Marina Silva (born in Acre (Acre (state)) on February 8, 1958) is a Brazilian environmentalist and politician. She was a colleague of Chico Mendes. She was a member of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers Party (Brazil)) until August 19th, 2009 and served as a senator before becoming environmental minister in 2003. In 1996, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for South & Central America. In 2007, the United Nations Environment Program named her a "Champion of the Earth" and the 2009 Sophie Prize.