HILTON KELLEY

Hilton Kelley—a 2011 winner of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize—was born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, along the Gulf Coast. Looming over the residential communities of Port Arthur are eight petrochemical plants, and their emissions make the local air some of the worst in the country. Against all odds, Kelley succeeded in improving the air and the health of his neighbors. Says Kelley of his effort: "I speak up for the disadvantaged because it is the duty of all mankind to help those in need, those who have no voice, no way of helping themselves."