GAIA News April-May 2010 Issue

Dear GAIA Members and Friends,

Welcome to the first issue of the GAIA News, our new e-newsletter!   As we build toward the celebration of our 10th year of collaborative work for environmental health and justice, this bi-monthly newsletter will serve as one of our new vehicles for informing and keeping in touch with our valued members and allies from across the globe. It will offer a mix of quick and easy to read articles that will bring you up to date information about our work, including important organizational developments as well as opportunities for common action.

For starters, we are excited to announce that Christie Keith - as approved by our Steering Committee - is now our new Co-Coordinator from the north.  Christie, who has been with GAIA since 2005, has over 17 years of experience in non-profit organizational development and international program management and fundraising.  Monica, who just gave birth to Cailin on March 20th and is on maternity leave until June, will, of course, return to GAIA and, like me, will be transitioning to a more regionally focused role to help meet our increasing work in the US and Asia. We are excited that Christie has accepted the huge task of co-leading GAIA at a time when we need to enhance and strengthen our capacity to respond to our members’ needs amid new global challenges and opportunities.  Thank you, Christie!

We are, likewise, excited to inform you about our increased capacity to work on waste and climate with the start of a new partnership with WIEGO, a global network concerned with improving the status of women in the informal economy. This new partnership will see GAIA working with wastepicker communities to build and amplify their capacity to influence and effect change in local and global climate policy. We are looking forward to facilitating this process that will link wastepickers’ rights advocates with those working for Zero Waste and against incineration, because we believe this work will inspire and energize the social justice dimension of our mission.

As you read this first issue, we invite you to let us know what you think of our newsletter and to suggest what you would like to see in future issues. Your comments and suggestions will ensure that this newsletter serves your expectations and needs.

Thank you for being part of the GAIA family, and we hope to continue building and expanding our community with your participation and solidarity.

Warm regards,

Manny C. Calonzo
Co-Coordinator
GAIA

Africa-South Africa: Learn about the work of GAIA member groundWork, a founding member of GAIA. groundWork is a non-profit environmental justice and development organization working primarily in South Africa but increasingly in the Southern Africa region as well. groundWork was established in mid-1999 by five trustees and three staff members: Bobby Peek, Linda Ambler and Gillian Addison. groundWork places particular emphasis on assisting vulnerable and previously disadvantaged people who are most affected by environmental injustices. Their waste projects include working to phase out all waste incinerators, including cement kilns, and improving the health care given to waste workers. Learn more by visiting their website.

Asia-Pacific-China: China Waste Information Network

Last April in response to the mounting waste issues confronting China, GAIA, with support from the Global Greengrants Fund, hired a new team member in China, Huiying Zhang, who worked to launch the China Waste Information Network (CWIN). CWIN works to document waste management issues in Anhui Province, build a national network of environmental groups, experts and individuals, and promote sustainable alternatives to landfills and incinerators. In just one year CWIN has grown to include 93 members. This year we are working to develop our capacity and programs so that we can expand our work to promote front-end ecological waste management solutions and to connect these solutions with larger environmental issues including climate change, environmental health and persistent toxic pollutants. To read a recent article in Reuters about incinerator protests in China click here.

Europe-Italy: April 17^th-Big demonstration in Parma, Italy in favor of zero waste and against incineration Parma is in the most polluted area of Europe, the Po Valley (known as the Food Valley), and the city is facing the threat of an incinerator that would burn 130,000 tons of waste per year being built right in Parma. On April 17^th people from all over Italy and abroad will be calling for the implementation of a Zero Waste strategy based on prevention, reuse, recycling and composting that will contribute towards cleaning up the valley and introducing sustainability in the way resources are managed throughout the region. This is a demonstration not just against the proposed incinerator for Parma, but against ALL incinerators, proposed or already functioning in Italy. Read More

Latin America-El Salvador: Concern in El Salvador over potential burning of obsolete pesticides

