Captain Planet Foundation President’s Council
Captain Planet & the Planeteers
Executive Producer
Captain Planet Foundation
Co-Founder
Barbara Pyle is an executive producer, filmmaker, photographer, media innovator and environmental activist. She spent twenty years as CNN’s Environmental Editor, responsible for all environmental programming across all Turner Broadcasting networks.
Barbara’s environmental knowledge and media savvy propelled her to become the first corporate executive in the world to have ‘environment’ in their title, becoming the corporate Vice President of Environmental Policy. In her time at TBS, Barbara produced and directed more than sixty documentary films and is the recipient of hundreds of industry and personal awards.
In 1989, Barbara and Ted Turner co-created the animated action adventure series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Broadcast in over 100 countries to popular and critical acclaim Captain Planet still maintains a dedicated international fan base.
Barbara has traveled the world documenting real-life solutions in support of the United Nations Global Summits and Conferences. In 1997, she became the only non-scientist to be awarded the prestigious United Nations Sasakawa Prize for her lifelong global contribution to the protection of the environment.
With this award money, she created the Barbara Pyle Foundation. Its mission is “to use media in all its forms to make the world a better place and empower people to protect the planet.” It has a special focus on the six hundred thousand-strong global Planeteer Movement comprised of young adults who grew up watching Captain Planet, taking the message of environmental balance and sustainability into their hearts, lives and actions.
As an acclaimed fine-arts photographer, Barbara’s assignments range from Rolex, TIME and NBC, to nautical photography at the America’s Cup as well as music photography – her most famous subject being Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band during their Born to Run tour in 1975.