Congrats Diana! SWU organizer wins Brower Youth Award

Berkeley, CA–Diana Lopez, a 20-year-old environmental activist and community leader from San Antonio, was among the six recipients of the 2009 Brower Youth Award. Hosted by Earth Island Institute, the Brower Youth Awards are North America’s top prize for young environmental leaders.

Lopez and her colleagues at the Southwest Workers’ Union created one of the first producing community gardens in San Antonio, transforming the East Side, a contaminated industrial area with almost no green space, into the forefront of green development in San Antonio. The “Roots of Change Community Garden” functions as a place to build community leadership in this low-income neighborhood. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about organic gardening, nutrition, sustainable technology, and food security.

Although it was only a small plot of land when founded in 2007, the garden has now expanded to over one acre and includes an arbor, a native plant garden, and multiple raised beds for crop production. The garden hosts volunteer gardening days, community cook-outs, and other events where local youth and residents can gather to educate themselves, organize, and create the initiative to make positive change in their community.

“I feel everyone deserves the right to a clean, healthy environment and your color or economic status should not depend on that,” said Lopez, who in addition to creating the community garden is also involved in projects such as stopping the construction of two more diesel fuel tanks in the already polluted neighborhood; “You work with other people who are fighting for the same thing: justice for people who, by systematic design, have more obstacles to overcome in their everyday life, most times it is low income people of color, just like me.”

Roots of changed has inspired other projects including a second community garden at Edison High School in San Antonio.

Each year, after a competitive application process, the Brower Youth Awards are given to six environmental leaders ages 13 to 22 from North America. The winners each receive a $3,000 cash prize, are honored at a formal awards ceremony in San Francisco, and participate in skills-building and mentoring workshops geared toward furthering their leadership development.

The Brower Youth Awards are generously supported by Earth Island members, as well as Visa, Clif Bar, and Klean Kanteen. More information about the Award recipients and the Award is available at www.broweryouthawards.org/2009media.