In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting 4 women leaders using their voices, passions, and knowledge to shape conversations on waste, land conservation and climate change.
1. Kathryn Kellogg
Kathryn Kellogg is a recognized spokesperson for the zero-waste movement who blogs at goingzerowaste.com. She has been featured by National Geographic, Guardian, CNN, Refinery 29, Bustle, and other outlets. She lives with her husband, Justin, and her dog, Nala, in the Bay Area.
2. Sumak Helena Gualinga
Helena Gualinga, 22, is an Indigenous land and human rights defender from Kichwa people of Sarayaku in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Gualinga is a member of the Indigenous Youth Collective of Amazon Defenders. She has attended several conferences such as COP 27, UN summits and the World Economic Forum to establish mechanisms to protect the Amazon rainforest from extractivism.
3. Elise Joshi
Elise Joshi is a 21-year-old organizer and recent graduate of UC Berkeley, where she finished first in her major of Environmental Economics and Policy. Through her role as Executive Director at Gen-Z for Change and her own TikTok platform of 160,000 people, Joshi mobilizes people across the country to take action in labor, climate, and health. Joshi is part of the firewall against both climate nihilism and climate denial, generating millions of views monthly towards combating both narratives and amplifying on-the-ground efforts for a sustainable and just future.
4. Anna Sacks
Anna Sacks is a waste expert focused on passing waste legislation in NYC and raising consciousness on social media, where she has over half a million followers. She is the Legislative Chair for the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board and co-founder of NYC’s #SaveOurCompost coalition, which has successfully advocated for increased access to and funding for composting.
Anna’s TikTok videos exposing corporate waste have forced major corporations–including Coach and Starbucks–to change their unsustainable policies. In 2020, she was named a 36 Under 36 changemaker by The Jewish Week.
Follow Anna on Instagram.
