The illegal dump site in upstate NY has received quite a lot of attention lately (as well it should)…
However, having been involved in several KH remodels, I think the WT’s little regard for the environment extends way beyond this dumpsite.
As some of you probably know, the workday at a KH remodel usually starts with a prayer, breakfast and a 5 minute safety talk… the safety talk was a joke (e.g.: check your ladder, wear your hard hat, yawn, make sure you wear goggles, yawn, stay alert… we’re working for Jehovah… ok, get to work)…
But there was never any mention about EPA guidelines for the handling, storage or disposal of hazardous chemicals such as paint thinners, lacquers, gasoline for fuel-powered equipment, etc.. Whenever there was a chemical spill, it would be cleaned up with rags or large amounts of paper towels and then thrown in a trash bag (versus EPA-approved absorbent material and proper hazmat storage drums). Flammable chemicals would be stored underneath construction trailers (not approved storage cabinets) with temporary wiring hanging underneath. In fact, no one had a clue as to what the regulations were and they really didn’t care… After all, why should they? In their minds, they were working for Jehovah and only needed to answer to him.
Once I spoke out about this on the job site and was later pulled aside by an elder who said I should approach the elders privately since this could cause some brothers to stumble. He also said that this was all temporary anyway, that we were only 2 weeks away from completing the project and we should all just focus on the final stretch so that the brothers don’t have to keep driving to the next town for their meetings. I stupidly agreed and left it at that.
At some point, however, the EPA needs to step in and take a closer look at what the Watchtower is doing at these KH remodels, quick builds, etc... I think they’d find an overwhelming list of violations that would be too much for them to handle… just saying…