June 15, 2021
Yesterday, we were honored to announce the 2021 Goldman Prize winners, six everyday heroes who saw an environmental issue in their community and decided to take action. Learn how you can support their work, engage with their causes, and speak out for your environment.
1. Reduce Plastic Waste with Gloria Majiga-Kamoto
Gloria Majiga-Kamoto (Malawi, 2021) worked to ensure that her country enacted a nation-wide ban on thin plastics. But her fight is not over. Join Gloria in learning about plastics and demanding corporate responsibility on plastic production and waste:
- Get the facts about plastic from Break Free From Plastic and GAIA, Zero Waste World.
- Learn more about plastic waste and waste management solutions with The Story of Plastic and Lilongwe Wildlife Trust.
2. Protect the Pangolin with Thai Van Nguyen
Conservationist Thai Van Nguyen (Vietnam, 2021) has dedicated his life to protecting the world’s most trafficked animal, the pangolin. Learn how you too can help save pangolins and stop the illegal wildlife trade:
- Get involved with Thai’s nonprofit, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife. Follow them on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) for updates from the field.
- Help fight the pangolin trade by supporting organizations like Wildaid, Pangolin Crisis Fund, and Save Pangolins.
3. Defend Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Rivers with Maida Bilal
Maida Bilal (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2021) and her community took a stand to defend the Kruščica River from hydropower development. Join them in advocating for sustainable development in the Balkans, preserving the region’s waterways and protecting the “Blue Heart of Europe”:
- Support organizations working on the frontlines in the Balkans like RiverWatch, Patagonia, and EuroNatur.
- Learn more about the campaign to Save the Blue Heart of Europe.
- Follow Maida’s organization Ekološko društvo „Bistro“ on Facebook for updates from the field.
- Sign Patagonia’s petition to call on international banks to end their Balkan hydropower investments before the last wild rivers in Europe are irreversibly destroyed.
4. Advocate for Clean Energy with Kimiko Hirata
Climate activist Kimiko Hirata (Japan, 2021) convinced the Japanese government and energy industry to halt the construction of 13 coal-fired power plants in Japan. Unfortunately, coal continues to be a major source of greenhouse gases worldwide. Learn how you can join Kimiko’s fight for a clean energy future:
- Support Kimiko’s nonprofit, the Kiko Network.
- Follow Kimiko directly on Twitter (English or Japanese) for updates from the field.
- Engage with organizations supporting renewable energy, such as 350.org, Sierra Club, and Climate Reality Project.
5. Speak up for Environmental Justice with Sharon Lavigne
In 2019, Sharon Lavigne (United States, 2021) mobilized her Louisiana community and blocked Wanhua from building a plastics manufacturing plant in her backyard, preventing the generation of one million pounds of liquid hazardous waste annually. But now a new corporation, Formosa Plastics, has proposed building a chemical plant a mile from her home. Her fight is not over, and you can help:
- Visit Stop Formosa and learn more about Sharon’s ongoing campaign for environmental justice.
- Follow RISE St. James on Facebook for updates from the field.
- Support RISE St. James through its partner organization, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.
- Sign this petition urging President Joe Biden to revoke federal permits issued to Formosa Plastics in St. James Parish.
6. Support Indigenous Conservation in the Amazon with Liz Chicaje Churay
Indigenous community leader Liz Chicaje Churay (Peru, 2021) knew that the best way to protect biodiversity, prevent illegal activities, and conserve Indigenous heritage in the Peruvian Amazon was to create Yaguas National Park:
- Help Liz’s efforts to protect the Amazon by amplifying Indigenous voices in conservation.
- Support organizations protecting Yaguas National Park, the Amazon, and its Indigenous populations, including Instituto del Bien Común, The Field Museum, and The Frankfurt Zoological Society.
If you’d like to learn more about these six extraordinary activists, watch the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize Virtual Award Ceremony, a unique one-hour event that provides an in-depth look at their stories of grit and perseverance.
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