Bees, bees everywhere!

by Lynne Walter, Associate Director

It was an early morning in May, and I found myself traveling through the mountains of western North Carolina.  I drove further and further northwest in Madison County, passing through Mars Hill and beyond.  Finally, I arrived.  And there they were: Bees.  Lots and lots of bees.  Behind the electric fence, their hives stretched across a cool, green mountain field, and their low, resonant droning could be heard over the bubbling of the creek and the twittering birdsong.

Jon Christie and assistant, of Wild Mountain Bees, with their bees.

You may be asking yourself, is this the picturesque beginning to the new fictional novel I am writing?  Nope.  Just another day at Toxic Free NC, helping protect pollinators and supporting community gardens!

Back in October 2013, we held our annual Beehive Giveaway, and the winner was Briggs Avenue Community Garden!  But, the bees they won weren't going to be ready until the spring.  The nucleus colony of bees came from the fantastic people at Wild Mountain Bees, whose shop is in Asheville and whose apiary is in northwest North Carolina.

But wait, you may be saying, Toxic Free NC is in Raleigh and Briggs Avenue Community Garden is in Durham.  How did the bees get from one end of the state to the other?

*Enter brave and intrepid Toxic Free staff member*

I was already going to be in western NC, and after many coordinating phone calls and emails by my coworker Ileana, everything was set for the Great Bee Transport of 2014!

Everyone buckled in?  The bees in their transport box.

This involved driving into far northwestern North Carolina to get the bees; running the AC on full blast the entire drive to Durham so the bees wouldn't overheat, get angry, and die; wearing a hoodie sweatshirt as I drove; wearing the hood of the hoodie sweatshirt up on my head as I drove; getting weird looks from the other drivers for wearing my hood up; saying nice and soothing things to the bees during the trip; and turning off the raging AC every now and then to listen for angry buzzing.  Which, luckily, I never heard once.

You know, just buzzing out by the ventilation opening.

And you may be wondering, why would Toxic Free NC embark on this wild road trip adventure?  The answer is: because we care.

We care about protecting our pollinators.  We care about supporting local community gardens.  We care about helping ensure that everyone has access to healthy, pesticide-free food.  And, most of all, we care about keeping all North Carolinians safe from exposures to toxic chemicals and pesticides!

And sometimes that means you drive 4 hours down the highway with 25,000 buzzing passengers in your backseat.

The Bees at their new home!

See what the buzz about Toxic Free NC is all about!

Toxic Free NC's "Save a Bee Campaign" is made possible with support from The Burt's Bees Greater Good Foundation.  Want to bee a supporter, too?  Find out how you can help us keep the buzz going for protecting pollinators and organic gardening: http://bit.ly/tfncbuzz

Duke & UNC vying for Most Toxic Products!

It’s March, and in North Carolina, that means one thing… MARCH MADNESS!!! This March, Toxic Free NC is teaming up with HealthyStuff.org to look into the hazardous chemicals in our favorite University Themed products. We found some pretty nasty stuff in our favorite fan gear from UNC and Duke - that’s why we’re releasing our March Badness report today.

Check out our results and choose who should advance to the Shameful Sixteen. Don’t delay - Duke is on the bubble! The MTP brackets lay out the toxicity rating of common gear fans buy to support their team from t-shirts, lunch bags and foldable chairs to flags and banners. We were disappointed that a lot of the items available at the nations Top Ten Retailers were full of toxics! For example, the Michigan State University Seat Cushion we bought at Kroger, the University of North Carolina Lunch Bag and University of Central Florida Car Mat (both from Walmart) contained both lead and phthalates. We think the only unhealthy things college basketball fans should be exposed to are beer, pizza and Krzyzewskiville.

Yet, this popular college gear contains phthalates banned by Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and levels of lead that exceed CPSC regulation in children’s products.  The seat cushion you sit on, the jersey you wear and that koozie that keeps your drink cool might contain harmful chemicals that are linked to asthma, birth defects, learning disabilities, reproductive problems, liver toxicity, and cancer.

Many of the chemicals we found in the study contain chemicals of concern identified as Hazardous 100+ chemicals. HealthyStuff.org and our partners in the Mind the Store Campaign are asking the Top Ten Retailers to stop playing dirty by getting toxic chemicals out of the product on their store shelves. Join us in asking them to clean up their act.

If you’re interested in finding out where Duke, UNC and the top teams from around the nation stand in terms of toxic gear, check out HealthyStuff.org’s ranking here.

The no good, horrible, very bad chemicals bill

Photo by Sashafatcat via flickr

by Fawn Pattison, Senior Advocate

Last week was a big week for toxic chemicals reform.

