Get to know the Penguin Lady

Bio

    Dyan deNapoli is a penguin expert, TED speaker, and author of the award-winning book, The Great Penguin Rescue. Dyan grew up near the ocean and has always had a deep passion for the sea and for animals. When she first learned about endangered species as a young child, she wanted to do something to help, but felt powerless to do so. She never dreamed that one day she would have the opportunity to do something tangible to help save a species.

    Many years later, while working as a Penguin Aquarist at Boston's New England Aquarium, Dyan was a member of the first team of penguin experts to fly to South Africa from the United States to help manage the rehabilitation of thousands of penguins that were oiled when a ship sank near their breeding grounds. Her participation in the dramatic rescue of 40,000 penguins from the Treasure oil spill was transformative and unforgettable. The experience was so powerful that she felt compelled to share the story by writing a book about it.

    Published by Simon & Schuster’s Free Press in 2010, The Great Penguin Rescue won a Silver Nautilus Book Award, was named a “Must-Read” Book in the Massachusetts Book Awards, and was selected as “One of the best Natural Science books of 2010” by Library Journal. The New York Post put it on their “Required Reading” list, calling it “an eco-thriller with a happy ending”.

    After working closely with penguins at the New England Aquarium for nine years, Dyan founded her company, The Penguin Lady, to teach audiences worldwide about the biology, behavior, and conservation of these unique seabirds. She has been interviewed on numerous radio and TV shows in the US and abroad, including CNN’s Situation Room, the BBC, CBC Canada and Sierra Club Radio. Dyan has been the guest lecturer on nature cruises to Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands and, since 1995, has taught approximately 250,000 people worldwide about penguins. Dyan’s mission is to raise awareness and funding to protect these engaging seabirds – to that end, she donates 20% of the proceeds from her book and from every appearance to penguin rescue groups.

The Founder of Think Beyond Plastic

An amazing story about this wonderful woman, got this from:

http://bestextraordinarypeople.wordpress.com

If you are a parent, would you feed your children plastic? “Of course not!” No parent would. But did you know we could be doing it inadvertently by allowing plastic to populate the world? Experts estimate that by 2050, we could be producing over one-trillion pounds of plastic each year, in accordance with today’s 4-5% rise in plastic production. How do we reverse our fate? Daniella Dimitrova Russo is doing what she can through “Think Beyond Plastics” and the “Plastic Pollution Coalition.”

Her work in the environmental field began after seeing a mother albatross feed her young with food from the Pacific Garbage Patch. It was a sorry scene; we are truly drowning in our own wastes. In the name of convenience, we are putting our children’s future at risk. Plastic particles are found in our oceans, ingested by our aquatic resources, and are polluting the food chain. Like the albatross, we don’t want our kids to be eating plastics. But do we have a choice?

THE “PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION”

Daniella explains the goal of the project they started in 2009:

“Our vision is a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment. Towards this goal, we work to eliminate disposable plastics, and reduce the planetary plastic footprint. This is only possible through the combined efforts of individuals, organizations and businesses, and so we have formed the Plastic Pollution Coalition to create a common goal. We all work to educate the public on the issues with plastic; to encourage policy-makers to support our efforts and also to provide long-term economic incentives to businesses that invest in alternatives to plastic; and to form a global, international alliance.” (SOURCE: 7×7)

The “Plastic Pollution Coalition” has partnered with organizations and businesses to realize sustainable ways of life without relying on plastic. With leaders joining them from around the world, the plastic problem is now being pushed towards the world’s top issues which demand immediate action. Since the 1950s, the plastic industry has experienced a steady boom and our production has increased by 10%, causing tremendous problems like flooding and pollution which are more pressing now than ever before.

