For the third consecutive year, Earth Day Network will participate in the National Latino Congreso, to be held in Los Angeles, CA on July 18-19. This year, with the November elections in mind, the Congreso will focus on turning the resolutions adopted in past years into reality. Earth Day Network will present amendments to strengthen its Climate Change, Renewable Energy, Clean Air and Green Schools resolutions.
“Environmental and energy issues, and global warming in particular, are some of voters’ top concerns. In the past few years, Latinos have stepped up to the plate and taken very strong environmental positions,” said Earth Day Network President Kathleen Rogers. “Earth Day Network will work to ensure that the resolutions from the Latino Congreso are taken into consideration by our elected officials and included in upcoming legislation,” Rogers added.
In 2007, the 2nd National Latino Congreso unanimously adopted Earth Day Network resolutions demanding more support for green schools and renewable energy and a moratorium on all new coal fired power plants, as well as an immediate phase out of existing coal plants and coal production.
Latinos face a higher risk of environmental problems than the general population. Urban areas, where most Latinos live, face a decline in protection of the urban environment. There is a higher exposure of Latinos to toxic chemicals, especially pesticides, in the workplace; a greater threat of poisoning from lead-based paint; and lack of proximity to public transportation routes. According to the National Hispanic Environmental Council, global warming could seriously affect the health, economic, and social well being of Latinos. The Latino population tends to be concentrated in the areas most affected by drought, hurricanes, wildfires and poor air quality, all of which are exacerbated by climate change.
Earth Day Network’s commitment to diversifying the environmental movement is at the center of its continued work with the Latino community to strengthen their environmental agenda and put it before U.S. leaders and policy makers.
About Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network, www.earthday.net , seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. It pursues these goals through education, politics, and consumer activism. Earth Day Network has a global reach with a network of more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 174 countries. More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.
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