First, the Good: Wal-Mart announced its new Sustainable Chemistry Implementation Guide. It's great news that the nation's largest retailer is taking concrete steps to make good on its pledge to provide full information to consumers, and reduce high-priority toxic chemicals in many of the products they sell. I sincerely hope that the other top retailers across the nation will soon follow suit (hello Target? Walgreens? are you listening?).

But then, the Bad. The no good, horrible, very bad: The chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), has released a draft bill to "reform" the outdated and ineffective Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). I don't want to mince words or hide my feelings: The “Chemicals in Commerce Act” is very bad. Horrible. No good.

What's so bad about it?

It seems hard to fathom, but the Chemicals in Commerce Act would actually take us backwards from the current federal toxics law, TSCA. TSCA is the notorious toxics law that has allowed more than 80,000 chemicals into commerce, with very little scrutiny. How could it get worse than that?

Here’s how: the Chemicals in Commerce Act would shut down all the progress being made in the states on toxic chemicals. It would end the states’ ability to restrict a chemical in any way if EPA has taken action. It would even impose new secrecy, preventing states from collecting and sharing information about toxic ingredients in products as soon as EPA takes the first steps to evaluate a chemical.

Maybe some of these state programs would seem less necessary if Congress were considering a sweeping, robust federal system of chemical evaluation and regulation that worked swiftly to put public health and the environment first. But they’re not. The Chemicals in Commerce Act actually weakens the approach taken in TSCA, giving undue consideration to the cost of developing new, safer chemicals over the benefits to our health that could be derived from restricting the hazardous old ones.

I'd like to suggest an edit to this sentence from the bill summary: "This is a commerce bill, not just a chemical safety bill." The Chemicals in Commerce Act has nothing to do with chemical safety. It has everything to do with shutting down scrutiny of old-generation chemicals and ending the debate over the Toxic Substances Control Act.

And where does this leave North Carolina? If legislation like the Chemicals in Commerce Act were enacted, our state would no longer have the authority to even consider legislation like the NC Toxic Free Kids Act, or other recent bills to protect our kids’ health from notorious toxic products. Our state legislators ought to take notice.

US House members, especially those serving on the Energy and Commerce Committee, need to hear from their constituents that we value our health above the profits of a handful of corporate chemical giants. From North Carolina, Representatives G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Renee Ellmers (R-NC) serve on the committee and will be hearing lots about this proposed legislation in the weeks to come. Make sure they hear from you!

Walmart recognizes the need to get the most hazardous chemicals out of consumer products. Why doesn't Congress?

Shopping for kids' stuff? You've got to read this.

by Fawn Pattison, Senior Advocate

Photo by amseaman via Flickr

Recently I had to buy a new car booster seat for my older child, who is four. She'd outgrown her toddler carseat, and as I usually do with any significant purchase, I did my homework.

I wanted the booster with the best safety rating. It had to perform well in crashes, and protect the head and neck, not just the body. After lots of reading, I settled on just the right model, and ordered the chic-yet-practical black-and-gray one. And then I started to fret.

While I'd spent hours poring over crash test results, there was no way to know what kinds of toxic flame retardants had been used in the carseats I was reviewing. Manufacturers in the U.S. don't have to share that information, even though many of the flame retardants used in children's products like carseats have been linked to neurological harm and increased risk of cancer. She's going to be sitting in that thing every day, inhaling whatever it's off-gassing, snuggling up in it (mouth open, drooling) during long car trips to her grandparents' house. I don't want to expose her to anything that could put her health at risk.

And this is the conundrum I find myself in almost every time I have to buy something for my kids. Carseat, bed, shoes, sippy cups... there's no way to know what kinds of toxics are in there.

Until now. Because in 2008 Washington state passed a law that highlighted 66 "Chemicals of Concern" -- things like the toxic flame retardants -- used in children's products. The largest manufacturers now have to actually test their products for the 66 toxics on the list and - get this! - make the information public. Seriously. Public.

So they've just started releasing the results, and they're not pretty. Washington Toxics Coalition just released a report on what manufacturers like Target, Walmart, Nike and Walgreens reported from March to September 2013 (read the report here). 