“THINK BEYOND PLASTICS” AND THE “GMO-FREE MONTEREY COUNTY”

The first of Daniella’s initiatives was “Think Beyond Plastic,” an award-winning global organization. In 2009, “Think Beyond Plastic” won “Best 360 Campaign” at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. In the same year, she launched “GMO-Free Monterey County,” which is “dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of genetically-modified foods to the agricultural bounty of Monterey County. It incorporates a web site, numerous film screenings, a film festival and many other public events. Today, GMO-Free Monterey County collaborates with state-wide efforts to ban GMO crops, and to enforce labeling laws.” (SOURCE: Daniella Russo)

Feel free to support Daniella’s cause if you love your children and your planet.

Daniella Russo

Thanks to: www.thextraordinary.org/daniella-russo

WHY DANIELLA RUSSO IS EXTRAORDINARY

If you are a parent, would you feed your children plastic? “Of course not!” No parent would. But did you know we could be doing it inadvertently by allowing plastic to populate the world? Experts estimate that by 2050, we could be producing over one-trillion pounds of plastic each year, in accordance with today’s 4-5% rise in plastic production. How do we reverse our fate? Daniella Dimitrova Russo is doing what she can through “Think Beyond Plastics” and the “Plastic Pollution Coalition.”

Her work in the environmental field began after seeing a mother albatross feed her young with food from the Pacific Garbage Patch. It was a sorry scene; we are truly drowning in our own wastes. In the name of convenience, we are putting our children’s future at risk. Plastic particles are found in our oceans, ingested by our aquatic resources, and are polluting the food chain. Like the albatross, we don’t want our kids to be eating plastics. But do we have a choice?

THE “PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION”

Daniella explains the goal of the project they started in 2009:

"Our vision is a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment. Towards this goal, we work to eliminate disposable plastics, and reduce the planetary plastic footprint. This is only possible through the combined efforts of individuals, organizations and businesses, and so we have formed the Plastic Pollution Coalition to create a common goal. We all work to educate the public on the issues with plastic; to encourage policy-makers to support our efforts and also to provide long-term economic incentives to businesses that invest in alternatives to plastic; and to form a global, international alliance." (SOURCE: 7x7)

The “Plastic Pollution Coalition” has partnered with organizations and businesses to realize sustainable ways of life without relying on plastic. With leaders joining them from around the world, the plastic problem is now being pushed towards the world’s top issues which demand immediate action. Since the 1950s, the plastic industry has experienced a steady boom and our production has increased by 10%, causing tremendous problems like flooding and pollution which are more pressing now than ever before.

“THINK BEYOND PLASTICS” AND THE “GMO-FREE MONTEREY COUNTY”

The first of Daniella’s initiatives was “Think Beyond Plastic,” an award-winning global organization. In 2009, “Think Beyond Plastic” won “Best 360 Campaign” at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. In the same year, she launched “GMO-Free Monterey County,” which is "dedicated to raising awareness of the dangers of genetically-modified foods to the agricultural bounty of Monterey County. It incorporates a web site, numerous film screenings, a film festival and many other public events. Today, GMO-Free Monterey County collaborates with state-wide efforts to ban GMO crops, and to enforce labeling laws." (SOURCE: Daniella Russo)

Feel free to support Daniella’s cause if you love your children and your planet.

TOP REASONS WHY DANIELLA RUSSO IS EXTRAORDINARY

1. She founded “Think Beyond Plastic” in 2007.
2. In 2009, “Think Beyond Plastic” won “Best 360 Campaign” at the Jackson Hole Film Festival.
3. That same year, she co-founded another environmental organization, the “Plastic Pollution Coalition.”
4. She was a successful career woman before becoming an environmental activist.
5. She founded her own consultation company, “Mindzone,” in 1998.
6. She also launched a network for people on the go, called “Planetstop.”
7. She is the brains behind “GMO-Free Monterey County.”
8. She helped “Infoseek,” one of the first internet companies, take off.
9. She once worked for “Sun Microsystems.”
10. She's an esteemed speaker and proud mother of two.

