A Holiday Gift for Generations to Come

Posted on Dec 2, 2011 | Comments (0)

As a pregnant woman with a background in toxicology, I find myself already worried about the ubiquity of chemicals in our environment -- knowing that I, like most Americans, have as many as 700 chemicals, including substances linked to serious health problems floating in my body -- it's hard not to be.

This passage from my Huffington Post piece, "A Holiday Gift for Generations to Come," helps relate that it’s not our responsibility to avoid products with toxic chemicals because they should not be there in the first place! It is, however, up to us to tell our representatives we deserve a better environment for our families. And here's what you can do:

• Contact Dianne Feinstein’s DC office on/before December 13th during our National Day of Action (don’t worry, we’ll send you a reminder) to let her know you support the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011
• Attend one of the upcoming meetings (below) to take action on here in California to improve our state laws. 

Our state has come a long way towards establishing a landmark program for safer products, and this is a critical time to provide your input on it. The informal draft Safer Consumer Product Regulation makes up one step of California's Green Chemistry Initiative. Here are three important meetings we need you to attend and make your voice heard:

• Monday, Dec. 5 (Sacramento) – The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) will host a public workshop discuss the informal draft regulations for Safer Consumer Products. Read the full notice (PDF).
• Thursday, Dec. 8 (Sacramento) - The Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee will hold a special hearing on California's Green Chemistry Initiative. 10am, State Capitol, Room 4202.
• Friday, Dec. 16 (Los Angeles) – CHANGE will host a forum with DTSC to discuss the regulations, how they will impact you, and provide an opportunity to voice your concerns.

Please contact me (kathryn@ceh.org) if you plan to attend any of these meetings so you can meet with other CHANGE advocates!

We want to protect Californians by removing the most pervasive and hazardous chemicals from the market, promoting the use of safer/healthier alternatives, and protecting the health of workers, fenceline communities, and those facing the greatest hazards. This proposed California regulation can help move us toward a less toxic, greener and more vibrant economy in our state -- let’s not waste this opportunity!

Please let us know if you can join us in Sacramento or LA, and keep an eye out for more updates on chemical reform news. 

Thank you for joining us in taking action,

Kathryn Alcántar
CHANGE Campaign Director

P.S. -- Don't forget to read A Holiday Gift for Generations to Come, comment, and share with your networks!