Among the total 4,605 reports of toxic chemicals in children’s products are reports of toxic flame retardants linked to cancer, learning disabilities and fertility problems. In the report’s findings:

• Bisphenol A (BPA) was reported in plastic used in dolls and soft toys. BPA is a developmental and reproductive toxicant.
• Antimony trioxide, a carcinogen, was reported in toy vehicles.
• The Tris flame retardant TCEP was reported in baby car seats. It is a carcinogen and reproductive toxicant.
• Children’s plastic plates, bowls, mugs and cups, drinking glasses and other tableware was reported as containing ethylbenzene, toluene, and phthalates as well as formaldehyde.
• The flame retardant deca-BDE was reported in the plastic of baby car and booster seats, even though manufacturers made a voluntary agreement with EPA in 2009 to end the use of deca-BDE in most products by now, and deca-BDE was banned in Washington state in 2007.

I have to confess that reading this report made me want to pack up my kids (without carseats) and go live in a cave somewhere. But I got over that, and now I'm just mad again. Mad at manufacturers who choose shoddy chemical ingredients over our kids' health. Mad at Congress for taking so long to fix the federal toxics law that's the reason for all these "Chemicals of Concern" in our kids' lives. But also grateful for the steps forward that Washington State has taken, and hopeful that North Carolina will follow suit before too long.

Check out MindTheStore.org to let the nation's largest retailers know that it's time to get the toxics out of the stuff they're selling us.

North Carolina Businesses Urge Congress to Act on Toxic Chemicals

Manufacturers likeLee Industries are phasing out hazardous chemicals

The Sustainable Furnishings Council and Toxic Free NC have partnered to organize “real reform” for the use of safer chemicals in North Carolina manufactured products. Business leaders across the state are stepping up to seek federal change in outdated laws currently allowing tens of thousands of toxic chemicals in furniture and other manufactured products.

Download our new white paper [PDF, 645 KB] to learn how NC Businesses are leading the market away from toxic chemicals, and seeking legislative reform.

In rebuilding and strengthening the U.S. economy, many businesses are calling for a new policy that limits the use of toxic chemicals, and prioritizes green products and engineering. Chemical safety legislation will support these efforts, and you can help by urging Congress to take action!

For the first time in decades, there is real opportunity to fix the problem at its source, and to rebuild our economy based on safer chemical regulations. Congress needs to pay attention, and take action by enacting legislation to address the issue of toxic chemicals. Real reform will have a positive impact on business and manufacturing in North Carolina, and will spur a healthier economy and a healthier environment.

Overhauling our nation’s outdated chemical laws supports American business:

• Consumers are demanding safer products.
• Safer products lead to better business for North Carolina.
• Lack of chemical regulation is hamstringing businesses.

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 — intended to give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the power to identify and regulate dangerous chemicals — is outdated and simply does not work.

Download the white paper here (645 KB)

Congress has yet to take meaningful action, and the Chemical Safety Improvement Act currently proposed in the US Senate would not solve this problem as currently written.

We need Federal Change Now

It’s time for Congress to set common sense limits on toxic chemicals, and our businesses and manufacturers are leading the charge. Make your voice heard by supporting the push for reform.

What You Can Do

You can help ensure that North Carolina is on the forefront of economic AND safety reform by urging Congress to overhaul our federal toxic chemicals law.

Businesses can join NC furniture manufacturers by requesting and signing on to a joint letter to Congress. Individuals can contact their Senators directly to take action.

Baby steps won't get us there

Photo by Dermot O'Halloran via Flickr

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

We welcomed the news of a bi-partisan compromise bill on toxics reform with open arms. Finally! A bill to overhaul our failed national toxics law! With sponsors from both parties! The Chemical Safety Improvement Act is truly a political breakthrough, and worth celebrating.

But reading (and re-reading) the bill's 127 pages was a disappointment. While there are some really important steps forward - such as requiring proof of safety before new chemicals come onto the market, and finally giving the EPA authority to restrict chemicals found to be hazardous - the Chemical Safety Improvement Act won't get the job done.

Simply put, the bill lacks priorities. Any legislation to overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act needs to get its priorities straight:

• Prioritize the children and pregnant women we're supposed to be watching out for. The bill should direct EPA to focus on "vulnerable populations." That's EPA-speak for the people whose  toxic exposures matter most.
• Prioritize the high-hazard chemicals. The bill needs to spell out deadlines and expectations for EPA so that they know what to focus on, and when. Put the worst chemicals at the top of the priority list. Without priorities and deadlines, it will be very difficult for EPA to create a program that works, or secure the resources to carry it out.
• Prioritize accountability. States should be able to hold the federal government accountable if they're not getting the job done under a new toxics law. The Chemical Safety Improvement Act puts too many restrictions on states' ability to act, even before EPA takes action on a single chemical. 
• Prioritize health. When EPA orders a ban or phaseout of a chemical because of its tremendous risks for human health, there should be no cost-benefit analysis for action. If a chemical is too dangerous to be on the market, that should be the end of the story. Requiring a cost-benefit analysis can actually deter innovation, since maintaining the status quo is almost always the easier way. Health and safety should be the only factors EPA considers when a chemical rises to the top of the priority list.

