Generation Green Annual Report June, 2001
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Table of Contents
Mission
History and Accomplishments
Membership
Public Education
Grass Roots Organizing
Parent Friendly Materials
Sponsoring Board
Program Overview
Healthy Harvest
Healthy Schools
Financial Report
Organizational Structure
Mission
Generation Green and its 20,000 member families organize parents to advocate for corporate and governmental policies that will allow children to grow protected from unnecessary exposure to toxins. Generation Green has three objectives: 1) To educate the public and policymakers about the negative impact of childhood exposure to toxic substances; 2) To advocate for a public policy that requires substances to be proven safe prior to use, and; 3) To build the organizational basis for a long term and effective public lobby with a special emphasis on parents.
History and Accomplishments
Generation Green began in June, 1998 to give parents an effective voice in corporate and
governmental policies that will allow children to grow up protected from unnecessary exposure to toxins. To ensure the effectiveness of its grassroots organizing activity, Generation Green works closely with other national organizations to coordinate with their research, policy work, direct lobbying and media activities. In the first three years of operation, Generation Green has
accomplished the following:
Membership
Twenty thousand families have joined Generation Green. Generation Green’s
experienced membership team talks one on one to 1,000 people a week keeping
them informed and getting them involved. These conversations are supplemented
with a regular newsletter, Action Kits and a monthly action alert system delivered
electronically or by mail.
Public Education
Because information overload and scare stories are as likely to alienate
individuals as motivate them, Generation Green’s parent-friendly, parent-focused
outreach emphasizes personal communication and constructive action. For example,
Generation Green participates in family and women’s expositions. At these events,
people visit various booths to learn about consumer products or services. The
Generation Green booth is both fun and informational, creating an environment
conducive to educating people. For example, people can sign up for a raffle of safe
and environmentally friendly products or get free samples of these items. At the
family oriented events, a table of Legos (a PVC-free toy product line) keeps
children busy while outreach workers talk to parents. Raffi, co-chair of Generation
Green’s Sponsoring Board and a nationally known children’s singer, has provided
pencils and stickers for young visitors. And, most importantly, Generation Green
outreach workers have the opportunity to talk with people about the organization’s
policy objectives and ways for people to take action. In 2000, Generation Green
participated in three events. During 2001, Generation Green will be participating in
the National PTA Conference and Kids Are Us events in Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
Grassroots Organizing
Far too often, corporate special interests and politicians determine what
chemicals can be sprayed onto foods and leaked into the water supply. They
determine what the public should know about toxic hazards. That is why Generation Green gives families the information and opportunity to make their
voices heard by corporate executives, politicians and regulators. In 2000,
Generation Green members’ voices were heard in the debate about the chemicals
Dursban and Diazinon. Ultimately, the EPA agreed to phase out most uses of these
dangerous pesticides. In 2001, working with Environmental Working Group and the
Healthy Building Network, Generation Green will educate parents and other concerned community members about the health risks posed by wooden playground
equipment treated with arsenic. This project will involve parents in advocating for
governmental regulation and corporate policies that will eliminate the use of this
chemical in the playground environment.
While there has been much in the press about the safe amount of arsenic in drinking
water, arsenic contamination at much higher levels is prevalent in "pressure treated
wood". "Pressure treated wood" is commonly used in children’s play structures,
picnic tables and decks. Arsenic leaches out of wood. While absorption through the
skin is minimal, if ingested it will be easily absorbed. Anyone who observes kids
knows they put their hands in their mouths frequently—between 6 and 45 times an
hour.
Parent Friendly Materials
To support its membership and public education work, Generation Green has
developed "parent friendly" materials. Biodegradable Bob, an environmental
superhero, educates parents about toxic toys and pesticides in food in Generation
Green’s coloring books. Generation Green is in the process of publishing the Healthy
Harvest Cookbook featuring recipes using fruits and vegetables with the least
amount of pesticide residues.
Sponsoring Board
Co-chairs
Raffi-Children’s singer and author
Dr. Lynn Goldman-Pediatrician, epidemiologist and former Assistant Administrator of the EPA.
Other Sponsoring Board Members Include:
Lynne Cherry-Children’s Author
Phil Clapp-President, National Environmental Trust
Ken Cook-President, Environmental Working Group
Jan Schakowsky-U.S. Representative, Illinois
Arlie Schardt-President, Environmental Media Services
Rabbi Daniel Swartz-Executive Director, Children’s Environmental Health Network
Arthur Weissman, Ph.D.-President and CEO, Green Seal
Organizations listed for identification purposes only.
