Presented by the International Peace Bureau in collaboration with the Eight Billion Podcast, this series celebrates the wisdom, vision, and transformative power of women working across the globe to create a more peaceful, just, and sustainable future.
Women from diverse backgrounds have long been at the forefront of positive change. As pillars of peacebuilding and transformation, their impact transcends generations. Through activism, the arts, community leadership, and cultural preservation, women continue to inspire movements for justice and shape societies through creative expression.
Episode 1: From Fabric to Flags: Runa Ray’s Global Call for Peace, Sustainability & the Power of Women
Fashion environmentalist and peace advocate Runa Ray joins host Liza Florida to explore how textiles, activism, and spirituality can transform global narratives. From her childhood in Bangalore to presenting her work at the UN, Runa shares a visionary journey that turns garments into peace offerings and seaweed into sustainable innovation.
Key Topics Covered:
The Seeds of Imagination:
Runa’s early love of books, classic literature, and adventure stories — and how her introverted childhood shaped her creative path.
A Mother’s Influence:
The pivotal role Runa’s mother played in encouraging her to pursue fashion instead of medicine — and how that decision led to awards, honors, and a scholarship to Paris.
Environmental Innovation through Fashion:
How Runa’s research into seaweed-based dyeing techniques and her discovery of invasive algae led to groundbreaking biomaterials that conserve water and protect marine life.
Social Justice for Seaweed Divers:
A sobering look into the lives of indigenous women divers in India, their fight against ocean privatization, and how Runa’s work sheds light on environmental and gender justice.
Textiles and Geopolitics:
Runa explains how the garments we wear — and the water-intensive fashion industry — are deeply tied to global conflict over shared water resources, particularly in nuclear-armed nations.
The Global Peace Flag Project:
A breathtaking initiative turning discarded cotton prototypes into canvases for peace commitments from around the world — exhibited at the United Nations, and soon the Vatican.
Threads of Peace at the White House:
An invitation to engage Runa’s event that took place on May 24 in Washington, D.C., featuring fashion for peace, global speakers, and her activism in action.
“It always starts with curiosity and ends with compassion.”
“As women, our strength lies in weaving love and intention into everything we create.”
“Why do we need to kill people to find peace? That makes no sense.” – Runa Ray
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Upcoming Global Peace Flag Exhibition
United Nations Visitors Center, NYC | September 2025
Walk through real commitments to peace from around the world
Together, let us honor the women weaving peace and creativity into the fabric of our global.