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Why did we get to work to clean up Chevron stations today as part of the 10/10/10 Global Work Party? The answer is pretty simple: Chevron refuses to clean up its own messes, so we wanted to set a good example for the company to follow.
According to a new scientific analysis released last month, the 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste polluting Ecuador’s rainforest could lead to as many as 10,000 Ecuadoreans dying of cancer by 2080 — and that’s even if Chevron cleans up its mess in Ecuador immediately. That number could rise exponentially if Chevron doesn’t take action. But so far the company has refused to get to work.
That’s why we sent teams to temporarily shut down all 10 San Francisco Chevron gas stations for “cleaning” of oil spills. Check out the pics:
Our activists were at the Chevron stations to confront the company on its pollution in Ecuador, and on its pollution in communities around the world, from California to Ecuador to Nigeria. While Chevron refuses to take responsibility for this pollution, the company is actively working to stall climate and clean energy policies that would get us off of dirty fossil fuels once and for all. Chevron needs to clean up its own mess, and to stop standing in the way of those of us who are getting to work to make the clean energy future a reality.
After shutting down the stations in San Francisco, we headed to Lafayette, CA — home of Chevron CEO John Watson. If ever there were a guy who needs to get to work, John Watson is that guy. Unfortunately, he recently told an interviewer that he thinks it will take “generations” for us to make the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. This is clearly not acceptable: There are 30,000 Ecuadoreans living amongst Chevron’s toxic pollution, and the entire world is threatened by global warming. Lives are at stake.
So we stopped by Watson’s house at the end of the day and dropped off our cleaning supplies, as a not-terribly-subtle suggestion that the CEO get to work. Check out the video.
There were, of course, more 7,000 work parties in about 180 countries today. Around 1,200 of those work parties were in the U.S., which easily dwarfs the number of astroturf events organized by the American Petroleum Institute this summer, and is nearly double the 642 Tax Day Tea Parties organized this spring with the support of Fox News. Check out the highlights from around the world on 350.org.