We often highlight the perils of global climate change in this blog.  But today is a day to celebrate the earth and those who have dedicated their lives to it's health. I have a personal hero: The New York City school system and my teachers at I.S. 44. The school sits on West 77th street, directly across the street from the Natural History Museum where my friends and I would hang out for lunch and where we took numerous field trips. Additionally, the City held a science fair every year where we presented our solar and energy projects where they were reviewed by ecological rock stars like Robert Redford. The school always found interesting ways to spark a passion for the environment in its students and they deserve to be recognized for that.

Treehugger has a great slideshow today to highlight 11 environmental heroes. On it's list are John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson, Gaylord Nelson, EF Schumacher, Chico Mendez, David Attenborough, David Suzuki, Paul Hawken, Wangari Maathai, and Al Gore.

Check it out.