Story: <A HREF="http://stream.realimpact.net/rihurl.ram?file=webactive/demnow/dn20030214.ra&start=42:24.7">"DEFLOWERING ECUADOR: THE BLOOM IS OFF THE ROSE IN CAYAMBE VALLEY, 
HOMELAND OF YOUR VALENTINE BOUQUET"</A> Today is Valentine's Day, and a lot of 
people are going to give or receive Roses. I'm going to turn to Ross Wehner's 
piece in Mother Jones magazine. It's called "Deflowering Ecuador." "The 
equatorial sun beats down on the clear plastic roof of a greenhouse in the 
Cayambe Valley of Ecuador. Despite the suffocating heat, the workers inside 
move at a frantic pace. In two weeks it will be Valentine's Day, and every 
rose in sight will be for sale in the United States. Women stand at tables, 
hands flying as they sort roses by the length and size of the head, arranging 
them in bunches of 25. Teenagers, mostly boys, run from table to table, 
carrying the roses to the next room. The flowers have already been treated 
with chemicals to kill insects and mildew; now they are dunked in 
preservatives to keep them from rotting during their journey through U.S. 
Customs. After being wrapped in cellophane and boxed, the flowers are chilled 
and flown overnight to Miami. By the time they reach florists and 
supermarkets across the country, a rose that cost less than 17 cents to 
produce in Ecuador will sell for as much as $8. The article goes on to say: 
"But international agencies and workers in the valley paint a markedly 
different picture of the industry: Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and 
soil fumigants used in the greenhouses are causing serious health problems 
for Ecuador's 60,000 rose workers -- especially the women and children who 
sort and package the flowers prior to shipping." We'll be joined in a minute 
by the mayor of Cayambe and an organic farmer from Oregon. We start with Ross 
Wehner, author of the article in Mother Jones. Guests: 
Ross Wehner, wrote article in Mother Jones "Deflowering Ecuador" which 
documents the harsh conditions faced by workers in Ecuador's booming rose 
industry. Wehner said "workers are paying a heavy price for the roses 
Americans will present to their loved ones on Feb. 14. 
Diego Bonifaz, Mayor of Cayambe. 
Paul Sansone, organic farmer from Oregon. Related link: 
<A HREF="http://www.motherjones.com/">Mother Jones</A> 
<A HREF="http://www.rainforestalliance.org/">Rainforest Alliance</A> - Read more about alternative cut flower projects 


    
    
    



"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are 
evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
 - Albert Einstein
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change 
the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead 
"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear 
the government, you have tyranny." 
- Thomas Jefferson
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" 
- Edmund Burke 

    
    

    

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