The climate movement is full of female champions. To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting a few of the many women delivering climate solutions.
Aniya Butler is part of the youth climate action group Youth Vs. Apocalypse that amplifies the voices of people of color and stands up for environmental justice. Butler has helped organize climate strikes and empowers young people with the tools of environmental literacy.
Isatou Ceesay, known as the “Queen of Plastic Recycling” in her native Gambia, created a movement to turn recycled plastic into sellable items to empower and provide income for her fellow female villagers in her nation.
Wanjiku (Wawa) Gatheru, a 2019 Rhodes Scholar and founder of the Black Girl Environmentalist community, is breaking barriers for people of color in the environmental field by challenging others to tackle climate change and sustainability issues through antiracism work.
Winona LaDuke, a member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg who lives on the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, founded the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP) to buy back reservation land. LaDuke is executive director and co-founder of the Indigenous environmental advocacy organization Honor the Earth, which played a critical role in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.
Wangari Muta Maathai, the first Black African woman recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, founded the Green Belt Movement to stop erosion and desertification in her community and Kenya by planting trees.
Rue Mapp is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit Outdoor Afro, which connects Black people to nature to change the face of conservation.
Elsa Mengistu, a Gen Z human rights activist with This Is Zero Hour who just received a Congressional award for climate action, is advocating for reduced plastic consumption and free public transportation at Howard University.
@envirovoters As we wrap up #womenshistorymonth, let’s celebrate the women who’ve led the climate movement by continuing to elevate the voices of women. #listentowomen #listentoblackwomen #womenshistory #herstory #womenshistorytiktok #environmentalist #womenpower #environmental #climatecrisis #climateaction ♬ Pieces (Solo Piano Version) - Danilo Stankovic
