Marina Silva, one of 11 children in a small, poor community of rubber tappers in the Amazon region of Acre, Brazil, orphaned at 16, worked as a maid, made her way through university and became a political leader, creating Acre’s first workers’ union, working with the legendary Chico Mendes to fight deforestation. She became the first rubber tapper and youngest senator in Brazil’s history (in 1994) and eventually became Brazil’s Environment Minister under President Lula, before running for the presidency as the Green Party candidate in 2010 garnering 19.4% of the vote. She has won a slew of prestigious awards, including as a “Champion of the Earth” by the UN Environment Program, and is widely considered one of the most important environmental leaders on the planet. She is the President of Instituto Marina Silva.
The Challenge of Sustainable Development: New Models | Restoration Nation Theater | 11:05am, Sat
