Tree Planting
ecoLatinos with the support of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay helped plant 54 much needed trees in and around Saint Mary’s of Landover’s church, school and parking lot. With the help of volunteers from across the community, including high school environmentalists from DuVal HS and Boy Scout Troop 1249 from Bowie, MD. We were delighted to help Father Evelio take this important step.
Clean up and Care of Anacostia Northwest Branch
On behalf of one of the key communities we serve, ecoLatinos has adopted the portion of the Anacostia that runs through the Langley Park neighborhood. In collaboration with Father Erick and his amazing team volunteers from Saint Camillus Church we endeavor to push back against the litter and waste that diminish our joy in the green spaces around us. We have removed hundreds of bags of trash, as well as several bicycles and tires in our efforts.
Rain Barrels for the Latino Community
ecoLatinos provided outreach consulting services for the Rock Creek Conservancy. Through these efforts Hispanic homeowners from the Aspen Hill and Wheaton areas received stormwater mitigation systems that connected them with the Montgomery County green infrastructure programs.
Making Connections that Bring People Together
ecoLatinos provided bilingual outreach to the Year of the Anacostia project. This yearlong celebration honored the history the Anacostia River and its surrounding communities and celebrated the progress that has been made toward the river’s restoration. Our work made these events more meaningful and more accessible to the area’s growing Hispanic community.
Community Tree Stewardship in Action
ecoLatinos supported LillieLeaf Solutions to promote urban tree stewardship in three Hispanic clusters of Prince George’s County: Langley Park, Bladensburg, and Riverdale Park. This project was part of the Environmental Justice Initiative under the Chesapeake Bay Tree Canopy Strategy.
Enhancing Access, Expanding Audiences
ecoLatinos provides bilingual support services to the Alice Ferguson Foundation. The Trash Free Schools Guidebook, Cleanup Site planning and other educational materials will be available for use by Spanish speaking teachers and students.
Training for Green Jobs
ecoLatinos provides bilingual outreach and engagement services to the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Spanish-speaking contractors are now participating in the RiverSmart Homes rain barrel and rain garden installation trainings in their native language at the DC Department of Energy and the Environment.
Bilingual Social Marketing
ecoLatinos supports OpinionWorks bilingual marketing research strategies by making connections with Spanish communities across the United States and around Latin America. We provide bilingual program management, opinion interviews and recruitment of Spanish participants to focus groups. This work not only helps organizations to better understand the communities they seek to serve. It also gives Spanish language individuals have a voice in the issues that impact their communities.
Past Projects
Chesapeake Bay Trust Community Engagement Mini Grant
EcoLatinos is proud to be an Outreach Consultant for the Chesapeake Bay Trust. We are actively seeking Latino applicants, organizations and congregations for the Community Engagement Mini Grant Program.
Chesapeake Conservation Corps: Do Something Good. Be Something Great.
EcoLatinos was tasked to reach into the Latino community and bring out the next generation of environmental stewards. Recruiting representatives from under-resourced communities, communities of color, and/or Spanish-speakers is absolutely crucial to the forward progress of upkeep and restoration of our natural world.
Audubon Naturalist Society: Naturally Latinos Conference
EcoLatinos partnered with the Audubon Naturalist Society to coordinated their first Latino-focused environment conference called Naturally Latinos. The conference focused on exposing professionals to environmental careers and advocacy and creating networking opportunities for the Latino environmental community.
Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewardship Academy: Stormwater Management Lit Review
EcoLatinos identified key messages, incentives and tools used by jurisdictions nationwide and stormwater professionals to promote the installation of stormwater best management practices on homeowner properties.
Virtual Festival del Rio Anacostia / October 24, 2020
Version en Español
English Version
The Festival del Rio is a bilingual event that brings children and families to the Anacostia River for outdoor recreation, environmental education and stewardship through fun and interactive displays. Four annual Festival Festival del Rio events have been possible thanks to a collaboration of environmental groups and community organizations under the leadership of EcoLatinos, Chispa Maryland, the Anacostia Riverkeeper, the DC Council of Governments, the Anacostia Watershed Society, and the Prince George’s County Department of Parks. Celebrated in October to honor Hispanic Heritage Month, the Festival has attracted over 500 visitors and growing each year.
The year 2020 was to mark the fifth anniversary of the annual Festival del Rio Anacostia at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park. This festival has become an enjoyable event for many in our area; a way for Hispanic families to celebrate and share their culture while learning about the river and its conservation. While the festival cannot be outdoors this year, it need not be cancelled. The planning committee led by ecoLatinos is recreating the festival experience in a virtual format.
Building upon previous years’ success, the festival’s exhibitors will provide virtual live and prerecorded activities and language-friendly demonstrations through which participants can experience outdoor recreation, learn about environmental issues affecting the Anacostia watershed, or become engaged in opportunities provided by organizations such as yours.
We invite you and your organization to be an exhibitor at the 2020 Festival del Rio Anacostia. The virtual Festival will take place on October 24th, 2020. The planning committee is hard at work, determining how best to engage our local communities, attract them to the event, and maximize the educational value AND FUN of this unprecedented virtual Festival del Rio Anacostia.