Black leaders in sustainability
Over the past couple of years, many leaders have been talked about in regard听to the sustainability movement. Here are a few black individuals paving the way for a more inclusive, environmentally-focused future.
Rue Mapp:听Outdoor Afro founder
Rue Mapp is the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, a national non-profit organization connecting black individuals to nature in the form of hiking, kayaking, camping and听fishing. Since founding the organization in 2009, over 45,000 individuals have been able to connect with nature thanks to Outdoor Afro. Mapp says, 鈥渢he trees don鈥檛 know what color I am. The birds don鈥檛 know what gender is. The flowers don鈥檛 know how much money I have in my bank account.鈥澨
Ron Finley:听Ron Finley Project founder
Ron Finley, also known as the 鈥榞angster gardener,鈥 started听planting vegetables in the dirt patches along his street in听Los Angeles in 2010, a well-known food desert.听The city of LA was unhappy about this and cited him for gardening without a permit. He started a听petition that would allow him, and others within his community, to garden in these areas, and听won. Fast forward to today, where he is teaching communities how to transform underutilized areas within their communities into gardens. Finley says,听鈥済ardening is the most therapeutic and defiant act you can do. Plus, you get strawberries.鈥
Dominique Drakeford and听Whitney McGuire:听Sustainable Brooklyn founders
Dominique and Whitney founded Sustainable Brooklyn because they never saw themselves reflected in the sustainability movement. Sustainable Brooklyn aims to narrow the gap between the sustainability movement and communities that are directly impacted, especially Black Indigenous people of color (BIPOC). They want the organization to 鈥渇ashionably foster the evolution of sustainability to create an inclusive future for all.鈥
Jason Swann:听Rising Routes co-founder
Jason Swann co-founded Rising Routes with Marisa Jarae. This baby直播app-based organization aims to听help听people from different cultural backgrounds bridge the divide within the outdoor industry and society. They promote听environmental stewardship, social justice听and mental health events in the Denver area. Swann听also works as a Western Lands policy analyst, with the goal of making sure that every human who lives in the west has equal access to water, land听and wildlife.听