Baby steps are beautiful to see, but our priorities require some superhero-sized strides. With over 80,000 chemicals in the marketplace, and soaring rates of chronic health conditions like autism and childhood cancers, we can't afford to toddle slowly forward. We're counting on our Senators to get this bill's priorities in order.

Youth taking action: We’ve done our part, now do yours EPA!

by Lynne Walter, Associate Director

On May 21, 2013, my co-worker Anna and I had the opportunity to speak with all of the 9^th graders at Carolina Friends School in Durham, NC, about migrant farmworkers, their exposures to pesticides, and youth migrant farmworkers working in the fields … and as someone who went to a Quaker college, it was really fantastic interacting with these young Friends school students!

After we all watched and talked about the documentary "Overworked and UnderSpray: Young Farm Workers' Pesticide Stories", the students wrote some really incredible letters to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ask the EPA to release the Worker Protection Standard (WPS), the federal rules that are designed to protect workers from pesticides on the job (FYI—the WPS dictates what employers need to tell workers about the pesticides they’re using, when safety equipment should be provided, and how to handle exposures when they happen).

The release of the new WPS has been substantially delayed, and the Carolina Friends School students wrote letters asking the EPA to end the WPS release delay, why this was important to them, and why they felt farmworkers should be safe from pesticide exposures.

One of my favorite parts of one of the letters was: “I’ve done my part, Mr. Jones [writing the letter]. Now the EPA must do theirs."

These forty-two 9^th graders and their three teachers were getting ready for a service learning trip to the Episcopal Farmworker Ministry in Newton Grove, NC, the following week. We talked about what Toxic Free NC does and the risks farmworkers face from pesticides, particularly the risks and challenges young migrant farmworkers in North Carolina experience.

The Carolina Friends School students had very thoughtful questions and comments about the challenges farmworkers, especially young farmworkers, face regarding pesticide exposure in the fields, and wrote amazing letters to the EPA. I really enjoyed seeing another generation get even more involved in farmworker advocacy!

Big News: Bi-Partisan Legislation for Toxic Chemicals Reform in Congress

Yesterday Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and David Vitter (R-LA) filed the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, historic bi-partisan legislation aimed at overhauling the notorious Toxic Substances Control Act, also known as TSCA.

Toxic Free NC is part of a coalition of public health, environment and business leaders who have been calling for TSCA reform for years. With more than 80,000 chemicals in commerce virtually untested for health and safety, TSCA has failed us. Our soaring rates of environmentally-related diseases are a testament to the inadequacy of current chemical laws.

While we are still just absorbing this news, we are excited and hopeful about this huge step forward. Bi-partisan compromise can mean painful compromise, and the Chemical Safety Improvement Act omits some of the important protections that Toxic Free NC and our allies believe are critical for public health. However, the bill would represent a sea change in our approach to evaluating and regulating toxic chemicals - one that this country deeply needs. It would also preserve the key role of the states in holding the federal government accountable for a toxic chemicals program that actually works.

Read more reactions from leaders in public health and environmental protection here.

There is no doubt that continued, passionate grassroots pressure on the part of parents and grandparents, health care providers, business owners and workers, deserve the credit for this huge leap forward. It is our responsibility to ensure that Congress passes legislation with the strongest possible protections for public health.

Why we need the NC Toxic Free Kids Act

Photo by Wallula Junction via Flickr.

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

I often hear parents lamenting how hard it is to make healthy choices for our kids when we live in a "toxic soup." There is not enough information about the products we buy to know which products are safest, and which contain potentially hazardous chemicals - like the toxic flame retardants in kids' carseats. Raising healthy children today, and preventing a lifetime of chronic health problems in the future, depends on a healthy environment for our babies and children.

The NC Toxic Free Kids Act, H 848, filed by Reps Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) and Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) would tackle that problem head-on by requiring manufacturers of children's products to take three notorious hazards out of their products. They would also have to notify the state when their products contain other toxic chemicals listed on a new Priority Chemicals List.

Here's why we need the NC Toxic Free Kids Act:

1. Children are not little adults. Their bodies are developing at an amazing rate. Pound for pound, they drink more water, breathe more air, and ingest more food than adults do. That means they’re also exposed to much higher concentrations of the chemical pollution all around us.¹
2. Cancer is on a slow and steady increase in American children, rising 22% between 1975 and 2004.²
3. Autism now affects 1 in 88 American children, and 1 in 54 boys.³ Exposure to toxic chemicals is an important factor in these devastating diseases.

