Reem Al Mealla is the first woman field marine biologist in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and one of the first Bahrainis regardless of gender to train as a marine biologist and receive both her Bachelor’s and PhD in marine science. She is the creator of Bnature, Bahrain’s first environmental online platform, and has previously served as the National Project Manager for the revision of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) project.

Accessibility is another core value that propels her work forward. Referring to herself as a “dollar tree vegan,” Crystal strives to communicate the message that healthy living can be done at a low cost. She connects people to resources in Baltimore where there are programs for people to get free, fresh produce or use their snap benefits for food. She says that she often won’t tell people she is a vegan upfront because she recognizes the complex relationship we all hold with food: “talking about food can be touchy, because people have cultural practices attached to food.” She is careful to use accessible language so that people can come to her with curiosity and discover for themselves what works.

“if you are just mentally understanding there is something that cuts off your deeper feeling and intuition and it is in that place where the ancestral Feminine lives, the unknown place.”

Barbara Hachipuka Banda is the founder of Natural Agriculture Development Program Zambia (NADPZ). Established in 2005 in partnership with SHUMEI International, NADPZ works with cooperatives of more than 6,000 women farmers in rural villages to develop natural agricultural techniques that promote food security, environmental restoration, and financial independence for farmers.