Community members on the Southeast Environmental Task Force Boat Tour.
This Earth Month, we want to take a moment to share and celebrate what our comunidades have been building across the country.
In the past six months, GreenLatinos partners across Chicago, Los Angeles, and Albuquerque have been doing what Latinos have always done: taking care of the land, feeding our neighbors, and investing in the youth around us.
Here’s a look at what that work looks like on the ground.
The numbers
7,600+ community members showed up. 13,000+ pounds of fresh food were distributed. 611,000+ pounds of organic waste were diverted from landfills. 201 trees are in the ground. 3,500+ volunteer hours were logged by neighbors who chose to give their time to this work.
Gracias to our comunidades across the country for their work!
Chicago
People for Environmental Restoration & Riverfront Organization (PERRO) holding a community event at the Canal Origins park restoration project in partnership with the Chicago Park District.
In Chicago, residents are helping design the future of Canal Origins Park from the ground up. More than 100 community members joined boat tours, walking tours, and design conversations to share their vision for the space, all led by our partners at PERRO. Students at the Academy for Global Citizenship (AGC) are learning in brand new outdoor classrooms, including Geodesic domes and Community gardens. Stay tuned to see exciting updates from Centro San Bonifacio and Southeast Environmental Task Force!
Los Angeles
Community members collaborating and sharing their vision for Aliso Pico Recreation Center with Proyecto Pastoral.
In Los Angeles, a community garden opened in Pico Union and became a gathering place almost immediately thanks to our friends at Cultiva LA. Over 1,200 people joined events there in just a few months. Youth with the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps planted 201 trees in Pico Rivera and were recognized by the city for their work. Our partners at LA Compost diverted over 611,000 pounds of organic waste from landfills, turning it into soil that feeds more gardens and more community. We are rooting for our amigues at Proyecto Pastoral as they continue to dream and plan their vision for Aliso Pico Recreation Center!
Albuquerque
A group gathered at the SouthWest Organizing Project community garden space.
In Albuquerque, the Southwest Organizing Project and the Semilla Project distributed nearly 12,000 pounds of fresh food, grew over 2,000 plant starts, and welcomed thousands of neighbors to Loma Linda Community Farm. Eighteen BIPOC youth graduated also from a pre-apprenticeship in agriculture and urban forestry, earning certifications in CPR, Wilderness First Aid, and wildfire mitigation. And CESOSS brought hundreds of K-5 students into hands-on learning about acequias, soil, and water, the same systems their ancestors built and maintained for generations. Yes! Housing continued to build the infrastructure for a new orchard.
This is what our people have always known
As Amanda Pantoja, our Urban Greening Initiative Coordinator, put it: “Our neighborhoods have been caring for the Earth for generations, and this stewardship continues every day in our Latino households and communities.”
This Earth Month, we’re proud to celebrate that. These are not new ideas, but concepts and practices our comunidades have been practicing all along.
Want to continue supporting our work across the country and make a real impact? Make a donation today HERE.
