\nErika Allen<\/p>\n
Projects Manager, Growing
\nPower
Chicago, Ill.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Erika Allen grew up on a <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nAmbessa Cantave<\/p>\n Educator, Alliance for Climate Education <\/p>\n Ambessa Cantave, 33, uses his skills as an entertainer and his green savvy to help young people throughout the Bay Area connect with the environmental movement. As an educator at the Alliance for Climate Education<\/a>, he makes high-energy, inspiring presentations to high school kids about global warming (take notes, Al Gore). And as a cofounder and creative director at Grind for the Green<\/a>, he uses hip-hop culture to help move at-risk youth toward good, green jobs. Cantave also spreads messages of eco-consciousness and self-awareness through the hip-hop group FIYAWATA<\/a>. Read a Grist article about Cantave’s work at the Alliance<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Watch Cantave’s energizing Alliance for Climate Education presentation:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nAmbrose Carroll<\/p>\n Pastor, Renewal Worship Center <\/p>\n The Renewal Worship Center<\/a>, founded in April 2009 by Rev. Ambrose Carroll, 40, is one of the first churches in the U.S. to have started up with an explicitly environmental emphasis; it also has a mission to reach out to all different kinds of people, including struggling African Americans in the inner city. Its nonprofit arm, RENEWAL, focuses on green-job training and placement in the northeastern Denver area. Carroll is also coordinator of Denver’s Green Jobs Interfaith Coalition and has collaborated with other Denver clergy to call for strong clean-energy and climate legislation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a>. original photo by Brian Smale<\/a><\/p>\n \nValerie Casey<\/p>\n Founder, Designers Accord <\/p>\n Designer Valerie Casey<\/a>, 37, wants to green not just her own projects but her entire industry. She started the Designers Accord<\/a>—aka the “Kyoto Treaty of Design”—in 2007 to encourage the creative community to integrate the principles of sustainability into all design practice and to share knowledge with each other. So far, she estimates, more than 600 design firms, 30 corporations, and dozens of colleges and universities from more than 100 countries have ratified the accord. It all started in 2007 with a manifesto<\/a> Casey wrote calling on the design community to “stimulate mass change” and “create a network in which every client is compelled to engage in a discussion of sustainability.” She now runs her own consultancy in San Francisco. Read about a talk Casey gave at South by Southwest<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nLeslie Christian<\/p>\n Founder, Upstream 21 and Portfolio 21 <\/p>\n “Small companies are critical to the future of our communities,” says Leslie Christian, 62—so she helped concoct an innovative way to support them. Upstream 21<\/a>, whose board she chairs, is a Portland, Ore.-based regional holding company that acquires and supports small, locally focused, privately held companies in the Pacific Northwest—currently, three forest products companies<\/a> that are embracing sustainable practices. Right from the drafting of its foundational document, Upstream 21 aimed to break away from business as usual: “Our corporate charter specifically states that the best interests of employees, customers, suppliers, the community, and the environment must be balanced with those of the shareholders over both the short and long term,” Christian explains<\/a>. She is also president and CEO of Portfolio 21 Investments<\/a>, which specializes in environmentally and socially responsible investing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Watch Christian explain the Upstream 21 vision:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nRobert Cialdini<\/p>\n Psychologist <\/p>\n Robert Cialdini, 64, until recently a psychology and marketing professor at Arizona State University, wrote Influence<\/a>, the classic book on persuasion. Lately he’s been researching the best ways to persuade people to save energy. In 2007, he coauthored a study<\/a> [PDF] that found that giving people info about neighborhood energy-use norms (combined with smiley faces) led to large home energy savings. His research inspired the creation of the company Opower<\/a>, which sells software that utilities can use to make smarter bills and inspire energy efficiency. Cialdini now serves as chief scientist for Opower and is president of the Influence at Work<\/a> consulting firm. Read a Grist interview with Cialdini<\/a> and Grist article about Cialdini’s work and Opower<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nJim