From a Successful Video Gamer to an Elected Official Who Deeply Cares About Conservation and Marginalized Communities
By Christian Luna-Leal, council member of the city of Leadville and HCLC member.
Lake County has been my home for most of my life. My family immigrated from Mexico to Colorado and eventually ended up in Leadville, probably because it was the most affordable place to live in the state. I grew up in Mountain View, a big trailer park or mobile home park area in the community. When our family moved years later into an apartment complex and eventually bought a home in 2009, I realized –at about the age of 9- how different the conditions were -depending on where you live- regarding access to clean drinking water.
Spending time in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and that first-hand experience of living in different places in Lake County -separated just by a few miles- helped me grow up, shaped the person I am today, and gave me a perspective that has fueled my passion and commitment to advocating for clean drinking water for all and the protection from pollution of our land and water.
Most of the Latino community in Lake County doesn’t live in the town or in homes but in trailers or mobile home parks, like Mountain View, which means many of these families don’t get direct access to the water, from clean drinking water to fire hydrants.
The water these communities get from the tap doesn’t smell or taste good. Many who live in these areas, including my family, opt to buy bottled water. While comprehensive tests have yet to be done, it is clear that this water doesn’t meet safety standards and puts these marginalized communities at health risks disproportionally.
My biggest environmental concerns are climate change and contamination.
When I was a kid, our extended family, about 40 of us, went camping near rivers, fishing, and hiking. I confess that I had more exposure to the outdoors as a kid than now as an adult.
But these many experiences in nature at a young age have shaped my perspective of the environment and my commitment to do what I can to protect it and advocate for its health.
One of my biggest environmental concerns is climate change.
Like many other young people, I'm worried about the future of myself and future generations. The climate crisis has increased the intensity and frequency of extreme meteorological events like heat waves, drought, hurricanes, wildfires, and floods, and it haunts me to think how our planet and people are going to be impacted if we continue on this path and don't do what is needed to tackle this pressing problem.
Considering where I come from and what I grew up seeing, it is not a surprise that my other environmental concern is the land and water contamination.
Being a former mining town, Leadville has seen a lot of pollution due to extractive activities in the area. A lot of the soil on the east side of the city is heavily contaminated with lead. At one point, it used to be a Superfund site, which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are highly contaminated areas with hazardous waste.
Now, as an elected official, I firmly believe we must do our due diligence to examine how past mining operations continue to impact the health of our environment and people. We need to deeply evaluate the new mining projects and remediating tailings coming underway, which could impact the already affected marginalized communities living in trailer and mobile home parks.
I joined HECHO’s Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council to be part of a group of leaders who care about conservation, to take the next step to be involved in conserving our planet and learn about the work being done locally and in other parts of our country to have a safe and healthy environment for our community.
From a successful video gamer to an elected official.
Some people may not know that before becoming a council member of the city of Leadville, I was a successful video gamer. It started as a hobby as a kid, but I became really good at it to the point that I earned money from it and participated in tournaments.
While playing video games was a passion, I have been interested in politics since I was young. Seeing my friends fear deportation always made me want to do something about it and get involved.
One day, I spoke in front of the Democratic caucus, which led me to an opportunity to work on local issues and politics.
Now, as an elected official, I deeply care about access to clean water, the protection of our land and water from pollution, and social issues like affordable housing, and with my current role, I am trying to have a positive impact on, look for solutions and stand up for my community.
But regardless of your position, what you do for a living, or where you come from, there is something you can do to make our world better and healthier, so I encourage everyone to get involved!