Click here to watch the whole thing! Transitioning from Policy to Consumer Education to Protect People from Harmful Chemicals Initially, the goal of the Environmental Working Group was to look for breakthrough research, garner media attention for that research, and use that media attention to spur policy change. That research and those changes could span a wide range of issues, like soil erosion, pesticide, organic food, and so on; as long as it related to protecting people and the environment from harmful chemicals.
During those early years and decades, their efforts were incredibly effective. The environmental movement was taking hold, and there was a lot of momentum around reducing exposure to harmful chemicals, so it was possible to get many policies and regulations passed. The industry lobbyists affected by the regulations began pushing back, making sure that their people in government would prevent any environmental regulations from being passed, while also rolling back previously passed policies sound familiar?
But at the same time, consumers began to reach out to let the EWG know that they still wanted solutions to the issues being raised. Immediately, it got a good amount of traffic, and it became clear that people were interested in this information. But the big breakthrough came when they published their first real consumer-facing database, Skin Deep , a database that reveals what harmful chemicals are lurking in cosmetics and personal care products.
From there on out, the EWG decided that they would be their own media outlet, and that the website would be their primary publication, delivered directly to consumers.
From there, the EWG evolved into what it is today, a consumer-facing activist group that helps individuals protect themselves from harmful chemicals. Skin Deep provided EWG ratings for various ingredients and full products, with the rating depending on the amount of harmful chemicals contained in the item.
People began reaching out, telling them that this was helpful information, and that they wanted more. One of the things that makes Roundup so dangerous is that it carries through wind and groundwater, and so it is incredibly difficult to avoid.
Luckily, Cook gave us some advice on how to avoid glyphosate exposure as much as possible. The EWG scientists looked closely at this question, and determined that the most important thing was to avoid dietary exposure to the chemical.
This is because most farmers plant GMO corn and soybean crops that have been genetically engineered by, you guessed it, Monsanto to be resistant to Roundup. So during the season, the farmers can just drive through the fields with a rig that sprays the pesticide, and the crops are able to thrive while any weeds die.
But with some crops, the process is different. To combat this, the EWG has been going to large food companies, and encouraging them to tell their farmers that they will not buy grains that have been sprayed with Roundup at the end of the season. Over time, the organization pivoted to be a consumer-facing group with many searchable databases, where consumers can look up products and find out if they contain harmful chemicals one of the most famous being the Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen.
He points out that many of the things the original environmental movement predicted things like solar energy, for instance , which might have seemed far-fetched at the time, have now been proven out. There has proven to be an economic market for these things, and because of this, Cook believes business is poised to be the biggest driver of change going forward.
According to Cook, these are the top 3 things you can do to protect yourself: Watch your diet. It was first cooked up by a charlatan who fudged his data and is no longer allowed to practice medicine in his home country, and the theory has been rejected not just by autism activists but by the federal court system.
In other words, Cook uses his position to scare people silly with projects like the EWG and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and then reaps the rewards in the form of philanthropic grants and donations from regular citizens. He even sits on the board of organizations like The Organic Center, an organic farm-funded nonprofit that has the unintended effect of scaring people away from eating non-organic vegetables by hyping non-existent threats from pesticides.
Cook also ignores the tangible benefits pesticides have provided. Kenneth A. Cook Key Player. Related Organizations.
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