TThe numbers are in, but we're not ready. More than one in three Houstonians identified themselves as Hispanic in the 2000 census (37.4% is the preliminary figure). Interestingly, data from Klineberg's Houston Area Survey (see his article in this issue) show that Houston's Hispanics are more supportive of environmental controls than other Houstonians.

Consider the following proportions of area residents in favor of 'requiring emissions tests on all vehicles in Houston:'

From Klineberg's 2000 Houston Area Survey, we also learned that 61% of Hispanics said they were "very concerned" about the effects of air pollution on their family's health (compared with 56% overall); 72% of Hispanics called for more stringent emissions tests on all vehicles in Houston (vs. 65% of Anglos, 69% of Blacks); 69% of the Hispanic respondents were in favor of reducing air pollution in Houston by lowering all speed limits to 55 m.p.h. (vs. only 47% of Anglos, 53% of Blacks); and 57% of the Hispanics would even support requiring Houston residents to observe a no-drive day once a week (vs. only 29% of Anglos; only 37% of Blacks).

Despite this burgeoning population of environmentally concerned folks, I would bet that fewer than one in three local environmental groups are reaching out to serve and educate Houston's Latinos.

Some CEC member groups already have experience with our Latino communities. Urban Harvest has community gardens in Latino neighborhoods and even employs a Latino outreach staff person. GHASP and Mothers for Clean Air have also reached out to Latino neighborhoods and produced some materials in both English and Spanish.

But for the rest of us, it's time to start thinking about how we could alter or augment our current offerings to both learn from and reach out to this largest group of Houstonians. At the risk of overgeneralizing, here are three ideas to get you started.

First, education should be focused at the community level and should motivate communities to improve their own environment. One way to access Latino communities is through the churches. These deep rooted institutions provide a communications infrastructure that can deliver your messages very efficiently (not to mention potential connections between religious and environmental thought and practice). When you've targeted an area where you'd like to create a presence, consider starting by contacting the local church or other community-based organization or school which can help deliver information.

A second approach is to link environmental messages to health issues. Human health is a concern for everyone, but the environmental justice movement has taught us that many acutely impacted areas are minority neighborhoods. Impacts such as high incidence of asthma in children as well as occupational chemical exposures and hazards to adults leave these populations at risk for poorer health outcomes.

Perhaps the most important change you can make in the short term is actively to recruit Houston's Latinos as members in your organizations, from volunteers to staff to board leadership. Make sure your own team has some Latino perspectives, and you'll find it much easier to alter and augment your offerings. Although no individual can speak for an entire population, having a Latino voice inside your organization will lead to solutions that reach even more Houstonians.

For the CEC's part, we'll be working to connect you with Houston's Latino leaders. If you have specific suggestions, as always be sure to let us know.