Grassroots environmentalist 'heroes' honored

0 Comments | AFP, April, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — A Liberian man who uncovered evidence that warlord Charles Taylor pillaged forests to finance civil war was among six grassroots environmentalist "heroes" honored in San Francisco.

Silas Kpanan'Ayoung Siakor was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize along with Tarcisio Feitosa da Silva of Brazil, Yu Xiaogang of China, Anne Kajir of Papua New Guinea, Olya Melen of the Ukraine, and Craig Williams of the United States.

"There are many governments out there that could care less about the environment," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told a packed audience at an award ceremony in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.

"We have heroes out there who understand the squeaky wheel gets the grease and who put pressure on those...