An area not often addressed in the business community is environmental stewardship.

The Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corp. took up the mantle as the main focus of a Women in Business Luncheon this summer focusing on the role of women in environmental stewardship.

Susan Gallagher, the chief naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill, said women have a natural inclination toward the environment. Women were the gatherers and the farmers, while men were the hunters in ancient society. Women developed a connection to the earth. They also were the glue of the community.

“The women are the ones who are more physically connected to their communities, to their surroundings,” she said.

Gallagher said that a study she read found that women are able to distinguish shades of the same color more easily than men. She thinks this is because women had to be able to distinguish between which berries and mushrooms were edible, and which were poisonous.

“I think women are a little more in tune, and I think that is probably hard-wired into our brains,” she said.

In modern society, it was a woman who created the first Victory Garden.

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted one at the White House in 1943 during World War II. The idea spread across the country with women planting gardens to feed and take care of their families, Gallagher said.

She added that her favorite quote of Eleanor Roosevelt’s is “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.”

“Women are the ultimate natural resources managers,” Gallagher said.

Worldwide, women work to bring food, fuel and water resources into their homes. They are involved in management of forests and wetlands.

“We should have a seat at the table when it comes to making decisions about ecosystems and biodiversity,” she said. “We do have women in authority, but not enough.”

Gallagher said as women become more involved in the decision making in their countries and communities, they can encourage other women to become involved as well.

“Empowered women, empower women,” she said. “The more gender equity we have and the more we can come to the table and help make decisions, the more improvements we can make to the environment.”

Women foster collaboration, Gallagher said.

“We are the communicators. We are the talkers. We are the deal makers,” she said. “In countries with women at the helm, there are fewer carbon dioxide emissions and smaller carbon footprints.”

Gallagher said there is a climate crisis and things are changing rapidly. She quoted teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who said, “I want you to act like your house is on fire, because it is.”

Not everyone can be a climate activist on the national scene, but women can be effective within their local communities. Gallagher said women often are the ones to take the helm in establishing and encouraging participation in recycling programs, for instance.

Gallagher encouraged the women present at the luncheon to step up and do what they can to create a healthier environment.

She quoted the late Rachel Carson, the author of “Silent Spring” an environmental awareness book published in 1962, “In nature, nothing exists alone.”