Janine Benyus is an American natural sciences author and innovation consultant who gave a talk for AWARE's Speaker Series in February 2002. She graduated from Rutgers University with degrees in natural resource management and English literature/writing. Benyus is an expert in biomimicry, or the idea that humans should consciously emulate nature in their designs. She has authored six books on the topic, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997), and is co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild and president of The Biomimicry Institute. Benyus currently resides in Stevensville, Montana, where she teaches interpretive writing at the University of Montana.

Dr. Donald Aitken is an expert in renewable energy sources. He gave a talk for AWARE's Speaker Series at some point prior to 2001. Aitken has served as President of the Solar Energy Society twice, created the first of 400 all-solar homes in the Lake Chapala area, and received many awards for his accomplishments and dedication to solar energy. He now lives with his wife and business partner, Barbara, in Ajijic, Mexico.

Dr. Mathis Wackernagel is a Swiss-born sustainability advocate and the creator of the 'ecological footprint' concept. In January 2002, he gave a talk for the AWARE Speaker Series in Whistler.

Wackernagel has a degree in mechanical engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in community and regional planning at the University of British Columbia. He has served as the director of the Sustainability Program at Redefining Progress in California (1999-2003), director of the Centre for Sustainability Studies in Mexico (1995-2001), and adjunct faculty at SAGE of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004) and is currently the President of the Global Footprint Network. Wackernagel has received many honours and awards for his work, including being named by The (En)Rich List as the 19th (out of 100) most inspirational individual contributing to sustainability.

Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt is a Swedish cancer scientist and sustainability advocate. In March 2002 he gave a talk at the AWARE Speaker Series in Whistler.

Robèrt is best-known for creating The Natural Step Framework, which sets out conditions and guidelines for the sustainability of human society on earth. He has also studied leukemia, lymphoma, and various other types of cancer at the Huddinge Hospital and the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the 1984 Swedish Hematological Association Research Award, the Green Gross Award for International Leadership (1999), the Blue Planet Prize (2000), and the Social Responsibility Laureate Medal (2005).