I was introduced this week (via the web) to an amazing individual. And, I've been so inspired that I wanted to share this individual -- and her mission -- with you.

Faithful blog readers, let me introduce you to Majora Carter, with Sustainable South Bronx.

Majora was in NC this week giving a speech on Tuesday morning at the Emerging Issues Forum. Just listening to her online, I was blown away. Her content is heavy, but her outlook is so hopeful. She's humble, but knowingly justified in her cause, which is to inspire solutions for environmental injustice.

She speaks very freely and truthfully about growing up in the South Bronx and relates it to communities across the world, including Duplin & Halifax counties here in NC. One of the most truthful lines from Majora's speech on Tuesday is that if things like landfills, power plants, and hog farms...

"were dispersed in every neighborhood, if they located them in rich communities as quickly as they did in poor ones, then our economy would have been clean and green a long time ago. But instead, poor communities are becoming more and more toxic, not less. And in certain zip codes unemployment rates are rising faster then sea levels."

What's different, I think, about Majora is that she then goes on to focus on some of the solutions for the majority of her speech: creating a green economy and green jobs. And, even more specifically about "clean tech job training and placement" for low-income people, which would help get these individuals out of poverty and help green our environment. It's a win-win solution.

To learn more for yourself:
1) Listen to Majora's presentation,
2) Visit the Sustainable South Bronx website, or
3) Check out another one of Majora's projects: Green For All.

And then tell us what you think:
1) Where does North Carolina look first to implement some of Majora's solutions to better our environment and our people?;
2) Who would we need to convince that the solutions that Majora provides are the right ones?;
3) What are our major challenges for achieving the success seen in the Southern Bronx community?; and finally
4) What is one thing you can do today to begin to address the problem of environmental injustice in NC?

If you want to share your thoughts with us more privately, feel free to email me personally.