Fayetteville Observer on Wednesday, 8/15: www.ncpolicywatch.com/cms/?p=9761

LAUREL HILL — About 50 environmentalists from Scotland and Richmond counties gathered at the Laurel Hill Community Center on Tuesday night to listen to the activist who brought national attention to Love Canal, a toxic waste dump in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The event was part of the eight-county tour called Don't Dump on Us: Keep North Carolina Healthy.

The tour, which is sponsored by a coalition of local, state and national environmental protection groups, calls on lawmakers to keep large, commercial landfill companies out of the state and establish a statewide solid waste policy that includes recycling programs.

It began in Winston-Salem on Monday and ends with a rally in Raleigh on Aug. 20.

Lois Gibbs, the former stay-at-home mom who discovered that her Niagara Falls neighborhood was built near 20,000 tons of chemical waste in 1978, spoke at the event.

Gibbs, who is the founder and executive director of Center for Health, Environment & Justice in Falls Church, Va., encouraged attendees to keep out landfills by staying politically active.

"The only way to stop them is to get political," Gibbs said.

Lois Gibbs informs, delights, and inspires. Connect with this truly delightful environmental pioneer if you can attend one of the events. Other marvelous motivators are on board at the various locations. Local contacts are given below, but there is some flexibility in the schedule, so if you have suggestions or questions for media coverage/interview with Lois, contact David Mickey, BREDL, 336-769-0955.

Join the Tour

Don't Dump on Us: Keep NC Healthy

Support the Principles for a Just & Sound Solid Waste Policy

A giant, 25-foot inflatable "ducky" will welcome participants to events, holding a sign stating

"Don't be a Sitting Duck for Mega-Dumps."

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Kenansville (Duplin) on Thursday, August 16th

Featuring Lois Gibbs, Attorney John Runkle, David Mickey and Lou Zeller of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Solid Waste Manager Bee Barnette, County Recycling Coordinator Teresa Quinn, and national landfill expert Peter Anderson.

Where: James Sprunt Community College , Highway 11S, Kenansville

When: 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Caring For God's Earth: Children's Event

6:30 PM Press Conference, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Public Forum with refreshments.

Contact: Frances Parks, Citizens for a Safe Environment, 919-658-9230,

fiveplusone@bellsouth.net

Sponsoring Organizations: Citizens for a Safe Environment, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, CHEJ.

Greene County (Snow Hill) on Friday

Where: Mayor's Office, Snowhill , NC

When: Mid-day. To be announced

Contact: Frank Warren, 252-747-3529, warren-sa@msn.com and David Mickey, BREDL, 336-769-0955, davidmickey@bellsouth.net

Person (Roxboro) on Saturday

Where: Merritt Commons, Main Street, Roxboro.
When: 2:00 PM Press conference with Lois Gibbs and Senator Ellie Kinnaird
3:00 Lois Gibbs speaks on "Lesson Learned from Love Canal."
4:00 Nature Poems and Kids Hour featuring Earth Stage Performances by Lou Zeller, including "Big Throw-away Clown" juggling act, "Talking Trash Blues," plus "Name the Styrofoam Monster," Toy Swap and Recycle Art activities.
5:00 Music and Youth Speaks Forum with teenagers talk about their concerns.
6:00 Waste Reduction Advocates Public forum featuring local speakers on the Person County waste issue.

Contact: Frances Blalock, Person County People Rising in Defense of Ecology (PCPRIDE), fpblalock@aol.com, 336-364-2717and Pat Hill, PCPRIDE, oaklor@msn.com, 336-364-4452.

Sponsoring Organizations: PCPRIDE, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, and CHEJ.

Saxapahaw (Alamance) on Sunday,

Where: Outdoor setting of River Landing Inn, 5942 Whitney Road , Graham. (Outside village of Saxapahaw on banks of the Haw River.)

When: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Public Forum, Live Music by "Mebanesville" and the "Blackeye Valley Boys," with picnic finger food.

Contact: Sue Dayton, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, sdayton@swcp.com, 336-525-2003.

Sponsoring Organizations: Be Safe – Not Sorry, BREDL and CHEJ.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Raleigh

Justice for NC Communities in Energy and Solid Waste

Press Conference & Rally:

A press conference and rally will be held featuring Lois Gibbs, Executive Director of the national Center for Health, Environment & Justice, Gary Grant of NC Environmental Justice Network, Charles Utley and David Mickey of BREDL and Jim Warren of NC WARN. A giant, 25-foot inflatable "ducky" will join the speakers, holding a sign stating "Don't be a Sitting Duck for Mega-Dumps." A nationally-acclaimed environmental leader, Gibbs is known as the "mother of Superfund" for her groundbreaking victory relocating 900 families away from the Love Canal toxic waste dump in 1980. The speakers will discuss solid waste and energy issues.

Where: Old Capitol, Raleigh , NC

When: 11:30 AM – Press Conference. Noon 12:00 PM Rally.

Contact: David Mickey, BREDL, 336-769-0955, davidmickey@bellsouth.net

Sponsoring Organizations: BREDL, CHEJ , NC for Environmental Justice, NC WARN, Southern Environmental Law Center.

For a bio of Lois Gibbs, go to www.chej.org/about_lois.htm

For a summary on CHEJ (and briefly how it got started with Lois's work on Love Canal), go to www.chej.org/story.htm

For a summary on Love Canal, and links to more fact sheets, go to www.chej.org/love_canal.htm