Make It Better's 2026 Eco Warriors

Make It Better — that’s our natural instinct.

We fill our lives with people, work, and opportunities that we love, then we want to pay those blessings forward. And hopefully help create a better world for them, and others, too.

When we founded Make It Better 20 years ago, honoring our planetary home and protecting our environment was such an important issue — and environmental advocate Beth Drucker exemplifies that. At the same time that she was helping to launch Make It Better as a member of the Kitchen Cabinet, she also founded Go Green Wilmette, which grew into many other North Shore towns, too.

Beth was our first Eco Warrior. Her DNA, and the environmentalist hearts of most affluent, educated parents — then and now — facilitated our remarkable trajectory, too.

As Make It Better grew, so did the reach and impact of the Eco Warriors we championed — activists, advocates, educators, scientists, policymakers, storytellers, artists, innovative businesses — working locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Four Eco Warriors on How to Save Our Oceans and Planet Now

Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier, SeaLegacy

News Anchor Bill Kurtis & Producer Donna LaPietra

The nonprofit SeaLegacy pioneered MIB’s matching grants for environmental NFPs at a virtual fundraiser featuring world-renowned National Geographic wildlife photographers Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier, along with legendary news anchor Bill Kurtis and famed producer Donna LaPietra. These matching grants are now included for all environmental Philanthropy Award winners.

Policy Eco Warriors

**Howard Learner**
Environmental Law & Policy Center

**Metropolitan Planning Council & Friends of the Chicago River**

Advocacy Eco Warriors

**Jane Goodall**
Primatologist and anthropologist

**Sylvia Earle**
Marine biologist and National Geographic explorer

Activist Eco Warriors

Education Eco Warriors

**Doro Bush Koch and Tricia Reilly Koch**
Conservation Nation

**Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods**
A 2026 Philanthropy Award winner

International & Food Insecurity Eco Warriors

Mary McLaughlinMary McLaughlin
Trees That Feed Foundation — a 2026 Philanthropy Award winner

Innovation Eco Warriors

**2Blades**
A 2026 Philanthropy Award winner

Storytelling Eco Warriors

**Mark Edward Harris**
Make It Better Photo Ambassador

**Ami Vitale**
Vital Impacts — a 2026 Philanthropy Award winner

Art Eco Warriors

**Cristina Mittermeier** **& Hilton Gallery**

Innovative Business Eco Warriors

**Nathan Kipnis**
Kipnis Architecture and Planning

**Andrea Sreshta and Anna Stork**
LuminAID

We celebrate our impact in this, too! Many of these individuals and organizations blossomed following our storytelling and fundraising support.

We feel the urgency for all environmental champions to collaborate widely more than ever. Please use our platform to share the story of your most impactful work on behalf of Mother Earth! Send us a You Said It article to earn a $1,000 grant and be launched up our Philanthropy Awards pipeline, or simply let us know your favorite environmental NFP to get started.

Your voice is powerful — please use it!

Make It Better’s 2026 Eco Warriors