Environmental Working Group -- Email

Sometimes I just like to pass on an Email about something I really think matters.

Environmental Working Group or EWG is a group I am involved in and care about. Check out the email below and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Do you belong to this group?

Dear shari,

Over the last several months EWG has made some waves and drawn a lot of attention to the issues you and I care about. I want to make sure you know what EWG has achieved in just the last few months.

We all agree that influencing public policy has a lot to do with being heard by the right people at the right time. At EWG, we've got a knack for just that. Our unique investigations, skilled team of researchers and effective advocacy work well together to catch the attention of decision makers - right when it matters.

We've told decision makers what you want. . . and they're listening.

* We caught food industry giants plotting to mislead mothers and minority parents about the hazards of bisphenol-A (BPA) and spurred grassroots pressure to find a safe alternative.

* Some 14,000 members of EWG's burgeoning online community joined us to ask U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to oppose uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. And he did. Nearly a million acres of public land has been set aside, preventing the mining industry from staking any claims for at least two years, and possibly as many as 20 years.

* Congressional insiders picked EWG and myself as top grassroots advocates on biofuels for our ability to combine lobbying and research with grassroots power effectively.

* The California State Senate passed the Toxics-Free Babies & Toddlers Act, which we sponsored, to ban BPA in children's food products. If the State Assembly approves the bill, the largest market in the country will join Connecticut and Minnesota whose state legislatures enacted partial BPA Bans earlier this year.

* We asked the EPA to consider the full impact of over-subsidized biofuels on greenhouse gas emissions and penned an Op-Ed published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

* Five environmental justice leaders joined us for an extensive two-year study that tested them for 75 chemical contaminants. They took their results directly to Congress as a compelling argument for reform of the failed federal toxics law.

We researched, reported and testified for better public policies.

* We released our third annual sunscreen report to help consumers identify safe, effective products and better understand the ingredients in sunscreen. We found that sunscreen companies are reformulating many products to be safer and more effective as a result of our three-year campaign.

* We expanded our ground-breaking work on bottled water safety by reviewing labels, provided by our fabulous fans, and released a report rating manufacturers on their (lack of) transparency. We took this research to Congress where Jane Houlihan, our head of research, testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

We created and shared important, useful information.

* Our Editor-in-Chief, Elaine Shannon, began writing for the Huffington Post so that we can take our message to millions of readers. Here's an exciting post discussing a ground-breaking study about infertility and bisphenol-A.

* We launched a new blog on Kid-Safe Chemicals where EWG staff and outside experts are discussing emerging science and the need for toxics policy reform.

* I presented our 10 Americans talk to hundreds in California, Georgia, Canada, Wisconsin and Washington D.C. You can watch a short version on our site.

* We launched a monthly informational email series based on our popular Healthy Home Tips guide.

* We won two Treehugger awards for best health and beauty information and best natural health news web sites.

As you can see, we've been busy. All of the staff at EWG is grateful for your support, which we know makes our work possible. With your help, we're doing the hard work it takes to achieve our shared goal: healthy people and a healthy planet.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

What's Your Score

I was recently going through my emails and web sites from last year when I happened upon this wonderful web site. I do love the web and emails, it reminds me of how much paper we used to waste, writing letters, getting junk mail and of course printing stuff out to read again later.

Any way the web site was earthlab.com and you can get to it from their banner above. I pulled up the site, typed in my email and pass word and there was my score from last year. My ECP (earth conservation plan) score and my carbon output score. Now my score for last year was below the average for my city and for the US in general but could I be doing better this year. You bet, I re-took the test and dropped another 19 points. The nice thing about this is that it keeps your history and shows that you are making a difference.

It even has a place to enter your pledges. Things that will in the end lesson your carbon footprint. You can read other peoples pleges and then add your ideas for more. Below are three of the ones I entered with their tips.

#1 NO pesticide use in the garden;
Blend 1 garlic clove, 1 small hot pepper and a quart of water in a blender, then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray it on your inside and outside plants, and this recipe will help keep the pests away in a natural way.

#2 Seperate plastic lids from the bottle;
The cap on your recyclable bottle is not made out of the same plastic as the bottle, and is not recyclable. By leaving the cap on, the purpose is defeated because the entire bottle will be discared at the recycling plant. Make sure to remove the cap before tossing your bottle into the recycling bin.

#3 ?Recycle your dryer lint;
Yes, you can compost dryer lint! Just make sure that if you use dryer sheets, they're chemical-free.

This site just has so much to offer and the fact that you can check back every so often to check your progress is great.