ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the grassroots politics, and more specifically to an examination of the structure and campaigning style of the London-based Womens Environmental Network (WEN). It describes the emphasis away from womens involvement in state institutions to a consideration of their activities in grassroots organizations. A number of feminist political theorists have suggested that new social movements (NSMs) constitute sites of political participation that are particularly open to women. Vallely claims to have drawn her initial inspiration for setting up WEN in the UK from the newly emerging academic discourse of ecofeminism. The belief that masculinism is endemic in all mainstream environmental groups led Vallely to adopt the segregationist, though not separatist, strategy of setting up WEN. In terms of image and campaign style there appear to be marked differences between FoE and WEN. Significantly, on this occasion protesters mobilized and coordinated their campaign by utilizing the internet, thereby bypassing the hegemonic interpretative power of the mainstream media.
