Bryony Schwan

Bryony Schwan "activism started in the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. In the early 1980s, she was a member of HERE local 34 and participated in the largest strike of women workers in the United States. Since the 1980s, she has been active in several local and regional forest, wildlife and wilderness groups, as both a staff person and volunteer.

"In 1994, Bryony founded Women's Voices for the Earth, now a national women's toxics and environmental justice organization. In 2001, she co-founded Coming Clean, one of the most effective toxics coalitions, comprising over 60 local, state and national groups. Other coalitions in which she has been involved include the Global Anti-Incineration Alliance, Health Care Without Harm and the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment. In 2003, Bryony received Montana's Jeannette Rankin Peace Award for her peace and political work in that state.

"While her work has been focused on environmental and social justice issues, Bryony has been deeply interested in, read and written about what makes change happen, why movements succeed or fail and what makes it so difficult for movements on the political left to work together. She is also extremely interested in the intersection between poverty and environmental degradation and between the reproductive rights movement (especially as defined by women of color) and the toxics movement. Byrony has worked on a number of political campaigns and ran (unsuccessfully) for the State Senate."


 * Director, Greenpeace USA