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For release: Monday, Aug. 13, 2007
Contact: newpaltz@planetwaves.net or (877) 453-8265
URL: http://dioxindorms.com/content/dioxin_dorms_launched.html

DioxinDorms.com, a striking new website, covers the health, science and politics of the continuing environmental disaster at SUNY New Paltz in New York State – the dioxin and PCB contamination of four campus dormitories (Bliss, Cape, Gage and Scudder halls). It's been produced by the innovative public interest daily web magazine Planet Waves.

When students return to the dorms at 9 am Monday, Aug. 20, they will be given literature containing the link to DioxinDorms.com, in an effort to help them and their parents find out what is really going on on their campus. It offers a rich, tightly woven tapestry of articles (both current and historical). DioxinDorms explains the science and health effects of the toxins to exposure of administrative attitudes and current status of environmental testing.

DioxinDorms.com arms students, and their families with information and reasoning, profiling their "Right to Know - and to Say No," providing a timeline of events and direct access to the investigative articles, current and historic, written by well-known, award-winning journalists and scientists along with a comprehensive photo gallery. Eric Francis Coppolino, the journalist who originally broke the story, blogs at the website frequently, and there is an easy to use discussion board space encouraging community participation.

"We also hope to reach the faculty," said Mr. Coppolino, who is flying in from Brussels to be on hand when the dorms open next week. "The faculty are part of the campus community we have not heard from, no doubt because so far it's been difficult to figure out what is happening or why this matters."

An internationally known columnist and photojournalist, Mr. Coppolino has covered the local and global PCB issue for Sierra, Woodstock Times, the Village Voice, Metroland, the Times Herald Record, and many other magazines and newspapers. He is a longtime columnist for Chronogram, where he's written a series of articles on the contaminated New Paltz dorms this year.

For nearly a decade, Planet Waves has been reporting current events from the unique perspectives of its worldwide contributors, building a community media resource honoring art, individuality and freedom. Planet Waves empowers and challenges readers to participate in the world, and in their own lives. The DioxinDorms project is part of a long tradition of resources offered supporting this intention.