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Happy Earth Month!
The lead-up to Earth Day on April 22 is an ideal time to focus on conservation and climate action. Our planet’s environmental challenges can seem daunting, but progress is possible when individuals and communities come together to drive change. These three reminders give us hope for the future:
- Global action has solved environmental problems before: A new study recently confirmed that the Antarctic ozone layer is healing thanks to global efforts to reduce ozone-depleting substances.
- Resilience is key to stronger communities: One Earth recently profiled 10 cities that turned adversity into opportunity by rebuilding greener after climate catastrophes.
- Human ingenuity is boundless: Every day, innovators are working on creative solutions to the climate crisis, like these researchers who developed a new carbon-negative building material, the middle schoolers collecting scientific samples while skateboarding and surfing, and startup founders creating more sustainable packaging solutions — just to name a few.
In this month’s newsletter, you’ll find more stories of changemakers who are striving to make a difference for the planet all year round.
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Battling the "Forest Mafia" to Protect Nature
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Gabriel Paun is on a mission to save the forest ecosystem, dedicating his life to protecting nature. He founded Agent Green, a nongovernmental organization, in 2009 to raise awareness of environmental crimes and hasn’t stopped fighting since.
Much of Paun’s work has been centered in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains, which play an essential role in climate regulation and flood control, and are home to diverse wildlife, including brown bears, lynx, and wolves. Since its founding, Agent Green has filed hundreds of lawsuits to prevent illegal logging and has helped save tens of thousands of hectares of primary and old-growth forests.
Paun’s actions extend outside Romania to many corners of the world, where he has investigated and exposed trophy hunting, ivory trade, abused farmed animals, and illegal logging. His fearless efforts earned him recognition as a United Nations 2024 Champions of the Earth and serve as a powerful inspiration for other environmental defenders worldwide.
By striving to expose environmental crimes, Paun has become a target of what he calls the “forest mafia,” leading to physical assaults, cyber attacks, and death threats — but it hasn’t dampened his resolve.
“All the threats I've endured mean little or nothing to me,” he told UNEP. “I have to keep going because I cannot unlearn what I learned. And I learned that the planet is suffering and needs healing. If I stopped, then I would be morally dead. And to me, moral death is the most painful death of all.” |
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| Indigenous Entrepreneurs: An Untapped Impact Investing Opportunity |
| Indigenous entrepreneurs are among the most underfunded groups by philanthropists and investors, offering a vast untapped opportunity for socially conscious investors. Impact Entrepreneur recently spotlighted individuals and organizations striving to bridge the capital gap to help cultivate Native-owned startups that generate financial returns while promoting social justice, economic empowerment, and cultural revitalization. |
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Impact Fund Manager Landscape Continues to Grow
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| The latest edition of the ImpactAssets 50 shows that impact investing continues to garner attention. Updated annually, the free database offers an easy way to identify experienced and emerging impact fund managers. ImpactAssets reported that application volume has grown 250% since 2020, and 28% of 2025 applicants had never applied before — signaling higher interest than expected. |
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Entrepreneurs Investing in Ocean Conservation
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| Daniela Fernandez was a college freshman when she founded the Sustainable Ocean Alliance to mobilize young people around ocean health solutions. Since graduating, she has expanded the organization into a global platform to provide mentorship and funding to ocean entrepreneurs. It currently supports 64 startups and operates in 186 countries. The Alliance’s 2024 Class of “Ecopreneurs” included a range of startups led by diverse entrepreneurs, such as Phycolabs, which produces high-quality biofibers from seaweed, and Genevos, a maker of hydrogen fuel cell solutions for maritime transport. |
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| Female Founders Leading an Entrepreneurial Explosion |
Women-founded businesses comprise 39.2% of all enterprises in the United States and employ 12.9 million workers, according to Wells Fargo. While the majority of businesses in America are owned by men, the Wells Fargo data shows women started businesses and grew their revenue and headcount at a higher rate between 2019 and 2023.
This year’s Inc. Female Founders 500 list comprises remarkable women entrepreneurs like Kate Ryder, founder of Maven Clinic, and Patty Arvielo, co-founder and CEO of New American Funding, among many others. For more inspiring profiles, the Pioneers Post WISE100 recognizes the UK’s leading women in social enterprise, impact investment, and mission-driven business. |
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Kindness Endures
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| The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a “benevolence bump” that has persisted, according to the World Happiness Report. The annual survey found that generous acts, such as donating and volunteering, were still more than 10% above pre-pandemic levels in 2024. One particular act of kindness is still up by about 18% from the pre-pandemic era: helping strangers. Researchers hope that “we’ve now opened our eyes to the needs of other people and the emotional rewards we get from helping other people,” which could lead to lasting change. |
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