Transcript:
In Madison, Wisconsin, a program in English and Spanish teaches people about rain gardens, rain barrels, and other ways to help reduce stormwater runoff.
Cristina Carvajal is with Wisconsin EcoLatinos. She says two years ago, she was talking with the director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, which offers programs about stormwater pollution.
Carvajal: “She said, ‘You know, we have all these programs … and yet, there is little to no participation of Latinos and minorities in these programs.”
So Wisconsin EcoLatinos partnered with the arboretum to change that.
They held listening sessions to learn how to design the program to get more Latinos involved.
Some participants said they would like programs that they could bring their kids to.
Carvajal: “We learned the community wanted to see more hands-on learning.”
And Carvajal says some community members also prefer resources in Spanish.
So with these considerations in mind, her group helped create El Guardián del Agua. The program offers bilingual, hands-on workshops about stormwater runoff and steps people can take to help reduce it.
So as climate change causes more extreme storms, the initiative is getting more people engaged in solutions.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
