Australia’s raging fires. The Amazon up in smoke. A nearly year-round fire season in California. Current events have elevated global concern for our forests, one of the earth’s largest and most essential carbon sinks. Often called “green carbon,” forest ecosystems are critical to carbon sequestration across the world. In the United States, for example, forests…
By Jackie Krentzman Recently, in September 2019, Facebook announced a ban on single-use plastic bottles on its campuses worldwide. The company received widespread praise for this step, and Von Hernandez, a 2003 recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, hopes that it leads other corporations to follow suit and make a commitment to banning not only…
This is a guest blog by Program Officer Lindsey Freedman, who shares series of photos from her visit to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to meet 2019 Prize winner Bayarjargal Agvaantseren. Agvaantseren helped create the 1.8 million-acre Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve in the South Gobi Desert—a critical habitat for the vulnerable snow leopard—then succeeded in persuading the Mongolian…
By Claire Arkin Do you know where your waste goes? While we’d like to think that most of it gets recycled into a new product, in reality the U.S. recycles only 25.8% of waste and 12.8% gets burned in incinerators. Incinerators are one of the most toxic, expensive, dangerous, and polluting industries in the U.S.…
Since 2015, the Goldman Environmental Prize has provided continued support to Prize winners through our Grantmaking program. Each year, we award grants to past Prize winners for capacity building programs and grassroots environmental campaigns. In 2006, Ukrainian lawyer Olya Melen received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her critical role in halting the construction of a…
The following post is a translation of a statement of support for Goldman Environmental Prize winner Alberto Curamil, issued by Senator Patrick Leahy. Click here to read the statement in English. Alberto’s daughter, Belen Curamil, and Miguel Melín of the Alianza Territorial Mapuche (ATM) met with the senator’s office during the Goldman Prize tour in…
Over the years, Goldman Environmental Prize winners have parlayed the public awareness and support the Prize has generated to make a profound impact in the world. A few of these winners have even catapulted into public office—17 at last count. No Prize winner has achieved more in the political arena than Zuzana Čaputová (pictured above),…
Last month, we announced the 2019 Goldman Environmental Prize winners. Their stories of grassroots environmental activism, achievement, and persistence have inspired people around the world. You can support their work by checking out their calls to action below, and by visiting their profile pages. Africa: Alfred Brownell Become educated and help spread the word about…
Meet these six extraordinary individuals who have moved mountains to protect our planet. Join us in celebrating the winners by watching the 30th anniversary Ceremony live today at 5:30 pm PDT on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and follow #GoldmanPrize30 on social media for updates. Alfred Brownell, Liberia Under threat of violence, environmental lawyer Alfred Brownell stopped the clear-cutting of Liberia’s tropical forests by palm…
Not surprisingly, nearly half of the 188 Goldman Prize winners have been women. To commemorate Women’s History Month, the Goldman Environmental Prize is celebrating the work of the 79 extraordinary women who won the Prize. Here are three of their stories. Phyllis Omido (Kenya, 2015) Phyllis Omido is sometimes called “the East African Erin Brockovich”…