GreenLatinos is committed to providing resources for Latine & Indigenous communities across the beautifully diverse state of California to organize & unite to protect our environment, cultural identities, and safe community spaces.
Our newly developing Los Angeles Urban Greening program exists to connect, uplift & empower community organizations to advocate for ecological & social justice across grassroots & policy — currently offering $1M in grant opportunities & ongoing resources for community orgs addressing healthy food access, safe community spaces, and Latine/indigenous cultural identity.
Strengthening LA’s Food & Climate Network Through Community Composting
LA Compost collaborates with hyperlocal communities to create spaces for local compost access and engagement, restorative practices, and community empowerment. The project addresses food apartheid and greenspace inequity in Los Angeles by supporting community-scale food production and enhancing cooling ecosystem services. This project will support LA Compost's ongoing efforts to establish a closed-loop network of food production and soil regeneration in Los Angeles, namely through park hubs, tree stewardship, educational programming, and Farmers Market drop-off programs.
This project impacts the LA community by providing educational opportunities about composting and environmental stewardship, offering localized solutions for food waste management and soil health improvement, generating employment, and engaging residents in climate justice efforts.
Boyle Heights Community Garden
Boyle Heights Community Garden will transform an unused area at the Aliso-Pico Recreation Center/community hub into raised garden beds for growing food, herbs, and culturally relevant plants. It will provide a place for the community to gather, share knowledge, and enjoy nature.
The garden will address several critical needs by increasing access to fresh, nutritious food in an area where such resources are limited; providing a much-needed green space in a highly urbanized environment, offering residents a place to relax, connect with nature, and engage in physical activity; and as an educational resource, teaching community members about sustainable gardening practices and the importance of healthy eating.
GreenWorks: Growing Resiliency, Urban Greening, and Workforce Development Project
The San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps' mission is to empower young adults by providing opportunities for personal growth and professional training, enabling them to contribute positively to their surroundings. Their project, GreenWorks, aims to plant 200 trees that will create shaded walking paths to local parks. This initiative will enhance walkability, improve park accessibility, and reduce vehicle miles traveled, thus mitigating the urban heat island effect.
The project also focuses on workforce development by engaging local youth. Eight youth will be hired for tree planting projects, receiving up to 500 hours of paid job training, three certifications, and ten life skills workshops. Participants will also embark on five immersive trips to the San Gabriel Mountains, working alongside the forest service to instill environmental stewardship and civic pride.
Union Ave/Cesar Chavez Community Garden
CultivaLA aims to transform access to healthy food and wellness through people, social enterprise, and environmental justice. CultivaLA offers an innovative network of community gardens and 5.0 acre community urban farm to Greater Los Angeles County. The Union Avenue/Cesar Chavez Community Garden is located in the densely populated Westlake District/Pico Union Neighborhood.
Their project will re-imagine the CultivaLA Union Avenue/Cesar Chavez Community Garden, a 12,495 square feet (sf)/0.286 acres former Brownfield site activated into a thriving and intergenerational green space in one of the nation's most densely populated neighborhoods. Their project will provide crucial green space and improve access to healthy food.
About GreenLatinos:
We are a national network of Latino/a/e environmental and conservation champions fighting against climate change and environmental degradation that intensifies systemic social, health, and economic injustices in our communities.
About the GreenLatinos Sustainable Cities Urban Greening Initiative:
Urban greening takes on a particularly powerful meaning in hyper-urban cities across CA like Los Angeles & Oakland as it is intertwined with the social and ecological inequalities that have long affected California’s communities and neighborhoods. Through GreenLatinos' urban greening efforts & program, we seek to directly uplift communities & organizations directly addressing food insecurity & community building with environmental/ecological justice as the focal point.
For more information, please contact the GreenLatinos California Urban Greening team:
Jonathan Fajardo - CA Community Advocate/LA Community Engagement Dr.
Amanda Pantoja - Sustainable Communities Program Manager