Tucson, AZ - Luis Alberto Perales is a native son of the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. He is the son of an immigrant mother and an 8th generation Tejano father. His rural upbringing along the U.S./Mexico borderlands is the backdrop to his intimate relationship with land and cultural preservation. A transplant to Tucson, AZ and the Sonoran Desert, Luis has spent over a decade in the Old Pueblo. He is a graduate from the University of Arizona, an alumnus of the Mexican American and Raza Studies Department. For over ten years, he has directed his energies to the support and development of youth and their community. His expertise has led him to train and develop young people in the areas of health promotion, culture, and environmental sustainability. A true testament to his desire to meet community needs is his role as co-founder and community organizer of Tierra Y Libertad Organization (TYLO), a grassroots organization that works for positive social change and for the respect of land, people, and culture. His leadership and dedication to this work has led to the creation of the Barrio Sustainability Project, a community development endeavor dedicated to organizing the South Side Tucson community around the need for a model of urban green living and self sufficiency that is socially relevant and culturally based.