Jason Rodriguez Blog 1 D.C. Trip! :)

Jason Rodriguez, Sixth grade, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador - Jackson Middle School

It’s an amazing experience to be here in Washington D.C. at the 2015 Environmental Justice Conference and to talk in front of hundreds of people! It’s not easy to talk, but since I spoke from what’s in my heart, I am happy about my speech. I know everything went well, I think they felt what I meant. After I was done talking, I was interviewed by people. Yeah...I am a kid, but I am never too small to make a difference! : ) Then people started  talking to me and asking questions... like how it makes me feel to work in my community. But, I say...it’s what my heart desires, and that I aim to always go forward, not the past but the future. I am

Thankful for the U.S. Forest Service, and the Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas -Latino Legacy and my principal for giving me this opportunity to talk to leaders about what’s going on in the community that I live. To share with other communities that are going through the same struggle. Also to be careful of bad foods we eat and the bad habits we may have by eating unhealthy fast foods. To advocate to pick organic/fresh foods and not the process food from our local stores. You can grow your own food in your backyard and share them with your neighbors. You may also create a business selling organic foods to your neighbors or start community gardens to restore our nation’s health and teach others not to eat empty calories. In the East End, we planted over a hundred fruit trees, we want our community to harvest fruit and to lend a hand and care for the land. We are happy to be able to work as a team and hope you join us! :)

A few Houston East End Greenbelt Green Ambassadors in front of the U.S. Forest Service Building March 2015.

Victoria Owens Blog 1D.C. Trip! :)

Victoria Owens, Freshmen, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador and STEAM Lab Proctor, The Green Institute- Furr High School

At the 2015 Environmental Justice Conference, we spoke about the work we do in Houston, Texas and our roles as advocates in environmental justice. We were ecstatic to have the ability to share our voices, inspire others, and learn about the way professionals fight for the health of every single organism on our planet. It was very exciting to network with and intrigue professionals in our nation’s capital! It is hard to believe all of the kind and supportive words we hear from professionals here. These people have been doing this for 20 or 30 years, and say to us that they never had their “heads on this straight or focused” when they were our age! :)

Washington, D.C. is definitely not for the weak at heart, much less the weak at all. Coming to our nation’s capital from Houston, Texas means losing two underappreciated luxuries: good ol’ southern hospitality and the somewhat slow paced lifestyle. So we have been overwhelming people with smiles, hugs and love! :)

When we walk from our hotel to the subway station, the residents are running and shoving their way through the town to arrive at the bus stop on time. There is such a big rush to get somewhere, and the general rule or “D.C. etiquette” is that you stand on the right side if you aren’t rushing to get somewhere. Otherwise you would probably get hurt by someone who is rushing and wants you out of their way. Exiting the Rosslyn stop to go to our hotel, there is an extremely long escalator (which we’ve learned to run up, as to not waste ten minutes standing while a machine moves us) and by the time you get to the top, your thighs burn as if you just finished a 30-minute workout. After leaving the train, we walk the rest of the way to the building and settle in for the night.

Right now, I am in Washington, D.C., and it is only possible because of the work we put in, along with help from our partners (such as the U.S. Forest Service, Project Learning Tree and Friends of the Forests and Grasslands in Texas -Latino Legacy), our principal (Dr. Bertie Simmons), our HISD school board member (Juliet Stipeche), and our parents who put their trust in Mr. Elizondo and Mr. Salazar, and Dr. Clipson to keep us safe on this trip! Thanks to all of these amazing people, we came from Houston, TX to our nation’s capital, and we are teaching people about the work that we do in our community in order to bring justice to our people and our planet.

Christofer Martinez Blog 1 D.C. Trip! :)

Christofer Martinez, Senior, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Co-op Green Ambassador - The Green Institute- Furr High School; (Serves 5 schools and a community center) 

Since my first encounter with the Houston East End Greenbelt movement my point of perspective has vigorously changed. It’s clear such a program turns children into mature adults. Throughout my experiences with Latino Legacy, I have gained many skills in which I would not have  been able to gain in a common schedule in our educational system. I would have never thought about having the opportunity to come to Washington D.C to be part of the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference and speak about restoring our environment. It’s a positive feeling that many youth leaders are sparking and creating solutions, and adults are in full support! Many professionals we have met through our D.C. journey have opened up future connections and creating partnerships with other passionate students and organizations. It’s nice to know there are more people out there who are willing to support the mission of caring for the land and to restore the environment. Given the opportunity to be part of the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference has been an eye opener, I learned about issues and tragedies in which I was not aware.

