Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist (Google it), will speak on campus next Monday as part of the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment’s ninth annual Colloquium on the Environment speaker series.

Carter has become a leading figure in the world of environmental justice, having worked towards urban sustainability before most people recognized its importance. In 2001 she founded Sustainable South Bronx to bring the science of sustainability to the community she grew up in. Two years later she would come to coin the term “greening the ghetto” as she implemented the creation of green-collar jobs and training for members of the community.

The central idea behind Carter’s work is that we experience our environment through how it is built. Carter values the idea that environmental health has a direct relationship with the overall health of the community, so that improving the South Bronx’s urban environment is improving the living conditions of its people.

Her work in urban revitalization has come with its fair share of accolades and public interest. In 2006, Carter was a featured TED talk speaker, giving a powerful speech entitled “Greening the Ghetto.” She is also the winner of the MacArthur “genius” fellowship and has received awards from John Podesta’s Center for American Progress. Her radio show is also the winner of the Peabody Award for best electronic media.

She will present her speech entitled, “Home(town) Security,” which focuses on how we look inwardly at our communities in order to improve them and move forward. The speech will be held on Monday, April 22 at 5:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas. It is free and open to the public with a reception to follow the event.