Hazardous Chemicals in Children's Products

Harmful chemicals continue to be found in children’s products, even though safer alternatives are available. Toxic chemicals known to be used in the products that children use every day include:

• BPA in food packaging such as baby food and infant formula containers.
• Phthalates in toys, scented lotions, shampoos and other personal care products.
• Flame retardants in nursery furniture, nursing pillows and carseats.

There is no comprehensive system in place to assure that highly hazardous chemicals are not being used in children’s products. That means many toxic chemicals are ending up in a place they shouldn’t: our children’s bodies.

The Toxic Free Kids Act will use market-driven solutions to put an end to the toxic treadmill in the products that children use every day.

Priority Chemicals from the Toxic Free Kids Act

1. Bisphenol A  (BPA)  is a hormone disrupting chemical found in polycarbonate plastic. BPA is widely used in food packaging, including baby food and formula. Exposure to BPA is associated with increased risk for many health problems,⁴ including infertility, heart disease, obesity and cancer.
2. TRIS flame retardants are used in textiles such as nursery furniture, and foam products like nursing pillows and the padding in carseats. Exposure to TRIS flame retardants has been linked to cancer ⁵ and harm to the developing brain ^6.
3. Phthalates  are used as softeners in PVC plastic, and as fragrance binders in cosmetics like baby shampoo. Exposure is linked to⁷ reproductive health problems, respiratory problems and cancer.

The ultimate solution to our toxic soup is a comprehensive federal system that evaluates chemicals for health and safety problems before they go onto the market - and into the hands (and mouths) of our children. In the absence of a strong federal toxics law, states have a responsibility to act to protect our future. The Toxic Free Kids Act is a great first step.

References Cited:

¹ Ruth Etzel and Sophie J Balk, eds. 2012. Pediatric Environmental Health. 3rd Edition. American Academy of Pediatrics.
² National Cancer Institute, 2008. Fact Sheet on Childhood Cancers.
³ Jon Baio, 2012. “Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders —Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, UnitedStates, 2008.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). March 30, 2012 / 61(SS03);1-19
⁴ vom Saal et al. 2007. “Chapel Hill bisphenol A expert panel consensusstatement: Integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential toimpact human health at current levels of exposure.” Reprod Toxicol. 2007 Aug–Sep; 24(2): 131–138.
⁵ California Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or ReproductiveToxicity. OEHHA. [Accessed Oct 1, 2011].
⁶ Divshaw LV, Powers CM, Ryde IT, Roberts SC, Seidler FJ, Slotkin TA, Stapleton HM. 2011. “Is the PentaBDE Replacement, tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), a developmental neurotoxicant? Studies in PC12 cells.” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.
⁷ Hauser and Calafat. 2005. “Phthalates and Human Health.” Occup Environ Med 2005;62:806-818

The NC Toxic Free Kids Act is great news!

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

This week, a bi-partisan team of legislators, led by Representatives Chuck McGrady (R-Henderson) and Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford) filed the NC Toxic Free Kids Act, H.B. 848. The bill would ban three notorious contaminants from children's products, and create a Priority Chemicals List in North Carolina. 

This is awesome news!

Harmful chemicals continue to be found in children’s products, even though safer alternatives are available. Toxic chemicals known to be used in the products that children use every day include:

·      BPA in food packaging such as baby food and infant formula containers.

·      Phthalates in toys, scented lotions, shampoos and other personal care products.

·      Flame retardants in nursery furniture, nursing pillows and carseats.

Priority Chemicals are persistent in our environment and bodies. They have been found to cause health effects like cancer, reproductive harm or adverse effects on brain development. Cancer is on a slow and steady increase in American children, rising 22% from 1975 to 2004 (1).  Autism now affects 1 in 88 American children, and 1 in 54 boys (2).  Exposure to toxic chemicals is an important factor in these devastating diseases.

There is no comprehensive system in place to assure that highly hazardous chemicals are not being used in children’s products. That means many toxic chemicals are ending up in a place they shouldn’t: our children’s bodies.

What’s the Solution?

In order to reduce our children’s exposure to toxic chemicals, North Carolina needs a mechanism to begin phasing out the use of dangerous chemicals in children’s products:

Disclosure. The NC Department of Environment & Natural Resources would work together with the NC Division of Public Health to develop a list of Priority Chemicals that pose unnecessary risks to children’s health.

Phase Out. Ends the use of two cancer‐causing Tris flame retardants (TCDPP and TCEP), as well as the plastic additives Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates in children’s products.