Many shared stories of illnesses and struggles, even from being from different states, many of us share similar challenges with climate change and environmental justice. Hearing about these tradies on our earth from personal experiences helps you gain a deep understanding, care and knowledge about these issues and energizes us to create solutions to end them.

Washington D.C. is a beautiful and historical place that activates your curiosity, allowing you to have many options like visiting the National Air and Space Museum, National Museum of the American Indian and countless D.C. monuments are miraculous to experience. Throughout this journey to D.C. it has been joyful to create and share experiences with friends and teammates!

I humbly thank everyone who supported us and worked hard to give us the opportunity to be part of the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference. Throughout this journey, I have learned and created awesome memories. I will share what I have learned and gained  back home and tell my family and friends. Unity will bring us all into a loving state of  peace and finally bring upon us the solution to end suffering.

Luis Cruz Blog 1 D.C. Trip! :)

Luis Angel Cruz, Senior, GreenSchools! Co-op Green Ambassador Captain and Curriculum Lead - The Green Institute- Furr High School; (Serves 5 schools and a community center)

Hello everybody, my name is Luis Angel Cruz. I was super excited to present in the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference to share my story and passion for conservation education and

awareness. I serve as a Co-Op Green Ambassador which is an initiative in which is connected through the Green Institute at Furr School’s Career and Technical Education program. The ideal goal is to give students industry experience in which they have a passion for through internships and fieldwork. In this case, U.S. Forest Service, Project Learning Tree GreenSchools! and Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas -Latino Legacy are the primary agencies of support. We are also Project Learning Tree certified and implement PLT and GreenSchools! activities and curriculum.

About a couple of months ago… I came across an article online that caught my attention like nothing has ever done. This article had mentioned a global warning message about the possibility of pollinators going extinct... I was astonished!!! I was just shocked!! That exact day, I went to the library and picked up several books about bees and many other pollinators… and I couldn't believe what I was reading…it never crossed my mind that this wide extinction was happening! :(

I came across more research and I was literally falling in love with what I was reading… these were some of the smallest and hard working engineers of the world… and they were dying...disappearing. 

The Green Ambassadors of the Houston East End Greenbelt decided to be positive and I would like to introduce you to one of the current projects of the Houston East End Greenbelt. “Project Don’t Mess With A Pollinator,” was created to spread the proactive message concerning pollinators. The message buzzes throughout the community through various forms such as; workshops in Spanish and English for parents and for youth by creating activities that are tied down to STEAM. Which stands for: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, the “A” is also interchangeable with Arts and Agriculture! The project’s curriculum allows Green Ambassadors of the Houston East End Greenbelt to implement a strong conservation effort with hands on activities. We introduce all types of pollinator friends suchs as moths, bats, hummingbirds and butterflies.

Not only did we create something that could be used in a classroom, but we were motivated and inspired by students through peer-to-peer teaching and service learning projects.  We have planted a hundred plus fruit trees with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, and recently established a nature transit pollinator garden with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  We empower the community by presenting pollinator workshops and training, creating “seed bombs,” and teaching others how to create your own nature gardens for the preservation of our busy friends. The goal and mission to is create a pollinator sanctuary throughout the East End of Houston Texas.

It was a wonderful empowering experience to share our story at the 2015 Environmental Justice Conference and share our mission and goal for pollinators! Thanks to these partnerships, the Houston East End Greenbelt has been successful in spreading the message to students, schools and the community. By increasing the support of these agencies and possible collaborators, we hope to expand this effort. We strongly believe with uniting forces we can create change and make a direct impact in our community. Thanks to the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, we are able to have green sustainable spaces which thousands of people and pollinators are able to enjoy and indulge. We have met many leaders who wish to engage and continue the mission! The team is excited and can’t wait for what is to come next!

A few Houston East End Greenbelt Green Ambassadors in front of the U.S. Forest Service Building March 2015.

