Right Livelihood Award Topics

Democracy Now! has interviewed many Right Livelihood Award recipients over the years. Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman is the first journalist to receive the Right Livelihood Award, widely known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize" for “developing an innovative model of truly independent grassroots political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by the mainstream media.”

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Nobel Peace Prize, Right Livelihood Winner Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

The Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, died on Sunday at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. In 1977, she spearheaded the struggle against state-backed deforestation in Kenya and founded the Green Belt Movement, which has planted tens of millions of trees in the country. She has also been an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and democratic development. In 1984 ,she won...
Sep 29, 2011 | Story
Standing up to Big Pharma in Bangladesh: Right Livelihood Laureate Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury

Democracy Now! talks to Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury, co-founder of Bangladeshi charity Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK, The People’s Health Center) which provides education, job opportunities and low-cost, locally-produced essential drugs to rural Bangladeshis. GK received the Right Livelihood Award in 1992.
Apr 19, 2011 | Web Exclusive
"The Connection Between Energy Use And Political Power Is Essential": Right Livelihood Laureate Mycle Schneider

Mycle Schneider, a Paris-based independent consultant on energy and nuclear policy, received the Right Livelihood Award in 1997 for "serving to alert the world to the unparalleled dangers of plutonium to human life." Democracy Now! interviewed him at the 2010 Right Livelihood Awards in Bonn, Germany. [includes rush transcript]
Apr 14, 2011 | Web Exclusive
Right Livelihood Laureate Alyn Ware On The Global Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament

Alyn Ware received the Right Livelihood Award in 2009 for leading initiatives in peace education and nuclear abolition in his native New Zealand and around the world for the past twenty-five years. Democracy Now! met up with him at the 2010 Right Livelihood Awards in Bonn, Germany.
Apr 14, 2011 | Web Exclusive
Nigerian Environmental Activist Nnimmo Bassey Wins Right Livelihood Award

Longtime activist Nnimmo Bassey has been awarded the 2010 Right Livelihood Award for "revealing the full ecological and human horrors of oil production" by multinational corporations in Nigeria and for his leadership in advocating environmental justice and human rights throughout the world. During his speech, Bassey blasted rich nations for their efforts to use carbon markets as a mechanism to mitigate global warming. [includes rush...
Dec 07, 2010 | Story
Widow of Murdered Indonesian Human Rights Activist Munir Calls on Indonesia to Hold His Govt. Killers Responsible

We look at the case of Munir Thalib, an Indonesian human rights activist and a prominent critic of the Indonesian government and military. He was poisoned to death aboard a flight to Holland in September 2004. An off-duty pilot was found guilty for his death, but prosecutors ignored the findings of an independent investigation that pointed to the involvement of Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency. We speak with his widow, Suciwati Munir,...
Nov 09, 2010 | Story
Hermann Scheer (1944-2010): German Lawmaker, Leading Advocate for Solar Energy and "Hero for the Green Century" in One of His Final Interviews

Hermann Scheer, one of the world’s leading advocates for solar power, has died at the age of sixty-six. The German economist and politician helped make Germany a renewable energy powerhouse and inspired many across the world to expand the use of solar power. Scheer had been member of the German Parliament for three decades and was the president of EUROSOLAR, the European Association for Renewable Energy. In 1999, he won the Right Livelihood...
Oct 15, 2010 | Story
Nnimmo Bassey wins 2010 Right Livelihood Award

The Nigerian environmentalist has been a guest on Democracy Now! on several occasions. Click for more
Sep 30, 2010 | News
Chilean Economist Manfred Max-Neef: US Is Becoming an "Underdeveloping Nation"

While President Obama is reporting looking into tapping a former corporate executive to become his next top economic adviser, many economists question the path the United States is on. We speak to the acclaimed Chilean economist Manfred Max-Neef. He won the Right Livelihood Award in 1983, two years after the publication of his book Outside Looking In: Experiences in Barefoot Economics. [includes rush transcript]
Sep 22, 2010 | Story
Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto: The Story of a Canadian Farmer's Fight to Defend the Rights of Farmers and the Future of Seeds

Gathered here in Bonn this week are some eighty Right Livelihood Award laureates, including the Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, who has battled the biotech giant Monsanto for years. When Monsanto seeds blew into Schmeiser’s property, Monsanto accused him of illegally planting their crops and took him to court. Ultimately his case landed in the Canadian Supreme Court. He was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1997 for fighting to defend...
Sep 17, 2010 | Story