Join the Pesticide Action Network and Make a Difference

Regular readers of The Delicious Truth know how seriously I take the issue of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, artificial colors and other synthetic additives and their link to the explosion of chronic diseases, especially in children.

To show my commitment to the cause, I will personally match the $35 membership fee of the first 15 people who join the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), an organization that is doing important policy work on our behalf. Simply click here to become a member and help limit the harmful farming practices that affect us all.

Last week I met with Kathryn Gilje, PAN’s Executive Director, and Bev Becker, Director of Donor Relations, who articulated PAN’s goals, which center on protecting our health from pesticide exposure.

A major PAN focus is on “winnable” battles against persistent pesticides, chemicals that remain in the environment for generations, according to Gilje.

“There are very few persistent pesticides left in the United States,” Gilje said. “One is endosulfan, which we hope will be banned in the next three months.”

(Click here to read more about endosulfan.)

Gilje sees openings for PAN’s agenda, especially since Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been a receptive listener to PAN and other like-minded groups.

But public action—by regular people like you and me—is essential. PAN regularly creates simple on-line petitions that are electronically forwarded to the appropriate elected officials.

“Each e-mail is important,” Gilje said. “The EPA needs to see the public willingness and the political support for these changes.”

(Tomorrow: More on PAN's work.)