18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 8-14, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Green Team The annual ‘Green Nobels’ honor activists across the planet who persisted against big industry. By The Arab Weekly FORUM Tunisian environmentalist Semia Labidi Gharbi, who was awarded a global prize for her role exposing a major waste scandal, has a message for wealthy nations: “We are developing countries, but we are not a dumping ground.” Gharbi was among the first to speak out when Italy shipped more than 280 containers of waste to the North African country in 2020. The cargo was initially labeled as recyclable plastic scrap, but customs officials found hazardous household waste, which is banned under Tunisian law. The 57-year-old was among seven environmentalists to receive the Goldman Environmental Prize, commonly known as the “Green Nobel,” in San Francisco on April 21, during Earth Week. Other 2025 winners are: Laurene Allen of New Hampshire, who led a successful campaign pressuring the Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics plant— responsible for leaking toxic forever chemicals into community drinking water sources—to announce its closure in 2023; Peruvian Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari, who serves as president of Asociación de Mujeres Huaynakana Kamatahuara Kana, which won a landmark lawsuit protecting the Marañón River, which was granted legal personhood; Carlos Mallo Molina, who helped lead a campaign in the Canary Islands to cancel plans for a massive ferry terminal that would have damaged ocean habitat; Batmunkh Luvsandash, whose activism to protect his hometown from mining resulted in the creation of a 66,000acre protected area in Mongolia; and Besjana Guri and Olsi Nika of Albania, who successfully campaigned to protect the Vjosa River from a dam. Gharbi’s grassroots activism helped force Italy to take 6,000 tons of waste back in 2022. She “helped spearhead a campaign that challenged a corrupt waste-trafficking scheme between Italy and Tunisia,” the Goldman committee said. The scandal took on national proportions in Tunisia and saw the sacking of then environment minister Mustapha Aroui, who was sentenced to three years in prison. A total of 26 people, including customs officials, were prosecuted. Global waste trade often sees industrialized nations offload rubbish in poorer countries with limited means to handle it. “What is toxic for developed countries is toxic for us too,” Gharbi says. “We also have the right to live in a healthy environment.” The Goldman committee said Gharbi’s campaigning helped drive reforms in Europe: “Her efforts spurred policy shifts within the EU, which has now tightened its procedures and regulations for waste shipments abroad.” Gharbi, who has spent 25 years campaigning on environmental threats to health, said she never set out to turn the scandal into a symbol. “But now that it has become one, so much the better,” she says with a smile. She hopes the award will raise the profile of Tunisian civil society, and said groups she works with across Africa see the recognition as their own. “The prize is theirs too,” she says. This story first appeared in The Arab Weekly. OPINION “We are not a dumping ground.” Donor Advised Funds • IRA Charitable Distributions Charitable Estate Planning (CGAs, CRTs) Family Philanthropy • Scholarships & More 831.375.9712 | cfmco.org/Donors | When you name the Community Foundation for Monterey County as your charitable beneficiary, you create a lasting legacy. Marty Wolf is composing his legacy through the Martin R. Wolf Family Fund. Read his story: cfmco.org/Wolf Marty Wolf DESIGN Your Giving Plan Music. Arts. Youth. Environment. Education. Whatever your passion, we can help you design a giving plan to meet your goals. Seaside’s Premier European Auto Service Experts and Dealership Alternative (831) 394-6600 Monday – Friday 8:00am - 5:30pm 684 Ponderosa St, Seaside, CA 93955 www.MarlowMotorWerks.com Proudly servicing Mercedes, Sprinter, BMW, Audi and Land Rover with precision and passion!
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