Nearly three decades ago, if you would have told Ingrid Newkirk that her weekly home meetings would explode into the largest animal protection advocacy group in the world she would not have believed it.

Ingrid started PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — in her living room 27 years ago with five members. Today there are over 2 million members all over the world. But this interview isn’t about PETA — it’s about how one person can make a difference.

Ingrid couldn’t get PETA’s meteoric rise out of her mind. She wondered if other big ideas could also be traced back to one person. The more she researched, the more amazed she was. Then she had another big idea. She would write a book about it.

“One Can Make A Difference” is a collection of essays from celebrities like Paul McCartney and the Dalai Lama and others whose names you don’t know but whose ideas you do.

Ingrid said the book will leave everyone feeling empowered about the possibilities. She said those of us over 40 and 50 came from a more rebellious upbringing and felt it was their duty to affect change. Now, it’s the responsibility of those over 50 to teach the younger generations to make a difference and to realize that yes, one person can make a huge difference.

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