Regarding James Jordan’s brilliantly written “Let’s take back Earth Day in Tucson”(April 2):
Years ago, Earth Day was created by tree huggers to study environmental degradation and to improve the earth. Industrialists, instantly seeing what that could lead to, begin “sponsoring” Earth Day events.
Under “sponsorship,” Earth Day became much slicker and professionally organized, and ever so gently moved toward blowing up balloons and making paper flowers. The causes of environmental degradation and solutions thereof moved from center stage to an afterthought, or less. It was so subtle that most people didn’t even notice.
Jordan gives too much credit to “well-meaning people who are working on Earth Day.” I say if you’re working on Earth Day and your well-meaning, it’s your duty to immediately contact the Earth Day committee (TucsonEarthDay@Yahoo.com) and tell them that you don’t want Rosemont Mine sponsoring Earth Day this year … or ever.
Actually, all well-meaning people should do that. Some might even want to mention other sponsors like Raytheon or mostly coal burning Tucson electric power.
Also, everyone should contact the Mayor and Council (tucsonaz.gov/contact) and the County Supervisors (pima.gov) and tell them that local government should no longer sponsor Earth Day unless its other sponsors are Earth compatible.
—John Kromko
This article appears in Apr 9-15, 2015.
Rosemont mine is not, nor has it ever sponsored the Tucson Earth Day Festival, I suggest you check your facts prior to criticizing the volunteers who have worked for over 20 years to bring this free event to the Tucson public and to give a forum to learn about the many ideas and voices, technologies, etc from many different organizations, check out the exhibitors instead of the sponsors and the community members who can bring their children to learn through environmental hands on activities and demonstrations by those exhibitors. If only life and the environment were so black and white.
Regarding James Jordan’s “well meaning” article and Mr. Kromko’s narrow view of the world:
I realize that sustainable hemp clothing and recycled tire sandals started the Earth Day Festivals back in the wonderfully idealistic and psychedelic 70’s, but times have changed and these throwbacks should change with them. Sustainability is more a part of the American lexicon than ever before! Just because business’s use their “evil”, hard earned profits to promote recycling, re-purposing and resourcefullness, the message isn’t somehow different but instead becomes “greenwashing”. These fellows should be taking credit for starting the conversation with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act…and be encouraged by the fact that the message of conservation is becoming mainstream. I would bet that Mr Jordan and Mr. Kromko have not taken the time to learn about even one (1) private company’s Sustainability Plan and the ethical motivation behind it. Heck, you guys would be very employable in today’s Environmental Proffessional job market. But then again some people are not cut out for the teamwork, schedules, budgets, accountability, reporting, and productivity that comes with “business”…but rather they are better suited for criticism and inciting divisiveness. Ironically, the think they are the smartest people in the room.
In response to Bob’s comments on 4/9/15, I believe that if you look deeper than a corporations buzzwords and sustainability spins you’d realize that there’s a lot more lip service being paid than actual commitment. If you look deeply into large corporations like TEP who is a Silver Sponsor for this years Earth Day Festival and who’s new parent company, Fortis, you’ll find horrible realities. Fortis, TEP’s new Canadian Owner has a long track record as a leader in fracking, lying to public officials and environmental damage.
“In 2000, the Natural Resources Defense Council agreed to help the local opposition to Fortis’ proposed Chalillo Dam — a seven-megawatt hydroelectric project on the Macal River in an ecologically sensitive part of the Belizean rainforest. I represented these groups as a senior NRDC attorney. During the litigation that followed, we learned that Fortis had routinely lied about its proposed dam’s safety and its economic, environmental and geological impacts.
Fortis solemnly promised that the dam would not raise electric costs while concealing secret studies proving the opposite. In 2005, two years after the dam went live, Belize’s electric rates climbed 25 percent. Belizeans paid twice as much for electricity as their neighbors in Mexico and Guatemala. In 2008, when Fortis moved to jack rates another 25 percent, Belize’s newly elected government expropriated the company’s assets.
Fortis digitally removed nearby fault lines from the geological map it provided to regulators to deceive them about dire earthquake hazards at the proposed dam site. Only after the dam won approval and construction began did this become public.
Fortis knowingly lied when it claimed its dam would not harm wildlife. The project destroyed Central America’s last large habitats for endangered jaguars, tapirs and scarlet macaws.
Fortis hid its study showing hazardous levels of neurotoxic mercury in the Macal River, caused by another Fortis dam, until a year after its Chalillo Dam was complete. During that period, Belizeans continued to drink river water and swim, wash, bathe and fish — all activities perilous to their health.
These are only a few examples of Fortis’ willingness to deceive the public and government regulators while profiteering from reckless activities.”
Utility deal company has deceitful past By ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.,
http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Utility-deal-company-has-deceitful-past-4584044.php
The City of Tucson, which is also a sponsor of this event, sells our recyclable materials all over the place. We have in the past, not certain of present, sold our glass and bottles to Mexico and plastic to China for recycling. While it is smart to help defray the cost of these programs by selling these materials, what are our costs in terms of economics with transporting these materials and the fuels and pollution caused during the transit?
I believe these are the things that Mr. Kromko and Mr. Jordan are concerned with and I can state for the record that I do not have the answers nor do I think I am the smartest person in the room.
Just something to think about.
To the person on the Tucson Earth Day Committee that replied to Mr. Kromko’s posting, according your website SAEMS is a sponsor of this event. Not to diminish your and the committees hard work and the ideals Earth Day represents but Rosemont Copper Company and Raytheon Missile Systems are both members of SAEMS along with several other environmentally destructive corporations..