Libia Grueso
A social worker and activist, Libia Grueso secured more than 5.9 million acres in territorial rights for the country’s Afro-Colombian communities despite life-threatening circumstances.
Manana Kochladze
Manana Kochladze’s tenacity in the face of widespread government corruption and multinational industry interests won critical concessions to protect local villagers and the environment in the former Soviet republic from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline.
Rashida Bee & Champa Devi Shukla
On the 20th anniversary of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak that killed 20,000 and injured more than 150,000 in Bhopal, Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla led a class action suit demanding cleanup and compensation for affected individuals.
Demetrio de Carvalho
Founding father and environmental hero of the newly formed nation, Demetrio do Amaral spearheaded the progressive inclusion of environmental justice tenets in East Timor’s constitution.
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.
Rudolf Amenga-Etego
A public interest lawyer, Rudolf Amenga-Etego gained international recognition for suspending a major water privatization project that would have further impeded access to clean drinking water, a crisis linked to high rates of disease in low-income communities.