As much as I love Greta Thunberg, there are so many more activists out there to take note of fighting for a more equitable and liveable planet. When we talk about the climate crisis, it’s not only about fossil fuels and conserving resources — it’s about justice. Environmental justice (EJ) seeks to not only to take the burden off of underrepresented and over-impacted communities, but to stop the degradation of air, water, and land in the first place.
Not-so-fun fact: there is a disproportionate climate impact on women and people of color. This is why many Black and Indigenous women are on the front lines; their communities are the first to be threatened by environmental harms like pollution or floods or droughts.
If this information is new to you: better late than never! It’s extremely important as an activist, or as an individual even, to be intersectional. That means drawing the lines connecting racism, settler colonialism, and capitalism with what is happening to our planet. Lots of EJ activists also promote work in anti-racism, Indigenous sovereignty, sustainable living, mental health advocacy, and feminism. Everything is connected.
I encourage you to read up on the subject, and in addition, spend a greater proportion of your time listening to activists that take an intersectional approach. Activists who sacrifice their personal wellbeing to educate us and use their bodies to protest, or who may have no choice but to fight for their livelihoods, homes, cultural traditions, or futures on this earth.
Please keep that in mind before you send a DM or ask activists to do labor for you that you could be doing yourself. I also recommend paying activists for their time or donating to organizations or podcasts they are associated with if you are able.
Here are 42 environmental justice & sustainability activists to support:
1. Jamie Margolin, @jamie_s_margolin
18-year-old author, founder of intersectional youth-led climate movement Zero Hour, proud Latina Jewish lesbian. Organizer of the Youth Climate Action March. Takes no guff from politicians.
2. Veronica Mulenga, @earth____warrior
Climate and environmental activist from Zambia. Educates on everything from fast fashion to Amazonian deforestation. Strikes online every week.
3. Genesis Butler, @gensisbutler_
Black, Indigenous, Mexican youth climate activist. Vegan and founder of Youth Climate Save. Only 13. Shares how to save the earth by eating plant-based. Has TEDx seminars!
4. Tori Tsui, @toritsui_
EurAsian intersectional climate activist. Destigmatizes mental health and disability. Has beautiful graphics that explain everything from white privilege to the tokenization of BIPOC to eco-anxiety.
5. Vanessa Nakate, @vanessanakate1
Ugandan climate justice activist. Founder of 1Million Activist Stories. Constantly striking against deforestation and corporations that prioritize profit over planet.
6. Artemisa Xakriabá, @artemisa_xakriaba
Indigenous Xakriabá climate activist from Brazil. 19. Speaks out about deforestation and the burning of the Amazon rainforest. Lives and breathes the importance of caring for Mother Earth and letting Indigenous peoples be sovereign.
7. Diandra Marizet, @diandramarizet
Advocate for people and the planet. Runs graphically educational Intersectional Environmentalist blog and her own site that explores ethical consumption and fashion. Looks at the environmental and social impacts of our culture.
8. Mikaela Loach, @mikaelaloach
Vegan climate justice and anti-racism activist from Scotland. Hosts the Yikes Podcast and educates on everything from ecofascism to sustainable fashion. Has a bright personality and shares amazing resources.
9. Aditi Mayer, @aditimayer
Photojournalist from Nepal that advocates for decolonizing fashion and sustainability. Has a very curated feed that inspires on being stylish without hurting the planet.
10. Sophia Kianni, @sophiakian
Irani-American, founder of youth-led nonprofit Climate Cardinals and Youth Advisor for the UN on Climate Change. Organizes strikes and does work focused on making climate information accessible in over 100 languages.
11. Laura Edmonson, @laura.edmondson
Minimalist, vegan, climber, and digital educator with lessons on everything from cultural appropriation to transracial adoption. Has an outdoor adventure blog and hosts Let Us Rest! podcast.
12. Karen Ramos, @naturechola
Indigenous Oaxacan, Latinx, first-generation college student. Always adventuring in the outdoors. Posts about Indigenous sovereignty, joy, and taking action through voting and protest.
13. Addie Fisher, @oldworldnew
Runs a sustainable living blog called Old World New. Focuses on mental health, living zero-waste, and holding companies accountable for their carbon footprints.
14. Sabrina Katz, @sustainablesabs
Vegan and low-waste lifestyle, lives in New York and has a cool YouTube channel. Goes hard for mental health, body positivity, and being intersectional.
15. Jordan Marie Daniel, @nativein_la
Kul Wicasa Lakota woman. Advocates for a better world through empowering Indigenous voices and protecting tribal lands from environmental degradation. Amazing marathon runner and mountaineer. Talks about missing and murdered Indigenous peoples and the need for justice through her actions and documentaries.
16. Dominique Drakeford, @dominiquedrakford
Black and Indigenous climate and social justice advocate. Founder of magazine Melanin & Sustainable Style and Sustainable Brooklyn. Also co-hosts the Kale & Cognac podcast. Elegant and chic feed.
17. Gente Del Maiz, @gentedelmaiz
Indigenous woman. Has colorful educational graphics about topics like food apartheid, Black-owned businesses and Indigenous rights.
18. Xiye Bastida, @xiyebeara
18-year-old Mexican-Indigenous climate activist living in NYC. Founder of the Re-Earth Initiative. Speaks out about respecting Mother Earth and the resiliency of people of color in the face of environmental racism. Has a Ted Talk!
19. Sasha George, @sangretaino
Anti-racist environmental attorney who advocates for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and trans communities. Shares poetry and resources for demanding justice.
20. Leah Thomas, @greengirlleah
Activist and eco-communicator. Founder of the Intersectional Environmentalist blog. Shares wonderful educational graphics and lots of plants. All the hot takes about gatekeeping and intersectionality.
