Jane Goodall, Conservationist

As a young girl growing up in England, Jane Goodall fell in love with a fictional physician who had a a unique talent. "Dr. Dolittle totally inspired me," Goodall says of the children's-book character who talked to animals. Today it is Goodall who inspires, and not just as the world's most famous primatologist and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. She also established Roots & Shoots, the institute's global environmental program for youth. "I started meeting young people who felt we had compromised their future and that there was nothing they could do about it," says Goodall, 77. "I decided it was terribly important to empower them." Today the program boasts thousands of members, from more than 120 countries, who plant trees and organize conservation campaigns. Says Goodall: "They're so full of ideas. You can't help but be energized by them."