Program Overview, 2000-2001
In 2001-2002, Generation Green will continue working on two campaigns aimed at reducing children’s
exposure to pesticides. In 1993, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report finding that children are
uniquely vulnerable to pesticides, and that government standards for allowable pesticide exposures do not
adequately protect children. Since that time, both federal and state governments have passed an array of
laws aimed at reducing children’s exposure. While some progress has been made, a powerful chemical
industry, uninformed bureaucrats, complexities in the decision-making process, and other factors have
hindered implementation of these laws.
Healthy Harvest Campaign
The Healthy Harvest Campaign is a consumer-oriented campaign aimed at persuading major food
processors and retailers to adopt pesticide tolerance policies that protect children. The centerpiece of
the Healthy Harvest Campaign is a product labeling program based on an ultra low pesticide residue
standard. The labeling program, which is being done in collaboration with Environmental Working Group,
will use forces of the marketplace to pressure companies to adopt pesticide tolerance policies that
protect children.
To support the labeling program, the Healthy Harvest Campaign has two public education strategies. The
first strategy will be to educate the public in a parent-friendly and accessible format by developing and
promoting the Healthy Harvest Cookbook. The Cookbook will educate the public about children’s
environmental health by profiling individuals who have made contributions on these issues, and will
include their favorite recipes using produce with the least amount of pesticide residues. Kelly Preston
(actress, spouse of John Travolta) and Raffi (the most popular children’s singer in North America) are two
of the many people profiled in the Cookbook. The promotional activities for the Cookbook will raise
awareness about pesticide exposure in foods.
The second public education strategy is to launch a grassroots organizing and media campaign, targeting
the apple juice industry because of the prominence of this product in children’s diets and the prevalence
of pesticide residue in apple juice. The Campaign will demonstrate the harm posed to children by
pesticide residue in apple juice, work with the media to tell this story to the public, and organize
consumers and parents to pressure apple juice producers to adopt the Healthy Harvest pledge, an
agreement to adopt pesticide tolerance policies that protect children.
In light of the current climate in Washington any advances to be made in protecting children from
environmental exposure will take place at the state and local levels. Towards that end, Generation
Green has initiated a statewide organizing effort in Illinois around school environmental health issues.
Generation Green will be working with the Children’s Environmental Health Network to promote state
based children’s environmental health organizing.
Healthy Schools Campaign
A growing body of scientific research shows that children are much more vulnerable than adults to
exposure to toxic substances. Outside of the home, children spend more of their waking hours in
classrooms than any other indoor setting, so schools must provide a healthy environment. While many
government agencies, public health organizations and NGO’s are addressing specific aspects of a schools
environmental health, the Healthy Schools Campaign will develop a comprehensive and coordinated plan
to ensure that schools are healthy environments for learning.
The purpose of the Illinois Healthy Schools Campaign is to:
* Advocate for implementation of the Illinois Integrated Pest Management in Schools
Act
* Build a long-term institutional structure for working on school environmental health
issues
* Build an effective lobby of parents and other concerned community members to
advocate for environmentally safe schools.
During the past year, with a modest amount of resources, the Campaign has been successful in bringing
attention to the Chicago Public School System’s failure to comply with the Illinois law requiring IPM use in
schools. In March 2001, the Campaign released a report entitled Poisoned Schools: Invisible Threats,
Visible Actions. Voices for Illinois Children, the Safer Pest Control Project, and Citizen Action/Illinois
joined Generation Green and a number of elected officials at a press conference in Springfield announcing
the release of the report and the Senate resolution. That evening, NBC Channel 5 in Chicago covered the
story, focusing on the Chicago Public Schools’ decision not to comply with the law. The story was also
covered on the evening news in Springfield and Decatur. Within days of this coverage, Chicago Public
School officials announced their intention to develop an IPM program.
Financial Report for 2000
Revenue and Expense Statement for Calendar Year 2000
|
Revenue Foundation Income Contributions Other Total Revenue
Expenses |
80,000 16,940 1,260 456,732
201,376 18,914 12,941 12,576 15,131 7,157 20,885 8,609 48,746 306 40,397 387,038
69,694 |
This statement shows the
revenue and expenses for Calendar Year 2000 for the Generation Green and
Generation Green Fund.
Organizational Structure
Generation Green originated as a project of Citizen Action Network. Two organizations have been
established to house Generation Green’s activities: Generation Green (incorporated as an organization
exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)4 of the IRS Code) and Generation Green Fund (exempt from
taxation under Section 501(c)3 of the IRS Code).