Toxic Tanneries

Description

Most of the world’s leather is manufactured in the tanneries of Hazaribagh, a slum in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, which is considered one of the most polluted places on Earth. The tanneries have no wastewater treatment, are largely unregulated and employ 15,000 people including many children.

This seminar will discuss efforts to address the environmental pollution and unsafe working conditions based on a March 2014 site visit by the TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIF O) with Doctors without Borders (MSF).

About the speaker

Dr. Margrit von Braun is an environmental engineer with degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology (B.S.), the University of Idaho (MCE), and Washington State University (PhD). She is a licensed Professional Engineer. Her teaching and research has been in the area of hazardous waste management and risk assessment. She helped find and direct the Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering programs at the University of Idaho (UI) from 1993 to 2003. Served as Dean of the College of Graduate Studies for nearly 10 years before retiring in 2010 and was the Acting Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies UI in 2003. Dr. von Braun is co founder of TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIFO) and TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering, Inc.

Dr. von Braun received a 3 year leadership development fellowship from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the Outstanding Faculty Award from the College of Engineering and the Graduate Teaching Excellence Award. She was elected to the UI Academy of Engineers. She has served as President of the Western Area Graduate Schools. In 2012, Dr. von Braun was elected as a Fellow of the Collegium Ramazzini.