Thirty percent of Bay Area Latinos live within one mile of a toxic release facility.
According to the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley’s Latino Report Card, when it comes to environmental sustainability, the well-being of the Latino community and how effectively existing systems are supporting Latinos receives a grade of a C. We as a region need to do better for a community that makes up about 30% of Silicon Valley’s population and will be the area’s largest single ethnic group by 2040.
Here’s a snapshot of today’s Latino-American community:
On Friday, January 25, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley hosted Nuestro Futuro—a community event to follow up their Silicon Valley Latino Report Card, which assessed quality of life issues within the Latino community. Three hundred people came to listen, learn, and share their ideas about education, health, financial stability, housing, and environmental sustainability. Attendees learned that Latinos are more likely to suffer higher rates of obesity and diabetes, find affordable housing to be out of reach, and care about the quality of parks. One person shared a touching story about a mother with a three-year-old who suffered from asthma until they moved into an affordable home designed with green materials—goodbye asthma! Please visit the Hispanic Foundation’s Facebook page to see photos from Nuestro Futuro.
Greenbelt Alliance is excited to be partnering with the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley on improving the Latino community’s environmental sustainability quality of life. As cities plan for more homes, jobs, shops, and open spaces, we want to see the Latino community sitting at the table speaking up for how their neighborhood should evolve. From urban village planning in San Jose to creating a grand boulevard along El Camino, this diverse community has a huge stake in the planning decisions that are being made throughout the region and their concerns need to be addressed.
If you are interested in helping us reach out to the Latino community in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, please email Senior Field Representative Michele Beasley to learn more.
