The fight for climate justice and racial justice is intersectional – we can’t have one without the other.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, there are so many women in the sustainability space doing incredible work and they deserve to be seen, heard, and supported.
Invite them to speak, hire them for campaigns, buy their books, interview them for articles, listen to their wisdom, and ask their opinions.
Image via Waste Free Marie
A follower on Instagram shared this quote:
“as long as black and colored people are only heard when they speak about diversity and not as experts in their field, we have not achieved equality”.
These women are experts in their field and if you’re interested in sustainability and environmental justice, these are just a few accounts you should be following.
@greengirlleah
Leah Thomas – Intersectional Environmentalist, activist and eco-communicator.
“When striving to become better environmentalists, it’s also important to consider what communities are more likely to be exposed to the ramifications of climate change the fastest. It’s important to take into account which communities are already struggling to be protected equally by environmental laws so they can have equal access to a safe environment. Our votes and advocacy can help change this.”
@rocket_science
Anita Vandyke – Future doctor and best-selling author os ‘A Zero Waste Life’
“I don’t have all the answers to living a 100% zero waste life, but ‘zero’ is just a number. It’s a goal, nothing more. I believe we can all be every day activists and do little steps to reduce our waste. These small steps make a big cumulative difference. “
@heyashleyrenne
Ashley Renne – Vegan and sustainable lifestyle and host of Smart. Healthy. Green. Living
“If you want to change the world, start with yourself and watch the domino effect. When you change yourself, you inspire your friends and family, together you inspire your community, the community advocates for your state, your state sets an example for the nation, the nation creates a blueprint for the rest of the globe, and little ole you will have indeed changed the world.”
@mikaelaloach
Mikaela Loach – Sustainability with inclusivity, climate justice and antiracism activist.
“Sometimes I feel like talking about the fact that I’m vegan & fairly zero waste disempowers people. There becomes this separation from you and “the activist”. This has got to change. We can all be activists. We all need to be. We can’t afford not to be if we want human civilisation to survive. So, don’t wait until you’re “perfect” to start. Don’t invest all your energy into this perfection and leave nothing left for action. Start now. Act now.”
@ecostyles
Nina Gbor – Thrift stylist, sustainable fashion, speaker, and climate activist.
“We need to completely let go of the system of following trends. Instead, we can each be intuitive in creating our individual style. The first step though, is to know yourself: your personality, lifestyle, aspirations. Then use what I call a personal style formula: colour palette + body shape + lifestyle to determine what goes into sustainable wardrobe. You’ll love your wardrobe more than ever.”
@kameachayne
Kamea Chayne – Regenerative living to enrich mental, physical, ecological wellness and founder of the Green Dreamer Podcast.
“There’s a difference between feeling like we’re being forced to do something or that we have to make all of these sacrifices against our wishes, vs. feeling called to do something we feel passionate about, that helps us to realize the best versions of ourselves, and that excites us when thinking about the possibilities of the future we can play a unique role in bringing to life.”
@ajabarber
Aja Barber – Writer, fashion consultant and expert in race, intersectional feminism and sustainable fashion.
“You have an opportunity here. Retailers. Brands. Consumers. Everyone. We’ve been given a moment to pause and rethink the way we operate. We now have a brief moment and a chance to reconfigure the harmful system we have in place and think about and act on making these systems better. We have time to consider who gets paid and why and rally for better for all. We have an opportunity to truly fix things and rebuilt from the ground up. We could use this pause to truly envision a future where all workers are paid fairly for their labor (and when I say fair I think that’s above a “living wage”). Or we could continue to move forward in a direction that exploits labor of those in traditionally pillaged countries and harms the Earth. We can choose to stand united against unpaid labor, forced labor and exploitive labor. We can choose to stand with people and the planet.”
@stevieyaaaay
Stevie Van Horn – Social and climate activist and founder of Yay For Earth.
“I can list a million things we can do for our planet every single day to exercise our individual power and save our earth – but I promise none of it will stick unless you do one thing first: CONNECT CONNECT CONNECT with her”
@wastefreemarie
Marie – advocating for people and the planet and educating beginners to climate and racial justice.
“Advocacy shouldn’t be about calling people out for not being as woke as you or dismissing opinions that aren’t identical to yours. Advocacy should be calling people in to an open conversation, calling people in to a movement, calling people in to join in the progress. All the while, you should be focusing on your own choices & reflecting on your privilege. Earth advocacy is the same. Call them in, not out.”
@aditimayer
Aditi Mayer – Photojournalist and speaker on all things style, sustainability & social justice.
“Fashion is an incredibly powerful lens to understand colonial impact— from the impact on BIPOC communities, environment, and the governing values of our culture today. As much as my work is about challenging failed systems and practices, it’s also a site for unapologetic identity reclamation.”
@thatcurlytop
Jazmine Rogers – Sustainable fashion and lifestyle advocate.
“I will never stop stressing the need for grace for others and ourselves as we press into systematic and individual change. It’s important to listen to each other and give grace to tackle at ALLL the injustices in the world. Because if solving all these issues were easy, they would have been solved already.”
