Just in time for the holiday shopping season, I'm proud to announce today CHEJ released our latest report, Pass Up the Poison Plastic - The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home. The guide lists the most common consumer products made out of PVC and safer PVC-free products in 80 product categories including:

• Baby care products
• Building materials
• Children's toys
• Electronics
• School and office supplies, and more!

It also includes the top ten reasons for purchasing PVC-free products, quick tips for avoiding PVC, a listing of common household products that may contain PVC, information on simple actions consumers can take for safer products and a healthier environment, and more.

 

Download your copy today and demand safer, healthier products by purchasing PVC-free items for your home and for your loved ones this holiday season.

 

We hope that your organization will consider promoting the guide to your networks.  To that end:

* A sample 1 paragraph blurb about the guide is copied below, which can be put in e-newsletters and/or on websites;

* A longer e-mail announcement is copied below, which can be forwarded to list-servs, supporters, etc.

* The guide can be downloaded here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/852/t/2092/signUp.jsp?key=3845

* Our press release announcing the guide is at: http://besafenet.com/pvc/media.htm

 

If you have any questions or think can help promote the guide, let me know!

 

For a safer, toxic-free future,

 

Mike Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment and Justice

 

1) Pargraph describing guide for websites and e-newsletters:

 

Just Released!  The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home

 

Worried about toxic chemicals in toys, baby products, and your home?  Just in time for the holidays, a brand new PVC-free product guide has been released: Pass Up the Poison Plastic - The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home. The guide lists the most common consumer products made out of PVC and safer PVC-free alternatives including baby products, children's toys, electronics, and more.   Download your copy today at CHEJ's website. Help promote the guide by writing about it on your blog, website, facebook, or myspace page letting consumers know about this new resource.  If you make a gift of $100 or more to CHEJ to support their work to prevent harm caused by environmental threats like PVC, they'll also mail you a hard copy of the guide - printed on on recycled, chlorine-free paper with soy ink - and a special wallet-sized plastics guide.

 

2) E-mail announcement for guide:

 

Hi all,

 

I know you're worried about toxic chemicals in the products that you use, so I wanted you to be the first to know about CHEJ's newest resource: Pass Up the Poison Plastic - The PVC-Free Guide for Your Family & Home.

 

Download your copy today and demand safer, healthier products by purchasing PVC-free items for your home and for your loved ones this holiday season.  After you download it, be sure to forward this email to your friends and family to help us build consumer consciousness.

 

The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice (CHEJ) put together Pass Up the Poison Plastic to prevent harm and to empower you to find safer solutions to PVC, the poison plastic.   PVC, also known as vinyl, is the worst plastic for our health and environment, releasing dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer, from their manufacture to their disposal.  The guide lists the most common consumer products made out of PVC and safer PVC-free products.

 

Please consider making an investment today in CHEJ to support our work to prevent harm caused by environmental threats like PVC.  If you give $100 or more to CHEJ, they'll mail you a hard copy of the PVC-free guide - printed on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper with soy ink - and a special wallet-sized plastics guide, to show our appreciation for your support.

 

The guide features a listing of PVC-free products in 80 product categories including:

• Baby care products
• Building materials
• Children's toys
• Electronics
• School and office supplies, and more!

Download your copy today, and help spread the message about safer alternatives to PVC by forwarding this e-mail to your friends, family, and co-workers.

 

For a toxic-free future,

 

Mike Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator

Center for Health, Environment and Justice

 

P.S. If you make a gift of $100 or more to CHEJ, they'll mail you a hard copy of the guide - printed on recycled, chlorine-free paper with soy ink - and a special wallet-sized plastics guide. 

This year, when you send your kids off to school, send them off in style - PVC-free!

The Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) has created the first-ever Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies so you can make smarter and healthier shopping choices for your kids, family and environment.

Get your free copy right now. Help us spread the word by forwarding it to all the other parents you know!

Why Shop for PVC-Free School Supplies?

Children's school supplies, such as lunchboxes, backpacks and binders, are often made out of PVC -- the poison plastic. These products often contain toxic chemical additives, such as phthalates and lead, that can leach out or evaporate into the air -- posing unnecessary dangers to your children. Children are at risk from even small exposures to these toxic chemicals. That's why it's especially important to purchase PVC-free school supplies.

To help you making make safer and healthier choices, CHEJ's researchers compiled this brand new guide of the most common back-to-school supplies made out of PVC plastic and provided safer PVC-free alternatives.

Get CHEJ's new Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies and make your essential back to school shopping free of the poison plastic.

We're sure you'll find it useful.

PS - Help build a healthier future for children by telling parents you know.

