Women who fight for the environment

On March 8th we celebrate the International Women's Day, date made official by United Nations in the 70s and which reminds us of the ongoing struggle of women around the globe for equal rights against men and also against machismo and violence against women.

In honor of this important date, Digiplanet will introduce you to some women recognized for their fight for the environment and sustainability.

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

Wangari Maathai was a teacher, environmental activist and the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her social and environmental work in underserved African communities. 

Born in Kenya, Wangari was the founder of The Green Belt Movement, whose focus is the environmental protection and conservation, united with the defense of women's rights.

Winona LaDuke (1959- )

Known for her work related to preservation and claim of indigenous territories in the United States of America, Winona LaDuke is an American environmentalist, writer and economist who, from an early age, dedicated herself to activism.

Winona is the CEO of Honor the Earth, a non-profit organization that aims to increase knowledge about the actions of indigenous environmental justice and which provides financial support to them, always with the perspective of sustainable development. 

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Considered one of the main responsible for launching the modern environmental awareness, Rachel Carson was an American marine biologist, scientist, writer and environmentalist who, in order not to reveal her feminine status and, consequently, attract discredit to her works, began by signing her works as R. L. Carson.

With the launch of his book “Silent Spring” (1962), where she warned about the dangers of using pesticides for humans and nature, Rachel forever marked the global environmental movement. 

Isatou Ceesay (1972- )

Environmental activist and entrepreneur, Isatou Ceesay was born in Gambia and is known as her country's “Queen of Recycling”, for having created the project One Plastic Bag, which collects and recycles plastic from landfills that is then used to make bags, accessories and rugs.

In addition to the positive environmental impact, through its project, Isatou allows several women have an income through the sale of recycled products and, thus, also promotes social value changes. 

Vandana Shiva (1952- )

In addition to being an Indian philosopher, physicist, ecofeminist and environmental activist, Vandana Shiva (Hindi: वंदना शिवा ) is also known for having founded Navdanya , a non-governmental organization and research institute, whose main objective is the protection of biodiversity and the integrity of native seeds, combined with fair trade practices .

Vandana, who has spoken at the World Trade Organization and the World Economic Forum, is also director from the Foundation for Research in Science, Technology and Ecology.

Nemonte Nequimo (1986- )

Considered by Time, in 2020, one of the hundred most influential people in the world, Nemonte Nenquimo is a indigenous activist and leader from tribe Waorani, from Ecuador, who fights for the preservation of the Amazon rainforest. She is also co-founder of Ceibo Alliance, which aims to union of indigenous communities to protect lands and rainforest, as well as promoting their cultural survival, while still promotes solar energy and creates economic opportunities for diverse women.

Criticism of the lobbies of farmers, oil companies and mining companies, Nemonte and his people managed, in 2019, Successfully stop oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon, thus protecting around 500 thousand hectares of forest. 

Xiaoyuan "Charlene" Ren (1994- )

The struggle of Xiaoyuan Ren, a Chinese environmental engineer, relates to the more than 300 million residents of rural China who do not have consistent access to clean water. 

With an estimated 50% of groundwater contaminated in the country, Ren founded the MyH2O, a company that provides an app that maps and monitors groundwater quality, which allows different communities to find a source of clean water. Since launching in 2015, MyH2O has served more than a thousand villages in 26 provinces. 

Greta Thunberg (2003- )

Possibly the best-known environmental activist today, Greta Thunberg is a young Swedish student who rose to fame in 2018 when she began skipping classes to protest in front of the Swedish parliament.

Greta is known worldwide for her activism against global warming and climate change , having been invited to participate in major global political events, such as the Global Economic Forum, the UN Climate Summit and COP25 , in addition to other interventions in the European Parliament and the European Committee. In 2019, Time magazine awarded her the title of Person of the Year .