Vision: Celebrities using their public image and power to draw attention to social issues. Action: Used most of the money he earned from the Nespresso commercials to fund a satellite surveillance program over Sudan to monitor war crimes. Clooney actively uses his celebrity status to care about something more than just “celebrity.” www.TakePart.com
Vision: A world where every individual has the courage and compassion to act and make a difference in their community. Action: Created an apparel brand to fund his vision, then established the Academy of Agents of Change – combining adventure learning and social entrepreneurship. Courage + Compassion = Agent of Change. www.LonesomeGeorge.net
Vision: Be an optimist. Focus on a few big goals that can help every person have a healthy, productive life. Action: Some of the projects the foundation funds will fail. Bill and Melinda Gates not only accept that, they expect it—because they think their essential role is to make bets on promising solutions that governments and businesses can’t afford to make. They adjust strategies and share the results so everyone can benefit. www.GatesFoundation.org
Vision: To show the impossible can be done. Action: Losing both legs at age five has not stopped West from reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and inspiring millions of people to overcome their challenges. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Free The Children – creating clean water programs in Kenya. He is the author of Standing Tall: My Journey. www.MeToWe.com
Vision: A more conscious way of doing business. Action: Mackey has devoted his career to helping shoppers satisfy their lifestyle needs with high- quality natural and organic foods. He cofounded the Conscious Capitalism Movement to challenge business leaders to rethink why their organizations exist, and to acknowledge their roles in the interdependent global marketplace. www.WholeFoodsMarket.com
Vision: Invest in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. Action: As a member of the board of Save The Children, Garner has deepened her commitment to issues affecting children, especially the fact that a child in poverty will be 18 months behind privileged kids by the age of four. It doesn’t take money to be a good mother, but is does take someone showing you what to do. www.SaveTheChildren.org
Vision: Foreseeing global opportunities and challenges in a globalized world. Action: Oversees global growth and economic stability at the world’s most powerful financing institution on behalf of 188 member countries. She works with developing nations to achieve stability and reduce poverty, and with developed nations to promote international trade. www.IMF.org
Vision: A society that nurtures tolerance and understanding among all people. Action: The Archbishop Emeritus has identified essential human values as the building blocks for sustainable peace: Love, hope, tolerance and courage. His role as a spiritual leader has transgressed all cultures and religions as he’s made the world aware of our shared humanity. www.Tutu.org
Vision: Solving the world’s energy problems through smart energy means, and solving social problems while you’re at it. Action: Ideas are a necessary first ingredient – and the bigger the idea, the better. He’s turning municipal sewage into usable methane gas, generating 40 million litres of ethanol fuel per year. www.GrowingPower.com
Vision: Using the power of markets and entrepreneurship to build peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of conflict. Action: Building peace involved promoting employment and higher profitability in countries with conflict. By founding luxury fashion brand Maiyet, he pioneered a new luxury by celebrating rare and artisanal skills from unexpected places. www.Maiyet.com
