Margie Richard
Margie Richard secured agreement from Shell Chemical to reduce its toxic emissions by 30 percent, contribute $5 million to a community development fund, and finance relocation of her Old Diamond neighbors in Louisiana.
Julia Bonds
A coal miner’s daughter, Julia “Judy” Bonds fought to end mountaintop removal coal mining that contaminates drinking water, destroys rivers and forests, increases asthma rates, and forces families to abandon their homes.
Sarah James & Norma Kassi & Jonathan Solomon
Gwich’in tribal leaders, Sarah James, Norma Kassi and Jonathon Solomon (d. 2006) defended the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling that targets the heart of the refuge’s wildlife habitat and coastal plain.
Jane Akre & Steve Wilson
TV journalists who researched the controversial growth hormone (rBGH) used to stimulate milk production in cows, Jane Akre and Steve Wilson were ultimately fired due to pressure from Monsanto, who manufactures rBGH.
Rodolfo Montiel
Along with colleague Teodoro Cabrera, Rodolfo Montiel Flores was arrested and tortured for organizing peaceful protests of logging that was devastating farmlands. Both men were jailed for more than two years on trumped-up charges.
Bernard Martin
Recognizing the need to prevent a repeat of the 1992 collapse of fish stocks, Bernard Martin advocated for lower fishing quotas and Marine Protected Areas to stem the decimation by factory trawlers in the once abundant Grand Banks.
Kory Johnson
At the age of 9, Kory Johnson founded Children for a Safe Environment and led the successful opposition to a proposed industrial incinerator in Phoenix, Arizona.
Terri Swearingen
Terri Swearingen fought the construction of the nation’s largest toxic waste incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio, proposed at a site 1,100 feet from an elementary school. Her efforts halted the construction of other incinerators around the country.
Aurora Castillo
An octogenarian fourth-generation Mexican-American, Aurora Castillo was the force behind Mothers of East Los Angeles, which successfully defended East L.A. from serious environmental and public health threats.
Matthew Coon Come
Grand Chief of the Grand Council of the Cree Indians, Matthew Coon Come led the Cree’s fight against the massive James Bay hydroelectric development project in Quebec.