Elizabeth Yeampierre grew up in Brooklyn, in a Puerto Rican family that taught her early on that justice begins at home… and in the neighborhood. For many, activism is born in marches and speeches; for Elizabeth, it began by witnessing her community breathe polluted air, face preventable illnesses, and be excluded from decisions that shaped their environment. Instead of accepting that reality, she decided to blaze a trail.
A lawyer by training and an activist by calling, Yeampierre is now one of the most influential voices in the fight for climate justice in the United States. As the leader of UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest community-based organization, she has transformed environmental activism into a deeply human mission: it’s not just about saving the planet, but ensuring that Black, Latino, and immigrant communities have clean air, green spaces, and a seat at the table where decisions are made.
Her leadership blends strength and warmth: she might be in a meeting with policymakers discussing green infrastructure in the morning, and in the afternoon, walking through the neighborhood talking with young people searching for a better future. Elizabeth doesn’t see climate justice as a technical battle, but as a cultural, political, and emotional one. She knows neighborhoods don’t only need solar panels; they need hope, participation, and dignity.
She has chaired national councils, been honored as a pioneer in the environmental movement, and her ideas have influenced climate strategies across the country. But if you ask her what she’s most proud of, she will likely talk about her community: the young leaders rising to take charge, the women organizing, and the people realizing that a sustainable future can also be a Latino future.
At her core, Elizabeth Yeampierre is a builder — of bridges across generations, of inclusive movements, and of a vision where fighting for the planet also means uplifting and protecting the people who call it home. Her story reminds us that defending the Earth isn’t just an ecological act — it’s an act of love.