Janak Palta McGilligan says that “the purpose of life is to sustain ourselves, our family, and contribute to society.” After having open-heart surgery at age 15, and then later participating in the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, Janak committed to never doing anything that would harm the environment. In turn, she founded the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development.

Through her work, Janak has made immense contributions to the betterment of her community, sometimes in unforeseen yet powerful ways. Watch:

What are you doing to ensure a better future? What actions do you take to make your communities more sustainable? Share your own story.