Want to learn more about the impact of international trade at a get-together with some of your friends? Consider hosting a film screening of the short documentary, Maquilapolis: City of Factories. The film documents the daily struggles of women factory workers in Tijuana as they fight for better treatment and a cleaner living environment.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was designed to facilitate trade between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Yet it also led to a fundamental restructuring of the rural economy in Mexico. Many small farmers, unable to compete with subsidized U.S. corn, were left with no choice but to move and find jobs in the maquiladora— foreign-owned assembly factories— on the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite flagrant workers' rights abuses and rampant pollution, these Maquiladoras are frequently the only hiring employers in border regions, forcing workers to compete for meager salaries often in toxic work environments.

No need to be a free trade expert, the Sierra Club can help you plan your party or find one in your neighborhood. Visit www.sierraclub.org/trade or contact Susan Ellsworth at 202-548-6593 or email for more information.

The film screening series will culminate in a Sierra Club sponsored US-Mexico border tour on October 27-28 in San Diego, Tijuana and surrounding areas.