Aisha Tyler
This starlet was the first African-American to have a recurring role on the hit series Friends as Charlie Wheeler. Tyler actually planned to be an environmental lawyer and studied political science and environmental policy at Dartmouth College. She puts that environmental knowledge to use in her everyday life by driving a hybrid car, recycling “obsessively” and recently completing a green renovation of her home. She’s also on the board of the American Red Cross and has worked with numerous other groups.
Erykah Badu
This “bag lady” is a devout vegetarian and a supporter of a green environment. She recently teamed up with Kiehl to promote the Limited Edition Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion. Badu also designed the bottle, which is made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled packaging. She also delivered both of her children naturally at home.
Beverly Wright
New Orleans would not be the same, and many black families would not be safely back at their homes, if not for the efforts of Dr. Beverly Wright. Wright, an environmental scholar and founder of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University, continues to fight to make sure that the federal government recognizes that the post-storm toxic contamination – vestiges of which can still be felt today – continue to threaten the lives of many families in New Orleans. She developed a program called A Safe Way Back Home in collaboration with U.S. Steelworkers to cleanse neighborhoods and abandoned homes that reeked of mold and untold volumes of noxious air pollutants.
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins is convincing decision-makers that Wall Street can stay out of the red by going green, fighting Washington’s long-held view that the economy and environment are at odds with each other. As CEO of Green for All, Ellis-Lamkins organizes minority and disadvantaged communities to unite and advocate for green jobs, lower unemployment and a more eco-responsible economy.
Faye Alexander Nelson
Faye Alexander Nelson has spent the last eight years turning a strip of Detroit, once an industrial no-man’s-land, into a beautiful riverfront park. Once completed, the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy will boast 5 1/2 miles of gardens, bike paths, and promenades. Nelson’s work has brought over $100 million to the area and renewed interest in the once-struggling neighborhood, becoming not just a beautification project, but a rallying point for the community.
John Dabiri
This Nigerian-American professor at California Institute of Technology is making waves with his research on jellyfish locomotion and biomechanics. His research yields information to fields as valuable and disparate as cardiology and alternative energy. Dabiri’s work earned him a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship, which insiders call a Genius Grant.
Majora Carter
Majora Carter, 43, has been described as a green powerbroker and a visionary in environmentally sound urban renewal. Carter is the president of The Majora Carter Group LLC, a green, for-profit consulting firm.In 2005, Carter was awarded one of the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious $500,000 “genius” grants in part for her work with Sustainable South Bronx, which she left in the hands of colleagues in 2008.
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson leads EPA’s efforts to protect the health and environment for all Americans. She and a staff of more than 17,000 professionals are working across the nation to usher in a green economy, address health threats from toxins and pollution, and renew public trust in EPA’s work. As Administrator, Jackson has pledged to focus on core issues of protecting air and water quality, preventing exposure to toxic contamination in our communities, and reducing greenhouse gases. She has promised that all of EPA’s efforts will follow the best science, adhere to the rule of law, and be implemented with unparalleled transparency.
Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is one of the biggest advocates for climate change. “Climate change is the greatest human induced crisis facing the world today. It is totally indiscriminate of race, culture and religion.”
Van Jones
Van Jones is an environmental activist, author and is an adviser to the Obama administration on Green Jobs. Jones is also the founder of “Green For All,” a national organization working to build an inclusive green economy to help people get out of poverty.
Will Allen
Will Allen is an urban farmer who is helping to change the landscape of urban and underserved populations by producing and cultivating fresh foods right in the neighborhood. In 1995, while assisting neighborhood children with a gardening project, Allen began developing the farming methods and educational programs that are now the hallmark of the non-profit organization Growing Power, which he directs and co-founded.
Will.I.Am
Will.I.Am is a huge supporter of a greener plant, he even dedicated a song to the green movement, “Take Our Planet Back.”
For Earth Day, theGrio is doing its part to promote better environmental practices and is highlighting some people in our community who are already working to sustain the planet. Some people are everyday citizens who want to make a change in their neighborhood, and others are celebrities that just want to make the world a greener, better place. Either way, their efforts are inspiring to us and we want to share them with you.
