The National Geographic "group of 33"

The April 2026 National Geographic Magazine includes a report "honoring a group of extraordinary people who are rising to meet the most critical challenges of our time, making meaningful progress and incredible breakthroughs . . . bold thinkers and problem solvers from across the globe . . . leading the charge for change." The article explains, the National Geographic Society was started by a group of 33 founders, in 1888, so this report identifies 33 "visionaries, icons, adventurers, and creators."

The article highlights projects and activities that are amazing to learn about, but no hotlinks are integrated to make it as easy as possible for readers to learn more. Here are my personal favorites, with links included to facilitate deeper learning and help replicate successes.

The first of 33 is Harrison Ford, the actor, who works with Conservation International as a champion of biodiversity. Among the others highlighted in the article are:

• Kira Hoffman is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia Centre for Wildfire Coexistence. She works with indigenous First Nations communities on "cultural burning . . . to improve ecosystem health and steward the land . . . [using] intentional fire setting [to] help renew damaged woodlands . . . also reduc[ing] the risk, impact, and rapid spread of today's megafires."
  

• Chido Govera is a mycologist -- studying mushrooms and fungiculture. She is a founder of the Future of Hope Foundation.
  

• Kai Lenny is a "waterman" from Hawaii, and is the youngest ever inductee to the Surfers' Hall of Fame. He is an ambassador for "anti-plastic crusaders A new Earth Project."
  

• Russell Westbrook, nine time National Basketball Association All-Star point-guard for the Sacramento Kings has been working to bring "the potential of emerging green technologies to lift up underserved communities." He partners with the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) to electrify the city's municipal and commercial vehicle fleets and install other clean-energy infrastructure. He founded the "Why Not? Foundation" to advance these goals.
  

• Cassandra Rauert, an analytical chemist at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science (QAEHS) in Brisbane, Australia, studies the effects of plastics on human health and ecological systems. Her studies of micro- and nano-plastics in humans show that people living in what is widely considered to be the so-called developed world "consume a credit card's weight in plastic every week. She and her team at QAEHS developed a plastics-free clean room for testing pastics. As National Geographic explains, they are open-sourcing the design, publishing their process and plans for institutions to replicate."
  

• Shailene Woodley is an actress, leading a wave of ocean protection. She is working on grassroots advocacy for the environment, and recently appeared in the PBS program, "Hope in the Water" (S1E3). The PBS series is part of a larger multi-year impact campaign led by the non-profit, Fed by Blue. The mission of Fed by Blue is to provide and inspire visionaries, thought leaders, ocean lovers, activists, early adopters, foodies, and consumers with the knowledge and materials to help protect and participate in a responsible blue food system.
  

• Titus Espedido Cañete is a marine biologist and emerging deep-sea ecologist from the Philippines, dedicated to making deep-sea research more accessible through local innovation and inclusive science. He received the National Geographic recognition by developing deep sea cameras that can be made from regionally available parts for $1,500 each, which is two orders of magnitude less expensive compared to previous options, thus helping to democratize local marine research. The cameras have already helped to document reefs and many of the species that depend on the reefs for their livelihood, "yielding data that will aid a push for new marine protected areas."
  

• Francis Kéré is an architect, originally from Burkina Faso in Africa, who is designing sustainable solutions, intending "to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption." He is focused on "building schools, clinics, libraries, and other structures across Africa . . . [using] local materials [and] creative techniques to keep buildings cool." The National Geographic writer says Kéré holds a "relentless commitment to community buy-in." His intention is to "build in ways that complement nature rather than fight against it." He is now expanding a training and research center in Africa with the goal of teaching people "how to build elegant, energy-efficient structures out of clay, wood, rock, adobe, and other vernacular materials."
  

• Benedetta Gori is a botanist and plant conservationish, with dual appointments at University of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy, and the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, in London, U.K. She researches the taxonomy, ecology and traditional uses of wild edible plants, especially on the islands of Sardinia and Corsica. She is collecting native plant seeds and studying their ecological responses to climate change. She is intent on shaping resilient ecosystems and cultural identities, and to inform future strategies for the preservation and sustainable use of plant resources.
  

• Carlton Ward, Jr. is a conservation photographer, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer. He founded the Florida Wildlife Corridor project in 2010 and created Wildpath, an organization dedicated to using storytelling to inspire the protection of wildlife corridors. Ward and Wildpath spearheaded the successful campaign for the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021 and, in partnership with National Geographic, launched the Connected Planet project in 2025 to accelerate the protection of wildlife corridors globally.
  

• Stella McCartney is an eco-conscious designer who champions sustainable fashion. McCartney co-founded a $200 million green fashion fund that supports start-ups developing responsible materials, like kelp-based yarn and leather made from spent wine grapes. In spring 2026, she debuts a new H&M line of fashions made with recycled fabrics. She partners with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to develop a circular-economy roadmap for textiles.
  

• Daniel Piedrahita has launched a seed-sharing initiative throughout Latin America, helping to return some of the 3,000-plus species in his orchid collection to areas affected by deforestation, wildfires, and flower poaching.
  

• Paulo Fanciulli is helping to restore ocean habitat for species threatened by overfishing and illegal trawlers that damage the seafloor.
  

• Idris and Sabrina Elba are spreading smart development practices, working towards training, education, and investment for Sherbo Island, off the coast of Sierra Leon in Africa, with the goal of achieving "a self-supporting 'eco-city' that incorporates both ecological sustainability and economic growth. They hope Sherbo Island can be a template for development projects across Africa. Their Elba Hope Foundation sopports this work. Last year, they initiated the Hope Power Project to bring remewable energy systems and internet access to the area.
  

• Lauren Eatwell is pioneering promising "Wind Wings" technology to help ocean-going cargo ships to use less fossil fuel.
  

• Margaret Wickens Pearce is a cartographer (map maker), working to generate maps of American rivers that represent indigenous knowledge and what the rivers were like before all of the various engineering projects sought to 'manage' or 'control' them. National Geographic explains, Margaret is "promoting a vision of an indigenized Mississippi with a series of large-scale map installations placed all along it. The project, which she calls Mississippi Dialogues, is a collaboration with tribal nations whose traditional territories include the river. . .." As Margaret says, "[M]apmaking is 'infinitely expandable and flexible.'" She wants to show people that mapmaking is "an entire world of possibility.”
  

• Alia Bhatt is an actor from Mumbai, who works on "animal and environmental welfare." Her film production company, Eternal Sunshine, and its new spin-off company Eternal Kids, both specialize in educational resources about ecology and habitat. Alia is also one of the founders of the Coexist Foundation, which works to expand education and collaboration on these efforts. She has also partnered with the "All Living Things Film Festival," to encourage others to share stories about these issues.
  

These leaders are helping solidify my own deep interests in solutions that exemplify state-of-the-art practices for: (a) appropriate and sustainable technologies for community-based food, energy, and water systems; (b) circular economies; ecological preservation, restoration, and regeneration; (c) community-based investment options in local-area wealth-building developments; and (d) nature-based solutions; stopping and reversing pollution associated with plastics production and use; and more.

Where are you finding your own inspirations for positive solutions?