Celebrating International Water Day

by Jean Hays, Member Earth Democracy Leadership Team

WILPF Fresno will present the award-winning documentary Oil & Water on March 20 at Fresno State University for International Water Day. Members also speak out against sky-rocketing water rates for a new $429 million water treatment plant the city doesn’t need. 

Each year the Fresno Branch joins with California State University at Fresno's CineCulture class to present an environmental film around the date of March 22, International Water Day. This year, we chose the award-wining documentary, Oil & Water,  and are very excited to have Hugo Lucitante, as the post-screening discussant. 

Oil & Water is the coming of age story of two boys as they confront one of the world’s worst toxic disasters, the prolonged contamination of the Ecuadorian Amazon by Texaco and other oil companies. Hugo comes to America to fight for the survival of his tribe, the Cofan, while David goes to Ecuador to launch the world’s first company to certify oil as “fair trade.” Can Hugo become the leader that his tribe so desperately wants him to be? Will David clean up one of the world’s dirtiest industries? This film is an intimate portrait of two young people finding their voices and trying to beat incredible odds.

Their journeys lead them to explore what could be a more just future, not just for the people of the Amazon, but for all people around the world born with oil beneath their feet. Eight years in the making, Oil & Water is a shocking and inspiring David and Goliath story.

For March 22 World Water Day or during March, please think of showing this film. Learn about access for showing. 
 

Fresno Earth Democracy members say “NO’ to water treatment plant.

Fresno Earth Democracy members speak out to oppose the City of Fresno’s proposal to almost double its water rates over the next three years.  Most of the revenue from this water-rate increase would go towards building a new $429 million surface water treatment plant.  

The city has access to water coming from the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a normal year and is making the case that it needs a way to capture, treat and store it.  Thus the new rate increase to pay for this new infrastructure. What the city doesn't seem to realize is that we are in the midst of a serious drought and may not get any water from the Sierra to the east of Fresno this year or in the future.  

On February 5, WILPFers Ann Carruthers, Mary Murphy, Joan Poss and myself attended the hearing and testified, emphasizing the importance of water conservation, pointing out several examples of cities that have implemented brilliant plans to conserve and manage their water.  We four Earth Democracy WILPFers presented the city council with fact sheets detailing problems with the city’s proposed new water treatment “solution,” which assumes there will be water to treat.  Other suggestions included a Living Machine System  that treats water at a fraction of the cost of building a treatment plant.  

Our suggestions fell on deaf ears. On February 26, the city council voted to approve the $429 million plan.  However, the city water czar wants to meet with us after March 12.

Photo: Earth Democracy Committee members and friends: Jean Hays, Gerry Bill, Nancy Waidtlow, Mary Murphy, Joan Poss, Bev Fitzpatrick, Ann Carruthers. Photo credit: Howard Watkins.