Yvon Chouinard is one of the great living legends of outdoor sports and activism. A hard-core surfer and environmental activist, he has put his name and sizable fortune (he founded Ventura, California–based Patagonia Inc.) behind efforts to preserve forests and beaches and to generally heighten our awareness of how we are treating the earth.
This piece by Chouinard in Outside Magazine, though a year or so old, really sheds some light on who he is and what he has accomplished. He is a personal hero of mine, and after reading this piece, I suggest he will become one of yours as well.