Saturday, November 16, 2002
Center for Employment Training
SVTC Staff and Board want to thank everyone who supported SVTC and joined us at our 20th anniversary celebration. Thank you for helping to make Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) the environmental conscience of the high-tech industry!
See the photos of those who joined us for an evening of food, wine, and music that featured the premiere of a video highlighting our first 20 years, our awards ceremony and dancing to the 1960s music of the Retro Rockets.
20th Anniversary Events
As part of our 20th Anniversary SVTC hosted the first-ever Global Symposium on Strategies for a Sustainable High-Tech Industry which included a Forum on a Greener High-Tech Industry at San Jose State University. Photos from forum.
Our list of sponsors continues to grow and help SVTC continue its important work.
Landmark Successes in 2002
It is no secret that the high-tech industry is exporting the technology and the manufacturing process to other parts of the world where labor is cheaper and environmental standards are non-existent. Our influence is being felt more now than ever.
In February, we co-published the ground-breaking report "Exporting Harm" which documents how electronic waste exports from the US are causing significant harm in Asia.
In May, we hosted a group of former electronics workers from Taiwan who are very ill due to exposure to toxic chemicals. We are helping them gain assistance in the U.S.
SVTC's work in the past 20 years
How it started
Two decades ago, when a small group of people decided to form SVTC, we cast a tiny pebble into a very large pond. We are proud to report that today the ripples are still spreading and growing as we celebrate our 20th anniversary.
"People across the county are raising their voices to protect themselves and their water. Citizens in Santa Clara County better known as Silicon Valley found that health problems were linked to their water. Their response to organize a campaign [Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition] to pass strong laws to keep toxic substances out of their water. Citizen action got results they passed a ordinance that required strict regulations of underground storage tanks." - Susan Sarandon
Our successful local efforts to promote cleaner production in the electronics industry have protected our community. Today, because the typical computer contains components that are manufactured, assembled and dumped all over the world, our work has evolved to include a global dialogue.
