Take THAT, Al Gore!

Finally! Someone who fights factory farm pollution has received some serious recognition. Lynn Henning, a Michigan corn and soybean farmer, has just been presented with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize (known worldwide as the “Green Nobel”) and the accompanying $150,000 award for her efforts to expose factory farms for the pollution-spewing cesspools they are. She plans to donate much of the money to environmental groups and spend a portion on water-monitoring kits. Go, Henning!

Encouraging people to recycle and use energy-efficient light bulbs is all well and good, but everyone needs to hold factory farms accountable for their dirty deeds by refusing to buy their dirty goods. Just last week, millions of gallons of manure from a dairy farm spilled into the Snohomish River. Both Perdue Farms and Hudson Farm—an 80,000-bird factory farm—were recently sued for mucking up the Chesapeake Bay.

Meat’s not green, so I hope that everyone is celebrating Earth Day—and making Henning’s work less lonely—by eating only vegan food.

Oh, and check out some of the winners in other countries. Most of them are also helping animals and the environment at the same time. Feel inspired?

Written by Heather Moore