Former Minister Dr. Monika Griefahn - short biography

Dr. Monika Griefahn was a founding member of Greenpeace Germany and Co-CEO (1980-1983). She organized campaigns against chemical pollution of rivers and oceans. She aimed then to find solutions for renewable energy and to develop innovative products against climate change.

From 1984-1990 she was the first female board member of Greenpeace International and responsible for trainings and founding new offices all over the world.

From 1990-1998 she was Minister of the Environment in the German state of Lower Saxony. She put her main emphasis on working for renewable energy and the phasing out of nuclear power. Additionally she developed the Ntional Park Harz and the Wadden Sea.

From 1998-2009 she was Member of Parliament in the German Bundestag. Her main responsibilities were in the sectors culture and media, digitalization and foreign policy.

In 2012 she founded the Institute media, environment, culture (IMUK) – a company with advisory services and educational occupation in the sustainability sector. Griefahn has been CEO of the Institute since.

From 2012 -2018 she was Chief Sustainability Officer at the cruise company AIDA (afterwards until 2021 at Costa Cruises). In that position she accompanied the company’s new alignment towards the use of LNG as alternative fuel in preparation of the future use of renewable fuel (Power-to-X).

Monika Griefahn is engaged in numerous voluntary commitments. A long-lasting commitment within the Right Livelihood Award Foundation (“Alternative Nobel Prize”) stands out. She also initiated as founding member the Cradle to Cradle NGO. Under the topic of energy supply, Monika Griefahn functions as chair/speaker of the eFuel Alliance.

— Monika Griefahn in 1000 characters —

Functions

Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion Mülheim-Ruhr

Member of the Board of Trustees

eFuel Alliance

Chair (since 2021)

Climate Forum Buchholz in der Nrodheide (south of Hamburg)

Chair of the Climate advisory council (since 2021)

Right Livelihood Award Foundation („Alternative Nobel Prize“)

One of the most recognized awards supporting a new approach to culture and empowerment. Monika Griefahn was board and jury member; an experience which uniquely qualifies her to have an international overview of how cultural innovation has been practiced. For more than 30 years she has been committed to the Foundation. Since 2021 she serves as co-chair of the Right Livellihood College (RLC).

Cradle to Cradle NGO

Founding member
Chair (2012-2019), chair of advisory board

B.A.U.M. – Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für umweltbewusstes Management
(organization for companies with sustainability principles)

Head of the advisory council
Sustainability advisory council

Hamburger Umweltinstitut (HUI) e.V (association for environmental studies)

Treasurer

Welthungerhilfe (World poverty and hunger relief)

Committee member

Stiftung Lebendige Stadt (Foundation for lively cities)

Member board of trustees

Giordano Bruno Stiftung

Member advisory council

World Forum for Ethics in Business

Member advisory council

European Environemnt Foundation

Member board of trustees

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Chamber of commerce Hamburg

Chair ot the environment committee (until 2020)

Nuclear-free Future Award

Jury member (until 2020)

UNESCO-Commission

Member (until 2020)

Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur (Foundation for digital gaming culture)

Chair of advisory committee (until 2016)

Kulturforum der Sozialdemokratie (cultural organization of the German Social Democratic Party)

Board member (until 2014)

Deutscher Evangelischer Kirchentag

Committee member (until 2014)

Festival des Umwelt- und Naturfilms „Ökofilmtour“ (educational organization for films on environment and nature)

Jury chair (until 2019)