Emerson Hernandez Blog 1D.C. Trip! :)

Emerson Hernandez, Sophomore, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador - The Green Institute- Furr High School; Environmental Communications, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Systems Pathways

Being here in Washington D.C. I feel humble, grateful and at awe. There are many people which have made this dream a reality. I wish to start off by thanking the U.S. Forest Service, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Dr. David Clipson, Executive Director of the Friends of the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas -Latino Legacy and Dr. Tamberly Conway, Forest Service Diversity and Inclusion Specialist for giving me and my team countless opportunities such as this one to visit Washington D.C.. Giving me as a “student and youth,” a voice to express the concerns of my community at the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference. I also would like to thank the many leaders and mentors I have met on this journey. I would also like this opportunity to voice that Mr.Elizondo and Mr. Salazar, my teachers, have been big brothers and elders which have helped me connect back to my indigenous roots through the work we continue to do in the East End of Houston, Texas. -Thank ya’ll. Here in D.C. I have met and talked with professionals, professors and leaders and have been introduced to a variety of new careers. I have gained a new understanding of what I may wish to pursue in college. I have been able to gain an abundance of wisdom and learned a lot from other elders of the 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference, this knowledge will follow me throughout life. The empowerment I felt through listening to other youth in the conference, was uplifting, it energized me to keep doing all the things I am doing and more. We do need to conserve, restore, and take care of mother earth through balance. I have seen unity and a body of families come to a peaceful understanding that if we don’t do something now, there will be no earth for future generations to come.

With love, peace, and happiness.

-Emerson Hernandez

Gabby and Cinthia Blog 1

Gabriela Bravo, Senior, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador and Cheerleader – Austin High School; (Serves Jackson Middle School) 

Cinthia Cantu, Sophomore, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador and STEAM Lab Proctor - The Green Institute- Furr High School; Renewable Energy Pathway, Energy Efficient Pathway

Our journey started when we got on the plane. It was very nerve wrecking and it was also our first time flying on a plane. It was a pleasant experience, except for the landing! It was the scariest part of the flight! When we arrived to D.C. we were excited, happy, and nervous because we had worked really hard for this experienced! Many of us have also never been out of Texas before. One of the hardest part of being in D.C. is adapting to the new environment and by that we mean speed walking to catch the train and trying to find our way around the city. For example, the second night that we were at D.C., we got lost and were walking around trying to find the metro center to get back to the hotel. Not even Siri was able to help! During the first three days of being in Washington D.C. we attended 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference. We spoke about the program that we participate back in Houston, Texas. We got the chance to converse with very nice, inspiring, and professional people that could help us with our program, and creating a strong network for our future careers. During the weekend we camped at Bull Run National Park. Cinthia and I really enjoyed it because we got the chance to bond with each other, and to also talk to our peers about how we got involved with the Houston East End Greenbelt movement. It also gave us a chance to bond with one another by cooking, and sleeping in the same cabin with the, “girls,” creating a stronger sisterhood. We also enjoyed our time that we had at the forest. We had the opportunity to sit around a campfire and just talked to each other about our vision for the movement to help improve our lifestyle, community and how we want this program to expand. This is just a short reflection of some of our experiences for the first week, but stay tune to hear more about our second week here at Washington D.C.! :)

Jesse Torres 1 post during our D.C. Trip!

Jesse Torres, Sophomore, Houston East End Greenbelt GreenSchools! Green Ambassador and STEAM Lab Proctor - The Green Institute- Furr High School; Renewable Energy Pathway

I am very thankful for the opportunity that I have received. The fact that I could come all the way to Washington D.C. is just mind boggling to me. I honestly would never have thought I would be able to come to D.C. and get this far. This trip is a great experience, I am able grow as an individual and learn many different key skills for being a leader. All the knowledge I have received, heard and learned, makes me excited! I remember when we were planning out the trip and at first I was like, “No I shouldn't go, I will probably mess up terribly.” I was putting myself down, but thanks to my teachers I got the courage to do it. I was thinking the other day, "Wow, imagine if i never forced myself to do this, if I were to just give up when it got hard.” Then I wouldn’t have learned anything and would be still clueless about certain things. I wouldn't be able to grow and learn the importance of responsibility and many other key skills needed to move this movement forward. I am thankful for the chance to attend the three day 2015 National Environmental Justice Conference. It was an honor to be around people who had such powerful words, words that spoke to my soul and encouraged me that what I’m doing matters, and that what I'm doing does help. I met people who were just incredible. Also, I started to grow because I would have never imagined myself in front of a large group of people presenting. I was always a shy person and this is helping me get out of my shell. I had the amazing opportunity to go camping and it was fantastic. Around the bound fire, I learned more from the people around me and saw so much good and honesty in them. I saw what kept them going, it was overwhelming. I also got the chance to see some wildlife up close, I had the chance to see deer and flocks of geese. I had a wonderful time and I still continue. I'm glad I joined this program, it changed my life for the better. It made me stronger and wiser, and the knowledge I gain here, I will pass it down.

A few Houston East End Greenbelt Green Ambassadors in front of the U.S. Forest Service Building March 2015.