Cochran<\/p>\n Farmer, Swanton Berry Farm <\/p>\n Despite what many consumers may think, organic rules don’t <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nCisco DeVries<\/p>\n President, Renewable Funding <\/p>\n Sure, you’d love to have solar panels on your roof, but where would you <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nMatt Golden<\/p>\n President, Founder, and Chief Building Scientist, Recurve <\/p>\n Matt Golden, 35, has become a golden boy of the nascent energy-efficiency industry. He started Recurve<\/a>—formerly called Sustainable Spaces—back in 2004 before retrofit <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nZakiya Harris<\/p>\n Founder and Executive Director, Grind for the Green <\/p>\n Zakiya Harris, 32, founded Grind for the Green<\/a> in <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nLeanne Mai-ly Hilgart<\/p>\n Founder, Vaute Couture <\/p>\n Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, 27, launched Vaute Couture<\/a> last year with a line of chic, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, ethically <\/p>\n Watch Hilgart talk about her business:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nRob Jones<\/p>\n Cofounder, Crop Mob <\/p>\n Like a growing number of young folks across the country, Rob Jones, 27, likes to <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nDorothy Le<\/p>\n Planning and Policy Director, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition <\/p>\n Dorothy Le wants to get you out and about on two wheels. Not sure where to start? Watch her series<\/a> of<\/a> videos<\/a> on how to find the bike that’s right for you. At the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition<\/a>, <\/p>\n Watch a video about Le’s bike activism:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nAnita Maltbia<\/p>\n Director, Green Impact Zone <\/p>\n Anita Maltbia is spearheading the transformation of 150 square blocks of Kansas City, Mo., from blight to bright. The Green Impact Zone<\/a> project, Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nValerie Martinez<\/p>\n Executive Director, Indigenous People’s Green Jobs Coalition <\/p>\n Valerie Martinez, a 31-year-old Mexican\/Cree\/Apache\/Ojibwe woman, Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nMike Mathieu<\/p>\n Founder, Front Seat <\/p>\n After working at Microsoft and founding an internet publishing firm, Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nPatti Moreno<\/p>\n Founder, Garden Girl TV and Urban Sustainable Living <\/p>\n Patti Moreno, 38, aka “The Garden Girl,” wants to sow the seeds of <\/p>\n Watch Garden Girl explain how to start a vegetable garden:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nIrma Muñoz<\/p>\n Founder, Mujeres de la Tierra <\/p>\n Los Angeles native Irma Muñoz, 57, founded Mujeres de la Tierra<\/a> (Women Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nChandrasekhar “Spike” Narayan<\/p>\n Leader of Science and Technology Organization, IBM’s Almaden Research Center <\/p>\n Spike Narayan and his team at IBM’s Almaden Research Center<\/a> work on bleeding-edge technologies that are at the nexus of efforts to create a sustainable world—endlessly recyclable plastics<\/a>, lithium-air batteries<\/a> that Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nJack Newman<\/p>\n Cofounder and Senior Vice President of Research, Amyris <\/p>\n He may look like an amiable Deadhead, but Jack Newman, 44—that would \n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nBrenda Palms-Barber<\/p>\n Chief Executive Director, North Lawndale Employment Network <\/p>\n Brenda Palms-Barber never meant to start a green project. She Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nSteve Price<\/p>\n Digital Designer, Urban Advantage <\/p>\n Digital artist Steve Price, 59, wants to show you the future of green urbanism—literally show you. He creates photo simulations of what blighted urban <\/p>\n Ooh and ah over this animation of a street in Lancaster, Calif.:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nLaDonna Redmond<\/p>\n President, Institute for Community Resource Development; Founder, Graffiti and Grub <\/p>\n A decade ago, LaDonna Redmond found that her infant son had an array of <\/p>\n Watch a news segment on Redmond and Graffiti and Grub:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nBerlin Reed<\/p>\n The Ethical Butcher <\/p>\n Berlin Reed, 27, <\/p>\n Watch Reed talk about his work and slaughter a pig:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nElena Rivellino and Dennis Stein<\/p>\n Owners, Sea Rocket Bistro <\/p>\n At their Sea Rocket Bistro<\/a> in San Diego, Elena Rivellino, 36, and Dennis Stein, 34, combine two