..>..>

Sears/Kmart Become Latest Retail Giants To Phase Out Toxic PVC Plastic, Major Source Of Lead, Phthalates, And Dioxin Exposure CHEJ Wins Trifecta as 3rd Big Box Giant Moves to Prevent Harm for Consumers Sparked by a national campaign led by CHEJ, together with a coalition of health and environmental organizations, today Sears Holdings (Sears and Kmart) has announced its plans to begin phasing out products and packaging containing the toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, commonly known as vinyl. [read full release] [learn more about Sears' commitment]

We did it!

After a national campaign by CHEJ and a coalition of health and environmental organizations, Target has agreed to systematically reduce its use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, commonly known as vinyl.

The company is reducing PVC found in many of its products including infant products, children's toys, shower curtains, packaging and fashion accessories.

* Learn about the victory!  Visit http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/media_resources_for_target_and_pvc.htm

* Take action! Visit http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/action.htm for the top ten ways you can take action for a toxic-free future.

* Read all about the victory in the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119431301352883368.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Advocates purchased toys and child-care products from stores at several different locations in greater Boston and tested them for lead.

Read the press release at http://besafenet.com/pvc/newsreleases/ma_lead_toys_news_release.htm

Check out photos of the event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chej/sets/72157602182316195/detail/

Read the article in the NY Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/business/27toys.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Wal-Mart has taken significant steps to phase out PVC over the past two years, but continues to sell toxic toys made with PVC and phthalates.  A new report looks at how Wal-Mart has the power to shift global markets away from PVC and phthalates in children's toys. 

Read the press release at http://besafenet.com/pvc/newsreleases/wal-mart_sustainability_report_release.htm

Read the report at http://www.bbc.wikispaces.net/space/showimage/CounterSustainability

Toys R Us is pulling all vinyl baby bibs from their store shelves after testing by the Center for Environmental Health found PVC baby bibs sold by the retailer contained high levels of lead.

Check it out at http://www.cehca.org/press-releases/lead-in-baby-bibs/legal-action-leads-to-massive-vinyl-bib-recall/

A national study released today by the Toxics In Packaging Clearinghouse found toxic heavy metals in over 60% of PVC packaging it tested, which violates laws in 19 states.

Read the press release at http://besafenet.com/pvc/newsreleases/packaging_news_release.htm

Read the report at www.toxicsinpackaging.org

While Target shareholders attended the company's annual meeting in Cleveland today, protests, press conferences and letters were delivered to store managers at over 200 stores across the country.
Read the news release. Print out copies of our USA Today ad.
Check out new report, Way Off Target and see pictures from events around the country. Take action and sign our petition to Target.

Sign Up for the PVC Target Day of Action - May 24th (please repost)

Join CHEJ and groups from around the country fighting for safe and healthy communities at a national PVC Day of Action on May 24th to urge retail giant Target to phase out PVC, the poison plastic. Sign up today at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/CHEJ/signUp.jsp?key=2140&t=PVCsignup.dwt

Unfortunately Target lags behind Wal-Mart and other major retailers in phasing out this unnecessary and dangerous plastic. From production in poor Louisiana communities to disposal in landfills and incinerators, PVC plastic releases poisonous chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects. The good news is safer alternatives are available - we don't have to use PVC in our kid's toys or shower curtains.

We know Target can do much better, but we need your help to convince them once and for all. Sign up for the May 24th PVC Day of Action now and help protect our health from the poison plastic at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/CHEJ/signUp.jsp?key=2140&t=PVCsignup.dwt.

Help us make the May 24th day of action bigger and better. At October's day of action, events were held at 30 Target stores in 14 states nationwide (check out some of the great photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chej/sets/72157594331185554/). Since then, over 40,000 people have urged Target to phase out the poison plastic. We need your help to keep the pressure on. The May 24th day of action will take place in conjunction with Target's annual shareholder meeting, and will feature the release of a new national report on Target's PVC products and packaging. Learn why we're focusing on Target at http://www.besafenet.com/pvc/target_factsheet.htm

Putting together an event is fun and easy, and can be as small as you and a friend or as big as dozens of people outside of your area Target store (visit this site to find the Target store nearest you: http://sites.target.com/site/en/spot/page.jsp?title=store%5Flocator%5Fnew&ref=nav%5Fstore%5Flocator) releasing the report, handing out flyers, holding a protest, etc. You can even organize an event outside a major pollution source, such as an area landfill, or incinerator, and connect Target's sale of PVC products with the disposal of them in your community. We can provide you with an easy-to-follow organizing kit to put together an event, a report to release in your community, flyers to hand out, signs to hold, a letter you can deliver to the store manager, and more. If you've never participated in an event like this, don't worry - we can walk you through the simple steps of putting together an effective event in your community.

Join our day of action. Get involved and sign up now at http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/CHEJ/signUp.jsp?key=2140&t=PVCsignup.dwt