Safer Products. Requires makers of children’s products that contain chemicals from the Priority Chemicals List to begin identifying safer chemicals or materials for their products.

Market-Driven Approach

Thanks to innovative solutions being developed in response to consumer demand, mercury, toxic flame retardants, lead, and other persistent toxic chemicals all are being phased out of consumer products. Providing manufacturers with a Priority Chemicals List can help end the toxic treadmill of substituting one bad chemical for another, and help businesses avoid costly substitution problems.

In the last decade, 18 states have passed more than 70 laws to ban chemicals in products or create new chemical management programs at the state level (for examples see Maine’s Kid Safe Products Act; Washington’s Children's Safe Product Act; Minnesota’s Toxic Free Kids Act).

Comprehensive toxics reform is the solution that we need. But until Congress decides to act on it, the onus is on states to cope with the toxic soup to which we are all exposed. A bill focused on children, who are at highest risk, and narrowly focused on three of the worst-offender chemicals, is an excellent step towards protecting the health and the futures of North Carolina's children.

Citations
1. National Cancer Institute, 2008. Fact Sheet on Childhood Cancers. 
2. Jon Baio, 2012. “Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders —Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, UnitedStates, 2008.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). March 30, 2012 / 61(SS03);1-19 

Toxic Free NC wants to be BPA-Free

by Ileana Rodriguez, Development Director

Back in February, our staff adopted a Sustainability Initiative for 2013. Each quarter, we're taking a new step to reduce our carbon footprint, our toxics exposure and/or cost efficiency.

Last quarter, we started using cloth napkins and dish towels in our restroom and kitchen. Not only are we saving money by ditching paper products, but we're also reducing the amount of trash we send to the landfill. That's a win-win situation for our budget and the environment!

For the second quarter of this year, wanted to reinstate our composting program. For almost two years,  vermicomposted at Toxic Free NC, but we recently let our worms retire to a colleague's urban farm.

We really miss having the option to compost at work. But after hearing Dr. Pete Meyers give an inspiring guest lecture at Catawba College about endocrine disruptors and their effect on our health and environment, we were motivated to shift our focus.

Too-Long Receipts by herzogbr on Flickr

This quarter, we're banning BPA from our office files. 

BPA, or Bisphenol-A, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that interferes with how the endocrine system controls hormones in the body. Even small exposures to endocrine disruptors can be linked to a host of health problems such as developmental defects, reproductive problems and certain types of cancer.

We're amending our accounting and reimbursement procedures to limit our exposure to the BPA-laden thermal paper found in receipts from gas pumps, restaurants, packing slips, etc.

From now on, our staff can snap a photo of a receipt instead of submitting the receipt with a paper expense report. And we can submit that documentation via email, which will drastically reduce the amount of paper we use in our record keeping.

Accepting photo receipts will limit our own individual exposure to BPA as we handle and store receipts for office expenses, and it will lessen the amount of BPA in public currency that gets transferred from receipts to the dollar bills we all carry in our wallets.

We hope that one small change in procedure will make a big difference!

If you keep financial files at home or in your place of work, do you have tips for ways that you make your record keeping more sustainable?

Dear Grocer...

photo by dmason via Flickr

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

If you live in a rural area, you may not have a wonderful grocery store full of organic items close by. Some larger grocery chains are incorporating more organics into their lines, in response to customer demand.

How can you get your local grocery store to do the same? Ask them!

One of the members of Toxic Free NC's Community Leadership Council, Connie Schultz, had a great idea. Why not create a sample letter that makes it easy for consumers to ask their local stores to do better?

Here's a sample letter that you can use. Just copy & paste the text and print it on your own stationery. Be sure to add your own name and address, and personalize it if there are other things you want to say.

If you hear back from your local grocer, let us know what they say!

Date, 2013

Your name and address

Dear Store Manager, 

I have been a customer at <your store> for many years. I appreciate all that you do to make shopping at <your store> a pleasant and convenient experience.  

You may know that organic foods are a fast-growing part of the marketplace. In fact, I and many of my friends drive all the way to <Raleigh or Chapel Hill, or Asheville...> to shop at the <large organic market>! That's inconvenient for me, and lost business for you. 

Would <your store> consider bringing more organic products in to the store so that I don't have to drive to another city to get them? In particular, I'd like to see:

• More fresh organic produce, especially North Carolina-grown varieties of sweet potatoes, strawberries, and greens

• Organic frozen vegetables like broccoli and spinach - they are so convenient!

• Organic dairy products, especially milk and yogurt

• <.... list the items you want to see!> 

Organic food is important because when you eat it, you take fewer toxic chemicals into your body. One of the other sources of toxic chemicals is actually the food packaging. Many retailers are getting Bisphenol-A (also known as BPA) out of their canned food and other packaging. I hope that <your store> will do the same.  

