SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The opportunities for sustainable design are everywhere, says Majora Carter, and they are limitless -- from the simple act of pruning a tree or crafting a chair from discarded wooden pallets to transforming an urban wasteland into a park.
The key, she says, is to "find a way to unlock the potential" in situations, in environments and in people.
Carter, whose work to revitalize the South Bronx through green job training and creation of greenspace has won broad acclaim, brought her message of inspiration and empowerment to members of the International Interior Design Association's Northern California Chapter last week.
The occasion was organization's Leadership Breakfast, an annual gathering of the interior designers, architects, urban planners and others who make up the membership of the regional chapter whose territory takes in Hawaii and all of Nevada except Las Vegas. More than 400 people attended the event, which included recognition of outstanding members and Carter's keynote talk.
Carter came to the attention of Jean Hansen, the sustainable interiors manager with HDR and an organizer for the design group's event, at Greenbuild 2008, the U.S. Green Building Council's annual conference. At the green building industry's pre-eminent annual gathering, Carter spoke of her experiences in the South Bronx, environmental justice and how communities in the greatest need can be at the forefront of sustainable community development.
In San Francisco, Carter drew parallels from her experience and community projects large and small in the South Bronx to the work and challenges faced by designers.
Born and raised in the South Bronx, Carter went to college at Wesleyan University in Connecticut and returned to her family in Hunts Point while she was studying for her master's degree at New York University. "I was young, broke and had to move back home," she told members of the IIDA.
"It was the best thing that happened to me," said Carter, who continues to live in the community.
Her return to the neighborhood was the catalyst for her transformation to an advocate for environmental justice and the realization that her community, "constantly portrayed as the epicenter of urban blight," didn't have to be that way, she said.
The tipping point came, she said, when she learned of a plan to increase waste handling in the South Bronx, which led to her drive for green development in the community. That effort grew and came to encompass the creation of the first South Bronx waterfront park in more than 60 years and the impetus for the South Bronx Greenway, which is envisioned as an 11-mile network of bike and pedestrian paths through the neighborhood.
Along the way, she founded the community organization Sustainable South Bronx and served as its executive director until last year. She has since established the Majora Carter Group LLC, a green-collar economic consulting firm for which she is president and CEO.
In speaking of her work and that of the other community members, Carter highlighted how chance can bring about sudden inspiration (her first glimpse of the clogged and litter-strewn Bronx River came when she followed her dog into a weed-choked field), how objects of utility and beauty can be made from salvaged goods (the pallets-into-furniture business), and how problems and solutions can be discovered by engaging people (her tree limb example).
Most people hadn't known that a tree on a particular South Bronx block presented a problem, she said. The fellow trained to trim trees in the neighborhood was chatting with residents about the eco-friendly benefits of greenery, but one group wasn't buying it. The tree on their sidewalk had grown quite dense and blocked the light from a street lamp. The tree trimmer pruned the tree so the light could shine through.
"There you go, an example of crime prevention through environmental design," Carter joked to the audience. Although the situation may seem like a no-brainer, it illustrates the importance of having "eyes on the street" to ensure that designs fulfill their purpose without creating new problems, she said.
It also showed how a single person could make a difference to many people. "It may seem like a small thing, but to the people on that block, that guy is a hero," she said.
Carter's talk, IIDA-NC Chapter President Collin Burry said afterward, "reminds us we can all create change."
In keeping with that theme, the organization honored Bill Watson, the founder of Coordinated Resources Inc., with the chapter's Distinguished Achievement Award for his more than 25 years of work in the industry, and Dan Huntsman, the founder of the Huntsman Architectural Group, with the chapter's Leadership Award of Excellence.
The chapter also made a cash donation in an undisclosed amount to the San Francisco Conservation Corps. The group provides job education and training to young people ages 18 to 26 and provides hands on experience in landscaping, playground renovation, recycling and other projects aimed at improving the environment.
Image by Photographer Andy Pischalnikoff, courtesy of IIDA-NC.