As the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya van Rossum does whatever it takes to protect the river. That includes looking beyond its banks—and toward a greener and more equitable future nationwide.

By Kiley Bense

Clutching a sheaf of typed notes with one hand and the steering wheel of her electric car with the other, Maya van Rossum was driving west on I-276 and practicing the message she planned to deliver to Pennsylvania’s governor later that morning when she realized—belatedly—that she was going to need a cough drop. The plan for the protest depended on her ability to out-shout the governor’s microphone, derailing his speech, and now she couldn’t stop clearing her throat.