21. Mari Copeny, @littlemissflint
Focuses on environmental racism and awareness building, specifically about the ongoing water crisis and state negligence in Flint, Michigan. Only in the eighth grade. Raises funds to give students the school supplies they need for success. Donate here.
22. Lauren Ritchie, @laurenaritchie
Climate justice advocate from the Bahamas. Founder of Its Eco Gal educational page and blog (which is amazing!) and co-host of the Black Girl Blueprint podcast for Gen-Z Black girls. Sustainable and fashion-conscious with beach pics.
23. Nemonte Nenquimo, @nemonte.nenquimo
Indigenous Waorani woman fighting on the front lines against extractive threats in the Amazon and for her people. Honored by the UN Development Program Equator Prize. A badass warrior, mother, and protector.
24. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, @ayaneliza
Marine biologist and co-editor of All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis — which has essays and poetry from many of the other women featured in this article! Also co-host of How 2 Save a Planet podcast and founder of Urban Ocean Lab. An intersectional scientist and policy nerd calling out injustice.
25. Nicola Parfitt, @np.illustrates
Educates on how to be a better activist, EJ or otherwise, through aesthetic graphics. Recently covered topics include the environmental emergency in Mauritius, oppression of Tibetans by the Chinese government, and taking care of your mental health.
26. Sumak Helena Gualinga, @helenagualinga
Ecuadorian-Amazonian, fighting for Indigenous rights in the Amazon. Her community has faced extreme floods due to climate change and deforestation, and is facing the threat of pipelines and oil spills across. Take action to help over at Polluters Out and Amazon Watch.
27. Kristy Drutman, @browngirl_green
Jewish-Fillipino environmental influencer who lives zero-waste and shares lessons on the impacts of the climate crisis worldwide. Has a goal to communicate climate science and activism to the public, especially Black, Brown, and Indigenous voices doing the work without platforms — and bring joy.
28. Andrea Perez, @for_the_love_of_earth
Striker for Mother Earth, wildland firefighter, and outdoor enthusiast. Afro-Indigenous environmental scientist fighting for Wirikuta sacred lands and Indigenous sovereignty.
29. Isra Hirsi, @israhirsi
Founder of US Youth Climate Strike. Works on intersectional environmentalism that includes racial justice and anti-capitalism.
30. Nina Gualinga, @ninagualinga
Amazonian-Indigenous woman supporting tribal communities facing the threat of extractivism by oil, gas, and mining companies. Part of the Mujeres Amazonicas, a movement that unites Indigenous women in the Ecuadorian Amazon fighting to protect their homelands and natural rights. Support them here.
31. Aja Barber, @ajabarber
Mix of truth-telling graphics about equity and personal posts. Extremely transparent about mental health and trauma as a Black woman. Calls everyone on their BS, especially unethical brands. Writes about sustainable fashion on Patreon.
32. Sophia Li, @sophfei
Shares graphics that educate on a variety of topics, from the California wildfires to sustainable gift-giving. Also, a fashion icon.
33. Anushka Bhaskar, @queenushie
20-year-old climate activist and speaker studying at Harvard. Emphasizes intersectional environmentalism and the need for equity.
34. Archana Soreng, @archana.soreng
From India. Does youth advocacy and research to document, preserve, and promote the traditions and cultural heritage of Indigenous communities. Member of UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
35. Keyra J. Espinoza Arroyo, @keyra_juliana
Ecuadorian advocate for BIPOC rights and the environment. Shares a lot of great resources to take action. Part of the El Cambio en Ecuador anti-racist movement and youth-led coalition fighting against fossil fuels Polluters Out.
36. Great Thunberg, @gretathunberg
17-year-old climate activist from Germany with Asperger’s. Founder of Friday’s for Future. Sails across oceans and tells it as it is to the UN with powerful speeches.
37. Josephine Becker, @treesnpeace
Intersectional climate activist and co-host of the Yikes Podcast. Focuses on the interconnections of white supremacy and capitalism with environmental degradation and social inequity.
38. Freweyni Asress, @zerowastehabesha
Ethiopian advocate for ecosocialism and abolition within the EJ sphere. Speaks on the legacy of colonialism and how to dismantle systems of oppression. Has a newsletter you can subscribe to here.
39. Helena Rose, @earthbyhelena
Intersectional activist studying environmental policy, also a vegan. Posts graphics about EJ, climate activism, and white privilege.
40. Nadia Nazar, @nadianazar02
Founder of Zero Hour, artist. Helped lead the first-ever Youth Climate March on Washington, D.C. Talks about how racism, patriarchy, colonialism, and capitalism intersect with the climate crisis.
41. Elizabeth Teo, @zerowastecutie
Environmental educator and zero-waste advocate.Talks about fast fashion and the harms of plastic products. Gives hot tips for DIY zero-waste living.
42. Paloma Costa, @pcopaloma
Brazilian lawyer and human rights defender. Coordinates youth delegations to climate summits worldwide and serves on the UN Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change.
This list is far from comprehensive, in part because of how intersectional environmentalism can be. These activists are only a small representation of the range and variety of approaches to sustainable living, EJ, and addressing the climate crisis on a personal level. Put your feelers out and find the voices that reach you best!
Tackling injustice anywhere can help dismantle the capitalist and colonialist systems that perpetuate environmental harm everywhere. Once you realize that inequity is at the heart of the climate crisis, everything starts making sense; if you are an environmentalist you are also for Black Lives Matter, a feminist, and an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.
These activists have the queues. All you have to do now is listen and stand up for what is right. In following these women, let yourself be encouraged to start doing more to change the world.