California Lawmakers moved by Emergildo Criollo’s story promise support

Emergildo Criollo, the Indigenous leader from Ecuador, told the story of how Chevron’s toxic mess killed his wife and two sons and ruined his life to some of the California Senators and Assemblymembers and asked for their help in the fight against Chevron, California’s biggest company.

The reception was held in Sacramento, CA and was packed with California lawmakers who all expressed deep concern about the contamination in Ecuador.

You can read more here:
http://understory.ran.org/2010/03/04/ca-lawmakers-want-to-help-make-chevron-clean-up-ecuador/

At Least The Butler Could Have Taken The Letter

These Chevron people are unbelievable! Two environmental groups, RAN and Amazon Watch, escorted an Ecuadorian tribal leader, Emergildo Criollo, to the house of Chevron CEO John Watson to deliver a letter with the names of over 325,000 people who want Chevron to clean up its toxic waste mess in Ecuador’s rainforest. No one was home, even though Watson knew they would be visiting him. At least Watson’s butler and other domestic help could have taken the letter.

Here are two blogs that tell the whole story:
http://www.chevroninecuador.com/2010/03/emergildo-criollo-delivers-letter-and.html

http://changechevron.org/blog/emergildo-criollo-delivers-petition-to-chevron-headquarters/

I want Avatar director James Cameron to mention real-life Ecuador struggle against Chevron at Oscars

Avatar's director James Cameron has said that he wants to use the success of his latest movie to direct people's attention to real environmental problems in the world. Yesterday on the San Francisco Chronicle website, Becky Tarbotton of the Rainforest Action Network pleaded with him to help spread the word about Chevron's crimes in Ecuador. She has had this brilliant idea of Cameron mentioning Ecuadorians' fight against Chevron during his Oscars' acceptance speech. Wouldn't that be wonderful?!

You can read more here: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2010/02/23/james-cameron-the-oscars-and-the-real-life-avatar/

In the mean time, help spread the word and tweet, post on your facebook page or own blog: I want Avatar director James Cameron to mention real-life Ecuador struggle against #Chevron at #Oscars:http://bit.ly/aOwuNI #realavatar

What Chevron’s money can buy…

I just read another story about Chevron using its power and money to influence people’s perception of the oil giant and to hide the unpleasant truths like Chevron’s toxic waste pits leaking oil into Ecuadorian rainforest.

Last month Chevron had the Rainforest Action Network activists kicked out of the Houston Marathon expo because they wanted to spread the message about Chevron’s crimes in Ecuador.

Now Chevron decided that RAN’s ads in the Washington Post and the New York Times do not go with Chevron’s made up, innocent image and the company’s legal team wanted the ads pulled. The New York Times did not give in but The Washington Post did.

RAN's ad from The New York Times and The Washington Post

Three points — One, I don’t think this move will bring any good to Chevron because there’s a new ad that RAN hopes the Washington Times will run, and it’s even better than the first one.

RAN's second ad

Two, this story will probably get more attention than the ads would, and three- again we see that Chevron will stop at nothing to evade responsibility.

Chevron just wants to silence anyone who dares to say anything that had not been approved by Chevron’s PR people.

To read the whole story, go here:

http://understory.ran.org/2010/02/01/chevrons-free-speech-v-ran/