Liya Kebede

Liya Kebede (born January 3, 1980) is an Ethiopian model who has appeared on the cover of US Vogue twice.  According to Forbes, Kebede was eleventh-highest-paid top model in the world

Kebede was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A film director spotted Kebede while she was attending Lycee Guebre Mariam and introduced her to a French modeling agent. After completing her studies, she moved to France to pursue work through a Parisian agency. Kebede later relocated to New York City. She has remarked that the modeling industry in Ethiopia is quite different from the catwalks on which she is now ubiquitous. In contrast, in Ethiopia she had to provide her own shoes for each runway show.

Kebede's big break came when Tom Ford asked her for an exclusive contract for his Gucci Fall/Winter 2000 fashion show. Kebede was a finalist in the Miss World supermodel contest and later established a place in fashion's elite by modeling on the New York, Milan, London and Paris runway circuit . Kebede's popularity in the fashion industry sky-rocketed when she appeared on the cover the May 2002 edition of Paris Vogue which dedicated the entire issue to her .

Kebede has been seen on the covers of Italian, Japanese, American, French and Spanish Vogue, V, Flair, i-D and Time's Style & Design. Kebede has been featured in ad campaigns including those for Gap, Yves Saint-Laurent, Victoria's Secret, Emanuel Ungaro, Tommy Hilfiger, Revlon, Dolce & Gabbana, Escada and Louis Vuitton. In 2003, Kebede was named the newest face of Estée Lauder cosmetics, the first Ethiopian to serve as their representative in the company's 57-year history. Her contract was rumoured to be for $3 million dollars .

Kebede is one of a very few African models featured in major fashion photo shoots and runway shows . According to Conor Kennedy, in 2003 a booker at Elite Model Management,

"It's like there's only room for one very successful black model at a time. For the past year it's been Kebede".

In 2005, Kebede was appointed as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. She also appeared in a group montage on a rare (as of recent years) group montage of up and coming supermodels.

In summer of 2006 she was also one of the very few non-white models to have been given a cover of American Vogue, the issue highlighted her humanitarian work.

In July 2007, earning at an estimated total of $2.5 million in the past 12 months, Forbes named her eleventh in the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels.

Kebede has also had minor roles in two films: The Good Shepherd and Lord of War.

In 2008, Kebede was featured on one of the four covers of Vogue Italia's all Black Issue.
Personal life

Kebede married Ethiopian hedge fund manager Kassy Kebede in 2000 and they have two children together; son Suhul (b. 2001) and daughter Raee (b. August 2005). As of 2007, the family resides in New York City.

Aside from being a mother of two, a model, an actor, a humanitarian and a goodwill ambassador, Kebede has also designed a children's-wear line that are made from Ethiopia. Kebede says she hopes this will part a sea of change for her home country. "It's wonderful to be able to donate and help people," she says.
Quotes

    "Honestly, I wish I could've lived in their time. They had so much fun." – Liya on the supermodel era, Vogue
    "Every day we hear about the dangers of cancer, heart disease and AIDS. But how many of us realize that, in much of the world, the act of giving life to a child is still the biggest killer of women of child-bearing age? That over half a million die every year? Or that 3 million babies are stillborn? Or that another 4 million die during the first days and weeks of life?" – during her acceptance of the 2005 UN Day Award.

The Co-Founder of WE CARE Solar

This is an inspirational story I got from: pageeasy.com/LauraStachelExtraordinaryPeople

 

WHY LAURA STACHEL IS EXTRAORDINARY
Dr. Laura Stachel was an OB-GYN in the San Francisco Bay Area for over seven years before a back injury forced her to give up the profession. But rather than cease to be a medical practitioner, she endeavored to join the public health industry. She went to Nigeria as a researcher, and came home a philanthropist; witnessing childbirth with no light but her very own flashlight changed Dr. Laura’s life.

LIGHTING CLINICS WITH THE “SOLAR SUITCASE”
Laura’s husband, Hal Aronson, helped her develop technology to address the lack of electricity in hospitals and clinics. Through their non-profit organization, “WE CARE Solar,” the couple has been able to make “Solar Light” available in 27 different countries. And, with the help of their partners, they hope to reach even the most remote areas where people still live in darkness.