On March 10, 2010 the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) and Pesticide Action Network Latin America (RAPAL) sent a letter to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador, Eng. Herman Rosa Chávez, expressing deep concern over the possibility of cement kilns operated by the local company CESSA (a local subsidiary of Holcim) burning waste containing the pesticide toxaphene. Cement kilns burning hazardous waste are known to release cancer causing toxins such as dioxin and furans as well as other pollutants, including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, NOx, and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, zinc, nickel and vanadium. These substances are harmful to health and the environment. Read More

North America-U.S. & Canada: GAIA members fight incinerators and promote recycling and green jobs In 2009 the incinerator industry stepped up efforts to expand across the US & Canada, disguising their incinerators as Waste to Energy (WTE). The good news is that communities have been organizing, fighting back and winning! Read more in the 2009 North America in Review.The fight continues in 2010 with the U.S. Social Forum in Detroit, where community-led environmental justice groups, supported by the GAIA network, will lead a mass non-violent demonstration against the world's largest incinerator. Read more. At the same time in Detroit and across the U.S. people continue to promote alternatives and Recycling Works! recently made it even easier with the launch of the City Campaign Toolkit.

Middle East & North Africa-Cairo, Egypt: Join the Garbage Dreams Tour, take action & spread the word

Garbage Dreams is an award winning documentary that follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade and growing up in the world's largest garbage village on the outskirts of Cairo. Out of necessity, these boys—like many children in Egypt—began working with their parents at a very young age, either by sorting or collecting recyclables. Like many children in Egypt and other non-industrialized countries, they often miss out on the opportunity for a formal education. However, the Recycling School profiled in the film attempts to fill this gap by teaching technical and literacy skills. The school also provides a safe place for students’ creativity to develop through the arts and recreation. Currently one hundred Zaballeen boys are enrolled and if sufficient funds are secured the school will be expanding to include girls. To learn more and find out about screenings around the world please visit the Garbage Dreams website at www.garbagedreams.com. Please also check out our new widget and learn about the Garbage Dreams Tour, and take action. Then spread word by adding this widget to your email, website, facebook page, blog and other social networking tools.

GAIA Global-New Publications & Social Networking Tools:

GAIA’s on facebook!

Please join our new page and connect to allies around the world!

The Story of Stuff Book & The Story of Bottled Water!

Annie Leonard, whom many of you know and love through her previous work with GAIA as well as her online internet film, The Story of Stuff, just released a book with the same name. The Story of Stuff book came out on March 9th in the U.S. (The book is also being printed soon in the UK, Germany and France, and other countries in Asia and Latin America are in the works.) The book covers the same issues as the film in much more depth, plus includes more signs of hope, positive alternatives, examples of work that organizations around the world are doing, ideas for getting involved and personal stories from her 20 years investigating the factories where our stuff is made and the dumps where it is dumped. Order the book at your local bookstore or any of the online links at www.storyofstuff.org/book. Also don’t miss The Story of Bottled Water the project’s newest film!

Clean Development Mechanism Funding For Waste Incineration: Financing the Demise of Waste Worker Livelihood, Community Health, and Climate

At least 15 million people around the world depend upon waste picking and the recovery of resources from waste for their livelihoods. Recovering waste resources through re-use, recycling, and composting serves to create many more jobs than waste incinerators and landfills. Unfortunately, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is currently funding incineration and landfills. In our publication we give some examples of waste projects that have been approved or are being considered for CDM approval, and the growing community and waste worker opposition to these projects. The studies serve to illustrate how—by funding incinerators and landfill gas projects—the CDM is obstructing proven, durable climate stabilization strategies that support the long-term well being of communities and workers. Read More

New GAIA Staff!

In February, Raphael "Paeng" Lopez joined our Philippine office as GAIA's Information and Publication Coordinator. Paeng is a long time environmental advocate and holds a degree in philosophy and law. He is also a Greenpeace volunteer and has worked with Haribon Foundation, Coastal Conservation Education Foundation, and Ecowaste Coalition.  Paeng is father to a three-year old baby girl named Gabriela Isabel.