Laurie Benenson
Michelle Bexelius
Gay Browne
Sarah Crigler
Phyllis Deering
Natalie Geary, M.D.
Wendy Gordon
Charlotte Gray Hudson
Mary Isakson
CJ Kettler
Kimberly Danek Pinkson
Janet Freisen Rienstra
Elizabeth Rogers
Tiffany Washko

Laurie Benenson
My name is Laurie Benenson, and I've been a rabid -- okay, make that staunch -- champion of the environment for many years -- at least since the first time I hiked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in 1983. I live in Santa Monica, California, with my husband Bill, my 15-year-old daughter Amanda, and our poodle, Poet. I've been a journalist for most of my professional life; in 1985 I started Movieline Magazine (now known as Hollywood Life), and I wrote for the New York Times Arts & Leisure Section for six years about film and television.

My first serious engagement with environmental issues came about 16 years ago, when Bill and I became involved with a company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, called Seeds of Change. Its mission was to grow a broad array of fruits and vegetables in pristine organic conditions, using heirloom seeds, and then harvest and sell the seeds to gardeners. It was Seeds of Change that exposed us to the critical importance of biodiversity and sustainability.

My "Eureka" moment came when I realized that the environment is not something that's "out there." WE ARE THE ENVIRONMENT. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat -- that's all the environment. There's no line dividing us from the environment. The environment permeates every cell in our bodies.

I've pursued my passion for environmental issues by becoming involved with a number of organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation International, Rainforest Action Network, Tree People, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Bioneers, among many others. My work with all these groups has nurtured my mind and satisfied my soul in ways I can't even begin to count.

Michelle Bexelius
I am a designer and the co-founder of GreenThisLife.com (formerly VerdeZone.com). During the tech boom in San Francisco, I worked on cutting-edge multimedia design projects for several high-profile software companies. Realizing the importance of raising two children with my husband in a world with environmental challenges, I became an advocate for shifting toward a more conscious lifestyle conveniently, and I continue to spread the word with a sophisticated twist.

Along with developing the new site GreenThisLife.com, I am an eco-consultant for businesses, restaurants, schools and homes in the Santa Barbara area. I educate my clients about the important steps they can take to make simple shifts towards a greener lifestyle. Every day I encounter something of merit that I am eager to share so people can make their choices wisely and effectively. I look forward to helping people shift into this new mode of living. It's exciting. It's important.

Gay Browne
After working in advertising and marketing with Travel and Leisure Magazine and the LA Times, in 1997 I began my most challenging and rewarding job of all -- a stay-at-home mother of three. But I consider it my life's work to help people lead healthier lives in an increasingly toxic world.

After my first child was diagnosed with autistic related learning issues I became concerned with the effects a home filled with toxins and synthetic materials would have on my children. My family and I took action, remodeling our home to make it as environmentally friendly as possible without sacrificing quality, aesthetics or efficiency. As a result, we built and lived in the first green home in the Pacific Palisades, a trend that is now growing.

In 2005 I founded the Green Media Group, with the goal of making it easier for consumers to create change through small decisions in their everyday lives. I really wanted to convince people that it's easy to make a smooth transition to green living. It doesn't have to be extreme. Even small things make a big difference.

With the belief and support of my husband Tony, I created Greenopia: the urban dweller's guide to green living, available in print and on the web (greenopia.com). With exhaustively researched, non-paid listings, Greenopia presents consumers with a range of green businesses, services and organizations in their cities. Greenopia creates a unique, easy-to-understand Green Leaf award system that highlights the level of organic and sustainable products that a company uses or sells. We're planning additional city roll-outs, and an expanded web presence that guides people to green on a personal and local level, every day.

Natalie Geary, MD
I began my studies in health and medicine as a medical Anthropolgy major at Harvard University, and completed my thesis on Ayurvedic medicine, the ancient healing practices of India. After working in Mumbai at a cance hospital, I decided I wanted to go to western medical school and completed my MD Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to work with children and I completed my residency in Pediatrics at New York University/Bellevue Hospital. Dyring my training I had two beautiful daughters and firmly believe that I learned as much about pediatrics from being a mother as I did from my residency training. After finishing my residency, I joined NYU's premier private practice before moving to Santa Fe with my family.

In Santa Fe, I not only worked in a large pediatric practice but also founded a non-profit organization, ONCALL4KIDS, dedicated to children in need. I was lucky enough to be given opportunities to work in Africa, India, and Indonesia promoting children's health. I had my children with me during this work, and learned on the job how to integrate western and alternative medical practices with my own family. I returned to New York and opened myown private practice in 2000. I continue to study holistic medicine and Ayurvedic therapies.

My private practice, Private Pediatric Consulting, LLC. integrates traditional pediatric care, nutrition, allergy and wellness work. I participate in lecture series and write extensively for both schools and the media. I am currently working on a textbook on allergy, nutrition and cleansing/soothing diets for children.

Dr. Natalie Geary is a Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics and sits on the Committees of International Health, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Adolescent Health. She is on the Health Committee of the International Rescue Committee, the Children's AID Society and holds academic positions at NYU, Columbia and Mt. Sinai Hospitals in New York.

