Majora Carter is a visionary voice in city planning. She was born in South Bronx, a poor quarter of New York. Majora is an economic consultant and environmental justice advocate.

She thinks there is a direct connection between ecological, economic and social degradation. Her motto is : "Green the ghetto!"

She founded Sustainable South Bronx, a non-profit association that works on environmental justice solutions such as the restoration of the Bronx River.

The association provided a lot of opportunities for employment. In fact people not only wanted clean air and safe places, but also jobs that didn't degrade the environment or killed them.

She says that a black person is twice as likely as a white person to live in a polluted area and is five times more likely to live within walking distance of a power plant or chemical facility.

Once the association realized that poor people were not only poor but unhealthy as well, they decided to build a small park. Then they obtained a grant to design the plan for a waterfront esplanade with bike paths. They also built the first New York City's first green and cool demonstration project on top of their offices.

Cool roofs are higlhly reflective surfaces that don't absorb heat. Green roofs are soil and living plants. Both can be used instead of petroleum based roofing materials that absorb heat.

Majora Carter and her association fight for ernvironmental justice through innovative, economically sustainable projects. They build projects that clean the environment and produce local jobs among poor people.