The following are the Solar Suitcase’s key features:
• “Whole System Integration – The lighting appliances and power production components are delivered as one unit, designed for daily use.
• Safety – The sealed batteries can safely be stored inside health facilities; the low-voltage DC system avoids shock hazard and includes overcurrent protection.
• Low Maintenance – There are no fuses to replace, and no regular battery maintenance is required. Battery replacement is estimated to occur every 2 years.
• Durability – Our high quality components are designed for longevity, even in harsh environments.
• Simplicity – One switch turns on the system; another turns on lights and charges devices. The system is plug-and-play and can be installed without need for an experienced solar technician.
• Expandability – The 15 amp modular system is designed for expansion and can accommodate up to 200 watts of solar panels and a 140 amp-hour sealed battery.” (SOURCE: We Care Solar)

Laura has been named a Pop!Tech Fellow, Global Social Benefit Incubator Fellow, the “Our Bodies, Ourselves Women's Health Hero” and one of CNN’s “Top 10 2013 Heroes.” Her work has earned her the “Jefferson Award for Public Service,” the UC Berkeley Chancellor's “Award for Civic Engagement,” the “Global Social Venture Competition Social Impact Award,” the “MIT/DOE C3E Award for Energy, Education and Empowerment in the Developing World,” the “Oberlin Distinguished Alumni Award” and the “UN Association of the East Bay Global Citizens Award.”

We all can learn from Laura's story. Here's what she has to say:
“Be willing to be a consummate learner. Although I knew NOTHING about solar electricity when I started my organization, I was willing to learn. And now, when I travel the world teaching midwives and doctors about solar electricity for their health center, I can say, “If I could learn this…so can you!” (SOURCE: Maria Shriver)

TOP REASONS WHY LAURA STACHEL IS EXTRAORDINARY
1. She co-founded “WE CARE Solar” with her husband.
2. Since 2009, their “Solar Suitcases” have helped thousands of patients in 27 countries.
3. She was named a Pop!Tech Fellow, a Global Social Benefit Incubator Fellow, the “Our Bodies, Ourselves Women's Health Hero” and one of CNN’s “Top 10 2013 Heroes.”
4. She was one of three winners of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s “Half the Sky” contest.
5. She is a recipient of the “Jefferson Award for Public Service,” the UC Berkeley Chancellor's “Award for Civic Engagement,” the “Global Social Venture Competition Social Impact Award,” the “MIT/DOE C3E Award for Energy, Education and Empowerment in the Developing World,” the “Oberlin Distinguished Alumni Award” and the “UN Association of the East Bay, Global Citizens Award.”
6. She served as Associate Director of West African Emergency Obstetric Research for the Bixby Center.
7. She has lectured at the UCB School of Public Health.
8. She won a $25,000 grant from Isha Koach (Women of Strength).
9. She is now an esteemed speaker and an inspiration for philanthropists worldwide.

 

Marlice Van Vuuren - Extraordinary People Changing the Game

Thanks to www.thextraordinary.org/marlice-van-vuuren

WHY MARLICE VAN VUUREN IS EXTRAORDINARY

Marlice van Vuuren has the looks of a model. Google-ing her would give you the impression that she was a celebrity before she became a conservationist, but further reading belies that notion. Marlice has been a woman of the wildlife ever since she was a kid; it’s her love for animals that catapulted her to celebrity status. Angelina Jolie discovered her wildlife sanctuary when she filmed “Beyond Borders” in 2002. She fell in love with the place, and even gave birth to her child, Shiloh, in Namibia.

