Laborers' Union To Help Train Mexico's Workers On Cleanup
May 26, 1994
It wasn't long ago when
organized labor was arrayed against the North American Free Trade Agreement,
which removed trade barriers among the United States, Canada and Mexico.
NAFTA also came with an
environmental accord to boost environmental standards in Mexico, and now the
Laborer's International Union of North America is about to train Mexican
workers on how to deal with environmental problems.
"NAFTA has given us
an opportunity to get more involved in environmental issues," LIUNA
President Arthur Coia said at a briefing on the new Interamerican Partnership
of Environmental Education and Training. Funded in part by three of the union's
largest funds, and using existing union training facilities near the
U.S.-Mexico border, the agreement calls for eventual training of about 50,000
Mexican workers.
Also backing the program:
The Mexican National Institute of Public Health; the City Council of
Tlalnepantla; the Mexican National Chamber of Contractors; and the National
Institute for Training of Construction Workers. The union is seeking additional
money from the U.S. government to offset some of the training costs.
The Defense Logistics Agency will deploy
six veteran U.S. Army tanks June 1 in what must be their most unusual - and
final - mission: Serving asartificial reefs on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico
off Alabama's Dauphin Island.
The six obsolete tanks are the first of
about 200 surplus tanks that will be sunk off the coasts of Alabama, Florida
and other states as part of an innovative plan to build fake reefs and enhance
marine life habitat. The tanks are being prepared for the deep by Army and Navy
reservists in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency to remove
possible contaminants.
Visitors to seven of the
largest national parks helped recycle 1.8 million pounds of glass, plastic and
aluminum last year, according to the National Park Service, Dow Chemical Co.,
and Huntsman Chemical Corp. The total was up 25 percent from 1992 and included
collections at Everglades, Yosemite, Mount Rainier, Acadia, Great Smoky
Mountains, and Grand Canyon national parks, as well as the National Mall in
Washington. The two chemical companies
have spent $ 4 million to get the recycling programs going, and four parks have
assumed full operation of their recycling programs while the other four should
take over next year. Some of the material is turned into new recycling bins, as
well as such park fixtures as walkways, benches and other structures. More than 2,000 youngsters
from 20 states and 30 countries poured into Washington recently to celebrate
environmental issues and select their "10 Commitments" to
environmental action. The 1994 Global Youth
Forum was sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in
cooperation with the Center for Resource Management and underwritten in large
part by S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., recognized as one of the corporate leaders
on environmental issues. Delegates to this year's
forum voted to concentrate on natural resource use, biodiversity, atmospheric
issues, water, energy, waste, sustainable living, cooperation, human rights,
and taking action. Meanwhile, more than
140,000 youngsters participating in a national "Kids Choose" vote on
environmental issues listed "preserve wildlife" as their chief
concern. The national vote was
sponsored by a coalition of youth environmental groups known as Earth Force
Alliance and funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, with added support from the
National Environment Education and Training Foundation. While preserving wildlife
was most frequently mentioned by balloting youngsters, scoring 40 percent,
other issues scored strong as well: plant/save trees (26
percent); reduce garbage (21 percent); conserve water (9 percent). Write-ins
included: reduce air pollution; save rainforests; protect the ozone layer. Endangered species update:
Alexander Archipelago wolves A weekly sampling of the
comings, goings, studies and petitions for the endangered species list: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service has begun a formal review and is seeking information on the status of
the Alexander Archipelago wolf of southeast Alaska, which has been petitioned
for listing as threatened. FWS will also study the
wolf's status as a subspecies to determine whether protection is warranted. To comment by July 19 or
obtain more information, write Field Supervisor, USFWS, Ecological
Services, 3000 Vintage Blvd., Suite
201, Juneau, Alaska, 99801.Recycling in 7 parks hits 944 tons
Enviro kids zero in on concerns