of <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nGerod Rody<\/p>\n Founder, Out for Sustainability <\/p>\n Gerod Rody<\/a>, 29, felt a disconnect between his life as a gay man and his work in the sustainability field, so he founded Out for Sustainability<\/a> to bring the two together and encourage the LGBTQ<\/a> community to embrace the green cause. The group is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with Earth Gay<\/a> events where volunteers can help on projects like urban gardening<\/a> and habitat restoration<\/a>—followed, of course, by a lively afterparty<\/a>, complete with limited-edition “Nature Is So Gay” T-shirts. Rody is also the marketing and communications associate<\/a> at the sustainability-focused Bainbridge Graduate Institute<\/a>, where he earned an MBA in sustainable business, and he runs his own firm, seventh idé<\/a>, which specializes in “eco-innovative-thrifty” design consulting for events.<\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nAlan Salzman<\/p>\n Chief Executive, VantagePoint Venture Partners <\/p>\n Alan Salzman, 56, one of Silicon Valley’s leading green venture capitalists, and his firm, VantagePoint Venture Partners<\/a>, Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nSelim Sandoval<\/p>\n Founder, Growingreen Energy and EarthPlay Learning Adventures <\/p>\n Selim Sandoval, born in Guatemala and raised in <\/p>\n Watch Sandoval talk about his work:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nBenjamin Shute and Miriam Latzer<\/p>\n Farmers, Hearty Roots Community Farm <\/p>\n In a shallow<\/a> 2008 New York Times style-section article<\/a>, <\/p>\n Watch food-pantry reps visit Hearty Roots farm:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nCameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr<\/p>\n Founders, Architecture for Humanity <\/p>\n Cameron Sinclair<\/a> and Kate Stohr, both 36, founded Architecture for Humanity<\/a> in 1999 to promote architectural and design solutions to social and <\/p>\n Watch a Frontline piece about Architecture for Humanity:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nSammy Slade<\/p>\n Member, Board of Aldermen <\/p>\n Sammy Slade, 35, has a vision for Carrboro, N.C., a bustling, densely <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nJohn and Julie Stehling<\/p>\n Owners, Early Girl Eatery <\/p>\n In 2001, John and Julie Stehling, now 42 and 39, had a radical idea: <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nBryant Terry<\/p>\n Eco-chef and Food-justice Activist <\/p>\n Chef and activist Bryant Terry<\/a>, <\/p>\n Watch Terry make citrus collards with raisins:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Art by Nat Damm<\/a>; original photo by Anthony-Masterson<\/p>\n \nSeverine von Tscharner Fleming<\/p>\n Director and Founder, The Greenhorns <\/p>\n Severine von Tscharner Fleming, 28, is director of the forthcoming film The Greenhorns<\/a>, about America’s young farmers, and founder of a group by the same name<\/a> that recruits and supports “greenhorn” farmers. The group provides resources<\/a>, puts on gatherings<\/a>, hosts a wiki<\/a>, maps<\/a> new farms, blogs<\/a>, tweets<\/a>, podcasts<\/a>, \n<\/p>\n Watch the Greenhorns trailer:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nHai Vo<\/p>\n Food Activist and Farmer <\/p>\n Five years ago, as he was about to head off to college, Hai Vo weighed in at 250 <\/p>\n Watch a video about Vo’s work:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat Damm<\/a><\/p>\n \nJanine Yorio<\/p>\n Founder and Managing Director, NewSeed Advisors <\/p>\n Janine Yorio, 33, formerly a Wall Street investor, has turned her finance savvy to the food world. Her firm, NewSeed Advisors<\/a>, founded in 2009, invests in and advises promising companies working to make agriculture more sustainable. NewSeed has hosted two Agriculture 2.0 investor conferences, in New York and Palo Alto, Calif., connecting venture capitalists with ag entrepreneurs — two groups that don’t usually mix and mingle. Read a Grist article about the 2010 Agriculture conference<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Save Bette Midler, er, Mother Nature! [VIDEO]<\/a><\/p>\n Republican Opinions on Environmentalism have Shifted Drastically in the Past 10 Years<\/a><\/p>\n Amonix has real solar news instead of Earth Day idiocy<\/a><\/p>\n
\nfarm in Rockville, Md., working in the fields with her father. “We didn’t
\nhave a TV and we relied on a wood stove, but we were known as the ‘food family’
\nbecause we had so much food. We could feed 30 people for supper,”
\nshe said recently<\/a>. Today, her dad, Will Allen<\/a>, is one of the world’s most famous farmers—the
\nrecipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant for his innovative work as an
\nurban farmer\/community organizer in Milwaukee, Wis. Erika is continuing
\nthe family mission as head of the Chicago operations of Growing Power<\/a>,
\nher dad’s nonprofit. Since launching the Chicago branch in 2002, she’s helped
\nmake one-time “food deserts” bloom, launching community gardens and
\nbringing fresh food to economically devastated neighborhoods. Growing Power
\nalso employs inner-city teens to run a model veggie garden in Chicago’s
\nlake-side Grant Park, where they harvest 50 varieties of heirloom vegetables,
\nherbs, and edible flowers in the shadow of skyscrapers.<\/p>\n
Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n
Denver, Colo.<\/p>\n
Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n
Seattle, Wash.<\/p>\n
Tempe, Ariz.<\/p>\n
Davenport, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nensure fair treatment of workers—and tight profit margins mean that
\nworking conditions and pay on organic farms are too often no different from those in conventional operations<\/a>. But Jim Cochran, 62, who launched California’s first organic strawberry farm in 1987, refused to accept the established norms<\/a>. In 1998, he became the first organic grower to sign a contract with the United Farm Workers union—and he approached them.
\nThen, in 2005, Cochran rolled out what might be the nation’s first
\nstock-ownership plan for farm employees; workers begin earning stock in
\nthe operation after putting in 500 hours. “The dignity of farm labor is
\na founding principle of Swanton Berry Farm,” Cochran says<\/a>.
\nIf the farm’s crowded stands at Bay Area farmers markets are any
\nindication, it is possible to protect the earth, treat workers well,
\nand make a profit at the same time.<\/p>\n
Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nget tens of thousands of dollars to install them? Cisco Devries, 36,
\nhas come up with an innovative answer: Property Assessed Clean Energy
\n(PACE) is a new type of financing program that lets private property
\nowners pay for energy-efficiency and renewable-energy projects over 10
\nto 20 years via an addition to their property tax bill, instead of
\ncoming up with the cash up front; the financing comes via municipal
\nbonds, and if an owner sells the property, the tax surcharge transfers
\nto the new owner. The concept was first introduced in (where else?)
\nBerkeley, Calif., in 2007; since then, 17 states have cleared the way
\nfor municipalities to use property taxes in this way, and more than 200
\nU.S. cities and counties are working to launch programs. DeVries’
\ncompany, Renewable Funding<\/a>, helps communities set up and run PACE programs. Read a Grist post by DeVries<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Sausalito, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nwas hip. While Recurve works on a software-driven solution to scale up
\nthe energy-efficiency business from mom-and-pop shops to a sustainable
\nindustry, Golden spends much of his time in Washington lobbying for Home Star<\/a> and other legislation to fund energy-efficiency work and create thousands of jobs. Read more about Golden in a Grist article on Home Star<\/a> and a Grist article on Sustainable Spaces<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Berkeley, Calif.<\/p>\n
\n2007 to use hip-hop to move youth of color from the margins to the
\nepicenter of the green movement, helping steer them toward educational
\nopportunities and green careers. The group puts on the solar-powered
\nG4G Eco-Music Festival in San Francisco, and this Earth Day it’s
\nrolling out a Get Fresh campaign that aims to get young people educated
\nabout and active in environmental issues. Harris also makes her own
\nmusic as one half of the eco-conscious hip-hop duo FIYAWATA<\/a> and works as an eco-marketing consultant.<\/p>\n
Chicago, Ill.<\/p>\n
\nand locally produced coats that are warm enough for Chicago winters. As a vegan, model, and MBA, she brings a unique perspective
\nto her work—and strong values too; all profits from one of her styles
\nare donated to Farm Sanctuary<\/a>, a haven for rescued farm animals. Vaute Couture also sells vegan-themed T-shirts<\/a> and jewelry<\/a>. Hilgart tells you about it all on her blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Carrboro, N.C.<\/p>\n
\nget his hands in the dirt, making his foodshed and community more robust and
\nvibrant. Once each month, Jones and a band of
\nyoung agrarians alight upon an area farm. Calling themselves the Crop Mob<\/a>, they do a big project together—say, break new ground for raised beds or harvest a labor-intensive crop like
\nsweet potatoes. The host farmers make a big meal, and everyone eats together.
