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Brochure for 3rd Citizens Conference on Dioxin
TIME FOR ACTION:
The Third Citizens' Conference on Dioxin
and Other Synthetic Hormone Disrupters
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
March 15-17, 1996
WHY NOW?
Because in September, 1995, the US EPA confirmed that:
a) Dioxin's non-cancer effects like immune damage,
endocrine disruption and reproductive impacts may be
even more serious than its cancer-causing effects;
b) The average person has dioxin tissue levels close to
where we would expect to see these effects;
c) We can't avoid dioxin exposure because we get most of
it from our food; and
d) The highest doses are going to the fetus and the
breast-fed infant.
In short, we are all victims of dioxin, with the brunt
falling on communities of color and low income.
However, rather than address the dioxin problem at its
roots, the paper and chemical industries are spending a
fortune to undermine the EPA's findings. Meanwhile, even
the well-intentioned at EPA responding to this crisis at
the wrong end. They are enacting unenforceable
regulations on incinerators, while the production of
organochlorines like PVC plastic continues unchecked.
If we want to get dioxin out of our food and out of our
children's bodies, we have to get industrial uses of
chlorine out of the economy. That means tackling
corporate power while tying to save jobs. This will
require mounting an unprecedented public and media
educational campaign.
This conference represents a major effort to bring
people together who are concerned about health, food
production, 'waste' management, environmental and
economic justice, sustainability and community
development, the abuse of corporate power and the
erosion of our democratic system. Together we have to
communicate to the general public that the insidious
build-up of dioxins and other endocrine disrupters in
our food is as great a threat to life inside our bodies
as ozone-destroying CFCs are from the outside; and that
both have a common source: the industrial use of
chlorine.
The Citizens' Conference on Dioxin was initiated to
expose the efforts of industrial and government
officials to downplay the dangers of dioxin and related
compounds. The previous two conferences (Chapel Hill,
NC, September 1991; and St. Louis, MO, July 1994)
allowed an exchange of information among the victims of
dioxin, activists, scientists, and the general public.
We start the third conference believing that we know
enough about dioxin TO ACT. That is why we are de-
emphasizing presentations so that participants can focus
their energies on the designing of strategic campaigns.
No one pretends that getting dioxin out of our food and
out of our children's bodies is going to be easy. We
now that we are up against huge corporate power, but
tackling the misuse of corporate power is what the 21st
century is going to be about. This is a good place to
start. It's TIME FOR ACTION.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, Afternoon and Evening
3 pm on
Registration
4-5:30
Pre-conference "get-up-to-speed" tutorials.
Choose one of the following:
1) DIOXIN 101 with Paul Connett and Tom Webster
2) ENDOCRINE DISRUPTERS: WHAT ARE THEY? with
Louis Guillette and J. Peter Myers
3) INTERNET FOR ACTIVISTS WHO ARE SCARED OF
COMPUTERS with Adam Berrey.
6-7
RECEPTION AND WELCOME TO LOUISIANA AND THE SOUTH.
Mary Lee Orr and Connie Tucker. An introduction
to local grassroots battles on dioxin.
7-8
KEYNOTE ADDRESS by Louis Guillette: "The Global
Significance of Endocrine Disrupters."
8-9
A welcome to our international visitors. Jack
Weinberg on "POPs: A Global Framework for
Eliminating Dioxin Sources."
SATURDAY, MARCH 16
8 am- on
Registration
8:50 - 9
Opening ceremony: Louisiana Native American
nation representative
9 - 9:30
Opening address with Lois Gibbs, Paul Connett and
Tom Goldtooth
9:30 - 10:30
Panel on Environmental Justice. Nina Laboy
(moderator), Michelle Depasse, Tom Goldtooth,
Beverly Wright, Torm Nom Praseurt, and Margaret
Williams.
10:30 - 10:45 Refreshment break
10:45 - 12:30 First Round of Campaign Strategy Sessions*
1) Getting chlorine out of the pulp/paper
industry
2) Getting organochlorines out of manufacturing
and cleaning
3) Halting all forms of incineration
4) Phasing out all uses of PVC
5) Creating a scientific SWAT team to help
communities
6) Linking dioxin to health
7) Getting dioxin out of our food
8) Developing tools to help poisoned communities
9) Communicating dioxin issues to the public and
the media
12:30 - 2
Luncheon and Panel Session: Working with Workers
for a Dioxin-Free Future. Charlotte Brody
(moderator), Willie Fontenot, Diane Heminway,
Richard Moore, Rex Tingle.
2 - 4 Second Round of Campaign Strategy Sessions*
4 - 4:15 Refreshment Break
4:15 - 5:30
Interaction meetings and free time. Networking,
Caucuses, "Ongoing Newsletter/communications to
keep track of campaigns" meeting. Free massages
for weary activists! Video watching ("Assault on
the Male," "Dioxin: The Perfect Poison.")
