ECO-HEROES

Presented each year at the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival to Canadian and International individuals whose work has had significant impact on raising awareness of environmental issues through artistic expression.

Planet in Focus Eco-Hero Awards are generously sponsored by: 

Esri Canada 2019
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Dr. MELISSA LEM

2024 Canadian Eco-Hero

Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation, and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, she is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health. She has also engaged in advocacy and policy work on a broad range of other issues, from extreme heat and hydraulic fracturing to sustainable health care and low-carbon transportation.

A widely published writer, her work has appeared in media including the CBC, Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, The Narwhal and National Observer. As a climate change panellist on CBC Radio’s Early Edition, in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation. She is currently a co-investigator and advisor on two international nature prescription research projects (PANDA and RESONATE) with total funding of $10M+.

Dr. Lem was the inaugural winner of University College’s Young Alumni of Influence Award at the University of Toronto, recipient of a 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction Award and 2022 Adult Nature Inspiration Award from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and sits on the Advisory Committee of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Health and Well-being Specialist Group.

Join us on Opening Night – Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30pm for the Eco-Hero Presentation followed by the Canadian premiere of MADE IN ETHIOPIA.

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KARISHMA PORWAL

2024 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

Karishma is a storyteller, sharing her passion for environmental issues on her social media page through fairytales and skits. She has always felt close to the natural world, from her childhood on the Malwa Plateau in India to the beautiful Grand River Valley, which she now calls home. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Ivey Business School and a Master’s in Sustainability Leadership from Arizona State University, where she learned to communicate sustainability initiatives to a wide variety of stakeholders.

For the past four years, Karishma has created content about environmental justice and climate policy, collaborating with CBC and CTV. She volunteers for her local paper, covering climate issues, and works with nonprofits to communicate climate issues through captivating content. She also guest lectures on climate communications at institutions such as Western University and Wilfrid Laurier University. In her spare time, Karishma enjoys spending time in her vegetable garden, writing poetry, and swimming at her local pool. In addition to all of her media and content work, Karishma is now at Environmental Defence to continue advocating for both people and the planet.

Join us on Thursday, October 17th at 6:30pm for the Eco-Presentation with Karishma Porwal. The world premiere of Fairy Creek will follow with director Jen Muranetz in attendance.

SYLVIA EARLE

2024 International Eco-Hero

Sylvia Earle is President and Chairman of Mission Blue / The Sylvia Earle Alliance. She is a National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence, and is called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine. She is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for several corporate and non-profit organizations.

Due to Sylvia Earle being out on an expedition during the festival period we will not be able to honour her in person at this time.

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In Loving Memory

of Rob Stewart

The Planet in Focus staff and board are heartbroken at the news of losing such a young and incredible force. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his friends and family during this difficult time. Rob was not only a friend of the festival, but a worthy Eco-Hero, honoured at the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival where both SHARKWATER and REVOLUTION have screened in the past.

Learn More

BRITT WRAY

2023 Canadian Eco-Hero

Dr Britt Wray is the Director of the Special Initiative of the Chair on Climate Change and Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Stanford University School of Medicine. She is the author of two books, Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis (Knopf), which was a finalist for Canada’s foremost non-fiction literary prize the Governor General’s Award, and Rise of the Necrofauna: the Science, Ethics and Risks of De-Extinction (Greystone Books), which was named a “best book of the year” by The New Yorker in 2017. Britt holds a PhD in science communication from the University of Copenhagen and she completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford Medicine’s Center for Innovation in Global Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health. As a practicing science communicator, she has hosted several podcasts, radio and TV programs with the BBC, NPR, CBC, and is a Canadian Screen Award winner. She has spoken at TED and the World Economic Forum and is a Chicago Council on Global Affairs Next Generation Climate Changemaker. Britt is also the creator of Gen Dread (gendread.substack.com), a popular newsletter about building courage and taking meaningful action on the far side of climate grief.

