EWG social media intern Akua was lucky enough to score a ticket to the Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony -- these are her thoughts.
This year’s Goldman Environmental Prizes were awarded to 7 outstanding individuals from across the globe. A secret group of over 150 environmental experts selected the 7 courageous people from the 6 continental regions of the world and presented each with a $150,000 prize. The annual ceremony ensures that the work of everyday citizens to enact positive change does not go unnoticed.
Marina Rikhvanova is working to protect Lake Baikal, the world’s largest source of freshwater. Affectionately called the Galapagos of Russia, it holds roughly 20% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater and is home to numerous diverse species not found elsewhere in the world. She has rallied the people to stand up to the government and fight against plans to create a petroleum pipeline and an uranium enrichment plant near the watershed.
Ignace Schops raised over $90 million to build Belgium’s first and only national park. While entrance to the park is free, the 6,000 hectare land is projected to bring over $48 million a year in revenue for the region.
Despite death threats and the murder of a family member, Luis Yanza and Pablo Fajardo continue to organize the 30,000 members of their northern Ecuadorian Amazon region to file a class action lawsuit against Texaco to clean up the chemical waste (created by oil mining) that the company dumped in the region. The people of the region would be entitled to receive from $8.3 to $16 billion at the end of the trial.