12 Environmental Justice Leaders to Follow

Have you heard of the phrase “environmental justice?” It’s the principle that everyone deserves a clean and healthy environment, regardless of where they live, their race, or their income. Yet some communities throughout the U.S. and around the world are disproportionately impacted by things like air pollution, water pollution, and natural disasters. Luckily, there are many activists working to address environmental injustices around the world and close to home. Here are 12 activists leading the fight for environmental justice:

1. Catherine Coleman Flowers 

Catherine is the founder of the Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice (CREEJ), an organization that works to address environmental, economic, and health disparities such as air and water pollution in marginalized rural communities. She wrote about such disparities in her book titled Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret. In 2023, she was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. She is the Vice Chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) and also sits on the Board of Directors for the Climate Reality Project and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Follow her on X @CathFlowers or Instagram @catherinecflowers, and watch her interview with Forbes to learn more about her work.

2. Elizabeth Yeampierre 

Elizabeth is a Brooklyn-based climate justice leader. She is the co-chair of the Climate Justice Alliance and the executive director of UPROSE, a Latino community-based organization in Brooklyn that promotes sustainability and climate justice. She was the first Latina chair of the EPA’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and was also selected as the opening speaker at President Obama’s first White House Forum on Environmental Justice. In 2022, she was named by Apolitical as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Climate Policy. Follow her on X @yeampierre or Instagram @eyeampierre, and read more about her work in Business Insider. 

3. Isaias Hernandez 

Isaias is a first-generation Mexican-American environmentalist and eco-educator. Through social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X, Isaias shares accessible environmental education content under his brand Queer Brown Vegan, focusing on a range of topics related to environmental justice and green living. Follow him on Instagram @queerbrownvegan, Twitter @queerbrownvegan, or TikTok @queerbrownvegan.

4. Jade Begay

Jade is an Indigenous rights and climate policy expert and advocate. She is the director of policy and advocacy at NDN Collective, an organization that works to empower Indigenous communities and foster environmental justice. In 2022, Jade gave a TED Talk calling for climate action to align with the needs of those on the frontlines, particularly in Indigenous communities. She is also a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC), a diverse group of environmental justice leaders that advises the current administration on how to address environmental injustices. Follow her on X @_jadebegay and Instagram @jadethemighty.

5. Jamie Margolin 

Jamie is the 22-year-old founder of the youth climate organization Zero Hour, an intersectional movement of youth climate activists fighting for environmental justice. As the Latina, Jewish daughter of a Colombian immigrant, she gave a TED talk about how climate change can be solved by addressing social injustices. Follow her on X @Jamie_Margolin or Instagram @jamie_s_margolin.

Jamie Margolin (via New York Times)

6. Jerome Foster 

Jerome is a 22-year-old climate activist from Washington D.C. and the founder of the climate justice organization Waic Up. In 2021, Jerome made history by becoming the youngest-ever White House Advisor, when he was appointed to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC). He led School Strikes for Climate outside the White House every Friday for 80 weeks and helped register one million young people to vote as a leader of the OneMillionOfUs initiative. He has spoken about the climate crisis before the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights and the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. Follow him on X @JeromeFosterII, Instagram @jeromefosteri, or TikTok @iamjeromefosterii.

7. Leah Thomas 

Leah Thomas, also known as Green Girl Leah, is the founder of Intersectional Environmentalist. IE is a platform that advocates for environmental justice, promotes inclusivity and accessibility within environmental movements, and serves as a leading resource hub for accessible climate education. Leah has also organized innovative programs such as London’s first Black EcoFeminist Summit in 2022 and community-driven climate justice concerts. Follow Leah on Instagram @greengirlleah or X @Leahtommi, and follow Intersectional Environmentalist on Instagram @intersectionalenvironmentalist or X @isxenviro. You can also check out some of Leah’s writings and the IE book on her website.

8. Mari Copeny 

Mari Copeny, also known as “Little Miss Flint,” is a 16-year-old from Flint, Michigan. In 2016, when she was 8 years old, she wrote a letter to President Obama about Flint’s water crisis, which inspired him to travel to Flint and gave the city national attention. Since then, she has used her platform to bring awareness to the Flint water crisis, as well as raise donations for water bottles, books, toys, and other resources for Flint residents. She has also partnered with a water filtration company to help provide water filters to those facing toxic drinking water, both in Flint and across the country. Follow her on X @LittleMissFlint or Instagram @littlemissflint.

Mari Copeny (via @LittleMissFlint)

9. Miya Yoshitani 

Miya is the former executive director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), an organization fighting for environmental, social, and economic justice, particularly for Asian immigrant and refugee communities. She has a long history in the environmental justice movement and currently serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC). She was a participant in the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, where she helped draft the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, a defining document for the environmental justice movement. Follow her on X @miya_yosh, or listen to her on the People’s Action podcast here. 

10. Dr. Robert Bullard 

Dr. Robert Bullard is widely referred to as “the father of environmental justice.” He is the founding director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, co-chair of National Black Environmental Justice Network, and co-founder of the HBCU Climate Change Consortium. He has written 18 books on environmental racism and other climate-related topics. He received the UN Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement award and was named one of the world’s most influential people in climate policy. Alongside environmental champions such as Jane Fonda and John Kerry, Dr. Bullard was honored as one of five recipients of the TIME Earth Award in 2024. Follow him on X @DrBobBullard.

Dr. Robert Bullard (via Bullard Center)

11. Varshini Prakash 

Varshini is the co-founder and executive director of Sunrise Movement, a prominent climate justice organization that mobilizes young people to advocate for climate action. She was included on the 2019 Time 100 list, nominated by Governor Jay Inslee, and the 2018 Grist 50 list. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, New Yorker, Forbes, Vox, Vice, TeenVogue, BBC, and more. Follow her on X @VarshPrakash.

12. Vic Barrett 

Vic is a 24-year-old climate justice activist. After his home in New York was flooded by Hurricane Sandy, he felt inspired to take action against climate change. Vic and 20 other young people decided to sue the U.S. government for its role in the climate crisis by supporting the fossil fuel industry. The ongoing case, Juliana v. United States, is based on the belief that a safe and livable climate is a constitutional right. Follow Vic on Instagram @vicbarrett_ or X @vict_barrett.

At CleanChoice Energy, we envision a world free of catastrophic climate change for all. We are grateful for these climate leaders and so many others who are working alongside us to make that vision a reality.

Interested in learning more about environmental justice? Check out our blog posts Why Environmental Justice Is So Important and 11 Must-Read Books on Environmental Justice.