Goldman Environmental Prize Blog

A Community Leader The day before our interview, environmental justice champion Hilton Kelley (United States, 2011) was celebrating his granddaughter’s birthday—“the big 10.” With powerful, broad shoulders and a thick, white beard, it’s easy to see how the former actor embodies the role of a slightly intimidating but nonetheless jovial grandfather. It’s a responsibility that…

In early September, members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress approved a motion requesting a global commitment to protect 80% of the Amazon Basin by 2025. The campaign behind the initiative, Amazonia for Life: 80% by 2025, acknowledges the critical role of the Amazon in stabilizing the global climate…

“The Blue Heart of Europe.” It’s a nickname for the Balkans that evokes identity and nostalgia, purity and beauty. But as unearthed in our interview with conservationist Ana Colovic Lesoska (North Macedonia, 2019), the Balkans are also rife with lingering civil unrest and opaque financial dealings. The region’s free-flowing and stunning waterways have ironically made…

Environmental activism is more mainstream today than ever before. In the last several years, activists like Greta Thunberg have become media stars and household names; national news outlets have ramped up their coverage of climate campaigns; and politicians have become increasingly outspoken about how environmental issues affect policy decisions. The surge in awareness of environmental…

The Goldman Environmental Prize is excited to announce the recipients of the 2021 Grantmaking program. Launched in 2015, the Grantmaking program supports past Prize winners to further grassroots environmental work. Past grants have supported work in areas such as wildlife conservation, environmental justice, and climate education. This grantmaking cycle, in addition to regular one-year grants,…

By Thai Van Nguyen I was born in a rural area in Vietnam, near Cuc Phuong—the first national park in Vietnam, in the Ninh Binh province. During my childhood, I was proud to live close to the park—a marvelous home to thousands of species—but I was horrified to witness wild animals being captured or killed…

By Kimiko Hirata As a climate policy advocate for many decades, I was truly shocked to see the Japanese government and corporations rush to return to coal power following the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident in 2011. Japan’s promotion of coal power projects in the midst of a climate crisis clearly indicated that the climate was…

By Gloria Majiga-Kamoto One of my most favorite movies from my childhood is Pocahontas. The romantic part of it was ok, but I was always so taken by the depiction of the clash of two very different worlds in the movie. It is a story, on the one hand, of a greedy company that sets…

By Sharon Lavigne I am overwhelmed with gratitude to have been selected to receive the Goldman Environmental Prize. I am surprised that I have been selected. I started this work without knowing anything about being an environmental activist. Growing up in my small hometown of St. James, Louisiana, I could not have imagined that one…

Yesterday, we were honored to announce the 2021 Goldman Prize winners, six everyday heroes who saw an environmental issue in their community and decided to take action. Learn how you can support their work, engage with their causes, and speak out for your environment. 1. Reduce Plastic Waste with Gloria Majiga-Kamoto Gloria Majiga-Kamoto (Malawi, 2021)…