Efrén Pérez Rivera
Encyclopedia
Efrén Pérez Rivera is a former college
professor
and noted Puerto Rican
environmentalist
leader.
, where he lived during his first years. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
. He attended the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (known today as the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
), obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Biology
in 1952. Pérez later became a professor of Biology and Chemistry
at the Peñuelas
High School.
Pérez did his obligatory military service during the Korean War
, during which he was stationed in Hawaii
.
In 1953, he worked at the Agricultural Experimental Station at both Isabela
and Lajas
. He later obtained a Master's degree in Environmental
Health
from the Tropical School of Medicine at San Juan
.
. Also, he was the president of the Supervision Committee. During the first half of the seventies, he worked in the Cooperative Development Administration. In December 1977 he obtained a Master's degree in Horticulture from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. He then went on to become a professor in the College of Agricultural Science from that institution. During this time, he also took an active role in the organization of Cabo Rojo’s Cooperative Pharmacy (Farmacia Cooperativa de Cabo Rojo) and became the president of its Board of Directors.
In 1983 he became the president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
's (PIP) Cabo Rojo committee. In 1988, under his presidency, the party obtained the largest percentage of local votes for the governor's seat in the history of Cabo Rojo (11.2%). He also obtained the largest percentage of votes for a district representative seat, compared with the rest of his fellow candidates.
His knowledge and convictions led him to join the environmental crusades against the Adjuntas
copper mines, the construction of Club Med
in Guánica
, the installation of a Voice of America
transmitter in Cabo Rojo, the construction of the Cogentrix carbon
-based electrical plant in Mayagüez, amongst others.
In 1990 Pérez organized Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente
This organization was designed to encourage and promote the well being, the conservation of natural resources and the sustainable economic development of the Cabo Rojo region. Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente along with Fish and Wildlife Service were the primary promoters of a research and visitors center center located at the Cabo Rojo salt mine
s. The center is named Centro Intepretativo Las Salinas De Cabo Rojo don Efrén Pérez Rivera in his honor.
In a joint venture with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
, the committee had a major role in the restoration project of Isla de Ratones
, a small key by the coast of Cabo Rojo that is rapidly losing its surface area due to erosion
. Pérez has occupied the presidency of Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente several times from its inception through 2005 when he was succeeded by fellow professor Pedro Valle Carlo
. Pérez is still active in the organization.
Pérez has also received several awards, including:
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and noted Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
leader.
Biography
Efrén Pérez Rivera was born on March 10, 1929 at Mayagüez, Puerto RicoMayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
, where he lived during his first years. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo is a municipality situated on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico and forms part of the San Germán–Cabo Rojo metropolitan area as well as the larger Mayagüez–San Germán–Cabo Rojo Combined Statistical Area....
. He attended the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts (known today as the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez in Spanish , is a land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant state university located in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
), obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
in 1952. Pérez later became a professor of Biology and Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the Peñuelas
Peñuelas, Puerto Rico
Peñuelas is a municipality in Puerto Rico located in the southern coast of the island, south of Adjuntas, east of Guayanilla, west of Ponce and north of the Caribbean Sea. Peñuelas is spread over 12 wards and Peñuelas Pueblo . It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area...
High School.
Pérez did his obligatory military service during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, during which he was stationed in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
In 1953, he worked at the Agricultural Experimental Station at both Isabela
Isabela, Puerto Rico
Isabela is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in the north-western region of the island, north of San Sebastián; west of Quebradillas; and east of Aguadilla and Moca. Isabela is spread over 13 wards and Isabela Pueblo...
and Lajas
Lajas, Puerto Rico
Lajas is a municipality of Puerto Rico located in southwestern region, south of San Germán and Sabana Grande; east of Cabo Rojo; and west of Guánica. Lajas is spread over 11 wards and Lajas Pueblo...
. He later obtained a Master's degree in Environmental
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
Health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
from the Tropical School of Medicine at San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
.
Community involvement
During the sixties, Pérez became a member of Cabo Rojo’s Credit and Savings Cooperative(Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Cabo Rojo) and joined its Education Committee. As a member of this committee, he visited the communities of Cabo Rojo and worked to make the public aware of the philosophy and advantages of the cooperative movementCooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
. Also, he was the president of the Supervision Committee. During the first half of the seventies, he worked in the Cooperative Development Administration. In December 1977 he obtained a Master's degree in Horticulture from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. He then went on to become a professor in the College of Agricultural Science from that institution. During this time, he also took an active role in the organization of Cabo Rojo’s Cooperative Pharmacy (Farmacia Cooperativa de Cabo Rojo) and became the president of its Board of Directors.
