Black & green: the new eco-warriors

Ebony, July, 2008 by Shirley Henderson

The legacy of activism and awareness that has been part of the African-American experience has found a familiar battlefront: planet Earth.

Since the days of George Washington Carver, who in the late 1800s transformed the lowly peanut into a cash crop that saved the South, Black folks have been in tune with the planet and its natural resources.

"Caring about the Earth and future generations is very consistent with African indigenous values," notes environmental activist Van Jones, one of four coo-warriors profiled this month's in EBONY.

"Somehow we bought into the thought that it was a hippie thing. It was really our commitment to be good stewards of the Earth. Our great-grandmother's values are coming into vogue. We should be leading the charge on fighting against pollution and poison. These are not White values. These are universal values."

We look at others--from actor/director Mario Van Peebles and actress Kerry Washington to activist Majora Carter--who have decided to transform their lives by making their world a cleaner and greener place.

Then, we show what happens when you throw that soda bottle in the trash or get rid of that old cell phone. And finally, we offer nine ideas on how each person can make your world safer, conserve energy and save money. Every little bit can go a long way.

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THE INNOVATOR MAJORA CARTER

AGE: 41

Founder/executive director of Sustainable South Bronx

HOW SHE SAVED HER WORLD: Created $3 million park where commercial waste once stood; launched local effort to use solar power to fuel her community

Majora Carter is a force of nature.

She grew up Black. female and poor in The Bronx. in a part of the community where nary a public park for children to play existed.

That was until Carter smelled something rotten.

The South Bronx was also the trashcan for more than 40 percent of New York's commercial waste. Power and sewage plants peppered the borough and at least 60,000 diesel trucks make trips to and through the area each week.

"No community should have to bear the brunt of lots of environmental burdens and not enjoy environmental benefits." says Carter. "Race and class are two of the determining factors as to where you find the good stuff, such as parks and trees, and where you find the bad stuff. like waste facilities and power plants."

In 1997, she took on then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who planned to put another waste facility in The Bronx, and with a tiny grant, spearheaded the first waterfront park in the community in 60 years. In 1999. Hunts Point Riverside Park was born--a $3 million park and kids' space that emerged from a mountain of garbage and debris.

In 2001 she began Sustainable South Bronx. an eco-savvy group that educates residents about applying for "green-collar jobs," such as installing roof gardens where a thin layer of soil and dense vegetation--instead of tar--top buildings in order to conserve energy, absorb rainwater and purify the air.

Still a resident of The Bronx, she realizes that green homes for people and solar panels may take some time for many of the community's residents to embrace. Still, most of them are taking an interest in their immediate environment. And that's a start.

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THE ENTREPRENEUR VAN JONES

AGE: 39

Co-Founder and president/Green For All

HOW HE SAVED HIS WORLD: Jones worked with lawmakers to pass the Green Jobs Acts of 2007, which could authorize $125 million in funding to train people for green-collar jobs.

Forget about the polar bears and melting ice caps. According to Van Jones, the real environmental issue isn't white. It's green.

"Going green is about the dollar," says Jones. "Black people need to put their arms around the environmental issue. Every day we hear about the billions of dollars flowing in to all these new technologies that are going green or buying green products and services."

For that reason, the Yale Law School graduate created Green For All (www.greenforall.org), based in Oakland, Calif., to help restructure the economy and create green-collar jobs.

Just what is a green-collar job?

"It's a blue-collar job that has upgraded to respect the environment," says Jones. "We like to say that green-collar jobs are good for your pocketbook and good for the planet. They include skilled labor in solar energy, organic food and wind power."

Since much of the mainstream media focus has been on wealthy Whites buying eco-chic products, many Blacks want to know where they fit in. How can cousin 'Pookie' get a green-collar job? Jones says the demand for solar panel installers and wind turbine engineers will be skyrocketing and "you just can't send your house over to China to get a solar panel installed."

Jones helped spearhead the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which is Title Ten of the Energy Independence and Security Act. Last year the bill was passed by Congress and signed by President George Bush. However, the money still has to be appropriated by Congress and could make $125 million available to people for green-collar job training.