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AID Bloomington & the Bhopal Campaign

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Bhopal Videos

Events & Actions

How you can help!

There are two protagonists who have a role in solving the problems of the Bhopal survivors -- Dow Chemical and the Government of India. Being in the US, our prime concern is the former, though we tackle GoI though fax/online campaigns, such as during the march to Delhi. Dow Chemical, the largest chemical company in the world, is a hard nut to crack since they have perfected pollution and cover-up to an art over the part century. We tackle them through

1. their consumers: a company's public perception affects its sales and profits,

2. their board of direcctors: these head-honchos lead the company in their journey of reckless negligence,

3. their shareholders: the board is ultimately responsible to them and if they have the will, the Bhopal issue can be solved overnight,

4. their access to human resources: without top employees, the company degenerates, and

5. legal means: there are cases against Dow underway before the appelate court in NY.

 

They key is to raise awareness among all these constituents about the Bhopal issue and keep sending Dow Chemical the message that they cannot wish away the problem they are responsible for.

- Learn about Dow and the Bhopal campaign. This will help you realize the magnitute of the issue and help you talk to your peers about the demands of the survivors.

- Sign the Bhopal petition if you haven't done so yet, and also pledge not to work for Dow Chemical

- Talk to your friends about the issue and get them to join this grassroots movement

- Find out if Dow Chemical is engaged with your department at IU and tell them about the dark side of Dow. Collect signatures from your fellow students to let the department know that you are concerned about their relationship. For example, the School of Informatics is cozy with Dow Agro-Sciences and Dow Corning and advertises internships with them. The Kelly school of business and Chemistry department are likely recipients of grantsw from Dow. If you're interested in taking the lead in this, let us know.

Don't Work for Dirty Dow - IU

- Help kick Dow out of our campus and protect our university's reputation. Several other schools have evicted Dow from their campus, so it is well within our reach. This involves talking with the IU Student Government, other campus groups, talking with the IU Trustees, and with the IU faculty. Sign up for the "Don't Work for Dirty Dow - IU" campaign on Facebook.com.

- The IU Foundation holds the funds of IU and invests it. Help us get them to support the Bhopal Shareholders resolution that comes up each year at the Dow Chemical general body meeting. If you have relatives holding shares in Dow, ask them to support the resolution too.

- Join our Bhopal days of action. The key to raising awareness among the student and Bloomington community is to keep Bhopal in the news. The more people who turn up at these protests, the better the chance that our actions make the front page.

- Write letters to the editors of IDS and Herald Times on Bhopal. Let them know that you are concerned about Dow's lack of action and the thouands who continue to die at Bhopal. If they know their readers are interested in the issue, there will be better coverage.

- Write to your representatives at the city, state, and federal levels. Members of the US Congress, the EU, and city councils in San Fransisco, Seatte, and Cambridge have passed resolutions against Dow. The more who sign on, the greater the pressure on Dow.

- Sign up to receive action alerts about Bhopal at IU/Bloomington.

 

Resources

Students for Bhopal www.studentsforbhopal.org

International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal www.icjb.org

Bhopal News www.bhopal.net

The real Dow Chemical www.thetruthaboutdow.net

Don't Work for Dirty Dow - IU www.Facebook.com Group

 

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