Charlotte Gray Hudson
Although I am an environmentalist, I don't consider myself outside the mainstream. I just try to live in a way that I think is responsible, and some days I do a better job than others.

In college, I studied biology, and instead of going pre-med, I focused on how things work in nature. I originally wanted to study tropical rainforests, but by the time I made it to graduate school, I had turned my attention to oceans. During graduate school, I studied marine mammals (dolphins, mainly) and their interactions with fishing boats and fishing nets (which is usually not a positive one for the dolphin, because they get caught in nets and drown). The oceans may seem vast, but humans have taken a large toll on this amazing resource.

After graduate school, I worked for the Ocean Law Project, a non-profit organization that ensured that the federal government followed marine conservation laws. I went on to serve as the senior wildlife scientist for Oceana, an international marine conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the world's oceans, where I worked to promote the conservation of marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds. During these years I worked with fishermen and other scientists to try to make the oceans a sustainable resource and a healthy place for wildlife.

Today, I work for the Lenfest Ocean Program, based at the Pew Charitable Trusts. My job is to identify current and future environmental threats to the oceans and to ensure that scientific research is being done to help identify the best solutions to those threats. So, basically, I give out money for marine conservation research and work to make sure that once the research is completed, the policy-makers have the information they need to make good decisions.

But, most importantly, I have a wonderful husband and an adorable 9 month old little boy.

Mary Isakson
I live in Manhattan with my husband, our two daughters, and three cats. Gardening, swimming, and bicycling are some of my favorite pastimes. For most of the past twenty-four years I have worked fulltime in reinsurance. When my daughters were young I took a seven-year hiatus from the office and worked part time teaching swimming. Upon my return to fulltime employment, I pursued my passion for swimming at our local pool and nearby beaches. A year later I waded into a new swimming environment - under the auspices of the Manhattan Island Foundation I began swimming in the Hudson River. I participated in three events in the past four years, and am enrolled in another a few weeks from now. I love the unique perspective provided by swimming in the water surrounding Manhattan and am mindful that continuing support for a clean river and accessible shoreline make this experience possible.

Kimberly Danek Pinkson
Shortly after the birth of my son Corbin, I was up in the middle of the night nursing feeling - like many new mothers - tired, overwhelmed, cold and likely, a little hormonal as well. It was snowing outside and tears rolled down my cheeks. Suddenly though, I had an image of all the other moms around the world doing the exact same thing as me, at that exact same moment: sustaining life. The loneliness disappeared, replaced by images of mothers, all over the world, feeding their babies. I realized I had joined a sorority of women. Years later, the images would reappear when I was inspired to found the EcoMom Alliance.

As a longtime social entrepreneur and professional dancer, I have worked across a myriad of industries in production, editorial, marketing, cross cultural communications and health and wellness and it has all been deeply imbued with the principles of Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS). A UCLA and University of Hawaii Phi Kappa Phi honors scholar, co-founder of two youth outreach dance companies and the producer of countless events, tours and fundraisers, I have never been scared of start up, but thinking about what kind of environmental and social legacy we would leave our kids if things did not change scared the heck out of me, so I founded the EcoMom Alliance to inspire and empower mothers to help create a sustainable future. As a frequent keynote speaker and media guest I am touched every day by the power we mothers hold not only as a powerful market force, but as role models for the next generation. As a woman and mother, this is a sorority of which I am proud to be a part.

Janet Rienstra-Friesen
I was born in St. Louis, Missouri and moved eleven times (including stints in Belgium, France, Holland and Canada) before the age of nine. I hold a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California and later founded Meta Station, a label dedicated to world, spiritual and eclectic music. I have worked with legendary music/producer Bill Laswell along with other music heavyweights such as Pharoah Sanders, Buckethead, Sussan Deyhim, Jah Wobble, as well as Mike D of the Beastie Boys and Zakir Hussain.

Elizabeth Rogers
I am the co-author of The Green Book: The Everyday Guide for Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time, which is a simple resource guide written for the everyday person, just like myself, that shows the power in simple shift of habit. As a single working mother, I have always tried to create jobs for myself that first accommodate the schedule of motherhood and second interest me. The inspiration for the book came from MTV's eco-friendly show Trippin' that I created and produced with my friend Cameron Diaz.

The idea for the show grew from a trip we took to Belize with the NRDC where we conceptualized a show specifically targeting the MTV audience, geared to inspire young adults to not only fall in love with the planet but to inspire a "shift of habit" to empower the everyday person, in everyday life, to help save the planet. I am most excited when I can make environmental choices most user friendly. I am currently an environmental consultant and I live with my son in Venice California.

Tiffany Washko
I am a free lance writer from small town Ohio and a "green" mom to three wonderful kids, six and under. One of my biggest concerns is the state of the environment and making sure that family lives with a light ecological footprint. We try to maintain a sustainable home with green products that have minimal impact on Mother Earth. To that end I maintains several web sites and blogs that address environmental issues and help to bring awareness to a group of people beyond my own community. I enjoy all things related to natural living, and my interests include organic and local cooking, natural health, travel, yoga, water aerobics, hiking, and meeting like minded people. In a previous life I was a marketing and advertising executive working in a major metropolitan city until my love all things "green" brought me to the Midwest and a more natural family life.