FOUNDING THE “NAANKUSE FOUNDATION”

The Naankuse Foundation was established by Marlice and her husband, Rudie van Vuuren, in 2006. They focus on:

• A Lifeline Clinic which provides free primary healthcare and an ambulance service to the San community in Epukiro, in rural east Namibia. On average around 3,500 patients are seen each year, 84% of whom are San with 45% being children (a quarter of whom are under 5 years old). This is a vital service for this remote marginalised community.
• The Clever Cubs Pre-primary school which provides education to 11 children and support to a further 16 children who are in mainstream schools in Windhoek. These children are all family members of our employees and largely from the San community.
• Employment on all our sites for the San community.
• A wildlife sanctuary that rescues and rehabilitates orphaned or injured animals. Where possible we re-release these animals. If release is not possible we provide a loving home for these ambassador animals who help us to teach people about conservation.
• A carnivore research project which provides consultancies to farmers and landowners and advises them on issues of carnivore conflict mitigation. (SOURCE: TFWA)

MARLICE - A VISION FOR AFRICA

In 2008, Philip Selkirk discovered Marlice’s and Rudie’s work, and was taken by Marlice’s personal struggles in achieving her goals. The documentary “Marlice – A Vision for Africa” tells her captivating story, from tending to her animals at the sanctuary to living a harmonious life with the San Community.

But even with help from the Jolie-Pitt Foundation and other partners, the couple still wants to do so much more. They are hoping to protect more animals and are looking into expanding their sanctuary so that wild lions, tigers, hyenas and cheetahs can roam freely and co-exist. Indeed, Marlice is a true-blue African.

TOP REASONS WHY MARLICE VAN VUUREN IS EXTRAORDINARY

1. She co-founded the “N/a’an ku sê (Naankuse) Lifeline Clinic” with her husband, Rudie, and two other partners.
2. She and her husband started “N/a’an ku sê Foundation” with the help of donors.
3. Angelina Jolie is an international patron of their sanctuary.
4. She started “N/a’an ku sê's Carnivore Research Project” with her husband.
5. She opened “Clever Cubs School” with her husband and the help of Clabile Trust.
6. She was featured in an ad for Volkswagen with her pet cheetah, “Lucky.”
7. Naankuse received the “International Health Promotion Award” (awarded first place in the prestigious Community Health Awards).
8. She worked with Angelina Jolie on the film set of “Beyond Borders” by providing them with vultures from her sanctuary.
9. She is one of the few white people who can speak the Bushman language fluently.
10. A documentary of her life, “Marlice - A Vision for Africa,” was released in 2008.

Jimmy Wales

 

Jimmy Donal Wales is an internet entrepreneur the co-founder of Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that runs with an open management style. Times magazine named him in their list of ‘The 100 Most Influential People in the World’ in 2006.

Wales was born on 7th August 1966 in Huntsville, Alabama. He had a keen interest in general knowledge since he was a child. He accredits the Montessori Method of his schools education that was to spend a lot of time reading the Britannica’s and the World Book Encyclopedias. Wales went to Randolph School where he graduated at 16. He then enrolled in Auburn University to gain his bachelor’s degree. He received his master’s degree from University of Alabama. Jimmy Wales landed a job with Chicago Options Associates, a trading firm in Illinois. He recalls himself as being completely addicted to the internet. He even wrote computer codes as a leisure activity. Wales got inspired from Netscape’s outstanding public offering in 1995 and thus left the territory of financial trading to become an internet entrepreneur. The next year he ventured into a web portal named ‘Bomis’ that featured webrings generated by the users and erotic pictures. This however did not prove to be very successful. Although this project was not as fruitful as Wales had expected, it encouraged him to begin another endeavor, one that was also his passion; an online encyclopedia. He started ‘Nupedia’ in 2000 with Larry Sanger, a PhD student at Ohio State University, as its editor-in-chief. In 2001 an extreme programming expert, Ben Kovitz introduced the wiki concept to Wales. The main writing experts of Nupedia were not very interested in this idea because they believed it would harm the credibility of the encyclopedia.

