These women excel in numerous sectors, holding highly instrumental positions in business, environment, indigenous rights and activism, and the legal sector.

Front-runners in business for sustainability include: Kathy Bardswick, CEO of Co-operators Group; Emmie Leung, founder and CEO of Emterra; Vicky Sharpe, CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada; Annette Verschuren, CEO and Chair of NRStor; Tamara Vrooman, CEO of Vancity; and Andrée-Lise Méthot, Founder and Managing Partner Cycle Capital Management.

Lise DeMarco, a partner of the firm Norton Rose Fullbright, and is an international carbon transaction lawyer. Her influence in the drafting of energy and greenhouse gas emissions policy and law is a driving force.

Tzeporah Berman, a renowned environmentalist and author, has a broad impact on environmental, First Nations, and philanthropic groups as a strategic advisor. She is also the executive director and co-founder of ForestEthics, a non-profit organization aimed at protecting endangered forests, wildlife, and human wellbeing. Julia Langer is CEO of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, an arms length organization that strives to reduce local greenhouse gases and air pollutants.

Finally, most Canadians are familiar with the name Elizabeth May - a woman who first had a 20 year career with the Sierra Club, then brought the Green Party of Canada to the federal stage and who is an active and progressive political party leader. May's attention to some issues that other parties often overlook brings heightened environmental awareness to the Canadian psyche, allowing for that essential bridge from public interest to policy.