🗣️ "A Voice For Green Latinos"

Host: Travis Loop
Guest: Mariana Del Valle Prieto Cervantes | Water Equity and Ocean Program Manager | GreenLatinos
Category: 🗣️ Opinion

Podcast’s Essential Bites:

[1:51] “GreenLatinos is a national nonprofit organization. We convene an active community of Latino, Latina, Latinx leaders, emboldened by the power with some of our culture, united to […] dismantle racism, resource to win our environmental and conservation climate justice battles […] to secure political, economic, cultural and environmental liberation. […] Our vision is to see a healthy and equitable society where communities of color are liberated from disproportionate environmental burdens, are free to breathe fresh air, drink pure water, access […] clean transportation, and enjoy our majestic public lands, oceans, and of course, our waters. […] We really pride ourselves in not just advocating for the Latino community, but advocating for other communities of color, low income communities, and disadvantaged communities that have been disproportionately impacted. The fight for environmental liberation is a fight for justice, and we really see it that way.”

[6:07] “We did a nationwide study […] and what the polling really showed us is what we already know in our communities. And that is that […] Latinos are highly concerned, when it comes to issues in and around climate change. And one of the reasons why that is, is because we are disproportionately impacted by them, whether it's the wildfires, hurricanes […] and other issues. […] The other thing that it shows when it comes to water is that 95% of Latinos feel that fishing and other outdoor activities like hunting, kayaking, camping are our way of life. That protecting our lands, protecting our waters, is protecting our culture, our community, our family.”

[7:30] “90% of Latinos also felt that protecting our waters is really critical for our economy, […] because it maintains and gives us the ability to maintain and create jobs now and in the future. And what […] Latinos said in this polling was that they would want to see the […] Biden administration to focus on combating water pollutions by implementing and enforcing strong water pollution rules for power plants, and limiting pollutants in water, like coal ash, PFAS, and other contaminants that we're seeing water.”

[12:38] “One of the things that is clear for GreenLatinos, as an organization, is that […] water is life and it's a human right. So no one should go without water. That's a basic human right. […] We believe that everyone should have access to clean, healthy and affordable water to drink, to recreate, to enjoy and find solace in for our physical and mental well being. So one of our policy priorities here at GreenLatinos is water equity. […] And it's really addressing issues through awareness, advocacy for strong policy investments, […] strong investments in outreach in our communities, that advances clean water access and affordability.”

[14:06] “In the water aspect, [disproportionality] looks like 2 million people not having access to clean water. And when it comes to Latino communities, they are two times as likely not to have access to even plumbing in their households. […] And then when it comes to affordability, we're seeing water bills rising. […] There's a study that just came out that is saying that 25 million people won't have access to clean water and their water is contaminated with toxins. In counties where Latinos make up 25% of the population or more, tend to be the ones that are drinking that unsafe drinking water.”

[18:34] “Water issues are not just water issues. They're being impacted by what's happening in climate change. When we're fighting for clean water, clean waterways, we also need to recognize that that is also going to help ensure that people have access to clean water, and it's not impacting their health. […] If you're in public health, you should be a water advocate, because water is essential to having physical and mental well being. Same thing, if you're fighting climate justice. It's not just about fighting coal plants and fossil fuels. […] How are those industries impacting the water? And how do we hold them accountable for what they're doing to our water? So it's really recognizing all of these different intersections that are out there.”

[35:49] “Another thing is focusing on plastic pollution. […] I did some local and state work here in California to reduce single use plastics. And now, I'm working on the federal level to do that with Green Latinos. It's really telling the whole story of plastics. Plastic is just not a waste accumulation. It's also, when you're looking at the holistic story of plastic, […] an environmental justice issue, because it's impacting our communities from extraction all the way to end of life. It is a climate crisis issue, because we know that the fossil fuel industry is moving towards gearing up their plastic production, as we move towards more renewable energy.”

Rating: 💧💧

🎙️ Full Episode: Apple | Spotify
🕰️ 40 min | 🗓️ 09/14/2021
✅ Time saved: 38 min