Leah Thomas (ecofeminist)

Last updated

Leah Thomas
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEnvironmental activist
Website www.intersectionalenvironmentalist.com
Instagram information
Page

Leah Thomas, also known as Green Girl Leah, [1] [2] is an American environmental activist active on Instagram whose work focuses on the application of intersectionality to environmental justice. [3] [4] She has been recognized in the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list of notable young professionals. [5]

Contents

Thomas grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri, 10 minutes from where the shooting of Michael Brown by police happened. [6] She found no one was talking about the intersection of environmental and social injustices, such as the Flint, Michigan water crises where 57% of the population is Black. [7]

She gained notoriety after an Instagram post of hers that used the phrase "intersectional environmentalism" and called for environmental activists to support Black Lives Matter in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. [2] [8] [9]

She runs Intersectional Environmentalist, a website targeted towards people interested in the relationship between the environment and social justice. [2] She is the author of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, which provides advice to environmental activists and describes theories of relationships between race, privilege, social justice, and the environment. [10] [11]

Thomas advocates for climate change activists to adopt anti-racist approaches in order to facilitate an intersectional environmental movement. [12]

Education

Thomas graduated Chapman University in Orange, California in 2017 with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmentalist</span> Someone who supports the goals of the environmental movement

An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities". An environmentalist is engaged in or believes in the philosophy of environmentalism or one of the related philosophies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youth activism</span> Youth engagement in community organizing for social change

Youth activism is the participation in community organizing for social change by persons between the ages of 15–24. Youth activism has led to a shift in political participation and activism. A notable shift within youth activism is the rise of “Alter-Activism” resulting in an emphasis on lived experiences and connectivity amongst young activists. The young activists have taken lead roles in public protest and advocacy around many issues like climate change, abortion rights and gun violence.

Environmental justice or eco-justice, is a social movement to address environmental injustice, which occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has generated hundreds of studies showing that exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmentalism</span> Philosophy about Earth protection

Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement about supporting life, habitats, and surroundings. While environmentalism focuses more on the environmental and nature-related aspects of green ideology and politics, ecologism combines the ideology of social ecology and environmentalism. Ecologism is more commonly used in continental European languages, while environmentalism is more commonly used in English but the words have slightly different connotations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental movement in South Africa</span>

The environmental movement in South Africa traces its history from the beginnings of conservation and preservation groups in the late 19th century, to the rise of radicalism amongst local ecologists and activists. The early environmental movement in South Africa was primarily made up of conservation groups whose membership was dominated by affluent whites. Many of these groups advocated for forms of fortress conservation that were used to justify forcibly removing Black South Africans from their land. Throughout the mid to late 20th century, justice-centered environmental groups sprung up in connection with anti-apartheid movements advocating for change on issues that affected the environment as well as the rights of workers and rural peoples, showing how environmental issues in the country were "inextricably linked to issues of race and politics."

Christian views on environmentalism vary greatly amongst different Christians and Christian denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmentalism in music</span>

Environmentalism has been a theme and cultural trend in popular music. Ecomusicologists and music educators are increasingly emphasizing the intersections of music and nature, and the role of music in ecological activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Shellenberger</span> American author and environmental policy writer (born 1971)

Michael D. Shellenberger is an American author and journalist who writes about politics, the environment, climate change, and nuclear power. He is a co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute and the California Peace Coalition. Shellenberger founded the pro-nuclear non-profit Environmental Progress in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitaire Townsend</span>

Solitaire Townsend is a female entrepreneur, sustainability expert, TED speaker and author. She co-founded the change agency Futerra in 2001, now one of the leading sustainability agencies in the world, working with the world’s most influential organisations to activate social justice and environmental restoration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunita Narain</span> Indian environmentalist

Sunita Narain is an Indian environmentalist and political activist as well as a major proponent of the Green concept of sustainable development. Narain is director general of the India-based research institute for the Centre for Science and Environment, director of the Society for Environmental Communications, and editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainability studies</span> Field of research

Sustainability studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the interdisciplinary perspective of the concept of sustainability. Programs include instruction in sustainable development, geography, environmental policies, ethics, ecology, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, economics, natural resources, sociology, and anthropology. Sustainability studies also focuses on the importance of climate change, poverty, social justice and environmental justice. Many universities across the world currently offer sustainability studies as a degree program. The main goal of sustainability studies is for students to find ways to develop novel solutions to environmental problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorceta Taylor</span> American environmentalist

