THE DOING MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
Paramount Chief of the Bentian Tribal Council in East Kalimantan, Loir Botor Dingit led rattan farmers in sustainable forest management, a campaign that generated national attention and won government support for forest dwellers’ rights.
A former naval officer, Alexander Nikitin was unjustly imprisoned for almost five years for treason after revealing the potential for a nuclear catastrophe due to Russia’s aging nuclear submarines based near the Norwegian border. He was acquitted in 2000.
M.C. Mehta single-handedly won numerous landmark judgments from India’s Supreme Court since 1984, including introducing lead-free gasoline to India and reducing the industrial pollution fouling the Ganges and eroding the Taj Mahal.
A central figure in deforestation protests with the late Chico Mendes, Marina Silva helped establish a 2-million-hectare reserve managed by traditional communities.
Albena Simeonova mobilized against environmental threats, such as the construction of ill-designed nuclear power plants, and organized a decentralized system of “eco-inspectorates” to empower citizens to address community concerns.
Founder of the Salvadoran Center for Appropriate Technology, Ricardo Navarro worked to restore El Salvador’s environment, decimated by 12 years of civil war.
Ken Saro-Wiwa led a peaceful movement for the environmental and human rights of Nigeria’s Ogoni people whose oil-rich land has been exploited by multinational oil companies. The Nigerian government executed Saro-Wiwa in 1995.
Emma Must’s campaign against a nationwide road-building program resulted in the cancellation of 60 road projects and the development of new transportation policies.
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.
Leader of the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, Yul Choi popularized environmental issues and mobilized a strong anti-nuclear movement amidst powerful development pressure and at considerable personal risk.