Thank you for considering my request. If you have any questions, you may reach me at <provide your phone, email or other method of contact>.  

Sincerely,
<Your full name>

Join Us For Coffee With Lindsay Dahl from Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families

by Ileana Rodriguez, Development Director

Photo of Lindsay Dahl courtesy of
Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families

We're so excited that Lindsay Dahl, Deputy Director of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, is going to be in the Triangle on Monday, March 18th.

She'll be here to talk about things you can do to protect your family from toxic chemicals and what we can do to update our broken federal toxics laws. As someone who specializes in toxic chemicals reform, she’s got lots of knowledge to share with us!

We’re going to be meeting for coffee, dessert and conversation Monday night. We hope you can join us! To RSVP, visit this link or send an email to Ileana.

Here are the details:

Where: Straw Valley Café, 5420 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Durham, NC 27707 [map & directions]
When: Monday, March 18 at 7 pm

It’s an easy way to get lots of your most pressing toxics questions answered - and get a night out, too!

Ana and I will be there along with our friends from MomsRising. We hope you will join us, too. It’s going to be fun!

Visit this link to RSVP.

Sustainability at Toxic Free NC

by Fawn Pattison, Executive Director

At our office, we try to be as green as we can. We use only recycled paper, we have a local purchasing policy, we recycle everything we can, and recently we even bought non-toxic dry erase markers. But why stop there?

This week at staff meeting we decided to start up a new Sustainability Initiative. Each quarter, we'll choose a new step to reduce our carbon footprint, toxics exposure and/or cost efficiency. One staff member will captain each quarter's project and see it through.

This quarter's project: Ditching paper towels. We're going to get a little laundry system going so that we can have washable hand towels, cleaning rags and cloth napkins.

Next quarter will be composting. Stay tuned to find out how it goes!

Want to start a Sustainability Team at your workplace? It's fun and easy! Check out Duke University's guide to starting a Green Team in your office for tips and ideas.

Need some new ideas for your office Green Team? Get inspired by the City of Portland (OR)'s Green Team Guide!

Take Action! US EPA dragging its feet on farm worker pesticide protections

by Fawn Pattison 

"The laws are very important, because they are the only way that the rules for each pesticide will be respected."
– Migrant farm worker, Harnett County, NC

Pesticides are one of the leading dangers that workers face when they go into the fields to harvest our food. The US EPA sets the standards for the safe handling of toxic pesticides in the field.

Unfortunately, the EPA has been dragging its feet for over a decade on new rules designed to strengthen basic pesticide protections and training requirements for farm workers.

We can’t let another growing season arrive without taking action. Join us in asking US EPA Assistant Administrator Jim Jones to release the new Worker Protection Standard rules. Check out our action page to send your message now.

Making positive change in 2013

by Ana Duncan Pardo, Communications Coordinator

We've heard a lot of worrying about what kind of impact the new state legislature will have. We agree that this will likely be a tough year in NC for the environment and social justice, but we definitely aren't throwing in the towel!

Last week, our Executive Director shared Toxic Free NC's strategy for pushing forward despite a less friendly legislature. This week, I want to share Toxic Free NC’s resolutions for how we’ll continue making positive change in 2013: 

1. We will teach more people than ever about organic gardening and organize with them for local food policy change.

One of the things we're most excited about this year is our new Organic Is for Everyone program about food access. We’re so excited about getting our hands into the dirt and helping people across North Carolina grow and eat more organic food!

We are looking forward to working with communities in NC to grow more organic food, and to push for policy changes at the city and county level that pave the way for thriving, sustainable local foodsheds.

2) We'll continue pushing for common sense reform of federal toxic chemicals regulation.

Over the past two years, we’ve collected thousands of petitions and galvanized the environmental and health communities in the movement for safer chemicals policy. We will organize even more advocates to meet with NC Congressional delegates. We’ll share tips and tools to help you to be a savvy consumer. And we’ll keep pushing our message about the need for federal toxic chemical reform out through the media.

3) We will work with NC's largest child care chains to help them switch to safer pest control in child care centers.

By educating the leadership of the biggest companies in the NC child care industry, we expect to reduce tens of thousands of North Carolina children's exposure to toxic pesticides by helping them switch to least toxic Integrated Pest Management.

4) We will ensure that farm workers' voices are heard on the issues that affect them.

We spent much of last year collecting farm workers' ideas for improving workplace standards for pesticide safety. This year, we'll be helping to bring North Carolina farm workers' own words into the national conversation about laws that directly impact their health and safety.