Sanger and Wales both believed in this project thus they initiated it from another domain. Wales hoped that this would start the knowledge building that he had always wanted. Fortunately for the duo, the website had more articles than Nupedia in just a few days. Wales feared the fact that anyone could add whatever they wanted so much so that it had him awake at nights. However, the team of editors made sure that robust and good quality content was being added to the encyclopedia. There was some controversy between Wales and Sanger as Wales claimed to be the sole founder of the website. In 2003 Wales established the Wikimedia Foundation (a non-profit organization) in St. Petersburg, Florida. This was done in order to support the Wikipedia project along with other sister projects.

Jimmy Wales was listed in Time 100 ‘Scientists and Thinkers’ section in 2006. Forbes named him as one of ‘The Web Celeb 25’ and as one of the ‘Young Global Leaders’ in 2007. He has been honored with the ‘Pioneer Award’ and the ‘Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize’ in 2011. He has received other awards such as the ‘2009 Nokia Foundation’ annual award, the ‘Business Process’ award and ‘the 2008 Global Brand Icon of the Year Award’. He has also been awarded honorary degrees from Stevenson University, Amherst College, Knox College, MIREA University in Russia and Universidad Empresarial Siglo 21 of Argentina.

Tristram Stuart the Extraordinary Freegan

Got this inspirational story from: http://finestextraordinarypeople.weebly.com

Why Tristram Stuart is Extraordinary
Unknowingly, we could be biting off more than what we can chew. In some cases, we don’t even get to touch the food we buy; we buy more than what we need and inadvertently waste resources. Some may think, “so what? It’s my money, anyway.” But it’s not even about money. It’s about being a responsible consumer. That’s what Tristram wants people to understand, especially those from first-world countries where food supply exists on a magnanimous scale.

Being a “Freegan” and “Feeding the 5,000” Tristram became a freegan in his younger years after he ate a type of organic bread with sun-dried tomatoes. That bread was common trash in his garbage collection routines around the neighborhood; he used to feed it to his pigs until he decided to try it one day, straight from the garbage can. Upon realizing that it tasted better than the bread he bought fresh, his eyes were opened to a shocking reality: people are actually throwing away perfectly-edible food. Why is that?

According to him, capitalists have a hand in the way consumers behave. As they feed a buying frenzy, consumers keep buying and end up throwing a lot of excess away; the same is true for grocery stores and restaurants. International trade policy, also, is not helping. Farmers tend to lose a lot of money due to the aesthetic standards enforced on the market; bananas that are too small are left to rot, and vegetables with even little dirt on them are thrown away. Taken collectively, this comprises a good part of the food waste and food loss that we now experience.

To help mitigate this problem, Tristram started the “Feeding the 5,000” initiative. From the food that freegans took out of bins, they cooked delicious lunch. How much food we waste and lose contributes to the warming of the planet. If we don’t dispose of it properly using sustainable procedures, like feeding excess food to animals, it will continue to emit carbon dioxide as it decomposes. Also, animal feeds are now mostly procured from soy and grains. We denude forests to plant food for our livestock! As consumers, we should only buy the things we truly need. Then, the international trade system should also discourage food waste by easing up on the physical aspect of the produce.

How long will Tristram be a freegan? Well, he says he will be as long as he sees food wasted. So, try to finish your food, because that very act has an indirect effect on the hungry population of the planet.

Top Reasons why Tristram Stuart is Extraordinary

1. He is the author of three books: “The Bloodless Revolution: Radical Vegetarians and the Discovery of India,” “The Bloodless Revolution: A Cultural History of Vegetarianism From 1600 to Modern Times,” and “Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal.”
2. He is the proponent of the “Feeding the 5,000” initiative.
3. He is a “freegan.”
4. His book, “Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal,” won the “IACP Cookbook Award for Literary Food Writing.”
5. He participated in the “We are Fed Up!” demonstrations.
6. He won the international environmental award “The Sophie Prize.”
7. He won the “Observer Food Monthly Outstanding Contribution Award.”
8. He presented a TEDx talk entitled “The Global Food Waste Scandal.”
9. He won the “Betha Wolferstan Rylands prize.”
10. He won the “Graham Storey prize.”