Environment Stewards

Stewards of the Earth (Stewards), formerly known as Protecting our Environment,  was organized in 2006 by Lupe Anguiano, who  had been working for several years as a community volunteer on various environmental issues.

In 2007 Lupe received an Individual Consultant Grant from the Women’s Foundation in San Francisco – advocated by Luz Vega-Marquis, President of the Marguerite Casey Foundation.  The grant helped Lupe work with several State and National environmental organizations in California, Oregon and Washington State.  The goal was to defeat installation of  BHP Billiton’s “Cabrillo Port LNG” (Liquefied Natural Gas) facility off the Oxnard, Malibu, Ventura County California coast. The project was finally defeated because it violated Ventura County's air pollution and health standards.

In 2008 Stewards of the Earth (subtitled as “Protecting our Environment”) received a grant from the California Wellness Foundation, recommended by Luz Vega-Marquis. Other funds came from Marcia Burnam, Board of Directors member and from the Sanchez family (former students of Lupe Anguiano).  All funds were received via the umbrella non-profit, 501-(c)-(3) IRS Tax Exempt status of  CAUSE (Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy).

Funds from the California Wellness Foundation and individual contributions were used to continue protecting the Tri-County (Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo) area and Los Angeles County from several LNG projects including one in the Oxnard, Ventura County and Santa Barbara County – Houston based “Northern Star Natural Gas” LNG Project known as “Clearwater Port LNG.” The Northern Star Natural Gas LNG project proposed  importing LNG from overseas, continuing the United States' dependence on foreign sources of energy.  The project would also contribute to green gas emissions, one of the contributors to global warming.

Non-Profit Status

In 2008, Stewards of the Earth selected its Board of Directors, filed and received approval from the California Secretary of State as a non-profit “Public Benefit Corporation.”  Stewards is currently filing for tax exemption from the California Franchise Tax Board.

 Stewards of Indigenous – Low Income Peoples

The Stewards' Indigenous People project began in 2005.   Lupe Anguiano served as a volunteer  on the St. Rose of Lima Committee at  Sacred Heart Church in Ventura, CA.   The committee was a faith-based group that focused on global outreach to the poor.  It provided small financial contributions to projects serving the poor in Latin America and Africa.  It also assisted  programs in the United States -principally in the deep South and communities in and  near Ventura County. This church-based program, headed by Father Daniel O’Sullivan, set aside 10% of the Sunday collection as a contribution to poor people in the US and the world.   When Father O’Sullivan  retired  from his pastorate in 2008, the church-based program ended.  Stewards of the Earth is now continuing  work formerly done by Sacred Heart Church.

One of the many projects of the former St Rose of Lima committee  was support of a training and employment program managed by the Poor Clare Catholic Sisters (Nuns) of Divine Mercy, from Chalco, Mexico (60 miles south of Mexico City). The Sisters live and work among indigenous people in the State of Chiapas,  Mexico.   They recruit, train and  provide various employment skills to Indigenous women and their families. The program promotes family unity by opening opportunities for jobs in Mexico.  It helps program participants  avoid the dangers and abuses faced  by people crossing the Border to seek employment in the United States.

On April 17 to 25, 2008; Lupe Anguiano visited the Sisters in Chalco, Mexico.  She also traveled to San Miguel La Sardina in the State of Chiapas to view the work of the Sisters and to explore how Stewards of the Earth might partner with them in  expanding their skills training program. (Individual funds for this travel were provided by  Marcia Burnam, Sanchez family members, Sacred Heart Church and Lupe Anguiano).

Both the Sisters in Chalco, Mexico and village people in San Miguel la Sardina  welcomed Lupe’s visit with open arms and enthusiasm. In a message to Stewards of the Earth's  Board of Directors,  the Poor Clare Sisters and San Miguel la Sardina village people thanked us for our interest in working with them.   They asked the Board to consider was the following:

• Developing two computer laboratories, one in the Training Classroom in Chalco and the other in the public school in San Miguel la Sardina in the State of Chiapas, Mexico.
• The computer laboratories would be used to provide computer skills, enabling  the Sisters and Indigenous women, families and children to gain skills in modern technology.  By building a strong training base that would  last for years, the community could  eventually operate on its own.  Technological skills would service the growing number of Chiapas-based companies in the geothermal industry, and attract other business to the area.

Indigenous People projects will focus in developing sustainable education, computer and language literacy skills training,  and economic model self-support projects that can be duplicated. In particular,  it will focus on programs that help low income and minority women and their families become self-supporting, while remaining in their own nation/country. Indigenous cultures and languages will be respected.

Our Collective History

Stewards of the Earth's Collective History Program started March 12, 2006.  On that date the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center celebrated of the opening of the Lupe Anguiano Archives.  It was a new initiative, dedicated to collecting and maintaining  Latina Archives at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.

In 2009, UCLA  obtained funding from the Ford Foundation to begin extensive Latina history research and archival activity.

Stewards of the Earth plans to approach  UCLA's Chicano Studies program and request that they conduct the  assessment and evaluation of all Steward's projects.