Catherine Coleman Flowers is an internationally recognized environmental activist, MacArthur 鈥済enius鈥� grant recipient and author. She has dedicated her life鈥檚 work to advocating for environmental justice, primarily equal access to clean water and functional sanitation for communities across the United States. Founder of the (CREEJ), Flowers has spent her career promoting equal access to clean water, air, sanitation and soil to reduce health and economic disparities in marginalized, rural communities. Flowers sits on the Board of Directors for the , the and , as well as serving as a Practitioner in Residence position at the . In 2021, her leadership and fervor in fighting for solutions to these issues led her to one of her most notable appointments yet 鈥� Vice Chair of the Biden Administration鈥檚 inaugural . In 2023, she was as one of TIME鈥檚 100 Most Influential People in the world and was on Forbes鈥� 50 Over 50 list. In 2025, she was the prestigious TIME Earth Award. Flowers is the author of the newly-released and . Holy Ground is an inspiring collection of unflinching essays, personal and political, that frames the challenges we face as a society and 鈥� with grace, generosity, and hope 鈥� charts the way toward equity, respect, and a brighter future. In Waste, Flowers shares her inspiring story of advocacy, from childhood to environmental justice champion, and discusses sanitation and its correlation with systemic class, racial, and geographic prejudice that affects people across the United States. Flowers and her work have been profiled by CBS鈥檚 60 Minutes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, PBS Newshour and more.
