October 02 2009 » » Mother Nature Network
Ali Howard Makes Top 10 List of Most Intriguing Environmentalists
Forget Kermit’s famous lament, “It’s not easy being green.” It’s actually never been easier. What’s hard, though, is to stand out and make a big difference (like this naked biker — see our #3 choice). That takes more than recycling plastic bottles or signing petitions. It calls for extraordinary action. What follows are a few who’ve dared to do more — environmentalists who walk their eco-talk in bold, daring and creative ways. What remains is a lasting impression — and, hopefully, lasting change. (Text by Sidney Stevens) View this article online
1. Julia Butterfly Hill
Tree-sitter extraordinaire, Hill lived for two years in the canopy of an ancient Redwood tree she affectionately named Luna to prevent it from being logged. After climbing down 10 years ago, she wrote a book called The Legacy of Luna and has continued redefining eco-activism ever since. From inspirational speaking to founding the Engage Network to a possible biopic (starring Rachel Weisz), civil disobedience will never be the same.
Photo: GSMattingly/Flickr
2. The Big Green Bus
Take 15 Dartmouth students with an eco-message, put them on a bright green veggie-oil-powered bus (retrofitted with solar panels and bamboo floors), and you might just get your point across — namely that with a few simple actions each of us can fight climate change. Big Green Bus participants logged 12,000 miles this past summer, crisscrossing the country and stopping in 50 cities to spread their sustainability message.
Photo: Kawakahi K. Amina
3. Naked Bike Riders
Nothing like some skin to sell your message. Taking its cue from the advertising industry, World Naked Bike Ride began organizing its au naturel rides five years ago in cities around the world. Its message: that cars promote oil dependency and spew dangerous fumes that harm cyclists, pedestrians and the planet. Oh, and that bicycles and human bodies (of all sizes, shapes and painted colors) are beautiful.
Photo: CyclingCaptured
4. Greta Browne
This 65-year-old grandmother of three proves that unusual eco-action isn’t just for the young or (bare-it-all) outrageous. Browne, a retired Unitarian minister, blogger and gypsy at heart from Bethlehem, Pa., recently trekked 1,150 miles on foot from New Orleans to Rouses Point, N.Y., to raise awareness about climate change. For Browne, it was more than just a walk — it was “a prayer, a meditation and an action.”
Photo: Courtesy Greta Browne
5. Edina Tokodi
Looking for ways to push her green message to jaded city-dwellers, Hungarian-born Tokodi drew inspiration from urban street gangs. She turned to graffiti. Instead of spray paint and gang slang, though, she opted for moss and a message of eco-harmony. Tokodi’s animal and nature shapes — applied to buildings and barren walls throughout her Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond — invite people to touch and reconnect with nature.
Photo: Jozsef Valyi-Toth
6. The Lorax
Sure he’s unusual because he told truth to power. (Who can forget “I speak for the trees.”) But the Lorax also makes our list because of what he is — one of the most enduring oddball characters to emerge from the fertile mind of Dr. Seuss. This “shortish,” “brownish,” “mossy” eco-hero still speaks for the trees — and all victims of unbridled development. And now he’s becoming the star of his own 3-D movie.
Photo: Miss Rogue/Flickr
7. Mary Mattingly
Many artists envision future worlds, but few actually inhabit them. Not so Mattingly, a sculptor and photographer. Unsettled by predictions of rising sea levels and a post-apocalyptic future à la Waterworld, she dreamed up the Waterpod, a sustainable barge with gardens, greywater system, alternative power and chickens. Mattingly and crewmembers lived on board last summer, docking around New York to showcase their new eco-habitat.
Photo: Leyla T. Rosario
8. Johnny Appleseed
Folk hero John Chapman just might be the great granddaddy of low-carbon living. This 19th-century vegetarian, nature-loving preacher and businessman traversed the Midwest on foot in secondhand clothes, planting apple nurseries with free seeds from cider mills. His mission: to help settlers build self-sustaining communities in harmony with nature. He often bartered and channeled a portion of profits toward rescuing horses from slaughter.
9 Ali Howard
What better way to spotlight eco-threats to the salmon-rich Skeena River than by making a splash? Literally. Howard, a 33-year-old resort chef and water polo player, donned a wetsuit last summer, jumped in at the headwaters of British Columbia’s second longest river and didn’t stop swimming until she reached the Pacific Ocean. Battling rapids, frigid water and whirlpools, she and her support team completed their epic 379-mile eco-odyssey in 28 days.
Photo: Brian Huntington
10. John Francis
After witnessing the devastation of a 1971 San Francisco oil spill, Francis gave up motorized transportation and chose to stay silent. But it wasn’t the silence of apathy. It was a roaring silence that’s still being heard. His marathon wordless walk (recounted in his book Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence) helped him reconnect with nature and inspired his earth-stewardship group Planetwalk.
