I need you to call Congress today. I know that seems like an odd request, but believe me when I tell you your phone call can make a difference.
About a month ago people flew in from all around the country for the second National Stroller Brigade in Washington DC. I joined hundreds of people on Capital Hill asking Congress for real reform of our federal chemical laws.
Now we have the chance to do more – and you can help!
At the National Stroller Brigade in DC with Shane from Environmental Booty.
The Backstory: We Have Outdated Chemical Laws in Place That Need to Be Updated By Congress. Now.
In 1976 Congress passed a deeply flawed bill meant to protect the public from toxic chemicals. It didn’t work and now it’s incredibly outdated and does very little to protect us.
Now there’s a new bill before the Senate (and recently before the House) called the Chemical Safety Improvement Act. This bill is intended to fix our broken chemical system, as drafted, but it does NOT protect our families from toxic chemicals.The bill is so weak that the EPA still wouldn’t be able to regulate asbestos!
We need Congress to know we want chemical reform, but it must be real. That means reform that will protect pregnant women, children and heavily polluted communities from toxic chemical pollution.
Today’s a Day of Action and We Need You to Call Congress!
Today Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, “the country’s largest coalition working to protect our families from toxic chemicals” is hosting a Day of Action.
Many of your neighbors and thousands of people from across the country are calling Congress to ask for STRONG laws on toxic chemicals. We need you to call too.
Please Call Your Senators Today to Demand Safer Chemical Laws
It only takes a minute – call your Senators NOW!
Click HERE to find out who you should call. All the information will be at your fingertips to make the call extremely easy!
Or if you’re reading this on your phone, simply call the capitol switchboard at 1-888-907-6886:
Here are a few samples of what you can say when you call
- Hi my name is _______ and I am a (insert something like mom, dad, aunt, nurse, community leader, doctor etc). I am very concerned about toxic chemicals in consumer products, the places we live and work and their impact on my family’s health.
- I’m calling Senator ___________ to ask him/her to make sure that reform of our toxic chemical laws is REAL. The bill before the Senate, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, as drafted, does not have my support.
- Reform must be real and protect pregnant women, children and hot spot communities. I urge Senator _____ to stand up for REAL reform of our toxic chemical laws.”
Let your Senators know that in order to win your support for reform, it must meet the recommendations of the mainstream medical community.
The time really is now. Due to our broken federal and state laws, toxic chemicals are ending up in the products we use, the places we work and live. Thanks for sharing this blog and hopefully we can enact some change in Washington!
Thank you so much for spreading the word Lori. It does seem silly, calling Congress… but it really works! I called my Senators today and left a message. It feels good being apart of the democratic process!
Lindsay recently posted..Microbes in our gut could be the key to good health
Just a friendly note that the phone number you list is not the capitol switchboard, it’s Call on Congress, which is a free tool from the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation (where I work) to learn more about what Congress is doing and connect you with your representative.
Learn more about the tool here:
http://calloncongress.sunlightfoundation.com/
Thanks once again for motivating positive action, Lori. I am going to follow up and make the call to my senator. I am very concerned about the prevalence of harmful chemicals in practically everything we touch, eat, use, wear, breath, etc. It’s an outrage!
Deborah Davis recently posted..Special Holiday Edition: Celebrate the Season at the Healthy, Happy, Green and Natural Party Blog Hop #5
I think that chemical reform is one of the most important public health (and environmental) issues we face now, especially in the U.S. where our toxic regulations pale in comparison to dozens of other countries. Lori, thanks for spreading the word on this! (And Safer Chemicals, thanks for this fantastic campaign!).
I agree Hanna! Together we can make a difference. Thanks for your comment-your support is so important.