Hernaliz is the Director of the Sierra Club Puerto Rico Chapter and an environmental organizer from Guayama. Due to her southern roots, she is passionate about coastal resource protection and views these resources as common goods essential for the Good Living. Her journey with the Sierra Club began in 2016, where she has successfully led initiatives such as the “Citizen Declaration” and the “Climate Action Now” campaign. She was instrumental in banning single-use plastics in Puerto Rico and was a key organizer in the “No More Electric Rate Hikes” campaign, which involved over 15 municipalities, collected more than 35,000 signatures, and led to a march with over 3,500 participants in San Juan.

Hernaliz holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from UPR Ponce and a Master’s in Environmental Planning from Ana G. Méndez University, focusing her thesis on the ecotourism development plan for Cataño. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration and Public Policy at American University, Washington DC.

In 2019, she received the John Muir Award, the Sierra Club’s highest volunteer honor, and was recently selected as one of ten women in Puerto Rico for the “Mothers of the Earth” project, which highlights women leaders in environmental initiatives. Hernaliz has also proposed the creation of the Climate Action Observatory and participated in the Junior TRAJECTS 2023 research program in Colombia, collaborating on a project titled “Tracing Common Paths with Ecofeminist Perspective.”

She emphasizes the need to address systems of oppression alongside the transition to clean energy, stating, “We cannot focus solely on moving from fossil fuels to clean energy without dismantling systems of oppression, corporate power, and racism.” As the Director, Hernaliz is committed to guiding the chapter toward new goals aligned with the Sierra Club’s mission, advocating for care economies to protect our common goods and achieve true environmental justice.