Goldman Environmental Prize Blog

Based in his native Tanzania, 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Edward Loure’s organization Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT) has worked on community land rights and sustainable development in the country’s northern region for over 20 years. A champion of land rights and indigenous communities, Loure serves as UCRT’s Program Coordinator for the Simanjiro district. This…

Just one month ago, seven individuals from six countries received the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize and garnered the world’s attention for their remarkable environmental achievements. With the addition this year of Makoma Lekalakala, Liz McDaid, Khanh Nguy Thi, Claire Nouvian, Manny Calonzo, LeeAnne Walters, and Francia Márquez, the Goldman Prize community now includes 188 Prize…

Are you feeling inspired by the achievements of the 2018 Goldman Environmental Prize winners and want to get involved? Read on below to find out how you can support Prize winners, or check out their profile pages to learn more. Africa: Makoma Lekalakala and Liz McDaid Support the work of their organizations, SAFCEI (Liz) and Earthlife Africa (Makoma),…

We are thrilled to introduce the Goldman Environmental Prize winners for 2018! Each of these individuals has moved mountains to protect the environment and their communities, and changed the world in ways large and small. Get to know these incredible Prize winners and learn more about how you can support their work. Makoma Lekalakala and…

For Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting the powerful work of female Goldman Environmental Prize winners. This blog is a guest post by the Green Belt Movement, an organization founded by Prize winner Wangari Maathai (Kenya, 1991) that empowers communities, especially women, to protect the environment. In Africa, as in many parts of the world, rural women deal…

In honor of Women’s History Month and International Day of Action for Rivers, we’re highlighting five Goldman Prize-winning women who have worked to protect bodies of water from environmental destruction. As noted by our nominating partner, International Rivers, Day of Action for Rivers celebrates environmental wins such as dam removal and river restoration, informs about…

This February, to celebrate Black History Month, we’re revisiting the stories of three inspirational African American Prize winners: Margie Richard (2004), Hilton Kelley (2011), and Destiny Watford (2016). While each has a unique story and approach, all three environmental heroes won the Goldman Environmental Prize for their activism and sacrifice at the intersection of environment,…

mark! Lopez won the Prize in 2017 for successfully leading a campaign to persuade the state of California to provide comprehensive lead testing and cleanup of East Los Angeles homes contaminated by a battery smelter. However, mark!’s work as a community organizer and environmental activist began long before he won the Prize. Read his Q&A…

This is a guest blog by Program Officer Lindsey Freedman, who shares a collection of snapshots from her visit to Bhubaneswar, India, to meet 2017 Prize winner Prafulla Samantara. A lawyer by trade and leader in social justice, Samantara spearheaded a historic 12-year legal battle that affirmed the indigenous Dongria Kondh’s land rights and protected…

Get to know 2017 Prize winner Prafulla Samantara in our latest Q&A, in which he shares how he got involved in environmental issues in his local community and why he is committed to social justice.  Can you tell us about your childhood and how you came to be involved in social and environmental justice? I…