Michael Sutton, the executive director of the Goldman Prize — which was founded in the 1980s by San Francisco billionaires and philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman — talks with jessicawolfrom about the mission of awards.
The spirit of environmentalism courses through Michael Sutton’s blood.
After a long career working at the National Park Service, the California Fish & Game Commission and at nonprofits like the World Wildlife Fund and the National Audubon Society, Sutton now heads up the Goldman Environmental Prize as its executive director, where he focuses on highlighting people leading grassroots efforts to protect the environmentThe prize – known as the “Green Nobel” – started in the late 1980s when San Francisco billionaires and philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman...
The Examiner talked to Sutton about the history and future of the prize and what it means to win the “Green Nobel” in 2022. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. I like to say we’re not just in the prize-giving business; we’re really in the inspiration business because that’s what we do. We inspire ordinary people.
They say that being an environmental activist around the world is second only to journalism as one of the most dangerous professions on the planet. Many of our prizewinners are at great risk because of their work – because of their activism. Many have been thrown in jail. We’ve had three prize winners murdered in the line of duty over the past 30 years.