MISSION: Southwest Research and Information Center is a multi-cultural organization working to promote the health of people and communities, protect natural resources, ensure citizen participation, and secure environmental and social justice now and for future generations

From the President

This issue of Voices from the Earth is literally about Voices from communities. We hear from Maria Varela, discussing Ganados del Valle's past and their work with low-income, Hispanic communities. Antonio and Molly Manzanares, founding members of Ganados, discuss the changes in their life after they left the Ganados fold. And lastly, Arlene Valdez discusses Ganados' present course, and their desires for the future. We did an article about Ganados many years ago in The Workbook, and thank these voices for giving us an update.

Other community voices are from areas struggling with new landfills - working, and in process. Concerned Citizens of Wagon Mound struggle with a landfill they did not want, operating in their backyard, which is accepting hazardous waste. Meanwhile, the Chaparral Community Health Council struggles to keep a landfill out of their community, a landfill which will not only take regional waste, but may also take waste from Mexico.

While these struggles do not get national attention, they are issues that confront communities across the country. We want to give a voice to these communities, allowing their stories to be heard.

We also urge you to get involved in our efforts to keep the Department of Energy (DOE) from modifying their permit to allow them to send radioactive wastes to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the world's first repository, without first confirming what is inside the containers. Containers should never be opened at WIPP. This might allow prohibited wastes to be shipped and stored at WIPP.

In an effort to improve Voices from the Earth, we've made a few changes to our format, beginning with this issue. We have discontinued the Glossary and changed the look of the Book Review section. We hope you like the changes. Let us know what you think.

Contact us at:
SRIC, PO Box 4524, Albuquerque, NM 87106, (505) 262-1862, or e-mail: Info@sric.org.