The Proposed Coking Plant

    The Toledo City Paper printed a good article this week by Jessica Luther on the proposed coking plant. This project is a disaster in the making, and though there is a certain amount of public outrage, it seems that the issue isn't being treated with the gravity it deserves in much of the media. In a city already suffering from the effects of two oil refineries filling the air with poison, there needs to be a serious effort to keep polluters like FDS from moving in. 

    David Mann, speaking on behalf of the Lucas County commissioners, stated that the project would have the approval of the commissioners so long as there was a "balance between economic and environmental factors". We would hope that our current board of commissioners, who portray themselves as quite green in front of the camera, would be more concerned about the health of our community than to support a project like this that threatens to add millions of pounds of toxic waste into our city each year.

    The only supposed benefit of the plant would be the employment of around 150 new workers. Even for those who consider the chance to work in such a toxic workplace a good thing, it seems a rather greed driven trade off for the cancer, birth defects and environmental degradation it would cause.

    The wealthy corporations trying to push this into our community have smart, experienced public relations people that will try very hard to convince us that the project is safe and clean, already having gone so far as to call it "green" because the toxins being churned out can be used to fuel electric generators. But releasing mercury, lead, and sulfur dioxide into our air and water isn't "green" no matter how you dress it up.

    If we succeed in keeping this disaster out of our community, those behind it say they will simply put it in another state. Wherever they go, let's hope the people there fight it as well.

Food Not Bombs in Toledo

Food Not Bombs is a worldwide movement to provide free, healthy food to the hungry. It began in 1980 as a part of the anti-nuclear movement to highlight the amount of good that could be done on an almost nonexistent budget, compared to the amount of money being spent by governments on potentially apocalyptic military hardware.

Toledo is home to one of the longest continuing FNB chapters in the United States. The program has been operating here consistently for more than ten years, only rarely missing a day.

The Toledo Food Not Bombs crew serves every Friday from 4PM - 6PM at the TARTA bus station at Erie and Madison. Anyone looking for a hot, healthy meal is welcome to come out, and donations are always welcome.

A Response to Karl Rundgren's "Tale of two cities"

Last week's edition of the Toledo Free Press contained an opinion piece written by Fox Toledo News' Karl Rundgren titled Tale of two cities. 

The column laid out two possible visions for the future of our city. One possibility was a community in which "Houses are once again full of people, and businesses expand and thrive". In the other "Most of the big businesses have moved away... unemployment is rampant, and even people with jobs are resentful, feeling trapped in a rotting husk".

The whole premise of this column displays the kind of dangerous, dualistic small-mindedness that threatens to keep Toledo from ever blossoming into the beautiful, thriving community it has the ability to become.

Once again, rather than providing any new insight or ideas, it's suggested that Toledo follow some vague path toward embracing the type of policies and planning that cities like San Francisco or Ann Arbor or Portland discovered decades ago. Once again we should happily fall behind the curve rather than embracing any serious new visions or ideas. Once again we should continue to emulate past efforts of other cities, suffering from what one local writer recently referred to as "low civic self-esteem" rather than becoming a unique, trailblazing example of what communities can do to engage the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.

Priorities must be decided. Do we continue to deify "big businesses" and slave-wage employment as the answer to our problems, or do we finally decide that the actual needs and desires of the people that live here should be of paramount importance? We must decide that our ability to live safe, satisfying lives comes before the ability of big corporations to siphon our money and resources away into the pockets of overpaid CEOs. 

Where do we see Toledo in 25 years?

We envision a former rust belt community that has found new life and hope. Everyone who chooses to live here has a safe place to call home. Community gardens and urban agriculture thrive, providing people with fresh, healthy food at almost no cost. Neighborhoods are clean and full of life. The sky is clear of the toxic chemicals once produced by oil refineries, and waterways are nearly as pristine and alive as when our ancestors first stumbled upon them. Former big-box retail stores now serve as community centers. The greedier citizens have left, leaving behind massive homes for more deserving families to inhabit.  Pedestrian traffic is the rule rather than the exception, and our public transportation is the envy of other cities. Those of us living here enjoy an amazing, unparalleled quality of life and sense of community in the clean, beautiful environment that had long been buried under Wal-Marts and industrial waste. 

When Toledo won the LivCom award for being the third most livable city in the world, there was outrage in the right-wing business community. Our city was being held up as an example of a great place to live in spite of their frequent complaints that we're not business friendly. Thankfully, the judges understood that there are more important aspects to consider than how many dollar bills can be pumped out of a city. Recent environmental efforts, our incredible parks system and world class libraries, social programs and access to beautiful and unique natural assets all make Toledo a place many are happy to call home.

If we can continue to focus on the possibilities and opportunities provided by this stunningly beautiful part of the world and the people who live here, then maybe, rather than trying to play catch-up, Toledo can finally be the place that other cities look to as an example.