\nSustainable agriculture is “way, way, way more labor-intensive than industrial
\nagriculture,” Jones told
\nThe New
\nYork Times Magazine<\/a>, and the long hours can hamper one’s social life.
\nCrop Mobs help by creating a “sense of community that people are looking for”—and “you get a lot of work done.” Since the Times article came out, the
\nidea has gone viral. Crop Mobs have broken
\nout all over the country<\/a>. Read a Grist
\narticle about Crop Mobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nshe works to make the archetypal car-obsessed city more welcoming to
\ncyclists and to make the cycling community more welcoming to women and
\npeople of color. Le has organized community bike tours, women’s
\nbicycle rides, safety workshops, a bicycle count<\/a>. While a student at UCLA, she led E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity<\/a>, an environmental and social-justice organization, and helped launch the Green Initiative Fund<\/a>, a grant-making fund for sustainability projects on the UCLA campus.<\/p>\n
Kansas City, Mo.<\/p>\n
\nwhich she directs, is resuscitating this economically depressed
\nAfrican-American neighborhood by putting local residents to work
\nweatherizing the zone’s 2,500 homes and by developing a bus
\nrapid-transit system that will connect the zone to other parts of the
\nregion. With $50 million in funding<\/a> from
\nthe federal economic-stimulus package, the initiative will also offer
\ncommunity policing, job training, and health and wellness programs.
\nMaltbia, who has 30 years of experience in city government and
\ncommunity activism, earned a coveted spot in the First Lady’s box at
\nthis year’s State of the Union address.<\/p>\n
Minneapolis, Minn.<\/p>\n
\nspreads the benefits of the green economy to American-Indian
\ncommunities in Minnesota through the Indigenous People’s Green Jobs Coalition<\/a>. She’s also working with urban-ag pioneer Will Allen<\/a> to bring small-scale sustainable food production to Little Earth of United Tribes<\/a>, an affordable-housing community for Native Americans in south Minneapolis. <\/p>\n
Seattle, Wash.<\/p>\n
\nMike Mathieu, 41, decided to put his software smarts to work for the
\ngreater social good. Seattle-based Front Seat<\/a>, which he founded and chairs, has launched “civic software” projects like Walk Score<\/a>,
\nwhich shows you how walkable any given U.S. address is (Grist HQ scores
\na whopping 98 out of 100—a “Walkers’ Paradise”), and City-Go-Round<\/a>, which spotlights innovative public transit apps, like Exit Strategy NYC<\/a>, an app that shows you exactly where you should stand on the subway platform
\nto arrive directly in front of the exit at your destination
\n(brilliant). Walk Score has already started to change the way the real
\nestate industry thinks about walkability; its scores have been
\nincorporated into real-estate sites like Zillow.com<\/a> as well as many agents’ individual listings, giving prospective
\nhomebuyers more info about the kinds of neighborhoods and lifestyles
\nthey might be buying into.<\/p>\n
Roxbury, Mass.<\/p>\n
\ninspiration and get everyone growing organic veggies and living a more
\nself-sustaining life. In her how-to videos and on her websites, Garden Girl TV<\/a> and Urban Sustainable Living<\/a>,
\nshe demystifies gardening (indoor and out), raising chickens, shearing
\nrabbits, spinning wool, cooking, and even aquaculture. Before you know it,
\nher infectious enthusiasm could have you not just building raised