MUSTAFA SANTIAGO ALI

2023 International Eco-Hero

Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is the Executive Vice President of Conservation & Justice for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), former Interim Chief of Programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Instructor at American University and is the Founder and CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He also serves as a commissioner for The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS). Before joining NWF, Mustafa was the Senior Vice President for the Hip Hop Caucus (HHC), a national nonprofit and nonpartisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process. Prior to joining the HHC, Mustafa worked 22 years at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)and 2 years on Capitol Hill working for Congressman John Conyers chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Mustafa began working on Social Justice issues at 16 and joined the EPA as a student, becoming a founding member of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). He most recently served as Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associate Administrator. He led the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (IWG) which brought together 17 Federal Agencies & Departments and various White House offices to strategically leverage resources to uplift vulnerable communities across the country. Read More

Zoe Lucas

2022 Canadian Eco-Hero

Zoe received an MFA in 1977 from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and then taught part-time in the goldsmithing department. In 1974, she began working on Sable Island and by 1982, Zoe was involved full-time with Sable projects, conducting various research and monitoring programs including studies of persistent litter in the marine environment. In 2002 Zoe established the Green Horse Society, in 2004 became a Research Associate with the Nova Scotia Museum, and in 2008 received an Honorary Doctorate from Dalhousie University.

Christiana Figueres

2022 International Eco-Hero

Christiana Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and an internationally recognized leader on climate change. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where she delivered the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, in which 195 sovereign nations agreed on a collaborative path forward to limit future global warming to well below 2°C, and strive for 1.5°Cin order to protect the most vulnerable. Today she is the co-founder of Global Optimism and is the co-author of “The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimists’ Guide to the Climate Crisis.

Manvi Bhalla

2022 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

Manvi founded the national non-profit Shake Up The Establishment and is the co-founder of the non-profit, missINFORMED, which is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of women and gender-diverse peoples and is a published health researcher. In mid-2021, she received her MSc in Public Health and Health Systems from University of Waterloo, where her research aimed to improve climate change risk communication and investigate structural barriers towards climate action within the public health sector.

Kent Monkman

2021 Canadian Eco-Hero

Kent Monkman is an interdisciplinary Cree visual artist. A member of Fisher River Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory (Manitoba), he lives and works in Dish With One Spoon Territory (Toronto, Canada). Known for his provocative interventions into Western European and American art history, he explores themes of colonization, sexuality, loss, and resilience, the complexities of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences, across painting, film, performance, and installation.  Read more

Janine Benyus

2021 International Eco-Hero

Janine Benyus is a biologist, innovation consultant, and author of  six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. In Biomimicry, she named an emerging discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves) to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. In 1998, Janine co-founded Biomimicry 3.8, the world’s leading nature-inspired innovation and training firm, bringing nature’s sustainable designs to 250+ clients.  Read More

Shina Novalinga

2021 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

Shina Novalinga is a 23-year-old Inuk creator on TikTok, she brings her Indigenous culture (and style) to the app. According to Shina, “It’s important for me to educate others on my platform because not a lot of people know about our history, or know about the Inuit culture. It has always been brushed off. My goal is to change that and not be afraid to speak about it.” Shina has been most recently featured in Vogue, Global News, 24H, CTV News and many more.

Aliya Jasmine Sovani

2020 Canadian Eco-Hero

Aliya Jasmine is an award-winning television host, producer, and environmental journalist (M.A.) She is also the co-founder of the environmentally focused creative think tank, Lili Media & Design Lab.  Among the many shows she helped develop at MTV Canada, MTV IMPACT was a show for millennials about social and environmental issues that sent her on assignment around the world, and set the path for her career. Read More

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

2020 International Eco-Hero

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions grounded in social justice, and founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities. With Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, she co-edited the anthology All We Can Save, and co-founded The All We Can Save Project.  Read More

Cheyenne Sundance

2020 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

Cheyenne Sundance is the owner and manager of Sundance Harvest, a year-round urban farm in Toronto, ON that’s rooted in food justice. Sundance Harvest grows a variety of produce, offers a Farm School and runs a free educational program called Growing in the Margins for low-income youth who are a part of a marginalized group (BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+ and youth with disabilities).

