Activists use their resources to create a more thriving & just world – my definition.  Here are three activists that are doing just that.
Edwin Chota was a Peruvian activist who campaigned against illegal logging in the Amazon, along with three of his colleagues.  Most unfortunately they were all shot and killed in a remote corner of the rainforest in the Peruvian region of Ucayali.
Chota is being hailed as an “environmental hero” and his work is honored by the Alexander Soros Foundation, in early December to coincide with the beginning of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Peru.
Alexander Soros founded his own foundation, set up to promote social justice and human rights; his focus is on "progressive causes that might not have widespread support."  He kicked off the foundation’s efforts with a gala in support of Global Witness, the organization that previously unveiled Africa’s blood diamond scandal.

After 20+ years of teaching, it is a remarkable experience to find your true teaching voice inside a maximum-security prison!  Yet at Sing Sing prison in NY and at Graterford in PA, where currently I am teaching history for Villanova University, my experience has been reaffirmed over and over again.  Both Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY, and Villanova offer (privately funded) degree programs to the men in both prisons.  Consistently the men in these highly selective programs are talented, dedicated and appreciative.