Barbara Brenner lived near an incinerator that was burning medical wastes. When it became clear that the smoke was making people sick, Brenner tried every channel to bring authorities' attention to the danger.

When none of them responded to her, she went to the state capitol and sat on the steps of the legislature for 10 weeks, holding a sign that read, 'An illegal incinerator is making our family sick.' Staying there day after day, talking to legislators and staffers, her two children at her side, Brenner got some attention, including an appointment with the governor.

Barbara Brenner spent several years and $12,000 of her own money fighting the company that owned the incinerator, getting them 21 citations, thousands of dollars in fines, and safety changes in their procedures.

The organization she founded, Safe Waste Management Now, then went to work on an initiative to ban the importation of medical waste into Whatcom County. Elected to serve on Bellingham City Council, she carried on the fight using her position as a government official.

Update: Barbara served on the Whatcom City council for 28 years, closing out her 7th four-year term in 2019.