04 May 5 Environmentalists that Helped Change the World
Here are 5 eco-leaders that inspired the world in their fight for environmental justice.
1. Wangari Maathai
Maathai studied Biology in the United States, returned to Kenya, and worked tirelessly for both land conservation and women’s rights. She founded the Green Belt Movement, helped plant 30 million trees, and provided jobs to the unemployed while preventing soil erosion and securing firewood. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 and continued to fight for women’s rights and the environment.
2. Gaylord Nelson
After returning from World War II, Nelson began his career as a US politician and became an environmental activist for the rest of his life. Nelson founded Earth Day, which has now become a worldwide environmental movement. It was with his help that the Wilderness Act, Clean Air Act, and Clean Water Act were passed as laws in the United States of America.
3. Vandana Shiva
A real environmental hero, Shiva spent her entire life defending biodiversity. In 1991, she founded Navdanya, a research institute in India that aims to protect the diversity and integrity of native seeds while also promoting fair trade practices. Navdanya is dedicated to addressing the most significant environmental and social justice issues of the current era.
4. Chico Mendes
A legend in South America, Mendes is best known for his efforts in saving the rainforests of Brazil from logging and ranching activities. He pioneered the world’s first tropical forest conservation initiative advanced by the dwellers of the forest themselves. Mendes’s work led to the establishment of protected forest areas in Brazil that are now inhabited and managed by local communities.
5. Isatou Ceesay
Dubbed “Queen of Recycling”, Ceesay is a Gambian activist who started the recycling movement called One Plastic Bag in the Gambia. She works to educate people about waste and its proper disposal. She led projects such as creating plastic yarns and forming bags out of upcycled waste. Her program did not just drastically reduce waste in her village, it also created jobs for hundreds of West African women who now earn a steady income.
As the fight to safeguard our environment gets tougher, names like these continue to motivate and inspire us to persevere and keep going. Over the years, we have seen many environmentalists come forward and shed light on environmental issues. These personalities never gave up and it is through them that we learn to respect our planet and join in the fight to protect it.
Reem is the content executive at plasticfreeuae and the go-to source for everything sustainable in the UAE who strongly believes that mindsets can be changed through words.
