BC Activist Travels to Detroit to Help Fight World’s Largest Waste Incinerator
Friday, June 25, 2010
The campaign to stop Metro Vancouver's proposal to build a new waste incinerator has lead to international cooperation.
Ben West works as the Healthy Community Campaigner out of the Wilderness Committee's National office in Vancouver. He has taken the lead in organizing opposition to the proposed garbage incineration plan in the Metro Vancouver region. West has been in regular contact with activists and community organizers in the United States, Europe and Asia to learn from their experience fighting waste incineration.
Now West has been invited by the Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives (GAIA) to travel to Detroit, Michigan to help organize a rally at the world’s largest waste incinerator. The Day of Action for "Clean Air, Good Jobs and Justice" is planned to oppose the extension of the license for this facility.
"I think it is important for people in Canada and the United States to understand that they are not alone in their concerns about waste incineration. There is a strong international movement opposing burning garbage and wasting resources. Working together we can tackle the real challenges of overall waste reduction and sensible re-use and recycling solutions," said West.
The Day of Action is taking place as part of the US Social Forum which is an international alternative to the G8 G20 forums taking place in Toronto. The slogan on the social forum is "another world is possible".
"We are happy to be bringing Ben down to help out with the Day of Action. Environmentalists, social justice activists, unions and community organizers are coming together to stand up for the poor in Detroit who are disproportionately impacted by waste incinerators," said Ananda Tan from GAIA.
"It's the same big corporation, Covanta in Detroit that wants to build a garbage burning facility on Vancouver Island, and we are going to beat them on both sides of the border. That's the power of social movements and grassroots international cooperation," said West.
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For more information please contact:
Visit cleanairgoodjobsjustice.org, no-burn.org, ZeroWasteBC.org or WildernessCommittee.org/waste
Ben West, Wilderness Committee Healthy Communities Campaigner, (604) 710-5340
Ananda Tan, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, (415) 374-0615
Ben West works as the Healthy Community Campaigner out of the Wilderness Committee's National office in Vancouver. He has taken the lead in organizing opposition to the proposed garbage incineration plan in the Metro Vancouver region. West has been in regular contact with activists and community organizers in the United States, Europe and Asia to learn from their experience fighting waste incineration.
Now West has been invited by the Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives (GAIA) to travel to Detroit, Michigan to help organize a rally at the world’s largest waste incinerator. The Day of Action for "Clean Air, Good Jobs and Justice" is planned to oppose the extension of the license for this facility.
"I think it is important for people in Canada and the United States to understand that they are not alone in their concerns about waste incineration. There is a strong international movement opposing burning garbage and wasting resources. Working together we can tackle the real challenges of overall waste reduction and sensible re-use and recycling solutions," said West.
The Day of Action is taking place as part of the US Social Forum which is an international alternative to the G8 G20 forums taking place in Toronto. The slogan on the social forum is "another world is possible".
"We are happy to be bringing Ben down to help out with the Day of Action. Environmentalists, social justice activists, unions and community organizers are coming together to stand up for the poor in Detroit who are disproportionately impacted by waste incinerators," said Ananda Tan from GAIA.
"It's the same big corporation, Covanta in Detroit that wants to build a garbage burning facility on Vancouver Island, and we are going to beat them on both sides of the border. That's the power of social movements and grassroots international cooperation," said West.
-30-
For more information please contact:
Visit cleanairgoodjobsjustice.org, no-burn.org, ZeroWasteBC.org or WildernessCommittee.org/waste
Ben West, Wilderness Committee Healthy Communities Campaigner, (604) 710-5340
Ananda Tan, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, (415) 374-0615