Rebel Girls Climate Warriors: 25 Tales of Women Who Protect the Earth
CONTENTS FOREWORD BY CRISTINA MITTERMEIER ANGELINA ARORA Inventor 4 6 ANNE HIDALGO Politician AUTUMN PELTIER Clean Water Activist 8 10 BERNICE NOTENBOOM Climate Journalist and Filmmaker DANNI WASHINGTON Ocean Advocate 12 14 ELLA AND CAITLIN MCEWAN Climate Activists 16 ESOHE OZIGBO Climate Activist 18 GRETA THUNBERG Climate Activist 20 HU WEIWEI Entrepreneur 22 ISATOU CEESAY Activist and Social Entrepreneur 24 JAMIE MARGOLIN Climate Activist 26 28 JULIA BUTTERFLY HILL Activist and Author KOTCHAKORN VORAAKHOM Landscape Architect KRISTAL AMBROSE Environmental Scientist LOKI SCHMIDT Conservationist 30 32 34 LUCIE PINSON Climate Activist 36 LUCY KING Zoologist 38 MARGARET ATWOOD Author 40 MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS Journalist and Conservationist 42 MYA ROSE CRAIG NE MONTE NENQUIMO Climate Activist PURNIMA DEVI BARMAN Wildlife Biologist Ornithologist and Activist 44 46 48 RACHEL CARSON Marine Biologist and Author 50 WANGARI MA ATHAI Climate Activist 52 WINONA LADUKE Activist and Farmer 54 WRITE YOUR STORY 56 DRAW YOUR PORTRAIT 57 CELEBRATE NATURE WITH SEA LEGACY ONLY ONE 58 LIVE GREEN WITH DAUGHTERS FOR EARTH 60 THE ILLUSTRATORS ABOUT REBEL GIRLS 62 63
4 FOREWORD Dear Rebels Growing up in Morelos Mexico just south of Mexico City I couldn't always get to the sea But I was fascinated by it I loved to flip through my brother's copy of a book by legendary explorer and photographer Jacques Cousteau The undersea pictures were amazing I wanted to dive into them and glide through the water with a pod of dolphins I wanted to see towering forests of kelp or enormous blue whales with my own eyes I didn't have words for it at the time but I felt it deeply those photos had power I got a degree in marine science and for my first adult job I cataloged wildlife in a beach town called Akumal At night I watched sea turtles scoot out of the sea and lay their eggs in shallow little nests on the beach But in the morning seagulls and raccoons would come along and eat the eggs I was incredibly sad for the sea turtles They are so important for our ecosystem So I did what I could I moved the eggs at night to keep them safe Years later I became a photographer for National Geographic magazine and then struck out on my own eventually forming the International League of Conservation Photographers SeaLegacy and Only One For many years now I've used my camera to tell stories about the oceans and the animals and plants that live underwater If I can capture people's attention then they can learn that the oceans hold the secrets to healing the planet I know images can help persuade people about the urgent need to protect wild places That's why Paul Nicklen and I founded SeaLegacy an organization that brings together the world's top photographers filmmakers conservationists and scientists to use visual storytelling to excite and engage people in ocean conservation Today I am the cofounder and president of SeaLegacy and Only One But you don't need to be a scientist or the president of an organization to help You can use your talents as a writer singer or storyteller to spread the word and join the fight against human-made pollution and climate change
The Rebel Girls in this book are doing just that and in wildly different ways Julia Butterfly Hill lived in a giant redwood tree for more than two years to keep loggers from cutting it down Nemonte Nenquimo sued the Ecuadorian government to protect land that belonged to the Waorani people from being auctioned off for oil exploration And Angelina Arora made a plastic alternative using shrimp shells Saving the planet is an enormous task but no single person has to tackle it alone or all at once When you see something that needs to change do what you can to change it In Southampton England Ella and Caitlin McEwan were upset that the plastic toys given out by fast food restaurants ended up in landfills or washed out to sea So they started a petition that convinced companies to change their policies For Esohe Ozigbo it was the trash piling up in the streets and clogging up streams in her neighborhood in Lagos Nigeria that spurred her to action No matter where you live or what your interests are there is something you can do to help make the world a greener healthier place for us all So whether you are 9 years old or 90 whether you live by the sea or have never touched it know that you can make a difference Do not lose hope Even though an action may feel small at first remember that small actions can add up to meaningful change We need an army of dreamers doers and storytellers We need Rebels Please join us Cristina Mittermeier SeaLegacy Only One 5