\ngarden beds but considering goat adoption. Watch Garden Girl videos on Grist<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Baldwin Vista, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nof the Earth) in 2004, after two neighbors died of cancers that they
\nsuspected had been caused by nearby oil wells. Her group organizes
\nwomen in Southern California to fight for cleaner, healthier
\nneighborhoods for their families. Muñoz also serves as an
\nenvironmental affairs commissioner for Los Angeles. “I
\nthink when you talk about the environment, most people are talking
\nabout the natural elements: air, water, the earth. But for me, and for
\nmany in my community, the environment starts with the family,” she says<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Silicon Valley, Calif.<\/p>\n
\ncould dramatically extend the range of electric cars, and
\ninfrastructure for smart cities. Given Narayan and the Almaden Research
\nCenter’s proximity to Silicon Valley venture capitalists and
\nentrepreneurs, expect to see some of these technologies hit the market
\nin the coming years.<\/p>\n
Berkeley, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nbe Dr. Newman to you—is a Berkeley microbiologist who cofounded Amyris<\/a>,
\na start-up that went from bioengineering a microbe to produce an
\nanti-malarial drug to genetically tweaking a bug to excrete biodiesel
\n(crazy, right?). Amyris, which has a pilot project under way in Brazil,
\nis backed by high-profile Silicon Valley venture capitalists.<\/p>\n
Chicago, Ill.<\/p>\n
\njust wanted to create jobs for the residents of Chicago’s North
\nLawndale neighborhood, 57 percent of whom have been incarcerated or had
\nsome involvement with the criminal justice system. As chief executive
\ndirector of the North Lawndale Employment Network<\/a>, she hatched the idea for Sweet Beginnings<\/a>,
\nan urban honey farming business that trains and employs locals who
\nwould otherwise have a hard time finding a job. In addition to selling
\nhoney, Sweet Beginnings produces the beeline<\/a> brand
\nof all-natural personal-care products, which are now sold in Chicago
\nWhole Foods stores, among other outlets. A sweet idea all around.<\/p>\n
El Cerrito, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nlandscapes would look like if they were transformed into healthier,
\nsafer, more sustainable places—and pretty sweet spots to live.
\nPrice’s Berkeley firm, Urban Advantage<\/a>,
\nbuilds “photo-realistic visualizations” for developers, design firms,
\nand local governments that want to show how walkable urban development
\ncould revitalize an area. “Everybody kind of nods and agrees and knits
\ntheir brows as they listen to statistics and information about economic
\ndevelopment,” Price said of the public meetings he’s attended. “Then
\nthey see the pictures, and that’s when the smiles occur. And the ‘oohs’
\nand ‘ahs.’” Read a Grist profile of Price<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Chicago, Ill.<\/p>\n
\nfood allergies. After doing research, she concluded the best diet for
\nher family was organic whole foods. Trouble was, in her west Chicago
\nneighborhood, very little food was available that wasn’t highly
\nprocessed and full of additives—much less organic. Redmond didn’t
\nget frustrated—she got working. “I … wondered just how much effort
\nit would it take to grow some lettuce and a couple of tomatoes (little
\ndid I know the ultimate ramifications of that simple question),” she later wrote<\/a>.
