The Goldman Environmental Prize is known as the “Green Nobel,” one of the most prestigious awards given for environmental activism. Many winners have challenged big corporations or corrupt government officials who are harming their environments, sometimes risking prison or even death. The six winners receive $150,000 each and international attention for their work. We talk with a few of this year’s Goldman Prize winners about how they’re changing the world.
The 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize Winners
(David Marks/KQED)
Guests:
Kimberly Wasserman Nieto, winner of the 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize and executive director of Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, a nonprofit in Chicago which works to improve the environment of Little Village and surrounding Chicago; one of its campaigns focuses on getting rid of toxic chemicals from nearby coal and power plants
Azzam Alwash, winner of the 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize; he returned to his native Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and has been working to restore the Mesopotamian Marshlands in Southern Iraq, which have been called the original site of the Garden of Eden. He has since restored the marshes to 50 percent their original size, and they're slated to become Iraq's first national park.
Jonathan Deal, winner of the 2013 Goldman Environmental Prize and founder of the Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG), which fights against fracking by Shell and other oil companies in Karoo, a water-scarce region in South Africa
Sponsored