David Aviña: “Latino Culture is Rooted in Sustainability—My Mission is to Educate, not Preach.”

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“My goal is to help East L.A. I believe there are a lot of opportunities for improvement there. We need to keep fighting,” he concludes.

David Aviña is one of those young Latinos who break the mold. He focused on his studies, cares about helping the community eliminate social inequality, and is committed to the fight against climate change.

“My parents are Mexican, I come from two worlds, the South and the North. I’ve always been concerned with how to collaborate in the fight against social injustice. Learning who I am led me to learn about the world and society,” says Aviña, Program Manager at the Association for Energy Affordability, Inc.

There, he is dedicated to utility incentive programs to support the design and development of affordable new housing construction. These programs focus on supporting the building of all-electric housing in California.

His life and academic background have led him to promote environmental justice in the Latino community. He believes that Latino culture already has the mindset for sustainable living, but lacks information and education on the topic.

“If you look at the life of Latinos, especially Mexicans, their way of living is already very sustainable. They consume what they have, grow plants, don’t waste food, and more. What we need to do in California is inform them about programs that can help them implement more measures in their homes, from installing solar panels, air conditioning systems, electricity. All of this doesn’t necessarily mean savings, but it guarantees a better quality of life,” he adds.

In both his work and his personal life, speaking with the community about these topics is vital. In New York, he worked on implementing plans and programs to bring different energy-saving options to a mostly Latino population.

In his current job, he coordinates with developers and business owners to implement various strategies focused on sustainable energy that align with current state standards.

“I like to think I’m reaching my goals and that these projects help families benefit from clean energy,” he adds.

His parents always guided him down the right path. “My job was to study, and they gave me that opportunity,” he says. But when he decided to focus on this profession, his parents had some concerns. “My dad’s worry was whether what I was going to do was a long-term career and if I could make money with it,” he laughs. David responded at the time, “I don’t know.”

Now he’s sure he chose the right path — he has a well-paying job and does what he loves most: making a difference in his life and others.

For David, one of the things that still isn’t clear to the Latino community is the number of available options for accessing clean energy.

“Many people think they can’t afford to buy an electric car, but I tell them that they actually can. What they lack is information about loan and tax incentives available to them. Many times, the colonial narrative still dominates us, and all these topics seem far from us. As Latinos, we disconnect and don’t make the transition to clean energy because of the narrative around it. There are already many Latinos working in this industry — what we need is to be recognized,” he adds.

What David tries to do, as much as possible, is spread the word, open doors, and talk about it.

“I’m not a preacher; I don’t want people to think I’m trying to indoctrinate them. I talk to them about the benefits they could have. I tell them it’s very easy to charge an electric car, the savings on appliances, on household electricity. A lot of people don’t care. If I’m in meetings, people look at me weird — I try to say just enough. Many people say, ‘I don’t care about those topics.’ And I reply, ‘But you care about money, so let’s talk about the savings,’” says David.

With the not-so-friendly federal policies of President Donald Trump, he fears that several state initiatives might not continue. That’s why he believes it’s necessary to keep advocating for clean energy and its benefits.

“My goal is to help East L.A. I believe there are a lot of opportunities for improvement there. We need to keep fighting,” he concludes.