Melina Laboucan-Massimo

2019 Canadian Eco-Hero

Melina Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree from Northern Alberta. She has worked on social, environmental and climate justice issues for the past 15 years. Currently a Fellow at the David Suzuki Foundation, Melina’s research is focused on Climate Change, Indigenous Knowledge and Renewable Energy. Read More

Louie Psihoyos

2019 International Eco-Hero

Louie Psihoyos is the Academy Award-winning filmmaker of The Cove and Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS). He is recognized as one of the top still photographers in the world, having created iconic images for National Geographic for 18 years, and hundreds of covers for other magazines. Read More

Autumn Peltier

2019 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

Autumn Peltier is Anishinaabe-kwe and a member of the Wikwemikong First Nation and an internationally recognized advocate for clean water. She is a water protector and has been called a “water warrior”. Peltier addressed world leaders at the UN General Assembly on the issue of water protection at the age of thirteen in 2018. Read More

Anne Innis Dagg

2018 Canadian Eco-Hero

In 1956, before anyone, man or woman had made such a trip, 23-year-old Canadian biologist, Anne Innis Dagg, made an unprecedented solo journey to South Africa to become the first scientist in the world to study animal behaviour in the wild on that continent. Read More

John Francis

2018 International Eco-Hero

In the early 1970s John Francis took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years, during which he undertook a pilgrimage by foot across America on behalf of the environment and world peace, earning his Ph.D. in environmental studies along the way. Read More

Rachel Parent

2018 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

At 11 years old, Rachel began researching for a school project and became alarmed by what she learned about GMOs. That spark evolved into what’s now known as Kids Right To Know, a not-for-profit organization that she founded to inform the public, especially other children, about food safety. Read More

Dr. Roberta Bondar

2017 Canadian Eco-Hero

The world’s first neurologist in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar is globally recognized for her pioneering contribution to space medicine research. Aboard the Discovery mission STS- 42, the First International Microgravity Laboratory Read More

Ron Finley

2017 International Eco-Hero

Armed with a shovel, some soil and seeds, Ron Finley has come to be known as the “Gangsta Gardener” and his unexpected tactics have made him one of L.A.’s most widely known artivists. Read More

Jonah Bryson

2017 Rob Stewart Youth Eco-Hero

At the early age of 12, Jonah Bryson decided to undertake his first feature documentary and later partnered with undersea explorer and producer Fabien Cousteau to complete the documentary.

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Alexandra Cousteau

2016 International Eco-Hero

A filmmaker, explorer, and globally recognized advocate on water issues, Alexandra Cousteau continues the work of her renowned grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and her father Philippe Cousteau Sr. Read More

David Suzuki

2016 Canadian Eco-Hero

David Suzuki, Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. He is renowned for his radio and television programs that explain the complexities of the natural sciences Read More

Vandana Shiva

2015 International Eco Hero

Dr. Vandana Shiva trained as a Physicist at the University of Punjab, and completed her Ph.D. on the ‘Hidden Variables and Non-locality in Quantum Theory’ from the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Read More

Amy Millan

2015 Canadian Eco-Hero

Amy joined the Canadian indie pop band Stars  in 1999. Watching the political and environmental developments around seed, Amy decided to do something to address healthy food systems.  Read More

Rob Stewart

2014 International Eco Hero

Rob Stewart’s SHARKWATER (2007) is one of the rare environmental films that reaches the consciousness of audiences world-wide and in response, a change in behavior occurs. Read More

Tzeporah Berman

2014 Canadian Eco-Hero

Tzeporah Berman’s This Crazy Time: Living Our Environmental Change, details the struggles/ challenges she has faced in the environmental movement over the past two decades. Read More

Col. Chris Hadfield

2013 International Eco Hero

Former Commander of the International Space Station, Col. Hadfield’s scientific and technical accomplishments in outer space focused world attention on the importance of the space program…,Read More

