Family farmer and activist Lynn Henning received the 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize--sometimes called the 'Green Nobel'--for her work to expose the polluting practices of livestock factory farms in rural Michigan. Henning’s efforts spurred the EPA into issuing hundreds of citations for water quality violations.
Lynn Henning began speaking out against the practices of factory farms in 2000. She followed up by collecting water samples and gathering information about pollution but found state officials were unresponsive. She was also harassed: run off the road, received dead animals on her porch, and her mailbox was blown up. Eventually, she was able to collect a body of evidence that could not be ignored.
Photos: Tom Dusenbery
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Environmental Activism
- The trend of farmers and activists advocating for sustainable practices and exposing pollution in various industries, such as factory farming.
- Regulation Compliance
- The trend of government bodies, like the EPA, increasing their efforts to enforce regulations and issue citations for water quality violations in industries like agriculture.
- Whistleblower Protection
- The trend of recognizing and protecting individuals, like Lynn Henning, who expose environmental violations and face harassment for their activism.
Sectors Adopting This
- Agriculture
- The agriculture industry can explore innovative and sustainable practices in order to reduce pollution caused by factory farms and comply with regulations.
- Environmental Protection
- The environmental protection industry can take advantage of the increased awareness and activism to offer solutions and consulting services for companies to reduce their environmental footprint.
- Legal and Advocacy
- The legal and advocacy industry can focus on providing protection and support for individuals who are whistleblowers in environmental pollution cases and face harassment for their activism.
