ALERT: Oppose Oil Production in Ecuador's Yasuni National Park
TAKE ACTION: After an earlier successful campaign to halt oil road construction, the message must still be sent that oil extraction and protected areas do not mix
In two separate letters delivered to the Ecuadorian government, a group of over 40 Yasuni scientists (known as the Scientists Concerned for Yasuni) and 6 international NGOs have criticized Petrobras' new Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of their new "roadless" plan to build oil production facilities in Ecuador's world class Yasuni National Park. Although both letters praise Ecuador for stopping Petrobras from building an access road into Yasuni National Park, they emphasize that the new project design (construction and operation of 2 drilling platforms, flow lines, a processing facility and pipeline) will cause major impacts to the region's biodiversity and indigenous peoples.
A massive new processing facility would be constructed on the alluvial plain of the world renowned Tiputini River. Sixteen hectares of mature, inundated forests along the Tiputini would have to be cleared and drained, completely destroying the habitat. And the rainforest surrounding the proposed sites for the two drilling platforms is home to large mammal species considered indicators of high quality rainforest, such as tapir, giant armadillo, giant anteater, and large monkey species. The Waorani representative organizations were never consulted about the project, nor did they grant consent for activities on their ancestral territory. The Ecuadorian government must be urged to NOT approve the study and to cancel the project, as oil exploration and protected area status are simply incompatible. Tell them by taking action now.
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Keep America Beautiful Partners With The Wireless Alliance For 2007 Great American Cleanup™
Boulder, Colorado – The Wireless Alliance, a leading cell phone recycling company, announced today a partnership with Keep America Beautiful to facilitate the recycling of wireless waste for their 2007 Great American Cleanup™.
Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™ is the nation’s largest annual community improvement program with over 30,000 clean-up, green-up and fix-up events in over 15,000 communities throughout the United States, involving 2.3 million volunteers.
“Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™ is a large and diverse program, and we wanted to work with an established cell phone recycling company that maintains a zero-waste policy and recycles according to national and local EPA laws,” said Gail Cunningham, Managing Director of Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup™. “Our educational partners play an important role in our outreach, and we’re very selective about who we choose to work with. The Wireless Alliance’s knowledge and cell phone recycling reputation made this an easy choice.”
The Wireless Alliance works with manufacturers, wireless carriers, recyclers and non-profit organizations to collect, reuse, resell and recycle cellular equipment. Since 2002, The Wireless Alliance has diverted more than 300 tons of wireless equipment from landfills.
“It’s an honor to be selected as a partner by Keep America Beautiful,” said Peter Schindler, President of The Wireless Alliance. “We’re looking forward to helping Keep America Beautiful build awareness about cell phone recycling during the 2007 Great American Cleanup and throughout the year. Together we will keep our environment free of wireless waste.”
“The downside of rapid advances in cell phone technology is the impact that used or obsolete phones have on the waste stream,” said G. Raymond Empson, President of Keep America Beautiful. “Through our partnership with The Wireless Alliance we can provide consumers with timely opportunities, resources and information that help them to make responsible choices in the proper disposal of their wireless phone equipment.”
About The Wireless Alliance
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, The Wireless Alliance works with recyclers, wireless carriers, and non-profit organizations to collect, reuse and recycle cellular equipment. All equipment is repurposed in a zero waste manner. The Wireless Alliance has reclaimed over 300 tons of wireless equipment from landfills, contributing to a cleaner and safer environment. For more information on The Wireless Alliance call us at (303) 543-7477 or visit us at www.thewirelessalliance.com .
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful is a national nonprofit public education organization dedicated since 1953 to engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their local community environments. For half a century, Keep America Beautiful has been the nation’s leading community improvement organization successfully implementing an effective, systematic strategy for reducing waste, preventing litter and beautifying communities nationwide. The Great American Cleanup™ is the organization's signature program that mobilizes millions of volunteers to improve their communities through hands-on participation. For more information, visit www.kab.org.
For more information please contact:
Nathan Bieck
The Wireless Alliance, LLC
5763 Arapahoe Road, Unit G
Boulder, CO 80303
Tel. (303) 543-7477
Fax (303) 543-7677
nbieck@thewirelessalliance.com
Posted by: Nathan | November 8, 2006 1:10 PM
The Ecuadorian government must be urged to NOT approve the study and to cancel the rain forest oil project, as oil exploration and protected area status are simply incompatible.
Eric Conroy, Dublin, Ireland.
Posted by: Eric | November 8, 2006 1:37 PM
The Ecuadorian government must be urged to NOT approve the study and to cancel the rain forest oil project, as oil exploration and protected area status are simply incompatible.
Posted by: Diane M. Kastel | November 10, 2006 12:40 PM
Es mi mundo, la naturaleza
Posted by: Patricio Quinchimbla | November 11, 2006 12:50 PM
The Ecuadorian government can care less about rain forest preservation and protection. The same companies that clean oil spills in the Ecuadorian rainforest are responsible for spills. The Ecuadorian government knows about it and they take no action. They just don't care and there's no control.
Posted by: David Ortiz | November 27, 2006 3:17 PM