#1Thing: 10 Eco Influencers You Need To Follow

By Lori Melton

Many passionate environmental activists are using social media platforms to raise awareness about the harsh effects of climate change and the importance of sustainable living.

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Whether you are already committed to eco-friendly practices or you're aiming to join in the fight to save the planet, we've compiled a list of our picks for 10 eco influencers you need to follow heading into the next decade.

It's not about Meatloaf.It's not about me.It's not about what some people call me.It's not about left or right.It's all about scientific facts.And that we're not aware of the situation.Unless we start to focus everything on this, our targets will soon be out of reach. https://t.co/UwyoSnLiK2

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) January 6, 2020

1. Greta Thunberg

Teen climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg earned the honorable distinction of being named Time magazine's 2019 Person of the Year for her ongoing efforts to protect and preserve the Earth. The 16-year-old Swedish student gained global attention with her own climate strikes from school, asking government leaders to act against growing climate issues. Furthermore, her urgent, passionate call for change inspired millions of other students to launch protests and strikes to support the cause.

Thunberg has spoken at numerous climate conferences, including the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit which took place in New York. Among her many accolades, she was also nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. She has over 9 million followers on Instagram (@gretathunberg) and over 3 million followers on Twitter (@GretaThunberg).

 

For the holidays, Trump wants to give us more asthma, disease, and higher electricity bills. Even Scrooge tried to reduce coal use. https://t.co/UqxPzkXePc

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 20, 2019

2. Mike Bloomberg

The former three-term New York City mayor is recognized as a global leader for his ardent support of environmental change. In June 2019, Bloomberg launched Beyond Carbon, "the largest-ever coordinated campaign against climate change in the United States."

During his time as mayor, he helmed PlaNYC, a plan to unite a multitude of NYC agencies to help create a "greener, greater New York." Reducing the city's carbon footprint and increasing water conservation are just two of Bloomberg's targeted initiatives. As a 2020 presidential hopeful, Bloomberg is pushing his goals to build a 100 percent clean economy. @MikeBloomberg has over 2.4 million followers on Twitter.

Our family's trash of 2019. While the family has been shrinking (with both boys now in college), our trash has actually doubled compared with last year!---- Why? Each year-- shares similar discards with the previous one (personal info of an expired passport--, produce stickers, Scott's contact lenses and the labels of their packaging, the old silicone from the kitchen sink--, etc). But each year is also obviously different. What makes 2019 different from other years is that much of what we threw out was related to either our lifestyle before zero waste, or the new one we just adopted. When we bought our house in 2017, we put some leaf guards-- on our gutters. This was before adopting waste-free living, so at the time of purchase we did not consider the end of the life☠ of the product we chose, and went with a plastic mesh. Over the past 12 years, it has fallen apart and when the wind blows--, chunks sometimes fall off -I recently looked for the manufacturer hoping to show them what's become of their product overtime; I could not find them, so hopefully they're out of business! Moving into the Airstream with Scott this year also meant having to adapt our new living environment to our needs. We had to store the trailer (storage label is the yellow bit in the jar), sell the Prius-- (service label is white and red), and buy some things new, such as anti-slip mats. Although sold wrapped in paper, no matter how careful I was in cutting the mats✂ to size with the trailer's curved design, I ended up with scraps (white bits in the jar). How do I feel generating more trash this year than the previous one? Optimist that (maybe) we'll do better the next!-- ✨Happy New (Zero Waste) Year everyone! ✨ #alwaysroomforimprovement #goingtiny #zerowaste #zerodechet #zerowastehome #ZWHtour #zerowastehomebook #zerowastelifestyle #ZWH

A post shared by Bea Johnson (@zerowastehome) on Dec 26, 2019 at 4:00pm PST

3. Bea Johnson

French native best-selling author of "Zero Waste Home" Bea Johnson is credited with founding the Zero Waste lifestyle movement. She travels around the world to educate live audiences about the importance and ease of living a trash-free life. 