In 1983 he became the president of the Puerto Rican Independence Party
Puerto Rican Independence Party
The Puerto Rican Independence Party is a Puerto Rican political party that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from United States suzerainty....
's (PIP) Cabo Rojo committee. In 1988, under his presidency, the party obtained the largest percentage of local votes for the governor's seat in the history of Cabo Rojo (11.2%). He also obtained the largest percentage of votes for a district representative seat, compared with the rest of his fellow candidates.
His knowledge and convictions led him to join the environmental crusades against the Adjuntas
Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Adjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
copper mines, the construction of Club Med
Club Med
Club Méditerranée , commonly known as Club Med, is a French corporation of vacation resorts found in many parts of the world, usually in exotic locations. It is considered the original all-inclusive resort.-Foundation:...
in Guánica
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Guánica is a municipality in southwestern Puerto Rico located on southern coast, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of Sabana Grande, east of Lajas, and west of Yauco. It is part of the Yauco Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, the installation of a Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
transmitter in Cabo Rojo, the construction of the Cogentrix carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
-based electrical plant in Mayagüez, amongst others.
In 1990 Pérez organized Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente
Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente
Caborrojeños Pro Salud y Ambiente, Inc. is an environmentalist organization based in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico....
This organization was designed to encourage and promote the well being, the conservation of natural resources and the sustainable economic development of the Cabo Rojo region. Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente along with Fish and Wildlife Service were the primary promoters of a research and visitors center center located at the Cabo Rojo salt mine
Salt mine
A salt mine is a mining operation involved in the extraction of rock salt or halite from evaporite deposits.-Occurrence:Areas known for their salt mines include Kilroot near Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland ; Khewra and Warcha in Pakistan; Tuzla in Bosnia; Wieliczka and Bochnia in Poland A salt mine...
s. The center is named Centro Intepretativo Las Salinas De Cabo Rojo don Efrén Pérez Rivera in his honor.
In a joint venture with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources was created by Law 23 of June 20, 1972, during the governorship of Luis A. Ferré. In 1973, as a gesture of bipartisanship, Ferré's successor, Gov. Rafael Hernández Colón appointed his predecessor's Puerto Rico Environmental Quality...
, the committee had a major role in the restoration project of Isla de Ratones
Isla de Ratones
Isla de Ratones is a small island located near the Joyuda Lagoon in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The island is a popular spot for snorkeling.-History:...
, a small key by the coast of Cabo Rojo that is rapidly losing its surface area due to erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
. Pérez has occupied the presidency of Caborrojeños pro Salud y Ambiente several times from its inception through 2005 when he was succeeded by fellow professor Pedro Valle Carlo
Pedro Valle Carlo
Dr. Pedro Valle Carlo , born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is a retired college professor and noted environmentalist leader based in western Puerto Rico....
. Pérez is still active in the organization.
Awards and recognitions
Pérez has been recognized by several institutions and organization for his civic work and pro-environment values. Some of the institutions and organizations that have recognized his work are:- The University of Puerto RicoUniversity of Puerto RicoThe University of Puerto Rico is the state university system of Puerto Rico. The system consists of 11 campuses and has approximately 64,511 students and 5,300 faculty members...
- The Ana G. Mendez University SystemAna G. Mendez University SystemThe Ana G. Méndez University System —or Sistema Universitario Ana G. Méndez in Spanish— is a private institution of higher education in Puerto Rico...
- Jornada de Betances
- Cooperativa de Ahorro y Credito de Cabo Rojo
- Farmacia Cooperativa de Cabo Rojo
- The municipal government of Cabo Rojo
- The Puerto Rico Tourism CompanyPuerto Rico Tourism CompanyThe Puerto Rico Tourism Company was created during Governor Luis A. Ferré's administration to coordinate the marketing and growth of Puerto Rico's tourism sector...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Fish and Wildlife Service
Pérez has also received several awards, including:
- 1999 - Public Awareness Award, Conferencia de Bosque de Puerto Rico
- 2000 - Environmental Award, Universidad Interamericana of San Germán
- 2003 - Environmental Quality Award, Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(E.P.A.)
- 2005 - Named part of the E.P.A.'s Environmental Justice Advisory Council