\n“After some more research, my husband and I decided to convert our
\nbackyard into what we called a ‘micro-farm.’” Eventually, they rolled
\nout a nonprofit called the Institute for Community Resource Development
\nthat converted vacant lots into productive gardens, making the West
\nSide “food desert” bloom with fresh veggies. Last year, Redmond and her
\ncrew turned their attention to the South Side, opening a grocery store
\ncalled Graffiti and Grub<\/a> and yet more community gardens.<\/p>\n
Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n
\ntook an unlikely path through vegetarianism and even “militant”
\nveganism before embracing his new profession whole hog—literally. He now styles himself The Ethical Butcher<\/a>. He gets all of his meat from small, local farms and visits every one
\nto meet the farmers and see first-hand how their animals are raised. He’s converting people to the cause of sustainable meat through what
\nhe calls The Bacon Gospel<\/a>,
\ncuring bacon with flavors like watermelon-basil and
\nhorseradish-lemon-turmeric, as well as through the Heritage Breed
\nSupper Club, where people not only eat well but learn the story behind
\nwhat they’re eating. Reed is also writing a book, developing a video
\nseries on sustainable meat, and planning a tour of cities along the
\nEast and West coasts to share his philosophy and highlight the work of
\nothers fighting to change the meat industry. <\/p>\n
San Diego, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nour favorite restaurant trends: budget-priced organic\/local\/gourmet and
\na devotion to sustainable seafood. They source their food<\/a> exclusively from Southern California and Baja fisherpeople and other nearby producers and stack their menu<\/a> with delicious preparations of ocean-friendly choices like oysters, sea
\nurchins, and sardines. Even the tipples are local here: Sea Rocket
\nserves only Southern California beer and wine.<\/p>\n
Seattle, Wash.<\/p>\n
Atherton, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nhave invested in a slew of startups that may emerge as the linchpins of
\na sustainable economy—companies like solar power plant builder BrightSource Energy<\/a>, electric carmaker Tesla Motors<\/a>, and electric-car infrastructure developer Better Place<\/a>, as well as home-energy management companies AlertMe<\/a> and Tendril<\/a>. Salzman also spends time in Washington, D.C., and Europe, advocating for greentech-friendly government policy. Read a Grist article about Salzman<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Ventura, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nSouth Central L.A., is hard at work creating green jobs in Southern California. His company Growingreen Energy<\/a> installs renewable energy systems and
\ntrains workers to enter the field, while another venture, EarthPlay Learning Adventures<\/a>, creates customized outdoor learning
\nprograms for kids and adults. Sandoval also works as community relations
\nadvisor for Sunside Solar<\/a>, which manufactures solar systems, and as green jobs
\ncoordinator for Venice YouthBuild<\/a>, which helps at-risk
\nyouth get on a positive career track.<\/p>\n
Tivoli, N.Y.<\/p>\n
\nBenjamin Shute was portrayed as a hipster farmer. But growing food is no trendy
\npastime for him and his business partner, Miriam Latzer, 35. Since 2004,
\nthey’ve run Hearty Roots Community Farm<\/a>, which is
\ntackling two big challenges facing sustainable agriculture: 1) the scarcity of
\naffordable land for new farmers; and 2) the need to broaden access to
\nsustainably grown local food. They’ve already had to move their operation once
\nbecause they couldn’t afford the multi-million-dollar sales price of the land
\nthey’d been renting near New York City, but they got up and running again on a
\nnew rented 23-acre farm. Their crew of nine people produces food for 400 New
\nYork City families through a CSA program<\/a>, and they work with
\ncity agencies and NGOs to get 1,000 pounds of produce each week to five food
\npantries in Flatbush, Brooklyn—bringing fresh, top-quality food to people who
\notherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Shute is also working to organize the National Young Farmers’ Coalition<\/a>, a new
\nnonprofit that provides support for beginning farm entrepreneurs. Read a Grist
\narticle about Shute and other young farmers<\/a>. <\/p>\n
Sausalito, Calif.<\/p>\n
\nhumanitarian crises. Their motto: “Design like you give a damn.”
\n(That’s also the name of their book<\/a>.)
