CACC Action at Swanlund, 4.18.2007

the message: uiuc admin, get rid of coca cola!


signs commemorating the workers from Colombia killed by Coca Cola.


andrew, dave, and wendy, educating the passerby.



susan, holding it down.


beth, stopping traffic in the coca cola dress.


trey, the man with the big sign.


the wind, not so considerate of our efforts to have a vigil.


the signs abounded. Read more!

Questions About Coke's Abuses Still Outnumber Answers at Shareholder's Meeting

April 18, 2007

WILMINGTON, DE–Protests inside and outside of Coke shareholders’ annual meeting at Hotel DuPont today display growing concern about the corporation’s abuses. Inside the hotel, Coca-Cola shareholders will vote on a proposal to disclose quality test results for its beverages, like the EPA requires for tap water. Outside, people will carry enlarged copies of handwritten letters from elementary school children challenging Coke’s priorities.

Activists with Corporate Accountability International’s Think Outside the Bottle campaign, which challenges the marketing muscle of bottled water corporations, join a broad range of people expressing concern about Coke’s actions outside of the meeting. The group’s members are concerned that aggressive marketing of Dasani and other brand-names leads consumers to choose bottled over tap water.

“Coke promotes Dasani as safer and healthier than tap water,” says Polaris Institute Director Tony Clarke. “Corporate Accountability International’s resolution simply says, ‘prove it.’”

“Corporations like Coke, Nestlé and Pepsi are undermining people’s confidence in an essential public service,” says Corporate Accountability International Associate Campaigns Director Gigi Kellett. “Adding insult to injury, leading bands like Coke’s Dasani and Pepsi’s Aquafina use tap water as their source.”

“In India, Coke drains water from communities that already face shortages,” says R. Ajayan, Convenor of the Plachimada Solidarity Committee. “The communities want Coke to leave.” Next week marks the fifth anniversary of the movement pressuring Coke to close its Plachimada bottling plant. The corporation’s Plachimada and Mehdiganj plants remain the center of international controversy.

Most people won’t have access to enough water within 20 years according to the United Nations. And the EPA projects 36 states will experience water shortages even sooner. Events like the Coca-Cola sponsored EPA conference on Paying for Water Infrastructure in Atlanta last month and the World Water Forum last year promote water privatization as the solution.

“Corporations promote water privatization under the guise of efficiency. But whether it’s Coke or Pepsi bottling our tap water, Nestlé draining groundwater, or Suez taking over municipal water systems, none of these corporations pay the full costs of the public infrastructure they use, the environmental damage they cause or the health problems of the people they hurt,” says Kellett. “There is no substitute for public water. Water is a human right, not a privilege.”

For Immediate Release:
April 18, 2007

Contacts:
Bryan Hirsch by cell in Wilmington (617) 784-4753
Megan Rising (617) 695-2525

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Read more!

Silent Vigil for Coca-Cola Workers

With only two months until UIUC's exclusive contract with Coca-Cola expires, it's time to take action. On April 18th, join fellow coalition members outside of Swanlund administration building to remind the Chancellor that UIUC should not do business with Coca-Cola due to the company's human rights violations in Colombia, India, Turkey, and Indonesia.

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Silent Vigil for Coca-Cola Workers
Wednesday, April 18th
12:45-1:15pm
Swanlund Administration Building (504 East John St. at 6th St. in Champaign)

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If you can't make the action, please call Chancellor Herman at 217-333-6290 to urge him to break the silence and make a public statement that Coca-Cola or any company with human rights violations will not be allowed on campus. It's fast, easy and effective, so please don't hesitate any longer! Here's a sample text:

-Introduce yourself as student/staff/faculty/community member.

-"I am calling to express my concerns over the continued silence of the Chancellor's office concerning the University's plans for any future business relationship with Coca-Cola. The company is responsible for environmental degradation and unsafe products in India, not to mention human and labor rights violations in other parts of the world . I urge the University of Illinois administration to take an ethical stand on this issue and join the campus community that says NO to Coke and any other corporations that put profits over sustainability and safety. I further urge you to make a public statement that Coca-Cola will not be allowed on campus as soon as possible.

-After calling, please email cokeactiongroup@riseup.net to let us know how many calls were made. Read more!

Coca-Cola booted from Canadian university

San Francisco, Apr.9: Students at the University of Guelph in Canada have voted to remove Coca-Cola products from campus because of the company's unethical practices in India and Colombia.

A referendum calling for replacing Coca-Cola products with "an alternate beverage supplier" received 65 percent of the votes last week.Coca-Cola's 10-year contract with the University of Guelph is set to expire in August 2007, and it seems very unlikely that it will be renewed given the student mandate. Click here for more. Read more!

Join the UIUC Campaign

The Coalition Against Coke Contracts meets every Wednesday at at 7:30pm in Room 110, Lincoln Hall. Please attend a meeting or email us at cokeactiongroup@riseup.net to learn more about how to get involved. Read more!

Call to Action: Remind the Chancellor--UIUC Doesn't Want Coke!

On April 4, please call the office of Chancellor Richard Herman (217-333-6290) to remind him that the UIUC community does not want Coke on campus until it 'cleans-up' its act in India. The following short-text might help:

-Introduce yourself as student/staff/faculty/community member.

-"I am calling to express my concerns over the continued silence of the Chancellor's office concerning the University's plans for any future business relationship with Coca-Cola. The company is responsible for environmental degradation and unsafe products in India, not to mention human and labor rights violations in other parts of the world . I urge the University of Illinois administration to take an ethical stand on this issue and join the campus community that says NO to Coke and any other corporations that put profits over sustainability and safety. I further urge you to make a public statement that Coca-Cola will not be allowed on campus as soon as possible.

-After calling, please email cokeactiongroup@riseup.net to let us know how many calls were made.

Useful resources and updates are located at: India Resource Center Read more!

Tell Coca-Cola to Stop Worker & Environmental Abuses

Help blow the whistle on environmental, human rights, and labor rights abuses by Coca-Cola and its largest bottler, CCE! Coke is accused of contaminating water and farmland in India. Coke allegedly allowed death squads in Colombia to murder eight pro-union employees. In the U.S., Coke paid $192 million to settle an employee lawsuit over its widespread racial discrimination. And now Coke’s latest restructuring could destroy good jobs, retirement security, and health care coverage for many Americans. Please sign the petition click here! Read more!