Naturally Latinos Conference provides a needed space to discuss climate change
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U.S. Latinos, compared to non-Latinos, consistently express more concern about climate change and other environmental problems when asked by opinion pollsters. They are more likely to say they live in a community where climate change is already affecting their lives. But even though Latinos represent a large, natural constituency that supports environmental action, a wealth of data has shown that U.S. environmental groups have, by and large, failed to make Latinos feel welcomed in their movement.
Pioneering Latino environmentalists, however, are working to change this reality. In that spirit, Washington-area Latinos concerned about the environment came together in January for the fifth Naturally Latinos Conference.
Over the course of three days, hundreds of people took part in dozens of virtual conferences and in-person discussions at the Silver Spring Civic Center in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. The annual event, presented by Nature Forward, also featured bird watching, a nature walk and other outdoor “immersive experiences.”
As it does every year, the 2024 Naturally Latinos Conference created an opportunity to hear from environmental justice experts, professionals and advocates and engage in dialogue about the concerns and needs of the Latine community.
Nature Forward (formerly known as the Audubon Naturalist Society) is a non-profit organization in Chevy Chase, Maryland dedicated to protecting the natural environment and connecting local residents with nature “through outdoor experiences, education and advocacy.” The organization hosted the first Naturally Latinos Conference in 2017 with about 150 area residents in attendance. Since then, conference attendance has more than doubled.
This year, the conference was organized around the theme of “Perteneciendo” (Belonging), and more than 300 people came out to show support and participate, according to Denisse Guitarra, the co-chair of this year’s conference.
“The theme of the conference, Perteneciendo or Belonging, was really to make sure that people can actually feel like they belong in this space because often what we see with the Latine community in the environmental field is that they don’t see themselves represented, or they don’t feel included,” says Guitarra, who also works for Nature Forward as a conservation advocate for the state of Maryland. Guitarra attended the 2017 Naturally Latinos Conference when she was still a student studying at the University of Edinburgh. She joined Nature Forward’s staff two years later.
It’s not surprising that U.S. Latinos are concerned about environmental problems. Latino communities — which predominantly house immigrants, low-income people and people of color — have always borne the brunt of society’s environmental hazards, as demonstrated by the wealth of scientific data and maps and news reports in recent years.
According to one poll by the Pew Research Center in 2021, 81% of U.S. Hispanics say addressing climate change is one of their top concerns, compared to just 67% of non-Hispanics. Latinos are also less likely to deny the problem: 84% of Hispanics surveyed — compared to 76% of non-Hispanics — say human activity, such as the use of fossil fuels, is the cause of climate change. More Hispanics than non-Hispanics also say the government is not doing enough to address these problems.
However, Latinos make up less than 2% of elected officials in the United States, even though they make up 18% of the U.S. population. But believe it or not, things are much better today. Between 2001 and 2021, the number of U.S. Latino elected officials has seen a 75% increase, according to a 2021 report by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.
The under-representation of the Latine community in political conversations is a prevalent issue, especially in conversations about climate. It is also evident that Latine populations experience climate differently, according to the Pew Research Center poll mentioned above. For instance, Pew states, “Hispanics are disproportionately affected by air pollution and are less likely to have access to drinking water that meets federal health standards,” which is another reason why visibility in the climate conversation is vital for the well-being of the Latine community.
“Environmental justice [and] climate change are things that impact people, especially the Latino community, Hispanic people and indigenous communities. There’s an important attachment that we have to nature,” says Brenda V. Perez Amador, the Equity and Engagement Program Analyst at the D.C. Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE). She was also a member of the conference’s planning committee.
The Naturally Latinos Conference was also an opportunity to bring government agencies and officials into the conversation about solutions to climate issues affecting the Latine community and bridge the gap between the Latine community and policy making.
A panel discussion of the urban heat island effect at this year’s conference included Perez Amador, DOEE climate program analyst Erin Garnaas-Holmes, Restaurant Opportunities Center of D.C.’s bilingual organizer Miguel Castro Luna and Hola Cultura’s assistant editor Marcelo Jauregui-Volpe.
“That’s a reason for District agencies to participate in conferences like this,” says Garnaas-Holmes, adding how it’s a good opportunity for government officials to be part of the community discussion without “setting the agenda… We can participate and learn what we need to be doing better.”
Giving Latinos more of a say in climate conversations is another key objective of the conference. “Historically, our conferences have been a safe space for us to share our amazing work and make new connections,” Guitarra says.
Those connections have grown a lot since the first conference took place seven years ago, with each one reaching even more people.
“This is my third Naturally Latinos Conference,” says Perez Amador, “and I always walk away thinking, ‘Oh, my goodness, how do we continue the work? How do we expand?’ It’s a community that builds on one another.”
This story has been updated to correct the name of the university that Denisse Guitarra was attending when she went to her first Naturally Latinos Conference.
— Story by Xavier Andrade
— Copy edited by Michelle Benitez
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