There are people in the United Sates who take our planet for granted, believing it will automatically sustain humanity for generations. Some are indifferent with a notion that modern technology will find a way to cure popular wasteful habits passed down from generations. For others, caring about the environment is just not a priority because so many of life’s other realities take precedence. Now it’s time to do our part and with a leader like Lisa Jackson pushing for us, we can’t lose.

Who is Lisa Jackson? She is a dynamic woman who is the first black Commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and may even be the first black appointed to manage any state environmental protection agency in the United States , that’s who.

Appointed by Governor John Corzine, Lisa leads a staff of over 3,400 professionals dedicated to protecting, sustaining and enhancing New Jersey ’s water, air and land, and preserving its wealth of natural and historic resources, overseeing a budget of $439.7 million. DEP duties also include managing the state’s fish and wildlife resources and the state’s parks and historic sites. Lisa praises Governor Corzine for being an “environmentalist of the first degree.” She explains, “You may hear somebody in my position say that they are trying to get the Governor to realize how important this is and he’s on it. That part is very helpful to me as an African American woman knowing that he has my back.”

With Lisa’s infectious smile and seemingly laid-back personality, she was easy to talk with, but I knew she meant business. She is clearly passionate about her work and the people it affects. Concerned about the greenhouse gases issue, Lisa proudly divulged, “ The Governor announced a greenhouse gas goal for the state and we’re the only state as tough as California . We’re leading the country on where we’re trying to go with greenhouse gas. States like NJ have far too much to lose for them to play around to decide if global warming is actually real and whether we should join Kyoto .” Ironically, this past September, President George Bush renewed his opposition to mandatory caps on greenhouse gases and called for a summit on the issue by mid-2008.

A native of the now ravaged by hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Ninth Ward , Commissioner Jackson graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University School of Chemical Engineering writing her thesis on how to clean up contaminated water, and earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University where there is a center for environmental studies.

I see Lisa as a trailblazer, and when I asked if she sees herself in that way, she responded, “I can’t think about that everyday but at times it does become evident. The Governor and I spoke at a school in West Orange , NJ and there were a lot of brown students there, and it hit me. I told them ‘I need you to grow up and become environmentalists. I need you to get math and science under your belt; I need for you to realize that if we’re going to have a shot at getting this global warming thing under control, its going to be your generation that’s going to fix the problem although we might have made it.’

It also hits me when I sit in a room full of people who aren’t African American and we’re deciding upon a really important issue and I know that at least at that one second I’m that voice in the room.”

Since she grew up in New Orleans , I wondered about Lisa’s opinion on the situation with hurricane Katrina. Well, she experienced Katrina first hand. She was there visiting her mother for her birthday when Katrina hit. “I drove them out. I drove my mother, her sister and my stepfather out of New Orleans to Shreveport not realizing that would be the last time my mother would see her house the way she left it,” she remembers.

“The Katrina experience made me realize that you can’t fight it; you have to accept what God has in store for you. I truly believe that God gave us this world and we have a moral obligation not to turn around and give the next generations a trash heap that they can’t live off of. This earth is supposed to sustain us and in response, we’re supposed to respect it. Whatever it is that inspires in you a stewardship of the planet, believe that everything you do matters and that means not driving an SUV; understanding how important it is not to leave the lights on and the engines running; making smart choices that will ultimately save money; empowering people to understand and educate them. All of that counts.”

Lisa and her husband Kenny, a Merrill Lynch executive, have two wonderful sons, Marcus and Brian. Lisa Jackson is a woman who cares deeply about our environment and is looking out for our best interests.

Energy Awareness Month is observed in October, here are five small ways to conserve energy and help the environment.

• Don’t use plastic bags when you go to the supermarket. Bring your own bag. Whole Foods has cloth bags for sale and they give you a small discount on your bill if you bring your own.
• Buy appliances with an Energy Star rating. You’ll save in the long run.
• Buy energy efficient light bulbs.
• Don’t leave lights on all night.
• If you have a dishwasher, only run it when it’s fully loaded.