Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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pposition to pollution control is und in intransigent corporate wer. Thus the polluters are iolating a federal law established in 99 which prohibits the dumping of ntaminants into navigable rivers. is law was not discovered until . T get around this onvenient regulation, many rporations have been provided with enses t pollute by the xon-Agnew administration. der described the nation s citizenry eing more concerned with ' kpockets and rocks thrown through ndows than about corporations that og our cities or pollute our water . ardless of the fact that several bills ncerning such problems as water Ilution and pesticides have been posed to the Congress, citizens union by wri ing to their resentatives believing that one er doesn t count. On the contrary, lder revealed a small group of :zen lobbyists effected the defeat of SST bill. The Consumer Class tion Bill which at the time of this lnting is pending before Congress, II allow an individual citizen to sue orporation on behalf of cooperating sumers of the same item about ich he has a complaint. This type legislation has become necessary as esult of the inability of the judicial tem to handle small complaints. ider is wholeheartedly in favor of bill. Furthermore, he believes that influence of a minority of ncerned citizens would insure its ,ssage. have often said , he declared, that ree thousand citizens around the untry devoting five hours of their 'ne can get any bill passed in the nate . ader suggested that citizenship ould be regarded as a fulltime ofession . It may be employed on e job as a means of consumer otection. Nader cited, as an ample the case of a General Motors nployee who was aware of a defect 2114 million Chevrolets that had n distributed to dealers across the tion. Unable to attain any response m the company executives, the n ll I 69 O 1 Q 0 l ! . iz S b ll l ii- eal' I'ElUl'lCI8l1t to BXDFESS Bn 3 t ' I l I ll 5 , ll ll l n I n ll Il 1 u concerned employee reported the problem to the proper authorities in Washington and the vehicles in question were immediately called in for repairs. ln regard to their role in today's society, Nader views students as a group of individuals that need to learn about citizenship through developing issues it feels to be of importance. The most expeditious type of learning , he stated, is learning that deals and stems from problems faced by students and implies that it is present in all phases of academic education because realistic elements of life are not included in the curricula. For example, students at schools such as MIT and California Tech emerge with minimal knowledge concerning pollution and its effects. They are, he stated, singularly unequipped to deal with the problems of pollution . These schools succumb to what industries want and direct their curricula toward fulfilling those requirements. For example, Ford Motor Company teaches the requisite tunnel vision so that the employees don't have the authority not the resources to go to work on safety problems. Instead, they work on higher compression ratios and making the fins curve in one year and out the next . Following Mr. Nader's completely extemporaneous speech, the consumer advocate responded to written inquiries submitted by members of the audience and, later, to questions posed by reporters at a press conference in the Seahorse Room. He was questioned regarding the recent corporate tax cut in relation to corporate profit, to which he replied, The Nixon-Agnew administration is not concerned about corporate profit, only about the next election . Mr. Nader was quizzed concerning his rumored candidacy for president on a third party ticket, He confirmed that he has repeatedly denied any such possibility to the advocates of his nomination, stating, You can't be on the side of the consumer and a politician at the same time . Nader explained that he is in favor of the U.S. space program because it shows what technology can do . Further--more, he would rather see the defense budget cut than the space program , which evoked a round of applause from the audience. In response to a question concerning the use of cleaner forms of energy to replace that which releases chemicals into the atmosphere Mr. Nader advocated solar energy and fission as possible solutions to the increasing problem of air pollution, but excluded atomic energy for its potentially dangerous effects . He also advocated a replacement for the internal combustion engine as a means of eliminating pollution from automobiles. There is more pollution contained in a ten mile area of stop and go traffic than there is in one hundred miles of high speed driving , he stated. When asked what type of automobile he would choose should he decide to buy one, Mr. Nader replied, l'm waiting for a car that will withstand impact at sixty miles per hour without injuries and that doesn't pollute. That car does not exist yet. Furthermore, he conjectured that fifteen million Americans could do without cars by making use of public transportation. Mr. Nader predicted that the Volkswagen bug will be phased out of import by 1975 because it will be unable to compete with the Japanese competition . Ralph Nader exposed his audience to a number of problems which are, and should be, of major concern to Americans. He believes in the power of the individual and of minority groups who are united in a common cause. ll I lf ten people cant change . . I something. he sand, that doesnt I mean that twenty, or forty, wont change it. Students who are interested in investigating and effecting changes upon the problems in their government and their environment can obtain information by contacting Donald Ross 1025 NW 15 Street Washington, DC.

