Goldman Environmental Prize Blog

2012 Goldman Prize recipient Ma Jun and the team at Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) are committed to keeping Apple and other IT companies accountable. A recently released report from IPE entitled Apple Opens Up, reviews Apple’s progress on cleaning up its supply chain in China. The report also provides an updated assessment…

Did you know that the term “mad as a hatter” refers to the mental illnesses suffered by 19th century milliners from their exposure to mercury, a highly toxic element that was used to shape felt hats? Mercury’s damaging effect on human and environmental health has been documented for years. The US and most European governments…

Jorge Varela was awarded the Goldman Prize in 1999 for his marine conservation work in Honduras, particularly his efforts to protect the ecological diversity of the Gulf of Fonseca from the unsustainable practices of industrial shrimp farming. Located on the Pacific coast, the Gulf of Fonseca is shared by Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. In 1988,…

Environmentalists are cautiously celebrating President Obama’s inauguration speech, in which he committed to addressing the threat of climate change. He has elevated the issue to a top tier priority for his second term- giving it as much weight as gun control and immigration reform. “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the…

Goldman Prize nominating partner, International Rivers, released a new report this month entitled, “The Downstream Impacts of Ethiopia’s Gibe III Dam.” The report details the damage the Gibe III project will do to the Lower Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana if construction is completed. The report confirms that Lake Turkana receives 90% of its…

The 11th Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival took place January 10-13 in Nevada City, California. The theme for this year’s festival was “A Climate for Change,” with a focus on working together to combat climate change and inspire hope for a better future. Goldman Prize Interim Executive Director Lorrae Rominger joined John Antonelli from…

Prospect Sierra, an independent K-8 school in the Bay Area, recently hosted the 2013 Prospect Sierra Alumni Action Awards (PSAAA), an event inspired in part by the Goldman Prize. In 2008, Prospect Sierra won an award from West Contra County Integrated Waste Management for their efforts to green up their campuses. The students chose to…

In light of the recent announcement that Lisa Jackson is stepping down as head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we are taking a look back at the memorable meetings we’ve had with Jackson over her four year tenure. Jackson has been a longtime friend of the Prize, hosting meetings with the Prize winners and…

Here at the Goldman Prize, we know that the actions of one individual can make a big difference. Our Prize winners have taught us that when it comes to protecting the environment, there is no goal too big or too small to take on. Last week, we asked Goldman Prize Facebook followers to share their…

Shell’s Arctic drilling operations encountered yet another setback this week, when one of its two drilling rigs, the Kulluk, broke free from a tow ship during a winter storm and ran aground on Sitkalidak Island. The uninhabited island is located in the Strait of Sitkalidak, near Kodiak Island. The Kulluk has more than 150,000 gallons of…