Judy Bonds

Julia “Judy” Bonds is co-director for Coal River Mountain Watch. She is a coal miner’s daughter, granddaughter. She is an Appalachian American and her family has lived in the Coal River Valley in West Virginia for 10 generations.

Julia has been fighting for social and environmental justice for Appalachian coalfields since 1998. In 2003 she won the coveted Goldman Environmental Prize. The prize is awarded to one person from each continent and she was the North American winner. Julia is quick to say that this award speaks volumes about the “stereotype” of “ignorant hillbilly”. 

Since winning the award Julia and others at Coal River Mountain Watch has embarked on a road show to educate America about the clean water act and to educate and motivate Americans about where their electricity comes from and who pays the true price. Julia says that this road show also serves to dispel the Appalachia stereotype. 

Julia worked on safety issues on overweight coal trucks and is on the Governor’s Safety Committee for commercial trucks. She was named the “Earthmover Award” in GEO Magazine and on Organic Style Magazine’s Environmental Power list. She was recently featured in the Marsh issue of National Geographic, the first “green” issue of May’s Vanity Fair and in the July issue of O The Oprah Magazine. The O Magazine issue focused on tough West Virginian women. Julia was also in the April Earth Day edition of People Magazine that focused on Protectors of the Planet. Michelle Obama was also in the same-featured edition of a focus on the environment.