Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. –Martin Luther King, Jr
Join Us For An Morning Discussion
Why: The S.C. Environmental Justice Advisory Committee wants your input on Environmental Justice Issues.
When:Saturday, May 16, 2009
Breakfast and Registration at 9 am
Meeting will begin at 9:30 am and will end around 12 Noon
Where:Palmetto Room/Hendricks Dining Room/Ervin Dining Hall
Francis Marion University
4822 East Palmetto Street
Florence, SC
Call: Please let us know if you can attend by Tuesday, May 12th
Paula Brown (DHEC’s Florence Office) at (843) 661-4825, or
Karen Sprayberry at spraybkj@dhec.sc.gov or (803) 896-9730
W.R. Grace Acquitted in Libby, Montana Asbestos Case
Asbestos-web
A federal jury in Montana acquitted W.R. Grace and Company and three of its former executives last Friday of knowingly exposing mine workers and residents of Libby, Montana, to asbestos poisoning and then covering up their actions. The government has called this the nation’s biggest environmental disaster. Hundreds of miners and residents of Libby have died, and at least 1,200 more have developed cancer or lung disease from exposure to the asbestos-containing ore from W.R. Grace’s vermiculite mine.
Environmental Issues Affect Us All
Changes to our natural environment may go unnoticed to us. Differences in weather statistics such as average temperature and average monthly rainfall may not be detected by most people as we make it through our daily schedules.Workers,who are fortunate enough to still have jobs, commute to the employment site on crowded highways and endure hours of stress along the way. We don’t take time to see the negative effects of climate change right before our eyes. Vegetation can’t grow because there is not enough rain.
Rivers dry up and are contaminated by Mercury and other chemicals. There is no longer an abundant water supply and large international corporations control more water resources each day. We have turned our future over to the “private” sector by giving corporations control over the water supply. At the same time, republicans have changed environmental laws and prevented enforcement and oversight for the laws they did not eliminate. We now have a dire situation where over one half of the rivers and streams in South Carolina are polluted with Mercury. Humans can’t survive without clean water. This is a simple fact.
Here are some actions we can take:
- Research weather statistics. You can start with weather.com and this will give you an idea of what to look for.
- Walk around and observe the world around you. This is good for your health too.
- Go to the local library and gather information about your area. What companies are located near you that may impact the environment.
- Contact your state department of environmental control. They probably are online and you can also request information about toxic sites close to you.
- Contact your elected officials at every level of government. Ask them what they do to protect the environment. If the answers don’t satisfy, then vote them out of office.
These are just some simple steps that can help get you started. Top 10 Tech Cars of 2009 By John Voelcker If necessity really is the mother of invention, then surely the auto industry is on the verge of an era of blinding brilliance. Times are that bad. In July, when the price of a barrel of oil shot up to US $147, buyers in the United States dumped their gas guzzlers and lined up for that iconic hybrid, the Toyota Prius. And, astonishingly, by year’s end they had bought 25 000 Smart ForTwo cars, two-seaters so small they make the Mini Cooper, with its lavish complement of four seats, look like a land yacht. Then, just six months later, oil prices dropped back down, hitting a low of $37 a barrel. Good for drivers, bad for automakers: Such seesawing makes it impossible for them to plan—as they must—what cars they will be selling in three to five years. Then came the capper to that grisly year—the financial meltdown and the ensuing worldwide recession. It humbled what was left of America’s Detroit Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, which barely counts as a bona fide automaker anymore). It even gave mighty Toyota its first operating loss in 70 years.
