In light of World Environment Day (June 5th, 2022), we'd like to highlight five inspiring women who have done amazing work for our environment.
Isatou Ceesay
The N’jau Recycling and Income Generation Group (NRIGG), a team of women who recycle waste into useful products, was founded by Ceesay. Starting from only a few women crocheting from plastic, they have grown to also compost food waste, make jewelry, armchairs and stools from bike tires, beads from paper, and much more. This initiative not only helps the environment, but empowers women to support their community by providing funds for medicine, education and food.
Ceesay also became a language and culture helper with the Peace Corps, and built a skill centre in N’jau, where people could learn about environmental issues. She later got a job leading a women’s project for Future in Our Hands (a Swedish NGO), won a Making a World of Difference Award form the International Alliance for Women and has trained over 11 000 people on the dangers of plastic and the opportunities for upcycling waste.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
Ibrahim is from the Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad, and she works to empower indigenous voices on a global level. Her accolades include:
Coordinator of the Peul Indigenous Women and Peoples Association of Chad
Co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change during COP21
Member of executive committee of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC)
CSO panel member of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Policy board member of the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Partnership
Co-chair of the Pan-African Alliance Climate Justice
Miranda Wang
Wang, alongside Jeanny Yao, is cofounder of the company Novoloop. This young entrepreneur's company takes plastic waste, breaks it down using bacteria and reforms it into new, more valuable materials. She was given a Rolex Award for Enterprise Laureate for her accomplishments.
Pashon Murray
Similarly, Murray is the founder of Detroit Dirt, which is a waste-collecting company that provides sustainable compost for the city of Detroit — for example, by taking animal manure from zoos and mixing it with food waste. She is now a member of the MIT Media Lab.
Winona LaDuke
LaDuke is a Native American activist, economist and author. She advocates for Indigenous control of their homelands, natural resources and cultural practices, and is the founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project (WELRP). This group buys back reservation land to foster sustainable development and provide economic community for the Native population. The land is used, for example, for generating wind energy and growing traditional foods using Indigenous farming techniques, which helps to combat the rising rates of Type 2 Diabetes in the local communities.
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