Etelle Higonnet

Etelle Higonnet is a Yale-trained lawyer, environmental advocate, and human rights defender whose career spans war zones, rainforests, courtrooms, and global campaigns.

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Hosted by

Hilmarie Hutchison

Etelle Higonnet

Environmental Activist and Founder of Coffee Watch

Etelle Higonnet is a Yale-trained lawyer, environmental advocate, and human rights defender whose career spans war zones, rainforests, courtrooms, and global campaigns. She has worked with Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Mighty Earth, and the National Wildlife Federation, leading initiatives that tackle deforestation, climate change, and modern slavery.

Fluent in multiple languages and honored by the French government, Etelle brings a rare combination of legal expertise, grassroots activism, and international diplomacy to her work. Today, as founder of Coffee Watch, she is taking on one of the world’s most beloved commodities, exposing the deforestation, poverty, slavery, and human rights abuses hidden in global coffee supply chains—and pushing for a more just and sustainable industry.

About this Episode

In this courageous and eye-opening episode of The Matrix Green Pill Podcast, host Hilmarie Hutchison speaks with Etelle Higonnet about her lifelong fight for justice—bridging human rights and environmental activism in some of the world’s toughest arenas.

Etelle recounts her early days in Guatemala, where she witnessed firsthand the dangers faced by human rights defenders during a fragile peace process. She shares the inspiration behind her book Quiet Genocide, her experiences working on war crimes tribunals, and why she believes we cannot have human rights on a dead planet.

The conversation dives deep into the dark side of coffee production—child labor, forced labor, gender-based violence, and massive deforestation—and how Coffee Watch is mobilizing legal action, petitions, and global consumer awareness to transform the industry. Etelle explains how everyday choices, from signing petitions to buying ethical coffee, can create ripple effects powerful enough to change corporations and protect both people and the planet.

From stories of personal resilience to bold visions of transforming agriculture and even the aviation industry, Etelle’s journey is a call to action for all of us: justice and sustainability are inseparable, and every voice matters in building a fairer world.

“My dream is to hit the aviation industry and transform aviation. That would be my next dream.”

Etelle Higonnet

“I’ve got to make sure the rest of my life goes towards fighting climate change and the human rights violations that are associated with it.”
Etelle Higonnet

Show highlights

Every little bit matters. Every good thing you can do for people and the planet is a gem.-Etelle Higonnet Click To Tweet

“The coffee industry has become so great and now they’re like doing regenerative agroforestry and paying people living income and we love them.”

Etelle Higonnet

“Spreading the word about the problems and the solutions means that you’re an ambassador for good coffee. So, signing petitions kind of makes you a coffee ninja for justice, hosting screenings kind of makes you an ambassador for the truth about coffee.”

Etelle Higonnet