GAIA

Sonia Mendoza: Mother Earth’s Tireless Advocate by Marlet Salazar What started as Sonia Mendoza’s small-scale efforts to fix the uncollected garbage in her village has led to a lifelong commitment of advocating for Zero Waste. Her tireless campaigning together with…

Quách Thị Xuân: Organizing and Coordinating a Zero Waste Alliance  by Marlet Salazar Quách Thị Xuân has always been involved in addressing environmental issues. Her passion for preserving and protecting the earth’s natural resources inspired her to devote her academic endeavors…

Nalini Shekar: Giving Waste Pickers Dignity and Legitimacy  by Sherma Benosa Homecoming Nalini Shekar saw at once the missing piece in Bangalore’s solid waste management program — the waste pickers. The regrettable non-inclusion of waste pickers in the conversations on, ironically,…

Mi Hwa Kim: Making Zero Waste a Reality in South Korea by Doun Moon From a country girl to the leader of the largest civil society organization in the zero waste movement in Korea. Born as the second daughter in a…

MAGESWARI SANGARALINGAM: A Journey of Persistence, Dedication, and Grit by Sherma E. Benosa Mageswari Sangaralingam, or simply Mages to her colleagues and friends, has always been close to nature. Growing up in the Malaysian countryside, she would always insist on taking…

Mariyam Hamsha Hussain: Architect, environmental advocate, and feminist by Johanna Poblete Mariyam Hamsha Hussain was “that kid who represented the environment club” in primary school. Now a professional architect with a degree from RMIT University in Australia, Hamsha remains as…

LAKSHMI NARAYAN: Creating and Strengthening Waste Pickers’ Sense of Dignity by Marco Sumayao “It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice.” Since the late 1960s, Paulo Freire’s words have spurred countless…

Jyoti Mhapsekar: A Life of Service to Marginalized Women Since 1975, Jyoti Mhapsekar has been working to uplift the lives of marginalized women, empowering them through education, healthcare, and environmental programs.  by Eric Michael Santos Jyoti Mhapsekar is one apple that…

Jane Bremmer: At the forefront of environmental justice by Johanna Poblete When Jane Bremmer and her partner Lee bought a weatherboard cottage in the outer suburban area of Perth called Bellevue, they had plans to build a ceramics business from home.…

Akira Sakano: Contextualizing Zero Waste by Marco Sumayao On quiet days when she isn’t busy championing Zero Waste policies in Japan, you might find Akira Sakano on a secluded mountaintop, on the lookout for rare birds. She’s had a lifelong…