Clean Environment: Only For The Rich?

A very valid point. It is a matter of people taking grassroots action to make the changes necessary for others as well as themselves. It is a shame that in this day and age, most people just don't have time between paying bills, or getting off the commute etc. It is bleeding us of our humanity. Issues like this require people to force politicians to take a personal hand and set an example. e.g. Obama could really use this as a publicity gimmick, if he went out there and took a personal initiative on the issue. A very informative and compelling piece

Your commitment to this cause is compelling. The class/environment connection is alive and well in this world. Bringing the offenders to justice is very difficult, but community awareness and involvement is the right path. I support what you're doing and applaud your action.

In the midst of West Oakland ... It is the very least not completely true. -No, what they wrote is true. They do use processes that are more friendly than the industry standard. I think what you are saying is that all of their processes are not environmentally friendly. They may not be - that depends on whether you view them as friendly in relation to the alternatives, or as unfriendly in relation to no processes at all. I am struck why we as a society silently let serious environmental issues (as well as other social issues) almost exclusively affect the less fortunate parts of our society. -I don't know about you, but I 'let' things happen when I don't have the ability to truly correct them. Also, which parts of our society are affected by serious environmental issues seems (to me) to be secondary to finding out how not to cause serious environmental issues. How come the factory lies in West Oakland and not in the wealthy Palo Alto, Atherton or Tiburon? -It lies in West Oakland because the City of Oakland put an industrial area where no one was living, and people were already living in those places. The question is as easily answered as you think it is. -Providing you have done your research.I do not think we can change it, but we can start to question how we as a society with good conscious allow this total rape of the environment for the misfortunate ones. -When you say "allow this total rape of the environment" are you referring to the actual rape of the environment for an industrial zone or the fact that residential housing has encroached on this industrial zone to the point that people now find it offensive that they should have to let (let!) "a polluting factory stay in the midst of a densely populated area" ? We all have the rights for a clean environment regardless of race, ethnicity, color, cultural background or socioeconomical background. -Really? Who gave all of us the rights for a clean environment? Who shall we complain to when we've used up all the clean environment and want some more, as per our rights?We cry out loud for the ozon as it might affect our ability to get a nice sun burn, but we let a polluting factory stay in the midst of a densely populated area. Does that really make sense? To me it certainly doesn't. Here I do not think it is necessarily CASS fault. They should take their responsibility to improve their process for minimal impact. - May I ask what processes you have found that offer less impact? Perhaps the people at CASS are ignorant and unaware of these processes and would benefit from your familiarity with aluminum alloying techniques. Yet. It is our collective fault for letting this happen. It shouldn't happen. Maybe it is time for us all to ask ourselves if we earn enough for a clean environment around us... Run, Run! Check your bank statement quickly! It is time to do something about it and to realize that we together weave our future and we only have one earth to save. Can you really justify to yourself not to?- Or maybe it is time to realize that the idea of having a right to have a clean environment around us is exactly the perspective that lets us keep converting the environment around us into the kinds of places we prefer to live.
Kirill, I don't want to discourage you from getting involved. I admire you for taking action to make things better for others. It's just that this video is implying that CASS is clearly in the wrong, and that the accusations against them are valid. I live less than two blocks from CASS and when I researched the subject of local air quality I came to a very different view of the situation. I will send you my email address & if you are interested, I would be happy to tell you why.