2007 Autumn Equinox Issue

Planting Seeds

Consciousness

By Kathy Fitzpatrick

I still recall the very first packet of seeds i planted. They were Kentucky Wonder Pole beans. I planted them in an unlikely spot, along a small stretch of picket fence that divided our driveway from the neighbors, where my father was sure they'd never grow. There was a well used basketball hoop on the garage next door and the ball constantly slammed against the fence. Despite his concern i planted my seeds there anyway. I grew them with tender loving care, nurturing them into a prolific profusion of beans. My father was amazed and i was hooked on gardening for life.

I work part time at what i believe is the only shelter in the United States with a fragrance/chemical free policy.

These days i continue to plant seeds, not only in my garden, but in the hearts and minds of the everyday people i come in contact with. Being chemically injured i feel compelled to warn others about the everyday dangers of our EMF-a-fied, chemical, world.
I work part time at what i believe is the only shelter in the United States with a fragrance/chemical free policy. While the policy was first put in place as an accommodation, it's no longer the only reason. Many residents come to us with children who have lead poisoning, asthma, autism, ADD, or ADHD. Mothers come with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, COPD, depression, anxiety , PTSD, or a host of other DISeases. Before our shelter they never considered the impact chemicals had on their health.

Our shelter serves as a laboratory where residents can explore a new way of living. We provide them with fragrance free products to use during their stay. We teach them to recycle and how make cleaning and personal care products out of inexpensive, easy to find, ingredients. Many residents have reported their children sleep better, had no asthma attacks or that they didn't have to use a breathing machine during their stay. One mother recently shared that since she stopped wearing Paris Hilton cologne her sinuses no longer bother her.

Many are resistant to change. They are stuck in their own worldview and far too rigid to see there is another way or they simply disbelieve. In fact, they refuse to even consider the damage chemicals can cause. Because of this we build on our common humanity knowing there is a potential for far greater understanding when we share our journeys with one another. (full article)

Under the Iron Heel

One woman's journey through chemical injury and activism.

by Lucinda Hodges

"We’re going to be with you for the long haul--five years, ten years, whatever it takes." Those were Bill Brodsky's words as he stood in the hotel conference room thronged by reporters, camera lights shining. At long last I could see the face of my nemesis. Mr. Brodsky was President of the railroad that had poisoned my family, polluted my home, and turned a bustling community into a ghost town by derailing 133 tons of toxic chemicals right into my slice of paradise: a quaint historic Montana town nestled between the course of the Clark Fork River and the weight of the Bitterroot Mountains.

To many of us, "hot zone evacuees," Brodsky's words represented a promise, and we intended to hold him and his railroad to the pledge of "whatever it takes." So for the next half decade, a small but very determined group, did just that. From the moment the chemicals hit the ground we were transmuted into the best kind of activists. We were sick, displaced and we were pissed-off; and despite our illnesses, anger, fear and desperation we quickly learned to use every tool available in the toolbox of activism.

It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.

By Edmund Burke

We began by acquainting ourselves with the world of toxic waste, grassroots activism and we learned from some of the best. We organized our community through information. Dr. Kaye Kilburn reached out to us and offered community medical testing. We conducted an environmental health survey, held frequent public meetings, prodding along a multitude of state and federal agencies. We gathered tens of thousands of pages of official documents, wrote reports, consulted with medical doctors and interviewed attorneys. We protested, sang songs, and generally caused a peaceful, but persistent ruckus at railroad headquarters. And with the assistance of two very capable grad students, we also videotaped everything we did, and told our story through film with, A Toxic Train Ran Through It.

Those years of frontline activism transformed us from wide eyed "newbies" to seasoned activists. By reaching out to other activists, some of us were able to travel the country telling our story, networking with other victims of toxic waste, connecting the dots to see the larger story of a pandemic of people and places poisoned by chemicals. It was a real live baptism-by-fire. (full article)

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