Coca Cola Case film tonight

trevor.kenney — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:47:19 +0000

The Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG) presents a screening of The Coca Cola Case, Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. in PE261

The film is a documentary about Coke and labour rights issues in the bottling plants.

Directed by German Gutierrez and Carmen Garcia, the 82-minute film is screening throughout the Cinema Politica Network between winter and spring 2010 as part of the The Coca Cola Case Film Tour, co-organized by the National Film Board. The screening is free and open to everyone.

SYNOPSIS: Colombia is the trade union murder capital of the world. Since 2002, more than 470 workers' leaders have been brutally killed, usually by paramilitaries hired by private companies intent on crushing the unions. Among these unscrupulous corporate brands is the poster boy for American business: Coca-Cola.

Talk to Martin Gil: His brother Isidro was killed at point-blank range while working at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Carepa, because he was part of a union bargaining unit. Like most violent crimes committed against Colombian union leaders, Gil's murder went unpunished.

However, U.S. lawyers Daniel Kovalik and Terry Collingsworth, as well as activist Ray Rogers, stepped in and launched an ambitious crusade against the behemoth Coca-Cola. In an incredible three-year saga, filmmakers Germán Gutiérrez and Carmen Garcia follow these heroes in a legal game of cat and mouse. From Bogotá to New York, Guatemala to Atlanta, Washington to Canada, The Coca-Cola Case maintains the suspense of a hard-fought struggle.

The lawyers filed several cases at the U.S. federal court against Cola-Cola for murder, abduction and torture committed in Colombia and Guatemala. Thanks to activist Ray Rogers, they also attacked the brand image of the Atlanta-based giant, with the devastating campaign Stop Killer Coke!, causing dozens of U.S. colleges and universities to boycott the drink.

Still the company would not give up. After five years of haggling, will the lawyers get justice? In the end, they reach a settlement of sorts, but what will the victims choose - cash, or power and integrity?

Conservation is more than turning off the tap

trevor.kenney — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:06:55 +0000

Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote the Canterbury Tales, probably doesn't come to mind as a conservation expert.
But when tracing the evolution of the idea, Ben Gadd (BASc '72) discovered the English writer was the first person to write it down, in 1384.

Gadd argues that back then, 'conservation' meant – among other things – the preservation and protection of wildlife and its habitat. He feels it's a big difference from some of the modern natural resource industry practices that interpret the term as a form of damage control.

Ben Gadd (BASc '72) is a noted conservationist who has penned nine books.

"People think they should conserve water by not letting the tap run," Gadd says. "That's fine, but conservation is about more than that. At the root, it's about protecting the wilderness."

Gadd grew up in Colorado Springs, Colo. In 1959, when he was 13 years old, he and some friends took their first overnight hike in the Rockies, hacking down tree branches to build a lean-to – a common practice in those days.

Gadd went on to become a mountaineer and rock climber, overcoming his fear of heights and learning to go more lightly on the land. At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, he focused on geology, and during his studies completed two self-directed mini-thesis projects. After graduation, he was back in the mountains, working as a naturalist and park interpreter in Jasper, where he wrote the first of his nine books, Handbook of the Canadian Rockies.

A dedicated conservationist who often speaks about the importance of maintaining wilderness areas and wildlife habitat, he now spends summers leading guided walks and natural history tours. In the winter, he writes and gives lectures. As an environmental activist, Gadd speaks out against practices such as selling trees cut within the national parks and promotes research that shows how regions can generate more long-term income through non-destructive tourism than through resource extraction.

He also urges individuals interested in preserving the wilderness to consider the impact of their careers and lifestyles.

"As a kid, I knew some Quakers who didn't have much money, but they did have a good life," Gadd says. "They taught me that the more you make, the more you take. If you have a small income, you're actually doing less damage to the environment. That's one way to look at conservation."

UNews - activist

Coca Cola Case film tonight

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Conservation is more than turning off the tap

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