Dorceta E. Taylor is an American environmental sociologist known for her work on both environmental justice and racism in the environmental movement. She is the senior associate dean of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Yale School of the Environment, as well as a professor of environmental justice. Prior to this, she was the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Michigan's School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), where she also served as the James E. Crowfoot Collegiate Professor of Environmental Justice. Taylor's research has ranged over environmental history, environmental justice, environmental policy, leisure and recreation, gender and development, urban affairs, race relations, collective action and social movements, green jobs, diversity in the environmental field, food insecurity, and urban agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solarpunk</span> Literary and artistic movement

Solarpunk is a literary and artistic movement that envisions and works toward actualizing a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. The "solar" represents solar energy as a renewable energy source and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects climate doomerism, while the "punk" refers to do it yourself and the countercultural, post-capitalist, and decolonial aspects of creating such a future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Foster II</span> American climate activist (born 2002)

Jerome Foster II is an American environmental activist. He is the youngest-ever White House advisor in United States history, as a member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council within the Biden administration. Foster is a leading voice for marginalized and working class communities in spaces pushing for social, economic and environmental justice. Foster is one of the major organizers of Fridays for Future; holding weekly climate strikes at the front gates of the White House for over 57 weeks. He has previously served as a congressional intern for U.S. Representative John Lewis at the age of 16 and served on the Washington DC State Board of Education's Advisory Council at the age of 14.

Leah Namugerwa is a youth climate activist in Uganda. She is known for leading tree planting campaigns and for starting a petition to enforce the plastic bag ban in Uganda. Following inspiration from Greta Thunberg, she began supporting school strikes in February 2019 with fellow Fridays for the Future Uganda organizer Sadrach Nirere.

Mikaela Loach is a British medical student and climate justice activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kehkashan Basu</span> Canadian environmental and human rights activist

Kehkashan BasuMSM is a Canadian environmental and human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates. Basu also advocates for peace, children’s rights, education for sustainable development, nuclear disarmament, gender equality and climate justice. She is the Founder-President of Green Hope Foundation, the youngest Councillor of World Future Council, the youngest Trustee of the Parliament of the World's Religions, a KidsRights Youngsters member, and winner of the International Children's Peace Prize 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Patel</span> American climate justice activist (born 2000)

Kevin J. Patel is an American climate justice activist and community organizer. Patel has openly shared his experience as a frontline climate activist diagnosed with respiratory issues. He is also the founder and executive director of OneUpAction, an international youth-led nonprofit based in the U.S. that supports marginalized youth by providing them with resources to create change in their communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Palmer</span> British climate activist

Dominique Palmer FRSA is a British climate justice activist and student. She spoke at 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and began her activism as one of the U.K's leading U.K environmentalists and youth activists in the School Strike for Climate Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattie Gonia</span> Drag queen, environmental and LGBTQ+ activist

Wyn Wiley, known professionally as Pattie Gonia, is a drag queen, environmental and LGBTQ+ activist, and community organizer.

References

  1. Wally, Maxine (22 July 2020). "Green Girl Leah on Why Environmentalists Must Speak Up for Black Lives Matter". W.
  2. 1 2 3 Ashoka, Shivani (12 February 2022). "A new generation of activists are changing how we think about sustainability". The Daily Telegraph .
  3. Thomas, Leah (22 April 2021). "Intersectional Environmentalism Is the Urgent Way Forward". Marie Claire .
  4. Gonzales, Erica (9 July 2020). "Lucky 13: Environmental Activist Leah Thomas Shares the Sustainable Pieces She Loves". Harper's Bazaar .
  5. "Intersectional Environmentalist". Forbes. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  6. "Environmental Hero: Leah Thomas". One Earth. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  7. "Majority of Flint residents support reparations for Black Americans, U-M survey shows". University of Michigan News. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  8. Robinson, Breanna (19 April 2022). "10 Black Environmentalists Addressing Climate Injustice". Ebony .
  9. Capshaw-Mack, Sophie (10 November 2021). "A Conversation With Leah Thomas, Intersectional Environmentalist". State of the Planet. Columbia University.
  10. Platt, John R. (2 April 2022). "7 new environmental books for advice, lessons, projects and inspiration". National Catholic Reporter .
  11. Spurrell, Megan (17 March 2022). "Activist Leah Thomas on How Intersectional Environmentalism and Travel Can Coexist". Traveler. Condé-Nast.
  12. de Ferrer, Marthe (21 October 2020). "Why is environmentalism more popular in LGBTQ+ communities?". Euronews Green .
  13. Arp, Dennis (22 April 2022). "Environmental Activist Leah Thomas '17 Shares an Empowering Earth Day Message With Chapman Students". Chapman Newsroom. Retrieved 12 February 2024.