2002 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient Alexis Massol and his team at Casa Pueblo recently issued a letter to the Governor of Puerto Rico demanding the swift clean-up of Vieques Island. Vieques Island is part of Puerto Rico and has served for years as a bombing range for the US military. As a result, the island…
A Fierce Green Fire is a feature-length documentary film that explores the last 50 years of the environmental movement. The title of the film was inspired by the book by the same name, written by Philip Shabecoff. Narrators of the film include long-time friend of the Prize, Robert Redford, as well as Ashley Judd, Meryl…
The theme of this year’s Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) is ‘Earth: Too Big to Fail.’ The conference is set to take place February 28 – March 3, in Eugene Oregon. According the the PIECL website, “The Public Interest Environmental Law Conference is the premier annual gathering for environmentalists worldwide, and is distinguished as…
In honor of Valentine’s Day we are showcasing photos of Goldman Prize winners showing their love for the amazing wildlife they work hard to protect. 2010 Prize recipient Tuy Sereivathana, known as “Uncle Elephant,” introduced innovative low-cost solutions to mitigate human-elephant conflict in Cambodia, empowering local communities to cooperatively participate in endangered Asian elephant conservation.…
A major victory for rainforest conservation came this month as the world’s third largest paper supply company announced it would end its involvement with rainforest deforestation in Indonesia. The Jakarta-based company, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), has faced years of pressure from local and international NGOs, like Greenpeace, to reform its practices and stop rainforest…
2012 Goldman Prize recipient Ma Jun and the team at Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) are committed to keeping Apple and other IT companies accountable. A recently released report from IPE entitled Apple Opens Up, reviews Apple’s progress on cleaning up its supply chain in China. The report also provides an updated assessment…
Did you know that the term “mad as a hatter” refers to the mental illnesses suffered by 19th century milliners from their exposure to mercury, a highly toxic element that was used to shape felt hats? Mercury’s damaging effect on human and environmental health has been documented for years. The US and most European governments…
Jorge Varela was awarded the Goldman Prize in 1999 for his marine conservation work in Honduras, particularly his efforts to protect the ecological diversity of the Gulf of Fonseca from the unsustainable practices of industrial shrimp farming. Located on the Pacific coast, the Gulf of Fonseca is shared by Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. In 1988,…
Environmentalists are cautiously celebrating President Obama’s inauguration speech, in which he committed to addressing the threat of climate change. He has elevated the issue to a top tier priority for his second term- giving it as much weight as gun control and immigration reform. “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the…
Goldman Prize nominating partner, International Rivers, released a new report this month entitled, “The Downstream Impacts of Ethiopia’s Gibe III Dam.” The report details the damage the Gibe III project will do to the Lower Omo River Valley and Lake Turkana if construction is completed. The report confirms that Lake Turkana receives 90% of its…