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0 Ralph Nader: Supercihze By Nancy Mixon l think one thing we've learned, even though we may not want to admit it, is that the sheer growth of our economy is solving fewer and fewer problems. Speaking to a group of three thousand students, faculty, and other community members on November 10, Ralph Nader conveyed his findings regarding the American economy, consumer protection, and environmental standards. The noted consumer advocates was introduced by SGA president, Larry Brannon, whose organization sponsored lVlr. Nader's ninety minute speech. Security police patroled the BCC gymnasium, while purses and bags were searched as additional safety measures. Speakers were operating outside for the benefit of those who were unable to enter the crowed building. Nader commented upon the unfair distribution of financial resources, citing crumbling cities, pollution of the environment, schools closing because of lack of revenue, and the high costs of medical care as examples of issues that are excluded from response to economic needs. He believes that Americans are too complacent about what occurs in the country and that many have a tendency to compare the American economy with those of foreign countries. However, he stated, we should only be compared with our own potential. We should be ashamed of oufselves for having such depressing problems in a country of unparalleled wealth and resourses and scientific and technological skills. There's no excuse for having 25,000,000 Americans live in a state of continual poverty and millions undernourished children , Nader added. He later stated, We must redefine democracy to meet new challenges and issues. The importance of the environmental crisis was outlined in three steps by lVlr. Nader. First, it creates a new level of perception from which pollution may be regarded, that is, as a form of destruction capable of generating epidemics. Pollution is a primary destroyer of private property from which it originates, in the form of corporations, plants, and mills. Second the environmental crisis m be considered systematically. Polluti is a part of the whole picture subj to no ecological barriers. Third promotes the effective organization citizens in an effort to combat problem. As Nader stated, Polluti can be controlled in two ways. 0 way is building more hospitals a providing more beds for the wheez l 1 l i i victims. The other way is to trace 1 problem and administer controls at 1 earliest point of commencement The consumer advocate descri The price is quite high, as is sho by its status as as health hazard wh often resuts in cancer and emphyse as well as genetic effects, for th who are subjected to prolon exposure to polluted areas necessitates far more controls than being used to combat the problem the cost of controlling pollution minimal in comparison to the pro of the corporations that are the ma polluters and the cost if pollution is stopped. Pollution is the cause of million worth of property dam annually. At this revelation, Na asked his audience Can we aff not to stop pollution? l 4 1 l I I ' I A Q . rl n l l .i ui , pollution as the price of progre 'v ii i ll ii I I ll Il i

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llules nl llrder Ulnnl Save lhe lnvirnnmenl By G. Michael Smith Broward County is the fastest growing county in the world and Broward Community is the deadest campus that I have ever seen. This remark was made by Julian Bond when he came to our campus last year. complimentary, is it? Not very Nevertheless, this used to be true. Used to be true, because concerned students are organizing to put needed vitality into our school. This shot of life, which involves a number of organizations on campus, is being organized by the Committee on Environmental Concern, founded and directed by Jim Kearns, a dynamic young man with a new concept for school clubs. This new concept is one of working. A very fundamental idea, but one lacking in many clubs at BCC. After the initial brain work had been done, Jim went to three important figures on campus and told them that our college needed a group to do some research and activities in the enviromental field. After hearing him out, Dr. Adams, Dr. Young, and Bob Martin of Student Concern, gave him their OK, and pledged their support for the Environmental Committee. True to their word, the support from the administration since that time, has been tremendous. As of early November the committee had 150 members, composed of Students for Black Involvement, The Florida Engineering Society, and The Circle K. Other interested groups on campus are The Young Republicans and The New Democratic Coalition. In addition to these organizations, The Kiwanis Clubs of Fort Lauderdale have shown a great deal of interest and Jim has spoken to their members at a num- ber of luncheons around town. Concerning this new concept of work, I think that it is interesting to note that there has not been a full meeting of all the members of the committee as yet, however, one is expected soon. General meetings are only called as they are needed. Jim puts his feelings this way, You do not get results by sitting around drinking coffee and discussing Robert's Rules of Order. Sounds good, doesn't it? Well, there is a whole lot more than just idle talk there. At this time the Committee on Environmental Concern is working on four very meaningful projects. The first is in the form of a questionnaire that has been circulated in the black community. The questionnaire will help locate the exact location of wells that are known to be polluted, but are still being used for drinking water. Another project involves an investigation of the Florida Power and Light Co's. Port Everglades Plant. During the clear daylight hours this plant burns natural gas, which emits mostly steam back into the atmosphere, however, when the curtain of darkness falls, it is believed that FP8tL starts burning a fuel known as, bunker C . Bunker C is the very first refinement of what becomes diesel fuel, Jim explains, but is such garbage that it can't be used as motor fuel. It is this seemingly total lack of concern on the part of big business that the Committee on Enviromental Concern is attacking and hopes to correct. The fight will not stop there either, among other projects, the committee is investigating the cities of Plantation and Lauderhill and their reported practices of dumping raw sewage overflow into our once beautiful and once odorless canals. As for as the future is concerned, I think that Jim really has his work cut out for him. He told of his long range