE recognizes the value of women’s contributions to science and therefore celebrates both its current participants and alumni who inspire female empowerment through their entrepreneurial ventures and innovative efforts in the field of environmental science.
Salimata TOH, a recent graduate of the AWE program in Côte d’Ivoire, is a powerful example of the valuable role empowered women play in scientific progress. In 2022, TOH founded her sustainable business, Agribanana, which fights against climate change by reducing deforestation and plastic pollution. Having researched and developed a patented solution to transform banana tree waste into eco-responsible and biodegradable products and textiles, TOH and her business present an innovative and effective means of sustainably combating what many deem to be one of the most pressing global concerns today. TOH represented young entrepreneurs committed to climate action at COP28, last year’s UN climate conference in the UAE.
When asked about what inspired her to found Agribanana, TOH credits her mother who she says was deeply passionate about the fight against global warming and who founded her own NGO to inspire immediate climate action.
TOH also credits the network of women entrepreneurs, which she developed through her involvement in the AWE program, as a valuable source of motivation and inspiration. Through AWE, TOH appreciated being offered a network of women entrepreneurs she could “count on in times of difficulty,” particularly when navigating the many challenges of launching and scaling a successful business in a STEM field. TOH’s successes in the fields of entrepreneurship and science, thanks to encouragement and support from other empowered and motivated women, demonstrate the importance of a strong and inspiring network.
As we celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs applauds and celebrates the many women across the world, who, like Salimata TOH, have shown perseverance in STEM careers and continue to effect positive change while inspiring further female participation in science.
