The Strategy Center Blog

Thanks to you, we had a major win for public health this week. The Maine Legislature unanimously passed a first-in the-nation bill banning two toxic industrial chemicals from food packaging. When signed into law, it will also clear the way for restricting additional harmful chemicals from food packaging. The bill is now on Maine Governor Janet Mill’s desk, awaiting her expected signature. Update, 6/13/19: Governor Mills just signed this bill into law! This win belongs to you. It comes thanks to...+ Read more

Our recent work tackling toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) has taken us from farm fields in rural Maine to the nation’s capital. Here’s a peek into our efforts on the state and national fronts to tackle the growing crisis of PFAS contamination in our food, water, and soil. On the National Front Earlier this month, I joined parents, children, farmers, and others directly impacted by PFAS contamination from around the country in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress...+ Read more

In our home state of Maine this week, LD 1433, the Safe Food Packaging Act, which would phase out toxic PFAS chemicals and phthalates from food packaging , passed the Maine Legislature's Environment and Natural Resources Committee with a strong bipartisan vote of 9-2. "Beautiful Maine, the state where my wife and I spent our honeymoon and bring our children to visit, can be a strong leader by limiting PFAS and phthalates in food." —Dr. Leo Trasande, M.D., M.P.P. We are especially grateful to...+ Read more

New PFAS Pollution Concern Spurs Ask for Senate Committee Investigation In their classic critique of the public relations industry, Toxic Sludge is Good For You! , authors John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton take apart propaganda-for-hire tactics. In one chapter, they detail how a devilish euphemism transformed the dumping of sewage sludge into the beneficial reuse of “biosolids.” What the name change failed to cover up, however, are the toxic chemicals, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl...+ Read more

Last week was a busy one at the Strategy Center. On Tuesday, we stood with Maine dairy farmer Fred Stone and one of his cows, Lida Rose, on a farmland ridge along the Kennebunk River in Arundel, Maine. Mr. Stone testified to the media about the devastating chemical contamination discovered more than two years ago that has since ruined his cows' milk, farm, and livelihood. The culprit? Toxic PFAS, or per- and perfluoroalkyl substances, found in industrial waste and sewage sludge spread on his...+ Read more

Do you think families deserve food that doesn’t come wrapped in harmful chemicals? The fact is, toxic chemicals are entering our food supply through processing and packaging. And they pose significant health risks, particularly to pregnant women and children. In an effort to overcome federal government inaction, the Strategy Center is urging national retailers to make changes in the marketplace , and calling on our home state of Maine to pass legislation that gets two classes of toxic chemicals...+ Read more

I’m Nika Beauchamp, and I manage communications at the Environmental Health Strategy Center. My coworkers and I work hard—and you make our work possible. To do my job well, I closely follow and share news about toxic chemicals and the people whose health and lives they wreck. I feel strongly about keeping you up-to-date on the flood of strong research and even tragedies that show why your support is so important. This year, I’ve been doing my job while pregnant for the first time. My baby...+ Read more

The voters have spoken! The recent election results were a vote of confidence in government leadership to ensure that all Americans are healthy and thriving. We know that investment in public health protections—including a safe, toxic-free environment—is the best way to keep health care affordable and to prevent diseases, disabilities, and early death. The electorate also soundly repudiated government leadership that seeks to divide rather than unite us, and that favors petrochemical industry...+ Read more

We need the food industry as a whole to take action to eliminate any and all sources of toxic phthalates in food. But even with rising consumer concern, restaurants and food retailers are failing to take public action to help eliminate these toxic chemicals in their food and supply chains! That's the alarming finding from a new report out today. Every restaurant graded in the new #MindTheStore report on toxic chemicals—including Starbucks, Subway, Panera, and McDonald’s—scored an F for lack of...+ Read more

Congratulations to Charlotte Mace, executive director of our partner Biobased Maine and sustainable economy program director at the Strategy Center, for winning the Maine Development Foundation ’s 2018 Champion for Economic Development for Innovation award! With this award, the Maine Development Foundation recognized Charlotte’s work and leadership at Biobased Maine in bringing the emerging bioeconomy to Maine, helping to revitalize rural communities with high-paying jobs that help keep...+ Read more