Her book has been translated in 27 languages and tells the story of how she transformed her life to reduce waste. Johnson has made over 100 television appearances and has amassed over 400K followers on social media. Johnson declares her eco-conscious mantra on her website: "Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order) is my family's secret to reducing our annual trash to a jar since 2008."

Did you get new clothing for the holidays? If you want to transition your wardrobe, don't throw old clothing away! You can re-sell it at a secondhand store or on a site like Poshmark, consign it on a site like the real real, donate it friends or a charity, and compost it if it's natural, and lastly terracycle it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What's your favorite piece of clothing that you have purchased secondhand or received from a friend? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #TrashIsForTossers #PackageFree #PackageFreeShop

A post shared by -- Lauren Singer -- (@trashisfortossers) on Dec 27, 2019 at 7:15am PST

 4. Lauren Singer

Lauren Singer is a New York-based eco influencer who documents her Zero Waste lifestyle journey on her Trash Is For Tossers blog, as well as her @Trashis4Tossers Twitter and @trashisfortossers Instagram pages. 

Singer gives her 340K Instagram followers and her website audience easy-to-implement changes for achieving an eco-friendlier lifestyle. The multi-tasking blogger also owns online stores with sustainable products including Package Free and The Simply Co. which sells organic, vegan cleaning products, and detergent.

 

What if we actually pulled off a Green New Deal? What would the future look like? As part of our year in review, The Intercept presents a film narrated by @AOC. https://t.co/o0fUZXf0YZ pic.twitter.com/RyQa2U08VF

— The Intercept (@theintercept) January 1, 2020

5. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D – N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass) introduced New York's Green New Deal which Mayor Bill de Blasio put into effect in April 2019. The plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020. 

The Green New Deal is part of the OneNYC 2050 strategy to build a strong and fair city and secure its future. Ocasio-Cortez is very outspoken about the climate crisis and has addressed it to leaders in speeches across the globe, including at the C40 World Mayors summit in Copenhagen in October 2019. Ocasio-Cortez has over 6 million followers on Twitter @AOC.

 

Solving the world's toughest challenges—like fighting the worst impacts of climate change—requires lots of new ideas and talented people working across many fields. I'm glad to see this effort to support this important work. https://t.co/eeFpmXtgv9

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) January 6, 2020

6. Bill Gates

Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates is consistently ranked as one of the richest people in the world. His high business profile enables him to reach a massive social media audience across the globe. 

Gates discusses the harsh effects of climate change in multiple posts on his GatesNotes blog. He's also written a book on the subject called "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster" which is due for release from Doubleday in June 2020. The Seattle native executive currently boasts over 48 million followers on Twitter at @BillGates.

in theory I like to live simply. just eat fruits & veg, drink heaps of water, play in nature. . but when it comes to whipping up a meal, I've got a pantry full of jars storing spices & seeds so these ALL come out & veggies are chopped & mass experiments ensue! --‍-- . What starts as a simple banana smoothie usually evolves rapidly into a mermaid smoothie sea-protein bowl. . i keep chopped bananas in the freezer AT ALL TIMES for daily summer smoothie mania (& also in case I need to make n'ice cream at a moments notice). . i blend banana with whatever fresh fruit is on hand (even veggies! like kale or broccoli) & water. that's it if i'm watching my coins & out of all the fancy toppings. otherwise i'll sprinkle in pea protein (@thesourcebulkfoods) but also sometimes just raw peas!! + always chia seeds + hemp seeds + a medjool date or 2 + oat milk if i'm super active that day (hi carbs! not scared! love energy) + the magic ingredient that conveniently turns all of my smoothies a very on-brand mermaid ----‍♀️ BLUE!!!! blue spirulina phycocyanin powder...aka blue-green algae that boosts immune system, increases metabolism, improves digestion, high in vitamin b & rich in PROTEIN. (Avail at @thesourcebulkfoods ) . As a vegan i'm always looking to feel FULL from plant proteins & this is a fav. Especially because it's an OCEAN plant! --------‍♀️ . BLEND it all up & top with toasted seeds. if you're trying to be cute, slice a banana or other fresh fruits on top and sprinkle some granola or toasted coconut flakes. . SO bloody delicious and heaps photogenic if you're trying to EAT FRESH & take food pics. you're welcome. . -- sorry i have only been sharing blue smoothie recipes I HAVE mermaid retreat starting tomorrow & i'll be cooking up a plastic-free STORM so you will witness some delights & this will probs inspire me to get back in the kitchen a bit after the retreat too -- Y U M

