(upbeat music) ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey, hey ♪ Hey, hey - Good evening and welcome to "Horizonte."

A show that takes a look at current issues through a Hispanic lens.

I'm your host, Catherine Anaya.

Tonight we're talking about Hispanics and the environment.

A 2021 Pew Research Center survey shows that 39% of Hispanics say the environment is a top concern for them personally.

That's 10 points higher than non-Hispanics.

In that same survey Hispanics saw more environmental problems in their communities, with 72% saying there is too much garbage, waste and landfills.

That's 12 points higher than non-Hispanics.

71% of Hispanics cited water pollution as a problem in their communities.

That's compared to 57% of non-Hispanics.

And 70% said air pollution was a problem which is 21 points higher than others.

And finally, 56% of Hispanics are worried about drinking water, with only 38% of non-Hispanics worried about that issue.

Joining me to discuss Hispanics and the environment is Ylenia Aguilar, a board member of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, who also ran on an environmental platform.

And with us is Nuvia Enriquez, the communications director for Chispa, Arizona, a League of Conservation Voters.

Thank you ladies so much for being here.

- Thank you so much for having us.

- So we look at those statistics and information from Pew and it's very obvious that Hispanics considered the climate change and environmental issues a top concern and they're willing to make those lifestyle changes to help with these issues.

Is this new information or is this information that we're just not talking enough about?

- I don't think it's new information.

I don't think it's talked enough about it.

I do believe that most of us, with our families and our communities we are very responsible when it comes to water use.

Those of us who are immigrants or just people with indigenous backgrounds, like we know that we have to take care of the planet.

That is a belief of our ancestors.

And as far as like even just like fashion like that fast fashion, we know, we recognize that it's bad for the environment, and now more than ever, we're seeing all these different conditions arising due to contaminated water.

So it's something that we are very concerned about, whether it's autoimmune conditions on the rise or other types of conditions like chronic illnesses that we are now seeing and being diagnosed, because we may have a little bit more access to healthcare, which we didn't have before.

So we attribute those to the conditions of the planet.

Water and what goes into our water and what we are doing.

Like by nature, most of us like to take care of the planet.

We recycle and we know that the food comes from the ground.

Our ancestors have been planting and growing food.

Some of our family members are working out in the fields and we know where the food comes from.

So we are more likely to protect the planet and aware of what is happening.

- Would you agree, Nuvia that this is really something that's cultural innate?

- Yes, 100%.

And then also from a research perspective.

Actually the work of Chispa started because of this research.

The Latino community is the most concerned group with the environment.

So that is why the program was started by the League of Conservation Voters.

And we also know that we are at the forefront of the climate crisis.

The Latinx community, communities of color and low-income communities are the ones that are experiencing the effects of climate change the most.

We are more likely to live in areas with high pollution, places like close to highways.

We are definitely more likely to live in areas where there's waste.

And this is systemic, these are practices that are systemic and that we are trying to hold people accountable to so that we can have access to clean air and water, to public lands and to a safe environment overall.

- Well, I'm glad you mentioned that because according to that same research, Hispanics are disproportionately affected by air pollution and less likely to have access to drinking water that meets federal health standards.

So what needs to be done to create safer environments?

- So I think one of the things that we believe in, is the fact that we are environmental leaders and we should be listened to, and we should be at the tables where decisions are being made when it comes to the environment, and when it comes to having access to clean air, clean water, public lands and parks, for example.

So we are already environmental leaders, we just have to be at the tables where decisions are being made related to the environment and the effects it has in our communities and in general, low income and communities of color.

- Would you agree with that?

- Absolutely, and if you think about it, when our community is living in food deserts and they don't have, sometimes it's cheaper to buy the Tropicana juice or soda than it is to buy clean drinking bottled water.

So there are a lot of barriers to our community having access to clean drinking water and all the resources that we need to be healthy communities.

I will say that at the end of the day it all falls down to like policy and who we elect.

There are policies in place that protect us and that need to ensure that we have access to clean drinking water.

