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We've all heard of the Nobel Prize, which recognizes outstanding achiements in the fields of academia, science and society. Well, there is another prestigious honor that you should know about - the Goldman Environmental Prize.
Started by Richard and Rhoda Goldman in 1990, the prize highlights the important work of grassroots planet savers from across the globe. The recipients are everyday citizens who have risen to the challenge of making a positive impact in their communities, by protecting endangered ecosystems or species, promoting sustainability, influencing environmental policies and more. In short, these standout folks are ordinary people who are taking extraordinary actions to safeguard the planet.
The prize is appropriately awarded on Earth Day and provides winners with international recognition and visibility for the causes they are championing - in addition to $175,000 to continue their pursuits. Without further adieu, let us introduce you to the winners of the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize!
JEAN WIENER, Haiti
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Establishing the nation’s first Marine Protected Areas with sustainably managed fisheries and mangrove forests.
BACKSTORY: As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has experienced a series of natural disasters and political instability for decades. Weiner is a marine biologist who, after studying in the US, came back to his home country to find rampant depletion of the natural resources due to overfishing and deforestation. He created the Foundation for the Protection of Marine Biodiversity (FoProBiM) which provided livelihoods in small-scale enterprises like tree nurseries and beekeeping. He also paid locals to carry out research in a bid to help them better understand the value of their own natural environment. As the only country in the Caribbean without any official Marine Protected Areas, in 2013 Weiner spearheaded the effort to create two MPAs and he is working to secure more.
PHILLYS OMIDO, Kenya
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Galvanizing the community to close down a smelter factory that was exposing locals to dangerous chemicals.
BACKSTORY: After finding out that her infant son was sick from receiving high levels of lead via breast milk, Omido understood that the smelter plant was unsafe. Through letter writing campaigns and peaceful protests, the devoted mother petitioned for the plant's closure. She founded the Center of Justice, Governance, and Environmental Action (CJGEA) and got the government involved by testing local community members for lead. The plant was shut down thanks to her efforts, and she is now working to hold the Kenyan health officials to their promise to test local residents and clean up the contamination.
MYINT ZAW, Myanmar
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Spreading awareness and creating a national movement to stop construction on the Myitsone Dam, which would damage Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River and displace over 18,000 people.
BACK STORY: Myanmar became a democracy in 2011 after 23 years of hardship and world isolation. The fledgling government is only now loosening up restrictions on free speech and censorship, limiting email and social media usage. Zaw found a creative and effective way to raise awareness of the potential environmental damage the dam could cause - creating a series of art exhibits at which he and this team dispensed literature and DVDs about the cause. The communal and grassroots initiative successfully spread the word, gained support and made the issue known to government officials.
MARILYN BAPTISTE, Canada
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Protecting pristine environmental territory from becoming the site of gold and copper mines.
BACKSTORY: Baptiste is part of the Xeni Gwet’in or the Nehmiah Valley Indian Band, part of the self-governed First Nations who have cared for their land for generations. As the former chief of the Xeni Gwet’in, Baptiste has advocated and won support of the British Colombia Supreme court to block the gold and copper mines from being constructed. The mines would have destroyed natural areas that serve as a source of food, water, and medicine for the local people.
HOWARD WOOD, Scotland
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Spearheading a campaign that created the first community-developed Marine Protected Area in Scotland.
BACKSTORY: The marine areas of Clyde and Arran had been severely damaged due to excessive overfishing. While Wood doesn’t have a background in marine biology, he was moved to save the local marine environment by forming the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST). Going up against the powerful commercial fishing industry, the citizen group of volunteer activists created Scotland’s first No Take Zone (NTZ) which meant that no disruption to natural marine life could take place. Due to their success, Wood plowed forward and in July 2014, the Scottish government announced 30 new Marine Protected Areas in Scotland including the South Arran MPA, the first and only community-developed MPA in the country.
BERTA CÁCERES, Honduras
ACCOMPLISHMENT: Preventing the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of a project that would have endangered human lives and destroyed natural habitats.
BACKSTORY: After growing up in the tumultuous and war-torn Honduras, Cáceres - who hails from the Lenca indigenous group - became a student activist. In 1993, she cofounded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) to address the growing threats posed to Lenca communities by illegal logging, protection of their territorial rights and improving their livelihoods. In 2006, community members saw heavy machinery and construction equipment enter their town against their will. For the next seven years, Cáceres organized road blockades to prevent construction on the dam, even though peaceful protesters were threatened with violence and had zero government support. The project was halted due to their efforts, and Cáceres continues to rally for environmental and human rights causes.