6 - 8
Dinner. "Alternative Visions and Model Solutions"
with Elaine Gross, David Morris, Wayne Roberts
and Ken Geiser.
8 - 9
The Great Quiz Show: Corporate Spin Doctors vs.
Citizens' Truth Squad
9 - midnight
Entertainment: Sketches, songs & dances to drive
the dioxin menace away and the Chemical
Manufacturers Association crazy. Greg Moore will
be Master of Ceremonies.
SUNDAY, MARCH 17
9 - 10:30
Panel: "Challenging Corporate Power." Lois Gibbs
(moderator), Richard Healey, Peter Montague, Ron
Nixon and John Stauber.
10:30 - 11 Short break to vacate rooms, get luggage, etc.
11 - 12:30
Third Round of Campaign Strategy Sessions*
12:30 -2:30
Luncheon and panel discussion. Each workshop
will report back on one highlight of their
campaign strategy (the rest of the strategy will
be distributed in writing to all the
participants.) Panel: "Reflections and Directions
from this Conference." Mary O'Brien (moderator),
Barry Commoner, Jackie Warledo, Mildred McClain.
2:30 - 2:45
Closing drum ceremony
*Note = Campaign strategy sessions will be facilitated
by seasoned campaigners. It is anticipated that every
participant will be actively engaged in shaping the
strategies discussed. It is our intention that
participants will choose one of the nine strategy
sessions and stay with it throughout the conference. If
more than one strategy session is of interest to your
group, we encourage you to send more than one person.
Note: Wherever we have used "dioxin" in this agenda, it
stands for dioxins, furans, PCBs and other synthetic
hormone (endocrine) disrupters.
SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
Limited travel and housing scholarships are available.
Contact Leslie Byster, Connie Tucker or Jackie Warledo
of the Conference Organizing Committee listed below.
CONFERENCE FUNDING* FROM:
Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste, Citizens' Conferences
on Dioxin, Inc.; Greenpeace; Jenifer Altman Foundation,
and conference co-sponsors. (* as of 1/31/95)
PLEASE TAKE NOTE:
Many people attending this conference are chemically
sensitive. We ask that participants refrain from
wearing perfume or aftershave and avoid wearing clothes
that have been dry-cleaned. Thanks.
Help reduce water and energy use! Please bring your own
coffee/tea mugs.
TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS
The Hilton Hotel. The conference will be held at the
Hilton Hotel, 5500 Hilton Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.
504-924-5000, extension 1084. (Double room has two king-
sized beds) They operate a complimentary airport shuttle
service (one hour notice necessary).
The Wilson Inn, 3045 Valley Creek Road, Baton Rouge, LA
70808 (Double room has two king-sized beds), 504-923-
3377.
Info on Baton Rouge is available from the Baton Rouge
Chamber of Commerce: 504-371-7125.
TRAVEL: Marazul Tours of Weehawken, NJ, is the official
travel agency for our conference. Please ask for Mayda
Gil. They have discounted fares on some carriers to
Baton Rouge. They can be reached at 1-800-223-5334 or
201-319-9009, hours 9-5 Eastern. We encourage people to
fly directly into Baton Rouge instead of into New
Orleans. If it is too expensive to do so, please contact
Mary Lee Orr at LEAN (504-928-1315) for details about
ground transportation from New Orleans to Baton Rouge
which is approximately 1-1/2 hours travel time.
THE CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Charlotte Brody, Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous
Waste, Falls Church, VA 703-237-2249
Angela Brown, Youth Task Force, Atlanta, GA,404-892-7601
Leslie Byster, Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, San
Jose, CA, 408-287-6707
Jackie Hunt Christensen,Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MN, 612-379-5980
Gary Cohen, The Learning Alliance, Jamaica Plain, MA,
617-524-6018
Paul & Ellen Connett, WASTE NOT, Canton, NY,
315-379-9200
Colleen Cooney, Ontario Coalition to Stop the Burn,
Coldwater, Ontario, 705-686-7457
Charlie Cray, Greenpeace, Chicago, IL, 312-563-6060
Ken Deal, Vietnam Veterans of America, Woodbridge, NJ,
908-636-9059
Billie Elmore, NC Waste Awareness & Reduction Network,
Sanford, NC, 919-774-9566
Judy Enck, New York Public Interest Research Group,
Albany, NY, 518-436-0876
Willie Fontenot, Louisiana Environmental Action Network,
Baton Rouge, LA, 504-342-7900
Nina Laboy, South Bronx Clean Air Coalition, Bronx, NY
718-365-59071
Peter Montague & Maria Pellerano, Environmental Research
Foundation, Annapolis, MD, 410-263-1584
Ron Nixon, Institute for Southern Studies, Durham, NC,
919-419-8311
Mary O'Brien, Environmental Research Foundation, Eugene,
OR, 504-485-6886
Mary Lee Orr, Louisiana Environmental Action Network
Baton Rouge, LA, 504-928-1315
Florence Robinson, North Baton Rouge Environmental
Assn., Baton Rouge, LA, 504-775-0341
Terri Swearingen, Tri-State Environmental Council.
