Kevin Nelson, Nature Commission, Neighbor

As life-long surfer and wanderer of lesser-known corners of the west, I founded the Nature Commission non-profit as a way to pay back for the many inspiring moments wilderness has given me. To a large extent, those priceless experiences are due to the wisdom and work of individuals in government and the private sector who acted with immense vision to conserve large swaths of nature's magic. Even with all they accomplished, its clear the work needs to continue. In fact, it seems more pressing when considering the larger context of the world's environmental losses. Working towards greater preservation of nature for it's own sake as well as the rights of future generations to their fair share of the planet is the focus of Nature Commission.