Earth Day is April 23, but environmentalists, taking a page from Black folks’ book, have decided to make a month of it and declare April “Earth Month.”

They are right to take as much time as they need — we will all perish if we cannot sustain our planet. And so there have been actions, large and small, to focus our attention on issues of environmental sustainability.

There was a booth outside my local Whole Foods with free samples of a “environmentally-friendly” laundry detergent, and an earnest young woman who explained why it mattered that this detergent be chosen over traditional brands.

It produces fewer pesticides for the Chesapeake Bay, she said. It is friendlier to the crabs, already threatened by a toxic chemical mix in the bay.

Her display tabled brimmed over with free samples of lip gloss, detergent, and other products, as well as literature about the environment. Just one question, I asked. How does this detergent compare in price with the detergent that I might use? It may cost a little more, she said. How little? Five cents, ten cents, fifty? She wasn’t sure. And there’s the rub.

Too often that which is environmentally-friendly is also more expensive than the alternative. As long as that is the case, the cash-strapped are going to go for the economically-prudent possibility. Organic vegetables, pesticide-free and better for us, are frequently more expensive than those that are traditionally grown. Solar and wind energy options are more expensive than other energy.

And yes, this environmentally-friendly detergent and cleanser is, if not more expensive, more inconvenient to produce. And yet we have this planet that we must sustain, and an African-American community that must be engaged in sustaining the planet.

While people of African descent do not dominate the environmental movement, several have notably lifted their voices and gained recognition for their work. Dr. Wangari Muta Maathai earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work in sustainable development, democracy and peace.

She was Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya between 2003 and 2005. A powerful speaker and activist, she has attempted to focus more people on the many ways we can sustain, and save, our environment.

Van Jones was an Oakland, California-based activist until President Barack Obama tapped him to advise him on environmental issues. The founder of Green Jobs for All has worked to promote green jobs for the disadvantaged, and focused on building an inclusive green economy.

Working with legislative leaders like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Al Gore, Van Jones has garnered national media attention for the power of his ideas. He has been the driving force behind successful legislation to create green jobs, and is likely to help President Obama broaden the ways his environmental program will transform our nation.
Majora Carter is an environmental justice advocate fro the South Bronx, and a founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an environmental action organization.

An inspiring national speaker and activist, she has broadened her base by forming a consulting company that helps universities and others “turn green.”

Here work began to garner national recognition after she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005. She has gone on to earn several other national and international awards. She has been lauded for her positions on environmental justice and for her advocacy that communities of color should not become dumping grounds for toxic waste.

Wangari Maathai, Van Jones and Majora Carter are all examples of influential environmentalists of color, folk who are both Black and green. They remind us of the many ways that civil rights and environmental justice are intertwined, and ways that the burgeoning environmental movement will benefit from African-American and African participation.

At the same time, these leaders are implored to include economic aspects of the environmental movement into their work. While Jones certainly focuses on green jobs, it is important for us all to focus on the ways that environmental friendliness is consistent with economic frugality. With the official unemployment rate at 8.5 percent, and the unofficial African-American unemployment rate hovering above 25 percent, who can blame a sister or a brother from eschewing the organic route, however healthy, in favor of that which is more immediately affordable.

We may indeed want to save the planet in the long run. But at the checkout counter, we may simply want affordable groceries.

Malveaux is an NNPA columnist and president of Bennett College for Women.