A Petrochemical Plant For a Neighbor?
Thursday, December 1
6-8:30 p.m.
Beaver Station Cultural and Event Center
250 East End Avenue
Beaver, PA 15009
What happens when a major petrochemical manufacturing plant becomes the heart of a community’s strategy for social and economic development? What can Beaver County residents learn from those who have lived through such changes? Join speakers Iris Carter and Ann Rolfes to learn, to share, and to get answers to the question "What can I do?"
Iris Carter and Ann Rolfes have spent their lives close to petrochemical facilities in Louisiana. These educators have valuable insights to share about how local citizens can address the social and health impacts of such facilities. Framing their stories and advice will be a screening of the PBS POV video Fenceline: A Company Town Divided. Speakers from Beaver County communities will also share their own questions and concerns.
Iris Carter was raised in Louisiana next to a Shell cracker plant. After losing family members to illnesses related to chemical exposure, she became a leading spokesperson and negotiator for The Concerned Citizens of Norco. Iris has traveled around the country and the world making presentations, attending shareholder meetings, and encouraging other communities in their environmental justice campaigns.
Anne Rolfes founded the Louisiana Bucket Brigade in 2000 to empower communities to stop pollution in her home state. The Bucket Brigade has created cutting edge tools, including the iWitness Pollution Map, the Refinery Accident Database, and street-based artistic performances. Anne was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, where many people made their fortunes from the oil industry. She has seen the wealth and the poverty created by oil production and seeks to make the industry more equitable. She has a Masters in International Development from Tulane. |
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