Nicolasa Quintreman and her sister, Berta, led a decade-long battle against the construction of a dam on the Bio Bio River in south-central Chile. Nicolasa inspired her neighbors to peacefully occupy mountain roads and bridges to block construction equipment from reaching the site where the Endesa electricity company had planned to construct the dam. Although the Quintreman sisters and the Mapuche Indigenous community lost the fight against Endesa and were displaced to Alto Bio Bio, their struggle led the Chilean government to strengthen national environmental protections and laid the groundwork for the creation of a network of community organizers, indigenous leaders, politicians, scientists and lawyers that have blocked more than 20 environmentally damaging energy projects. Photo credit: twitter
