It seems simple enough: Do one thing and you can make a difference.

But for many people, even that one task feels overwhelming in a world of woes.

That's why Ingrid E. Newkirk, an author and co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, put together essays by people who took the initiative and helped create change.

"Wherever I go, from Mumbai to Manchester, people always say the same thing," said Newkirk, speaking by telephone from a hotel in Toronto. " 'What can I do? I'm just one person.' But people really can make a difference, and it really does just start with one person."

Newkirk, on a nationwide tour promoting One Can Make A Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World, will give a talk and sign books at 7 p.m. Thursday at Borders at Sanbusco Market Center, 500 Montezuma Ave.

While the book contains personal essays from a diverse group of superstars, including Sir Paul McCartney, Oliver Stone and the Dalai Lama, it also includes an array of essays from ordinary people whose actions created change in their community.

"I started with celebrities because that's who I know," Newkirk said. "But these are stories about people who have no connections. In my talks, I always try to point out those who with just one small step have created change. No matter what it is, you just have to do it."

And even the celebrities have personal tales of sacrifice, Newkirk said, people such as screen legend Brigitte Bardot, who has sold all of her possessions — even the first diamond ring she bought with her mother — to help animals.

"She said she gave her youth to men, and now she's giving her wisdom to animals," Newkirk said. "She gives everything to animals because they have nothing. And the Dalai Lama, who has one of the short essays in the book, here's a man who has had enormous hardships, and he's not bitter."

The nation continues to suffer from the effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, coupled with continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Newkirk said. Combine that with the downturn in the economy, and it's only natural to withdraw. But change can happen with the simplest of efforts, she said, like making an informed choice as a consumer.

"We all feel overwhelmed and helpless," Newkirk said, "but whatever we buy makes a statement. And global warming — there are a million things that we can do, many more than what Al Gore told us, that can make us feel powerful. Things that we can see and sense that we are a part of that change."

Newkirk could easily add her story to the mix. She started PETA in 1980 in her Washington, D.C., basement to offer people simple vegetarian options and alternatives to products from companies that used animals in research. At that time, she said, only three cosmetic companies were cruelty-free, and one of those could be obtained only by mail order.

The nonprofit has grown to 2.5 million supporters — the largest animal-rights organization in the world — and has created a global shift in awareness about the plight of animals. Newkirk credits PETA with the abundance of veggie burgers in grocery stores, pleather instead of leather, the popularity of faux fur and putting an end to animals being used in car-crash tests.

"Things have changed dramatically," Newkirk said. But she acknowledges creating awareness is sometimes a long process, even for people like herself.

Born in Surrey, England, Newkirk lived in Europe until she was 7 years old, when she and her parents moved to New Delhi, India, where her father worked as a navigational engineer and her mother volunteered for Mother Teresa and did other charitable work.

Her family was always kind to animals, she said, but that meant "not kicking the dog." They, like most people, were oblivious to animals' suffering, she said.

"I had my first fur coat when I was 19," she said. "I think my father and I were trying to eat our way through the animal kingdom."

She became involved in working with animals in 1970 when she and her husband were living in Maryland. A neighbor, according to her biography, abandoned some kittens and Newkirk took them to an animal shelter.

That led to her first job working on behalf of animals, cleaning kennels and investigating cruelty cases. Other high-profile jobs followed, including as a deputy sheriff with the highest success rate in convicting animal abusers, director of cruelty investigations for the humane society and chief of animal disease control for the Commission on Public Health in Washington.

Our treatment of animals says a lot about how we treat each other, Newkirk said. When we learn to treat animals with respect, not ridicule them or treat them as subhuman, we break ourselves from patterns of abuse and violence.

That power of kindness can lead to a transformation, she said. The book, however, is not about helping only animals. The essays include stories about people who do simple things to create change, like a doctor who invented a valve that has saved thousands of lives on the battlefield or the shop owner in South America who started collecting shoes for villagers by putting a box in front of his store with a sign.

"It's had an enormous impact on the community," Newkirk said. "You don't have to be a household name to make a difference. You just have to have conviction."

IF YOU GO

What: Talk, book signing by Ingrid E. Newkirk, co-founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Borders, 500 Montezuma Ave.