As a resident of Wilmington, I feel taking a Toxic Tour is a great way to learn important history about our town that is not always readily available. A Toxic Tour takes you around town providing a history of refinery explosions, scrap-yard fires, and soil contamination – something that’s not provided in the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce‘s newsletters. Many people don’t know the history of oil wells in Wilmington and the health problems they have caused.
I know that although I have gotten used to the smell in the air, it is not healthy and is a result of pollution created by the ports, freeways, and refineries that surround my community. So on a Saturday morning in January 2011, I took my first Toxic Tour to learn more.
The Toxic Tour, organized by Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the Coalition for a Save Environment (CFASE), took residents to various sites in Wilmington that largely contribute to pollution: ConocoPhillips Oil Refinery, The Port of Los Angeles, Valero Refinery, Tesoro Refinery, Pick Your Part Scrap Yard, and other locations. The purpose of the tour was to provide community members a chance to see various sources of pollution, understand the health problems this pollution has caused, and learn ways that CBE, CFASE, and the community can fight back.
Read the full post HERE.
This kind of companies should really have an Environmental Awareness Training to lessen the harmful effects in the environment.
That can really help. When i took up my environmental training, we also went out to see some factories and companies that are leaving toxic wastes that is definitely hazardous to the environment. You will never believe it until you see it.