In celebration of International Women’s Day, we’d love to give a shout out to all the women who constantly inspire us. All of these strong females are working tirelessly to create a better planet – we’re so proud of their efforts and thankful for their hard work. If you haven’t already heard of these eco warriors, here’s some information about each of their causes. We encourage everyone to find out a little bit more about these wonderful everyday heroes – maybe it will inspire you to find a cause that you want to start fighting for too! Happy International Women’s Day! Girl power all the way!

Dr. Vandana Shiva

Indian scholar, environmentalist and farming activist Vandana Shiva is a champion for the protection of Mother Nature. Her life’s work revolves around promoting environmental diversity – campaigning for the use of traditional and local agricultural solutions as opposed to blanket uniform practices to farming across different regions and countries. Vandana’s NGO, Navdanya supports over 6.5 million farming families across India, providing financial and educational support in order for them to continue working the land for generations to come. She has been fighting against the seed production giant Monsanto for years and her mission of “Earth Democracy” (creating biodiversity, seed and food sovereignty and access to clean water) is very dear to her heart. Protecting the Earth, she says, is simply a matter of acknowledging our place within it: “You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.”

Bea Johnson

If you haven’t already read her book, Zero Waste Home, do yourself a favour and grab copy right now! Bea Johnson is one of the world’s leading zero-waste experts and a major influencer in the sustainable lifestyle community. Her personal insights that she shares in her book, blog posts and various talks around the world have launched a huge global movement, inspiring thousands of people to be more conscious of their waste. She breaks it down really simply and makes it easy for anyone to start their own sustainable journey by giving practical tips and trips from her years of experience. Check out Bea’s TED talk on how her family has adopted a zero waste lifestyle and never looked back!

Isatou Ceesay

Recycling champion Isatou Ceesay is one of our heroes because she’s the founder of a fantastic green initiative in The Gambia that turns waste into wealth for the community. She established Njau Recycling and Income Generation Group in her home country in 1997 and has been encouraging women to collect and upcycle waste materials into new products like bags, mats and purses. Not only does this help to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in local communities, the products sold also generate income for many women who would otherwise be without employment.

Lauren Singer

Lauren Singer is another one of our favourite zero waste queens. She’s the author of the lifestyle blog Trash is for Tossers and owner of the Package Free Shop in Brooklyn, New York. Her college days in Environmental Studies has played a huge part in how she currently lives her life. Lauren has become a fresh voice for environmentalism and sustainability, especially for younger generations who are so digitally obsessed these days! She uses the internet brilliantly to maximise her reach and encourage as many people as possible to go zero waste. Her super useful blog posts and many series of videos make it really easy for anyone to jump on board this eco-living bandwagon.

Natalie Isaacs

After a career in cosmetics manufacturing (which is riddled with overpackaging of products), Natalie Isaacs decided it was time to change the course of her life and work on something for the greater good. She founded the global movement 1 Million Women in order to encourage action on climate change. What’s better than just 1 woman standing up for her cause? 1 MILLION women banding together and forming an entire movement to support our planet! The organisation is continuously working on a range of different campaigns such as their current #leaveitontheshelf initiative, which encourages consumers to say no to fruit and vegetables that are packaged in plastic. The overall aim is that supermarkets around the world will take notice of a shift in customer behaviour and realise that there’s no need for our food to be wrapping in so much unecessary plastic that damages our environment.