Environmental advocates from across the country will gather in Tucson in November to plan what comes next for Latino and Indigenous communities facing extreme heat and water shortages.

GreenLatinos, a national environmental organization, launched its Arizona program in February, adding to existing state chapters in New Mexico, California, Colorado and Illinois, in response to the state’s large Latino population and its ongoing work adapting to severe weather patterns exacerbated by climate change.

The group’s national summit next month will focus on climate resilience, coalition building and post-election strategy.

Organizers say Tucson is a good place to learn from longtime community leaders and share the region’s conservation strategies with the rest of the country.

GreenLatinos Communications Director Edder Diaz-Martinez said local integration has been central to the organization’s approach in Arizona.

Ahead of the launch of its Arizona program, GreenLatinos consulted with frontline community members, tribal leaders and borderlands advocates to learn background and context about local issues, including the environmental impacts of border infrastructure.

“Tucson is just a natural place where so much is happening on different subjects that we want to talk about,” said GreenLatinos’ Fabiola Bedoya. “The Sonoran Desert, extreme heat issues, water issues, the big conservation movement out here and clean energy efforts. Those aren’t abstract things. They’re something we deal with on a daily basis.”

GreenLatinos partnered with local advocacy group Chispa Arizona after the Arizona program’s launch, hosting an open-door event at Chispa’s office that brought together regional environmental advocates, Latino community organizers, tribal representatives and government officials from the offices of Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Arizona’s congressional delegation.

“We wanted to make sure that folks were included,” Diaz-Martinez said, noting that local advocates and leaders will be featured as key speakers throughout the November summit.

In addition to networking, the summit will feature sessions centered on pressing Southwestern challenges, including water equity, Indigenous-led conservation efforts such as the protection of Oak Flat, and borderlands militarization.

“There’s so many challenges, but the leadership of Arizona communities really matters to everyone nationally,” Bedoya said. “These are front and center issues that we deal with on a daily basis, and we want to amplify what’s already happening in Arizona.”

Beyond policy discussions, the summit will address practical organizational resourcing and administrative preparedness. Programming will guide grassroots groups on securing philanthropy and grant funding and on maintaining administrative compliance to ensure long-term stability.

“We want to make sure that we are educating community organizations on the ground to be prepared,” Diaz-Martinez said, stressing the importance of a solid infrastructure for sustaining community-led efforts regardless of shifting political landscapes.

The summit’s timing, one week after the midterm elections, adds significant weight to the event. Organizers plan to use the gathering to assess political outcomes and coordinate environmental justice priorities moving forward.

“With everything that the Latino community is dealing with, it’s important to come together in ways that we can utilize each other’s work and know that we’re not in the fight alone,” Bedoya said. “It’s a critical time with midterms coming up, and that can mean changes in leadership. So we want to come together right after to see where we go next.”

The event aims to bridge local frontline activism with national advocacy while offering visiting attendees a firsthand look at Southern Arizona’s climate initiatives.

“Our goal is to share the stories of the people doing work here on the ground,” Bedoya said. “We want people to experience that firsthand and form their own opinions so they carry a better understanding of our community back across the nation.”

The GreenLatinos National Summit will take place Nov. 10 through 13 at Casino del Sol. Registration details and full event schedules are available through the conference website.

Isabel Vidrio is a University of Arizona alum and freelance journalist in Tucson. Contact her at  vidrioi@arizona.edu.

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