Daniel Chávez Ortiz is known as The Ecological Boy in his hometown Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, in Mexico. Why? Daniel, 11, has been developing environmental campaigns to tackle climate change.
“It all started when I was six years old. My mother received an e-mail with a presentation about how batteries aren’t properly recycled, and that they have been poisoning the water,” Daniel told Connect4Climate. “After I saw that presentation, I started to cry, because I realized how people can harm the planet.”
That email set the ball rolling. Shortly after, Daniel decided he wanted to spread the message and “educate everyone.” More specifically, he wanted to teach people what to do with used batteries.
His first project took place at his school. Daniel brought a container to his classroom andencouraged his classmates to collect used batteries. “When I realized how well it had gone, I got excited and so I decided to go to other schools to do the same thing,” Daniel said, encouraged by the feedback.
After that, Daniel was invited to appear on a local television show, where he learned about the concept of global warming. At that point, Daniel’s family got involved with his cause and started to help him.
“My mom attended a free course about global warming to help me learn more about this new interest,” he said, “but the course was in English and we didn't speak or write English. We needed to translate the text and had to use a translator. I was able to get more and new information about the topic, which allowed me to share my concerns about this growing problem with others,” he said.
For the next year, Daniel collaborated on an online television program in Mexico called “Futuro Cercano” (which translates into “Future Close”) where he gained his new nickname “El Guardian del Habitat” (The Guardian of the Habitat) Now, he is involved in a new online project, which will be aired on April 26. In June, he will give a lecture at the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de El Grullo (a public University in El Grulo, Jalisco, Mexico).
“Now, I am 11 years old and I feel like I need to do even more,” said Daniel.
