Local organization partners with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
Comite Civico Del Valle, a local organization that launched the largest air monitoring network in the U.S. announced that they are partnering with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.
News 11 spoke to organizers on the partnership and asked if Mr. DiCaprio would be visiting any time soon.
“They wanted to find a way to support us and how we can expand the monitoring or include more monitoring because of this crisis that we have at hand,” said Humberto Lugo, Policy Advocate for Comite Civico Del Valle.
The crisis Humberto Lugo is talking about is the Salton Sea and the exposed playa that keeps growing.
In 2016 Comite Civico Del Valle launched Ivan Air, the largest air monitoring network in the U.S.
The Leonardo DiCaprio foundation just announced this past week that they are awarding $20 million dollars in environmental grants. $100,000 dollars of which will be helping expand the Ivan Air monitoring network and their efforts.
“This utter lack of leadership by officials who choose first to preserve their short term political power rather than insuring the livable future on our planet means that we must all do more now than any other time in human history,” said Leonardo DiCaprio, Academy award winning actor and activist.
“It’s important for people to know the issues of the Salton Sea, because this is not just a localized issue, this is going to affect most of southern California it this continues receding so rapidly the way it’s going because of these wind borne events,” explained Lugo.
The expansion of Ivan Air monitoring systems will also coincide with the recent signing of AB 1617, which requires local air districts in high pollution areas to establish air monitoring systems.
“It’s good for people to know that this is a climate change issue. It’s not necessarily just a lake bed that’s just evaporating,” added Lugo.
But it remains unclear if Leonardo himself will be making a visit.
“There was a request to the foundation that Leonardo DiCaprio come out here. It’s not something that’s been confirmed that he would, but you know we did invite him out here,” said Lugo.
