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Protect our Children’s Health!
Relocate Pure Casting!
Build Affordable Housing!

The Pure Casting facility (2110 E. 4th Street) is a polluter
of heavy metals and uses hazardous chemicals in our East
Austin neighborhood.  Pure Casting is located right next to
Zavala Elementary School and surrounded by homes.  
East Austin needs your support in protecting the health of
our children and the residents that live in the area.  It is
crucial that we let the City Council and Pure Casting know
that we will not allow children to be exposed to hazardous
chemicals!

The Pure Casting facility is an ideal location to build
affordable housing.  It is 30,152 sq. ft. of land.  The City
Council should use the Affordable Housing Bond money
($55 million) to purchase the site.  This site abuts to the
property owned by the City of Austin (the Brown Building
on Chicon & E. 4th Street).  Call you Mayor Will Wynn
Council members at 974-2250.  Let’s keep our children
safe from harmful chemicals.

Download this letter that PODER sent to the Mayor and
City Council Members.  Please send a letter from your
group, neighborhood association or you as an individual to
your city council members.  Help us to protect the health of
our children.

Also, please join PODER and area residents at the Bond
Oversight Committee Meeting on
Thursday, February
5th, 2009 at 8:00 am at City Hall.
 PODER is
recommending that some of the $10.9 million Affordable
Housing Bond money be used to purchase the current
Pure Casting site and to build the needed affordable
housing.
On Wednesday, the day after President Barack Obama’s inauguration, members of
the Austin and San Antonio communities  joined in a national day of action to tell the
incoming administration that we are still hoping for real change we can believe in with
a rally at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in San Antonio.
Rally participants recognize this as a historic moment of change and are asking
President Obama for support and action during his first 100 days of his presidency to:
1) End the family detention policy
2) End immigration raids
3) End Operation Streamline
4) End construction of the border wall and
5) End ICE-local law enforcement collaboration.
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Protesting
Anti-Immigrant
Policies - San Antonio,
Texas ICE Office
Cesar E. Chavez "Si Se Puede!"
March and Rally held on Saturday, March 28th
Cesar E. Chavez is one of the most important leaders of the 20th century. His legacy
of workers rights, civil rights, environmental justice, equality for all, peace,
non-violence, children and women's rights, deserves national recognition.

Cesar Chavez inspired millions of people across the country of all races and
nationalities to engage in social & economic justice for farm workers.  His life work to
empower the poor & disenfranchised is a model for all.
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Oak Springs Trail Building
Thanks Austin Bible!
___________________________________________________________________________
PODER's Young Scholars for Justice
2009
PODER's Young Scholars for Justice (YSJ) held a protest at the Pure Casting
Facility, located at 2110 E. 4th Street on June 10th, 2009.  Afterwards the YSJ went
door-to-door distributing information to area residents on how to file a complaint with
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) if area residents are
exposed to odor, dust, and/or noise pollution from the Pure Casting Facility.
___________________________________________________________________________
7th Annual Festival de las Plantas
Traditional healing and practical uses of medicinal plants
Download PODER's Newsletter:
Xinachtli Fall 2009
(pdf format)
Patagonia in Austin held their “Vote Your Choice” Environmental Campaign in
October and PODER  competed with 2 other local environmental organizations for
the chance to win $2,500!  PODER won the second prize of $1,500 from Patagonia.  
PODER thanks all of you for your vote and support.
___________________________________________________________________________
PODER is now accepting digital
donations through secure
PayPal!
Cesar E. Chavez
"Si Se Puede!" March
Saturday March 27th, 2010
Cesar E. Chavez is one of the most important leader of the 20th century. His legacy
of workers rights, civil rights, environmental justice, equality for all, peace,
non-violence, children and women's rights, deserves national recognition. Cesar
Chavez inspired millions of people across the country of all races and nationalities to
engage in social & economic justice for farm workers.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Tanks But No Tanks
The 1992 campaign to close the fuel
storage facilities in East Austin,
known as the “Tank Farm,” was an
issue that brought grassroots
empowerment and bridged east and
west Austin environmentalists.

PODER would like to thank all our
supporters for attending our 18th
Anniversary of the Tank Farm
Closure. We would also like to send
an extra special thank you to our
volunteers!
East Austin Tank Farm Story
Photo Credit - Rene Renteria
Mother Earth Day Celebration
Thursday April 22, 2010
PODER — 2604 E. Cesar Chavez St.
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Box Gardens
In search for community sustainability, PODER is empowering community members
with Box Garden Demonstrations. Box Gardens are simple, unique and versatile
system that adapt to all levels of experience, physical ability, and geographic location.
Residents will have the option to fill their box garden with beautiful/medicinal flowers,
herbs and/or luscious vegetables.
Property Tax Protest
Community Workshops
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Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Metz Recreation Center
2407 Canterbury Street
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PODER’s YSJ Gabriel Padilla Wins EPA Video Contest
       
Gabriel Padilla, one of PODER’s Young Scholars for Justice,
was recently awarded the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)’s, “Faces of the Grassroots” video contest.  This contest
challenged amateur and professional filmmakers to create
videos that capture the faces of the environmental justice
movement.  The “Faces of the Grassroots” contest is an
opportunity to publicly exhibit creativity with environmental
justice stories and connect with others working to raise
awareness of the movement.
      Gabriel’s video focused on PODER’s success in shutting
down the Holly Street Power Plant in 2007, and the importance
of grassroots organizing through health surveys, protests, and
leadership development.  PODER would like to thank Gabriel
Padilla for his dedication in capturing PODER’s history and for
submitting his creative video to the EPA.
We are very proud and grateful!
Gabriel’s video can be seen on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWIIVhrS664