Blog: Advocating for climate justice and the protection of our natural resources is very important to me personally and as a public servant

By Olivia Diaz, Las Vegas Councilwoman and HCLC member from Nevada.

I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and I am the oldest of six siblings. My parents were hardworking immigrants from Durango, Mexico, who taught us the value of working hard, taking risks, and standing up for what is right.

To be where I am today, I have overcome obstacles and embraced the challenges that have come in many forms. But along the way, I have had the unconditional support of my husband, my family, the community, the people I have worked with, and the incredible women who have inspired me to keep going.  

I am proud to be one of the four Latina women ever to be elected to the Nevada State Assembly. I represented District 11 from 2010 to 2018, and then became the first Latina to represent the Hispanic community on the Las Vegas City Council in June 2019.

Before becoming an elected official, I taught as an elementary school teacher and worked as an English language Learner and Literacy intervention specialist in the Clark County School District for nearly 18 years. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Master of Sciences in bilingual education from NOVA Southeastern University.

Throughout my career and life, I have always led with compassion, hard work, and the commitment to make a difference and do whatever it takes to make our community better for future generations, including advocating for the protection of our natural resources and the environment.

I was raised mainly in Nevada, but from 9 to 12, I lived and attended school in Mexico, where my parents are from. There, I spent much time outdoors and in rural environments, where my appreciation for nature and Mother Earth deepened. 

When I was a teen, we moved back to Las Vegas, Nevada, where we enjoyed family trips to the amazing Red Rock Canyon, practically in our backyard, and Lake Mead. But we also continued to travel to Mexico, and on each trip, I learned more about how families live off the land and how connected they are to Mother Earth.

Now that I am a mom and a grandmother, I keep the tradition of returning to our roots, enjoying nature, and spending quality time together. I love to hike, breathe fresh air, and admire firsthand the fantastic trails in Nevada.

My love for nature has been ingrained in me since childhood and has influenced my life and work to this day. Advocating for climate justice, the environment, and the protection of our natural resources is very important to me personally and as a public servant because the district I represent in Las Vegas, which is majority Hispanic, has significant climate challenges, including the heat island effect and poor air quality.

Water is another critical issue in Nevada and across the Southwest. Besides being a member of the Las Vegas City Council, I have been recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, responsible for water treatment and delivery, as well as acquiring and managing long-term water resources for Southern Nevada.

I am proud of what the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the city of Las Vegas have done regarding water conservation. I hope other municipalities follow in our lead. If we do our best to conserve our natural resources, we can avoid unnecessary hardships and a lack of water supply in the future, but we all need to do our part.

We, Latinos, are conservationists by nature. We are community-minded and community-driven.  Hispanic elected officials and leaders must get involved in water conservation, public lands protection for future generations, and climate justice to advocate for solutions that improve our people's quality of life and be the voice of the Latino population in our communities.  I share the values of HECHO's vision and mission, and that’s why I joined the Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council (HCLC).