Thursday, April 23, 2009

Focus Earth Special Episode: Six People Saving Our Planet

ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff hosts Planet Green's Focus Earth featuring green news and events.

In this special hour-long edition of Focus Earth, the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning anchor takes you across the globe to meet six courageous heroes fighting on the frontlines for our planet's environmental survival.

From the villages of Kenya where lives are being saved "one seed" at a time ...to the cities of China where one American boy hopes to change a nation...to American "Main Street", where a corporate maverick is helping usher in new sustainable ways of doing business. These six innovators are harnessing the wind, and exploring the depths of our oceans...each with a brave mission of change, a unique message of hope, and a vision of how we can protect our planet. You'll meet them, and, at the end, find out which of these inspirational people has the most powerful impact of all on our planet.

Six People Saving Our Planet


Dr. Wangari Maathai
A recipient of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Maathai is a former member of parliament and founder of the Green Belt Movement. Her organization has planted more than 40 million trees in Kenya, earning her the name "Tree woman of Africa."

Find out more in this online clip from Focus Earth.

Philippe Cousteau
Phillipe Cousteau is working to carry on his families legacy of dedicated ocean conservation. His organization, Earth Eco International, works to build awareness and direct action to protect the ocean's most threatened species.

Learn more about this ambassador of the oceans in this online clip.

Adam Werbach
At one time, Adam Werbach was the youngest-ever president of the Sierra Club. Then, in front of more than 250 people, he announced "I'm done calling myself an environmentalist." The crowd was shocked until they learned that Werbach was not forsaking the movement, but offering a new approach. One that lets go of politics and embraces the personal.

Get the full story on this corporate renegade in this online clip.

Taylor Francis
Taylor Francis may only be 16 years old, but that has not stopped him from presenting his Al Gore-inspired presentation on climate change to more than 10,000 people around the country. Recently, he visited China to help high school students there get the word out about their country's role in the climate change dilemma.

Find out more in this online clip.

Soren Hermansen
Soren Hermansen, a teacher at the Samso Energy Academy in Denmark, helped his small town ween itself off of fossil fuels. Just over a decade later he has led his country to become the largest producer of wind turbines in the world.

Learn more about this wind-energy pioneer in this online clip.

You!
When it comes to stopping global warming, slowing climate change, or taking charge on any eco-initiative, there is no one more important than you. Changing our individual habits is the first step to solving global problems.

See what people just like you are doing to help save the planet in this online clip.

Check the Planet Green Schedule to find this special Earth Week episode of Focus Earth.