\nSince its founding, Architecture for Humanity has established a network
\nof more than 40,000 professionals who donate their time and expertise
\nto build everything from much-needed facilities in disaster-stricken
\nspots like Haiti<\/a> and New Orleans<\/a> to “Football for Hope<\/a>”
\ncenters across Africa, where the love of sport can be channeled to
\npromote social development. The focus is always on building safe,
\ninnovative, sustainable structures that serve communities and help
\nfight poverty.<\/p>\n
Carrboro, N.C.<\/p>\n
\npopulated town that borders Chapel Hill. Where other people see a
\nconventional burg with lots of single-family houses and lawns, Salde
\nsees one big community farm for a post-oil era. Bikes, pedestrians, and
\nvegetable carts would take over the roads, and the lawns would give way
\nto densely planted veggie beds and grassy chicken runs. He helped
\nlaunch Carrboro Community Garden<\/a> in 2008, which quickly grew into a highly productive public space. Every year, he and his comrades from Carrboro Greenspace<\/a> organize the Urban Farm Tour<\/a>,
\na highly popular, walkable event that shows off the town’s budding
\nnetwork of vegetable gardens. In 2009, Slade decided to take his
\nresilient-community ideas into town government, running for<\/a> and winning election into the Carrboro Board of Aldermen. “The specters of climate change, Peak Everything<\/a>, and biodivesity loss require that we remake our world by re-localizing the economy,” Slade says. Read a Grist article about the Urban Farm Tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Asheville, N.C.<\/p>\n
\nLet’s start a restaurant that sources as much as possible from its
\nfoodshed, and let’s serve simple, diner-style fare at accessible
\nprices. At that time, most local-minded restaurants were foodie
\ntemples, with the menu prices to prove it. (Think Chez Panisse<\/a>.)
\nToday, with the sustainable-food movement focusing more on broadening
\naccess and with the economy in the doldrums, restaurants that combine
\neco-consciousness with affordability are all the rage. At the the
\nStehlings pioneering Early Girl Eatery<\/a> in Asheville, N.C., a huge proportion<\/a> of the restaurant’s produce, meat, and condiments comes from local producers—even the fiery table-top hot sauce<\/a> and salt<\/a>. And the hearty breakfasts<\/a> inspire Asheville residents to queue up down the block.<\/p>\n
Oakland, Calif.<\/p>\n
\n36, works to make our food system just and sustainable, and, in his own
\nwords, “illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural
\nracism, and food insecurity.” He’s reminded people of the healthy
\norigins of African-American cuisine in Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African American Cuisine<\/a>. He’s also working on the Southern Organic Kitchen Project<\/a>, which aims to inspire healthier eating in urban communities in the South. In 2006, he coauthored Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen<\/a> with Anna Lappé and started an online Grub hub<\/a> to
\npromote healthy eating. These days, he talks to communities around the
\ncountry about healthy eating and sustainable food systems, and
\ncontributes to a number of food-focused TV and film projects<\/a>. Read a Grist Q&A wtih Terry<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Hudson Valley, N.Y.<\/p>\n
\nand more. “We have the advantage of youth. Brave muscles, a fierce
\npassion, and probably pretty savvy marketing insights,” she says. “We
\nhave a country that needs us to step to the plate, swing that pick, and
\nplant the future—now!” Read a Grist article about von Tscharner Fleming<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Davis, Calif.<\/p>\n
\npounds. But at the University of California–Irvine, he underwent a double
\ntransformation: By embracing healthful food, he lost more than 100 pounds, and in
\nan effort to spread healthful food to everyone else, he became a food activist.
\nHe got involved in the national Real Food Challenge<\/a> campaign and cofounded a Real Food Challenge
\nproject<\/a> at UCI. He researched the university’s food-procurement system, drew
\nmore than 500 people from the campus and community to events promoting
\nsustainable food systems, and helped get the whole UC system to adopt Real Food Challenge’s goal of
\npurchasing 20 percent “real” food<\/a> (i.e., eco-friendly, local, and
\nfairly and humanely produced) by 2020. His efforts earned
\nhim a Brower Youth Award<\/a> last year. Now 23, Vo is a fledgling farmer,
\nraising sustainable food with a few friends on a small farm in California, and he’s generating ideas for getting “real” food into national-park
\nconcession stands as a member of a guild
\nat the Institute at the Golden Gate<\/a>.<\/p>\n
New York City, N.Y.<\/p>\n