Majora Carter is cleaning up the borough.
Sustainability is all too often the privilege of the already privileged: earth-friendly office towers and hybrid cars don't come cheap. By that measure, the South Bronx, one of the poorest and most polluted urban areas in the U.S., should be one of the last to embrace environmental stewardship. Thanks to Majora Carter, it might be one of the first.Carter, 39, is the founder and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx, a community organization devoted to urban renewal and environmental justice. "There is absolutely a perception on some level," says Carter, "that 'It's already so bad in the South Bronx, are they really going to notice if it gets worse?'" For decades, the area has served as a place to quarantine New York City's power plants, scrap-metal yards, and sewage-treatment centers.Quote: |
They're the kind of projects that capture the city's imagination. |