Since the 1980s, Tom Hormel has worked with numerous environmental organizations, supporting them financially, and finding ways to leverage their goals and activities. He has said "I can see the big picture with sufficient clarity to be rightfully terrified."
In the 1970’s Tom lived on the island of Kauai and his health food store evolved into a top dining venue, Kauai Gardens. Tom’s organic farm provided most of the vegetables for the restaurant. In the early 1980’s, Tom moved to Ketchum, Idaho, where he became immersed in local environmental issues. He began to see the myriad of intricate connections between environmental issues, and focused on creating connections between organizations, and spreading credible environmental information. He had twelve environmental issues that he called "humankind’s most compelling stewardship," and created an information center, accessible by computer (before the internet) called the Global Action Network, which first operated out of Tufts University and then was transferred to Stanford.
A partial list of Tom’s personal accomplishments include:
For several years Tom was able to give over half of the net income to environmental projects and organizations. A few of these include Friends of the Earth, Conservation International, Tree People, League of Conservation Voters, The Idaho Conservation League (ICL), Globescope Idaho, Eastern Africa Environment Network, and E2
Zem has been a contributing eco-editor at House & Garden, Domino, Architectural Digest and 7×7 Magazines. She received the 2009 Global Green Millennium Founder’s Award for her contributions as a Global Green board member, Co-Chair of Global Green’s San Francisco Committee, and Founder of Global Green’s Successful Annual Fundraiser and Ecofashion event. Mentored by William McDonough, Zem is a certified BuildItGreen design and strategy consultant and Cradle to Cradle enthusiast who helps companies and individuals create beautiful, smart, sustainable spaces and practices. Zem is the eco-luxury specialist for Planet Green’s Alter Eco and regularly contributes to various media. Much of her penchant for superior design came from her years at splendora.com and living in Milan, Paris and London. Her love for the earth, however, can be traced back to her early upbringing on a Palo Alto commune. As a mother of two, Zem is committed to improving all families’ health, education and access to well-vetted information. To that end Zem is an active board member of Global Green, Healthy Child Healthy World,Teens Turning Green, and Architecture for Humanity.
Aitan Grossman, a 7th grader at Nueva School in Northern California, has been an environmentalist for four years and a musician for ten. His concern for the earth started after reading Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth in 3rd grade. At the age of 12 Aitan wrote an earth ballad called "100 Generations" and created the kidEarth website (www.kidearth.us) so kids could sing along. Aitan's kidEarth project has become an international movement creating a united youth voice in the climate battle, making Aitan one of the world's youngest, most creative environmentalists. A classically trained pianist, Aitan also plays violin, drums, vibes, and saxophone, and singsin bands and musical theater productions.
