Extraordinary tales of everyday heroism have been illustrated beautifully by renowned US photographer Steve McCurry in the new 2015 Lavazza Calendar. The calendar which has been created in collaboration with the Slow Food movement, features twelve breathtaking pictures, capturing the spirit, strength and humanity of the Earth Defenders – women and men who protect their land and projects in Africa with passion and bravery. The proceeds from sales of the calendar and all donations will be contributed entirely to create 10,000 food gardens in African schools and villages by the end of 2016. (Photo by Steve McCurry/2015 Lavazza Calendar)

The fourth annual BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition aims to celebrate the diversity of life on Earth, and encourages people to protect and conserve it. Here: “The Salmon Catchers”. Terrestrial Wildlife. To capture this view of a mother grizzly bear and her cub, photographer Peter Mather set up a camera trap on a log that he knew the bears tended to traverse while fishing for salmon, in the Yukon River watershed in Canada. (Photo by Peter Mather/BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition 2017)

A person watches Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, light up the night sky with eruptions, as seen from Piazzale Funivia dell'Etna, Italy on December 1, 2023. (Photo by Etna Walk/Giuseppe Distefano/Handout via Reuters)

Models present creations from the Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2024/2025 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy on February 22, 2024. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

A girl carries a bag of recyclable items she collected from a landfill on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen November 16, 2016. (Photo by Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters)

TV Personality Courtney Stodden attends OK! Magazine's pre-GRAMMY event at Avalon Hollywood on February 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

Children play with weapons during Children's Day celebration at a military facility in Bangkok, Thailand January 14, 2017. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

A woman looks out from her stall selling traditional garments and textiles at a market in Ashgabat February 8, 2012. (Photo by Aman Mehinli/Reuters)