Who comes to mind when you think about environmental activism? Do you think back to John Muir, or to present day activists like Greta Thunberg? The organization Green Latinos is working to include the Latino/a/x voice and story to the forefront.   

“Environmental stewardship is part of our cultural heritage. Outdoor activities like fishing, gardening, camping, and celebrating in nature bring us joy and connect us to our deeply rooted traditions. We honor and celebrate our rich culture and our crucial role in the global social fabric through our stories and spirit. We continue the work of movements that came before us, defending our autonomy, building upon our cultural assets, and celebrating our identity.” - Green Latinos

The Wood River Land Trust and The Community Library are excited to bring Green Latinos’ Public Land Director, Olivia Juarez to talk with the community about Latinx leadership in conservation. A lifelong Utahn based in Salt Lake City, and through their work with Latino Outdoors, Utah Coalition of La Raza, and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Olivia has nurtured Latinx joy and leadership in conserving nuestra tierra pública. Olivia was recognized as one of “10 Under 40” in 2021 by the National Parks Conservation Association for their commitment to creating safe, equitable access to public lands for Latino community health.  

One of the key ways to make a more inclusive outdoors is to elevate the voices and stories of Latino/a/x activists. In their talk, Olivia will talk about their work with nurturing leadership in outdoor spaces, and how creating a more inclusive outdoors can encourage a dialogue rich in culture, identity, and joy.  

If you are currently participating in The Community Library’s Winter Read of Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, this is a great opportunity to take the idea of story out of the pages and into the very real outdoor spaces that so define our Valley. 

The program will be livestreamed and available to view later. Click here to watch online.

This event is part of the Thinking Globally, Acting Locally speaker series - a partnership between the Wood River Land Trust and The Community Library. In this series we discuss how we can take local action in the face of global and regional challenges.