Our success depends on you. Effective community organizing means that the people who really care about these issues lead the way. How do you plan to keep making positive change in 2013? Share your ideas with us on Facebook!

Thank you for being an ally we can depend on. Toxic Free NC is stronger because you're with us.

Here's to the New Year!

Our plan for Toxic Free NC in 2013

by Fawn Pattison

It's a New Year like we’ve never known before.

In the wake of November’s election, 2013 ushered in the harshest political environment that North Carolina’s health and environment have ever known. The state legislature can and will inflict plenty of damage. But that doesn’t mean we should despair!

The state legislature does not lead social change – it only follows. Their job is to codify the change already taking place within our communities. That’s why Toxic Free NC always focuses our work where it matters most – in the communities around North Carolina where real change begins.

We’ll never cease to watchdog state government and speak out for health and justice, but our work doesn’t depend on them. Here’s our plan to keep moving forward in this harsh political environment:

• We'll work with folks like you to change city and county ordinances to bring healthy, pesticide-free food to more of the people who need it most. Local policies can promote local and organic foods, gardening, beekeeping and urban farming, and reduce pesticide pollution.

• We’ll continue to sweep though the child care sector – public and private – with a safer approach to pest control that protects our children from chemical harm.

• We’ll target the corporations that neglect our health and well-being with shoddy products that over-use hazardous chemicals, and we'll help you to be a savvy consumer.

• And most of all, we will keep building our base of power by bringing the voices and ideas that matter most – yours – into powerful collaboration with new allies around the state. Whether it’s helping your child care drop the toxic chemicals, or taking citizen lobbyist teams to Congress for federal chemical reform, we will use this time to keep getting smarter and stronger. 

Working together, we will continue to make real change on the ground throughout North Carolina. And when the state legislature’s iron is hot again, we’ll be ready to strike!

Now more than ever, we are so grateful to have you with us. And now more than ever, we need your help.Make a gift to Toxic Free NC and lend your support to make us even stronger. Even better, if you're not already a monthly donor, consider making a recurring gift so we can count on you to be with us every step of the way. When the going gets tough, we’re in it together. Please make a donation today.

P.S. Next week, we're sharing details about our community organizing plans for 2013. We're excited to share them with you. Stay tuned!

Congress finally gets to work on chemical reform

After watching 2 hours of constructive, informed, substantive, and sometimes even juicy debate in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee last week, I am elated that toxic chemicals reform is finally on the agenda in Congress. It's not there because of special interest lobbying or industry pay-backs, but because everyday folks (like you and me!) have been badgering Congress so persistently to do something about this toxic chemicals mess, that they are finally getting the message.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the federal law that covers the chemicals that saturate our every-day lives as ingredients in almost every consumer product you can name. With more than 80,000 chemicals on the market and less than 200 tested for safety, it’s no wonder that TSCA is widely considered to be a complete failure.

Sen Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 to fix TSCA’s problems and give the American people an assurance of safety when products like baby bottles and household cleaners are put on the market. He facilitated a lively bipartisan discussion that covered everything from the EPA’s jurisdiction to the “body burden” of 212 industrial chemicals in Senator Udall’s body.

Five expert witnesses testified to the committee (you can read their testimonies and watch the archived video here). Watching the hearing, it became clear that all the stakeholders are at the table, and that one - the chemical manufacturers - are dragging their feet. One Senator after the next grilled the American Chemistry Council and asked them to stop criticizing from the sidelines, roll up their sleeves and get to work fixing TSCA, if they are sincere in their assertions that it needs to be fixed. Another key industry player, the Consumer Specialty Products Association, representing the likes of Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble, is clearly doing just that. The CSPA and the environmental health folks in the hearing room agreed that they are “on the cusp” of agreeing to solutions for all the sticky points they identified in the hearing.

Next stop: "Markup," which is inside-the-beltway language for all the stakeholders getting out their red pens and working with Senate staff to make detailed edits to the bill so that the committee can vote on actual changes. After the hearing, Senator Lautenberg reiterated his intention to bring the Safe Chemicals Act to a vote before the year is out.

Now that the ball is finally moving down the field, we all need to make sure that our Senators understand how important chemical reform is to our health and our economic future. Moms like me have kept up a steady drumbeat that has put safer chemicals on Congress’s to-do list. Our job now is to make sure that they get it done.

It was a great feeling last week to watch the Senate seriously debating an issue so important to our health and our future. This week as I give thanks with my family for our many blessings, I’ll also be giving thanks for all of you who are working together for a healthier world for our children.