However, they're not followed, and sometimes when we elect the leaders that don't represent or don't understand what our communities are going through, that just goes by, it's something that they don't really understand and don't listen to, because they don't live in these communities that are polluted.

They don't live in the areas where your backyard is a landfill, or they don't live in areas where there is no sprouts or whole foods.

Like we live in those communities we understand what the issues are, and when we have policies in place and leaders in place, who understand these issues, they're more likely to take action.

And organizations like Chispa do a great job at advocating and sharing that message, but more needs to be done.

- Well, I wanna read something to you because I recently read an article where the CEO of the nonprofit, Green Latinos said that he found that while most Latinos may be active in green organizations, they are what he describes as cultural environmentalist or stewards of the environment.

And based on your experience, both of you out in the community and talking with people.

Would you agree with that?

- Yeah, I think it goes to what Ylenia was saying earlier, this is ancestral knowledge for us that have indigenous roots.

So yeah, we see it in our members all the time and we try to hone in the knowledge that they already have.

Chispa is a membership based organization.

And so we have... Our members are already connected to the land.

Our members already come from places where they had to work the land, for example.

So it's not a big pull for us to get people to care.

We just create this space for people to engage in something they already care about from a policy perspective, from a political perspective and even from different campaigns, like advocating for clean air, advocating for clean energy, which is a lot of what we do.

Public lands again.

So, yeah, I mean, we're a community that is already there and we just need the right space to engage with the work.

- Well, so how do we elevate that space?

- That's a great question.

So there's a pipeline that's growing, hopefully.

This is one of the reasons that I ran.

We can go back to the Hohokam and they are being the first like scientists and engineers of our aqueducts So we already have that knowledge we carry that knowledge, now we have to take leadership roles like Nuvia's or run for office.

So, I'm saying this because I'm the only Latina on my board and I think we need more representation on environmental boards, and this is how we get the message across.

Like, this is my platform right now, and I get to advocate and talk about the issues that are directly impacting our community.

However, we need more of Nuvias more Ylenias out there doing the work and spreading the message because it can't be just like, Green Latinos is a national organization doing amazing work, but here locally we have Chispa and I belong to one other national organization but they're not based here.

So besides Chispa, we don't really have a lot of environmental organizations advocating for these things.

The Colorado River is a separate conversation.

We're talking about million acre feet versus access to clean drinking water, which is a space that I work in.

But there's, even in my professional role access to clean drinking water, I'm usually the only Latina in the green tech space or advocating for clean drinking water.

So creating a pipeline of future leaders really goes back to education and continuing to to provide those resources so kids can go into STEM fields, and have opportunities to do what they've been born to do, which is protect our planet and do good for themselves and for our community.

- Well, what you're both doing is so phenomenal and so important to our communities.

I know that Chispa is, like you said, and we know that it's just a great pipeline for people to get involved and to be more engaged, and to create more awareness.

So you have resources on the website that people can really tap into.

I know it's membership based.

How does that work?

- So what that means is that people can become members of Chispa Arizona and enjoy some benefits that we have available for people.

I mean, anybody can come and become a member.

It's a $10 a year membership fee, which is not a lot.

And we have like member exclusive events.

We also have... To your point about the pipeline we try to create leadership opportunities for our members.

Like one thing that has happened recently is that a lot of our members applied for... We have a position open for federal organizer.

And it was great to see that a lot of our members felt empowered to apply for position.

- That's fantastic.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So we are hopefully empowering people and providing the leadership development they need to feel comfortable in these spaces where they already belong.

We just sometimes require that comfort.

So yeah, I mean if people go on our website chispaaz.org they can find the information they can find the information to get involved in one way, shape, or form or become a member if they want to as well.

- Well it is a big concern as we know.

And so ladies, thank you for your hard work out there in the community and for making a difference.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- I appreciate you being here and joining me.

Alright, that's gonna do it for our show for tonight.

For "Horizonte" and Arizona PBS, I'm Catherine Anaya.

Thanks for joining us.

Have a great night.

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