 Zacharias Kunuk

2013 Canadian Eco-Hero

Zacharias Kunuk’s internationally acclaimed films that include; Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, The Journals of Knud Ramussen, and Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change, give voice to the Inuit People’s perspective…Read More

James Balog

2012 International Eco Hero

Founder & Director, Extreme Ice Survey / Founder, Earth Vision Trust For three decades, James Balog has been a leader in photographing and interpreting the natural environment. Read More

Jennifer Baichwal

2012 Canadian Eco-Hero

Jennifer was born in Montréal and grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. She studied philosophy and theology at McGill University and received an M.A. in 1994, supported by a McGill Major Fellowship and a 2 year FCAR Master’s Scholarship.Read More

Ric O’Barry

2011 International Eco Hero

Planet in Focus is proud to announce our 2011 International Eco Hero, Richard O’Barry for his work protecting dolphins and marine animals worldwide. Read More

Kevin McMahon

2011 Canadian Eco-Hero

Kevin McMahon began his career as a newspaper journalist at the St. Catharines Standard before shifting his focus to documentary film in the mid-1980s. His films have been described as “visually stunning…Read More

Robert Bateman

2010 International Eco Hero

Robert has been a keen artist and naturalist from his early days. He has always painted wildlife and nature, beginning with a representational style, moving through impressionism and cubism to abstract expressionism. Read More

Margaret Atwood

2010 Canadian Eco-Hero

A varied and prolific writer, Margaret Atwood is one of Canada’s major contemporary authors. Atwood’s writing is noted for its careful craftsmanship and precision of language which… Read More

Graeme Gibson

2010 Canadian Eco-Hero

Educated at the University of Western Ontario, Graeme Gibson taught at the Ryerson Institute of Technology, later Ryerson University, from 1961-69. He later served as writer-in-residence at the University of Waterloo and…Read More

Maude Barlow

2009 International Eco Hero

Maude is the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and chairs the board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch. She is a board member of the San Francisco–based International…Read More

Ian Clifford

2009 Canadian Eco-Hero

Ian Clifford is the founder and CEO of ZENN Motor Company, a Toronto-based manufacturer of fully electric vehicles. He began his career as a photographer. Mentored by Ansel Adams… Title

CBC’s The Nature of Things

2009 Industry Eco-Hero

Award-winning geneticist and broadcaster David Suzuki is the Foundation’s co-founder with Tara Cullis. He is familiar to audiences around the world as host of CBC TV’s…Read More

Carlo Petrini

2008 International Eco Hero

This award is given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and made a lasting contribution to environmental awareness, action and change on the international stage. Read More

Wayne Roberts

2008 Canadian Eco-Hero

Roberts is a pioneer and trailblazer, as a leader of the Toronto Food Policy Council since 1999, he has steered the development of such landmark documents as Toronto’s Food Charter, the Food and Hunger Action Plan…. Read More

Edward Burtynsky

2008 Industry Eco-Hero

This award is given to an artist who has made an outstanding and lasting contribution in environmental artistic expression in their collected body of work. Read More

Robert Redford 

2007 International Eco Hero

Renowned as a screen based artist – an Oscar award winning actor, director, producer and champion of independent cinema – but it is our pleasure to honour   Mr. Redford…Read More

Sheila Watt-Cloutier

2007 Canadian Eco-Hero

“I do nothing more than remind the world that the Arctic is not a barren land devoid of life but a rich and majestic land that has supported our resilient culture for millennia. Read More

Caroline Underwood

2007 Industry Eco-Hero 

Caroline Underwood has produced, directed and written over twenty award winning programs for the CBC’s science series, The Nature of Things with David Suzuki…Read More

Dr. Alanis Obomsawin

2005 Industry Eco-Hero

Over the course of her remarkable and distinguished film career, Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki Nation and the Order of Canada, has been telling the stories of Aboriginal peoples in Canada… Read More

Frédéric Back

2004 Industry Eco-Hero

Frédéric Back, OC CQ (April 8, 1924 – December 24, 2013) was a Canadian artist and film director of short animated films. During a long career with Radio-Canada, he was nominated for four Academy Awards… Read More