Chester, WV, 304-387-0574
Connie Tucker, Southern Organizing Committee, Atlanta,
GA,404-755-2855
Jackie Warledo, Indigenous Environmental Network, Tulsa,
OK, 918-743-6530
Jim Warren, NC Waste Awareness & Reduction Network,
Durham, NC, 919-490-0747
Tom Webster, Boston University, School of Public Health
Boston, MA, 617-638-4641
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SEND IN THIS PORTION OF THE CONFERENCE INFORMATION TO
THE ADDRESS BELOW:
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM
LAST DAY TO REGISTER: MARCH 1, 1996
Please return this form with your check (payable to
"Citizens' Conferences on Dioxin) for Hotel, Meals and
Registration to:
Citizens Conferences on Dioxin, Inc., 5301 Rolling Hill
Road, Sanford, NC 37330
(Phone: 919-774-9566; fax: 919-774-7498;
Billie Elmore: Treasurer)
U.S. only: Contributions are tax-deductible
ROOM & MEALS PACKAGE
All prices include tax.
HILTON HOTEL
(The conference will be held at the Hilton.)
____ Double Room (2 king-sized beds) Friday and Saturday
night; dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, plus
Saturday and Sunday lunches $119 per person
_____ Room to be shared with:
___________________________________________ OR
_____ I am willing to share a room with a
conference participant.
____ Single Room Friday and Saturday night; dinner on
Friday and Saturday nights, plus Saturday and Sunday
lunches $188 per person
OR
MEALS ONLY AT THE HILTON HOTEL
_____ Friday Dinner $15.00 _____ Saturday Dinner $15.00
_____ Saturday Lunch $10.00 _____ Sunday Lunch $10.00
ROOM ONLY AT THE HILTON HOTEL
_____ Friday Night (Single) $70.00 (per person)
_____ Friday Night (Double) $35.00 (per person)
_____ Saturday Night (Single) $70.00 (per person)
_____ Saturday Night (Double) $35.00 (per person)
ROOM ONLY AT THE WILSON INN
_____ Friday Night (Single) $57.00 (per person)
_____ Friday Night (Double) $30.00 (per person)
_____ Saturday Night (Single) $57.00 (per person)
_____ Saturday Night (Double) $30.00 (per person)
_____ Room to be shared with:
____________________________________________ OR
_____ I am willing to share a room with a
conference participant
Registration Category:
_____ Students/low income $10
_____ Citizens/Activists $25
_____ Government Officials $250
_____ For-Profits (includes their lawyers/court
transcribers/ associates/representatives $1000
_____ Individual conference co-sponsors (Entitled to 2
Free registration) No Fee
_____ Group conference co-sponsors (Entitled to 2 Free
registrations) No Fee
YES! We want to be a co-sponsor of the conference!
Deadline is February 25, 1996.
_____ All Grassroots groups (receive 2 conference
registration tickets) $100
_____ All State/National groups (receive 2 conference
registration tickets) $200
______ Individuals (receive 1 conference registration
ticket) $50
________________________________________________________
(name of individual or group co-sponsor)
_____ YES! I am coming to Baton Rouge! Enclosed is my
check for $___________
Name:
________________________________________________________
Address:
________________________________________________________
Phone: _____________________ Fax: ____________________
E-mail: __________________
Please check your dietary preference:
_____ Meat ______ Fish ______ Vegetarian _____ Vegan
Which campaign strategy session will you attend? Check
only one
_____ 1) Getting chlorine out of the pulp/paper
industry
_____ 2) Getting organochlorines out of
manufacturing and cleaning
_____ 3) Halting all forms of incineration
_____ 4) Phasing out all uses of PVC
_____ 5) Creating a scientific SWAT team to help
communities
_____ 6) Linking dioxin to health
_____ 7) Getting dioxin out of our food
_____8) Developing tools to help poisoned
communities
_____ 9) Communicating dioxin issues to the public
and the media
_____ Table space needed to sell or distribute
information from my group ($25 conference fee to sell)
_____ Willing to perform in the Entertainment on
Saturday night.
_____ I can't come to the conference but want to be more
involved. Enclosed is $______ to cover costs for
sending me information from the conference.
_____ I can't come to the conference but wish to donate
$______ to help a low-income activist attend the
conference.
If you have questions about the conference, contact: Jim
Warren, Citizens' Conferences on Dioxin, Inc., PO Box
61051, Durham, NC 27715. Phone: 919-490-0747; fax: 919-
493-6614
Jackie Hunt Christensen
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
1313 5th St. SE #303
Minneapolis, MN 55414
phone: 612-379-5980; fax: 612-379-5982
e-mail: <jchristensen@igc.apc.org>