February 28, 2013
2002 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient Alexis Massol and his team at Casa Pueblo recently issued a letter to the Governor of Puerto Rico demanding the swift clean-up of Vieques Island.
Vieques Island is part of Puerto Rico and has served for years as a bombing range for the US military. As a result, the island and its sensitive waterways- namely the Anones Lagoon- have been contaminated with highly toxic chemical runoff and remnants from bombs.
According to local fishers and tests conducted by Casa Pueblo, marine productivity around Vieques has dropped 90% over the last 10 years.
Casa Pueblo is leading the call to both the Puerto Rican government and US government agencies- including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fish and Wildlife Service- to take immediate action to contain and clean-up the polluted island before more toxic waste is dumped into the surrounding seas.
For more information about the issue, check out this short video from Casa Pueblo:
Check back often for updates about Casa Pueblo’s progress.
