Support Young Environmental Leaders in Mexico

During the months of January, February and March we held 12 virtual meetings with 626 teachers from early education, elementary, middle, high school and higher education as well as with some young students.  The team at Grupo Ecológico gave a presentation called, “Building awareness about the climate emergency: A local call to action.” It encompasses the following themes: State of the Planet, Biodiversity, Forest Ecosystem Services, “Zero Waste” Campaign and Environmental Awareness.

The participating teachers were from Jalpan de Serra, Landa de Matarmoros, Arroyo Seco, Pinal de Amoles and the Huasteca Potosí.  The students participated from Rioverde, S.L.P, Bahía de Kino, Sonora, and we had a session with the Human Rights Ombudsman in Querétaro.  The talks covered the richness of the biodiversity of the Sierra Gorda, ecosystem services and a local call to action. 

In March, we invited the vendors in the Municipal Mercado of Jalpan de Serra to become green businesses and to stop the practice of selling their products in plastic bags, plastic wrap, and other single use materials like aluminum foil.  We gave the participants a sign that says “This Business is Green” inviting their clients to join the Zero Waste Campaign, and bring their reusable bags to market.   

We also held 52 community meetings, with another 629 participants.  We respected the sanitary measures of maintaining a safe distance and wearing face masks.  We presented on the campaigns to reduce solid waste and forest fires.  We passed through the different municipalities of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, providing information over a loudspeaker, we gave out brochures promoting the forest fire prevention campaign, we hung signs with messages about preventing forest fires in Carrizal de los Sánchez in Jalpan de Serra, in Neblinas, el Lobo, Otates in Landa de Matamoros and Sauz de Guadalupe in Pinal de Amoles.

In order to emphasize and spread awareness about the caring for our ecosystems, we painted two murals in public areas with the themes- take care of the planet and separating solid waste.

We painted two murals with the words, “Starting a forest fire is a Federal crime.”

We visited 243 businesses to continue spreading the word about the minimization of solid waste campaign.

We gave vendors, 100 flyers with the message “Be part of the solution” and 288 climate action magazines. 

The environmental educational program carried out 26 Earth Festivals during the month of February and in the first days of March and held community meetings to engage the community in conserving our green patrimony.  We had planned to hold reforestation activities in school yards and with communities this year, but because of the COVD-19 with schools closed, we only performed reforestation activities with communities. 

Thanks to our partners Earth Day Network, we were able to deliver 30,000 trees to 58 communities.  The trees delivered included; White Cedar, Red Cedar, Ash, Jacaranda, White leadtree, Pink poui, Chinaberry Tree, Privet, Mexican fan palm, Miniature date palm, Bottle palm.

We have continued to do outreach to children and young people even though schools are closed, by providing materials to teachers, who send weekly homework packets home with parents.  These have included posters featuring pollinators and biodiversity coloring books with the flora and fauna of the Sierra Gorda.

We have also painted eight murals related to preventing forest fires, saving water, caring for birds and biodiversity, run weekly radio programs, and published to social media in order to raise awareness of how privileged the 100,000 of us are to live here, in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve.  And the need to respect this natural protected area, and our personal responsibility to prevent forest fires. 

Our objective is to make communities aware of our shared natural wealth and all of the services green areas provide; counteracting global warming, producing food, providing bird habitat, improving water capture and creating microclimates.

We are grateful to Earth Day Network for their support and to you all for helping us reach communities during this unprecedented year.