From Rachel's: Nationwide Precaution Campaign

[Guest guest]

If you find the Rachel newsletter useful or interesting,

please forward it to a friend suggesting that they start

their own free E-mail subscription.

 

 

Dear Rachel's Reader,

 

Late last year in Rachel's #756, we told you about a

precautionary campaign that was in the works. Now that campaign

is about to kick off nationwide, urging a precautionary

approach to environmental protection, environmental justice,

and worker safety.

 

I am writing to ask you to endorse the principles of the

campaign, and get involved if you want to.

 

The attached material has 3 parts:

 

1) An invitation for YOU individually and/or your GROUP to

endorse the campaign.

 

2) The final BE SAFE Campaign Platform.

 

3) The endorsement itself -- this is where you say you're on

board with this powerful idea.

 

Thanks for considering this. The precautionary principle

already has the polluters worried. Let's give them something to

REALLY worry about: a nation-wide show of support for the

" better safe than sorry " approach. And thanks for reading

Rachel's.

 

Sincerely,

 

Peter Montague, editor

==============================================================

 

INVITATION

 

We invite you or your organization to endorse the BE SAFE

Platform listing the four principles of the precautionary

approach. Enclosed please find the Platform and an Endorsement

coupon.

 

The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ), Rachel's

Environment & Health News, and hundreds of groups in the

Environmental Health Alliance are spearheading a national

campaign to build a unified demand for preventive, protective

policies in America.

 

The BE SAFE campaign is a collaborative initiative to build a

large coalition for pollution prevention and to hold

corporations and government accountable for protecting human

health and the environment. We can elevate public support with

a strong and diverse voice for precaution and propel the BE

SAFE precautionary approach message into the forefront of

public and political consciousness.

 

Our goal is to mobilize a broad constituency and gather

hundreds of thousands of signatures endorsing the Platform,

which will be given to the President in January 2005. Together

we will demand that decision makers choose a " better safe than

sorry " approach motivated by caution and prevention.

 

Your platform signature will be among the first of five hundred

groups and thousands of individuals for the campaign launch in

October 2003. You can help build the momentum critical to the

success of this campaign. Please send in the Platform

endorsement coupon today or you can email it to

annerabe.

 

We will be launching the campaign in mid-October with national

and statewide media events. The campaign is reaching out to a

wide range of groups because the precautionary approach intersects

with all our issues. We can have a powerful impact if we all

raise the BE SAFE precaution message in our issue campaigns.

 

Precaution is needed in a broad spectrum of environmental and

health concerns, including air pollution, children's

environmental health, clean production, green schools,

landfills, mining, nuclear power, occupational safety and

health, pesticides, sludge, toxic dumps, water pollution,

wilderness protection and many others. Organizational leaders

have written over 40 Issue Brochures -- directly connecting each

issue with the BE SAFE principles on precaution. This fall we

will feature the brochures and other resources on the

www.besafenet.com website.

 

Please endorse the BE SAFE Platform today by emailing

annerabe or faxing in your coupon to CHEJ at

703-237-8389. Together we can build public support for

government and industry to " Put Safety First. " Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lois Marie Gibbs, CHEJ Executive Director

Anne Rabe, Be Safe Campaign Coordinator

Peter Montague, editor, Rachel's Environment & Health News

 

===========================================================

 

BE SAFE Platform

(Blueprint Ensuring Our Safety And Future Economy)

Environmental Health Alliance

 

In the 21st century, we envision a world in which our food,

water and air are clean, and our children grow up healthy and

thrive. Everyone needs a protected, safe community and

workplace, and natural environment to enjoy. We can make this

world vision a reality. The tools we bring to this work are

prevention, safety, responsibility and democracy.

 

Our goal is to prevent pollution and environmental destruction

before it happens. We support this precautionary approach

because it is preventive medicine for our environment and

health. It makes sense to:

 

§ Prevent pollution and make polluters, not taxpayers, pay and

assume responsibility for the damage they cause;

 

§ Protect our children from chemical and radioactive exposures

to avoid illness and suffering;

 

§ Promote use of safe, renewable, non-toxic technologies; and

 

§ Provide a natural environment we can all enjoy with clean

air, swimmable, fishable waters, and stewardship for our

national forests.

 

We choose a " better safe than sorry " approach motivated by

caution and prevention.

 

We endorse the common-sense approach outlined in the four

principles listed below.

 

BE SAFE Platform Principles

 

1. HEED EARLY WARNINGS

 

Government and industry have a duty to prevent harm, when there

is credible evidence that harm is occurring or is likely to

occur -- even when the exact nature and full magnitude of harm is

not yet proven.

 

2. PUT SAFETY FIRST

 

Industry and government have a responsibility to thoroughly

study the potential for harm from a new chemical or technology

before it is used -- rather than assume it is harmless until

proven otherwise. We need to ensure it is safe now, or we will

be sorry later. Research on impacts to workers and the public

needs to be confirmed by independent third parties.

 

3. EXERCISE DEMOCRACY

 

Precautionary decisions place the highest priority on

protecting health and the environment, and help develop cleaner

technologies and industries with effective safeguards and

enforcement. Government and industry decisions should be based

on meaningful citizen input and mutual respect (the golden

rule), with the highest regard for those whose health may be

affected and for our irreplaceable natural resources - not for

those with financial interests. Uncompromised science should

inform public policy.

 

4. CHOOSE THE SAFEST SOLUTION

 

Decision-making by government, industry and individuals must

include an evaluation of alternatives, and the choice of the

safest, technically feasible solutions. We support innovation

and promotion of technologies and solutions that create a

healthy environment and economy, and protect our natural

resources.

 

=========================================================

 

PLEASE ENDORSE the BE SAFE Platform.

 

Take precautionary action to protect our health & environment.

 

BE SAFE Platform Endorsement:

 

____ Yes, I endorse the Be Safe Platform.

 

____ Yes, our organization endorses the Be Safe Platform.

 

Campaign Information:

 

Please provide more information on:

 

___ October 2003 Be Safe Campaign Launch

 

___ 2004 proposed National Days of Action

 

___ Targeted States Campaign (Proposed states: CA, ME, MI, MN,

NY, NC, OR)

 

___ Conducting platform endorsement outreach to members of my

group

 

___ Issue Brochures

 

Please provide contact information below to verify your

Platform endorsement. Thanks.

 

Name:

 

Group:

 

Address:

 

Email:

 

Phone:

 

Website:

 

Please email this form to: annerabe or go to

www.besafenet.com

 

Or send to: Environmental Health Alliance, c/o CHEJ, P.O. Box

6806, 150 S. Washington St., Falls Church, VA 22040.

703-237-2249 or FAX to 703-237-8389.