No Dow at UC Berkeley!!

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**NO DOW AT UC BERKELEY**

On Tuesday, October 30, 2007 The Dow Chemical Company will announce a new program on "Sustainable Products and Solutions" at UC Berkeley, in partnership with the Haas Business School and the College of Chemistry.

The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal strongly opposes this partnership. Please join us for a silent vigil and protest outside this launch. This vigil is in memory of all the people who died in the Bhopal Gas Disaster, and for all those who suffered and continue to suffer due to Dow's crimes worldwide, even while Dow tries to wipe out its dirty past, and reinvent itself as "green" with the help of our University. To us this deal represents all the double-standards, racism and hypocrisy built into our global systems of justice. We cannot let Dow or Berkeley forget or move on until justice is served in Bhopal. Researchers and faculty in the School of Public Health have also expressed their opposition to this deal, pointing out that one of purposes of this Dow-funded program is to ensure that green chemistry is narrowly framed and that Berkeley's analysis of the legal, policy, and social aspects of green chemistry is contained and gradually marginalized.


COME JOIN THE VIGIL AND PROTEST

WHERE: Outside the Wells Fargo Room at the Haas School of Business
WHEN: Tuesday, October 30, 11:00AM (the event runs till 1:30PM - please come for as long as you can)
WHAT: Silent vigil and leafleting. We will bring leaflets. If you can, please wear black, and bring a gas mask or hankerchief to protect yourself from the toxic fumes that are likely to emanate from this meeting.

Information about Bhopal, Dow and the UC Berkeley deal:

In 1984, an explosion at a Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India resulted in the leak of a deadly gas that killed more than 8,000 people within a few days. Today, almost 23 years after the Bhopal disaster, an estimated 150,000 people continue to suffer respiratory, neurological and other health effects. Carbide’s toxins are found in breast milk, and children are born with congenital disorders attributed to Carbide’s chemicals. While initially portrayed as an "accident," recent court proceedings have revealed that the company designed the plant with unproven and untested technology and cut corners on safety and maintenance to save money. The Dow Chemical Company bought Union Carbide in 2001, and refuses to accept any liability for the incident and its aftermath. The current structure of international law makes it extremely difficult for Bhopal victims to seek justice. Dow is also responsible for a series of other crimes, including sterilizing banana plantation workers in the Caribbean and contaminating the drinking water of Louisiana residents.

The double-standards in courting such a company for a "green partnership" are apparent in that we should ask if UC Berkeley would seek out a deal with a company whose recent record in the U.S. includes the following:
* Abandonment of a site contaminated with their toxic chemicals, which is poisoning the ground water. The factory site in Bhopal is still contaminated and leaching toxic chemicals into the groundwater that 20,000 people drink. In the U.S., under the Superfund Law, any company ever associated with a contaminated site is required to clean it up.
* The CEO of one of Dow's subsidiaries is facing criminal charges, and refuses to appear in court. The former CEO of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, is wanted on charges of culpable homicide in the Bhopal District Court and has been declared an absconder from justice. He lives in great luxury and wealth in Hamptons, NY.
* Dow bribed politicians to register a toxic chemical and got caught at it. In February 2007 (earlier this year!) The Dow Chemical Company admitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that it paid bribes to Indian officials at the Indian Ministry of Agriculture. The bribes were paid to get three pesticides registered. One of these is Dursban - a product banned for home and garden use in the United States because it is poses risks to the nervous system of children.

A 2004 resolution of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) at UC Berkeley "supported the campaign of the survivors [Bhopalis] for justice", and stated that Dow be asked to "accept liability for the disaster" and to "clean up Bhopal." The resolution stated that UC Berkeley should not take money from The Dow Chemical Company, until it meets all its liabilities. Please see the whole resolution at: http://www.asuc.org/documentation/view.php?type=bills&id=366

The Dow deal with UC Berkeley comes on top of another recent controversial partnership with BP, also positioned as a "green" deal. Dow is providing $2 million for this program over the next 12 months, with the intention of providing $10 million over the first 5 years.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL WIDELY.

Sincerely,
Kamal Kapadia and Dipti Bhatnagar
kamalk [at] berkeley.edu and dipti_es [at] berkeley.edu
Members of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (UC Berkeley chapter)