A post shared by Kate Nelson / mermaid (@plasticfreemermaid) on Jan 4, 2020 at 9:49pm PST

7. Kate Nelson

Kate Nelson uses the handle @plasticfreemermaid and has over 84K followers on Instagram. She gives lots of tips for sustainable living on her website blog at iquitplastics.com. The Aussie native influencer isn't just talking the talk. She has notably led a single-use plastics free lifestyle for an entire decade. Plus, her Instagram account features photos of her eco-friendly food purchases and visits to natural locales around the world with important messages like "plastic kills" while scuba diving.

 

Tesla's mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.--⚡----(a thread)

— Tesla (@Tesla) May 9, 2019

8. Elon Musk

Globally renowned tech billionaire Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX and the CEO of Tesla. He is aiming to make huge strides in the fight against climate change by launching reusable rockets into space, producing a fleet of self-driving cars, and building a high-speed low power transportation system called the Hyperloop.

The innovative corporate leader has already succeeded in sending reusable rocket parts to the International Space Station (ISS) with his Falcon rocket series. Ultimately, he aims to make space travel as convenient as air travel. Currently, @ElonMusk has over 30 million followers on Twitter.

 

Sad Christmas story. Under this 2017 Trump admin rule, a timber co. would not be responsible for killing partridges if it cut down pear trees. Even if it knew the partridges would die in the act. Here's what 2 years of this enviro rollback has wrought: https://t.co/576d5j4Lrm

— Lisa Friedman (@LFFriedman) December 24, 2019

9. Lisa Friedman

Lisa Friedman is a well-known climate change reporter for The New York Times. She covers climate and environmental policy in Washington in her expansive body of articles. She also travels around the world to raise awareness of climate-focused topics. Friedman reports on politically-driven climate change action and provides tips her readers can use to combat climate change at home. @LFFriedman has over 33K followers on Twitter.

COMMUNITIES UNITE // "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." – Aristotle. And it is during Australia's nationwide bushfires, amongst the loss, sadness, despair and anger, that we have also seen people and communities come together to help, support and shine the light for others. A huge thanks to all of you who have donated money, time, food and other essential products to support victims and their families, affected Aussie communities, firefighters and volunteers. And a huge thanks to @celestebarber who in just three days, using her fame and wide influence, and through her Facebook bushfire relief campaign, has managed to raise $19 million for @nswrfs. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now if you haven't donated to Australia's bushfire relief yet, please head on over to @nswrfs @cfavic @cfsfoundation @foodbankaus @redcrossau @salvosau @wireswildliferescue @portmacquariekoalahospital and @1300koalaz to donate and show your support, or click on the link in our bio and visit 'Bushfires' to access the proper links. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Looking for reliable information on how the bushfire situation is developing in specific regions in Australia to ensure that you and your family, friends and loved ones are safe from fire danger? Swipe up to 'Latest Articles' via #linkinbio. Stay safe everyone and let's keeping shining the light to help those who need it most. Photo: Ash Hogan--#australianbushfires #bushfirerelief #bushfiresaustralia #nswbushfires #ecowarriorprincess

A post shared by Media that matters. (@ecowarriorprincess) on Jan 4, 2020 at 5:52pm PST

10. Jennifer Nini

Jennifer Nini is the editor-in-chief and founder of Eco Warrior Princess, a website that is run by a team of eco-conscious writing and blogging "warriors." The passionate group covers multiple aspects of Zero Waste and sustainable living practices including eco-friendly fashion, beauty, wellness, and other lifestyle tips. As a brand, Eco Warrior Princess seeks to redefine "what it means to live green." The site currently has over 43K followers on Instagram.