Toxic Free NC’s has a new Executive Director!

We are excited to announce that Program Manager, Dylan Williams, will be taking over as Executive Director on June 1^st of this year! Stay tuned for an open letter from him in the coming weeks, but for now here’s a quick word from him on the transition and future of Toxic Free NC:

“First of all I want to thank Harry Payne for taking on the directorship over the past year. I am grateful for his leadership and guidance during his tenure and especially now as I move toward this new role. I am honored and humbled by this opportunity and look forward to supporting the work of this incredible team, ensuring continued protection of the health of North Carolinians and our environment. Toxics in our daily lives are more pervasive than ever. As industry finds new ways to prescribe need for chemicals in the home, in the field, or on our bodies, we have to remain vigilant and advocate for sound science and protective legislation. I look forward to working with you, for you, and continuing the 30 year legacy of Toxic Free NC. Please feel free to call, write, or stop by our office, as this work can only move forward if we work together!”

Toxic flame retardants policy

Toxic Free NC at the subcommittee table making sure that legislators know that we want toxic chemicals out of our children’s bedding products!

April has been busy leading up to the General Assembly going back into session for the 2016 short session this Monday.   Toxic Free NC was in subcommittee meetings this month with other members of the NC Coalition for Environmental Health as we worked with legislators, firefighters, mothers, doctors, and others to get toxic flame retardants out of bedding products.  Unfortunately, we faced some extreme opposition from the American Chemistry Council and other industry representatives and the Environmental Review Committee in the General Assembly decided not to pursue a ban on these flame retardants this session.  However, the Committee did propose that the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and the Department of Environmental Quality work together to develop a toxics action plan for future consideration to ban these chemicals from bedding and other products.

Our Forest Aren’t Fuel Rally

Toxic Free NC speaks with Charlotte residents about the effects of pesticides in our food system, school, and child care facilities and what we can do to stop it!

Toxic Free NC was in Charlotte this month with many other organizations to support the Our Forests Aren’t Fuel Campaign.  This campaign asks the biofuel industry to stop cutting the Southeast’s forests down for biofuel that they claim in carbon neutral.  The state of the science says this is not so and industry science does not factor in other inputs such as pesticides when growing these trees for “green energy”.  It was great to reconnect with old allies in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area, get some great tours of amazing work being done in the area, and solidify new relationships.  We will be back in Charlotte tabling this Sunday, May 1^st for a Community Garden Dedication at Shalom Park from 10AM to 12:30PM.  Come out and see us!

NC Farmworker Institute

Toxic Free NC and the NC Department of Agriculture teaming up for a informative workshop on the revised WPS (bottom L and R); researchers from Wake Forest University sharing chemical exposure results for farmowrkers (upper R); and advocates address poultry worker concerns (upper L).

Toxic Free NC had the great opportunity to participate in the 2016 NC Farmworkers Institute as a workshop presenter on the revised Worker Protection Standards (WPS).  This event brought together farmworkers, advocates, and researchers from around the state to share current issues facing farmworkers, and strategies for increased enforcement tactics.  It was great to team up with the NC Department of Agriculture for this workshop so that they could hear from the community various strategies that will lead towards a meaningful implementation of the revised rules for protecting farmworkers from pesticides.  Many of the strategies include how to use social media to stay in touch with farmworkers after the grow season, strengthening the relationship between NC Department of Agriculture inspectors and farmworkers, and strategic partnerships between health and faith non-profits and the NC Department of Agriculture.

Got Food?  Thank a Farmworker! 

Celebrate the 17th Annual National Farmworker Awareness Week

Today kicks off National Farmworker Awareness week, which goes from March 24 – March 31!  It is an exceptional opportunity to create awareness around issues that farmworkers face everyday, such as pesticide exposure, harsh working conditions, immigration issues, and perpetually low wages.  Farmworkers are essential to feeding the world, something many of us take for granted everyday.  They are especially crucial to North Carolina’s number one, $78 billon agricultural industry and we have to take this time to take action to support them.  If you know a farmworker, past or present, please thank and honor them this week, and throughout the year, for the hard and essential work they do providing fresh food for you and your family’s table.

Farmworkers in Western NC

Farmworkers across the state face different problems based on the crops they work in, the geographic climate, and political climate of that region.  Click here to read this wonderful blog written by Toxic Free NC’s intern, Brooke Eichenlaub, on issues facing Western NC farmworkers and what our supporters can do to take action to suppot them and their efforts to increase wages, improve housing conditions, and decrease pesticide exposures.

IPM in Child Care, Southeastern North Carolina

Continuing our outreach campaign to get providers and strategic partners on board with our IPM: Plan and Policy initiative for child care, earlier this month we met with the Region’s Environmental Health Inspectors and leadership at East Coast Migrant Head Start.

The Environmental Health Inspectors, whose responsibilities include biannual inspections of pest control of child care centers, provided some great insight into how we can decrease exposure to pesticides in child care facilities. Mainly, there is not a formalized pesticide record-keeping procedure which leave the inspectors with an unclear picture of what pest management practices are being implemented. We were happy to report that our IPM policy we are moving child care centers to adopt requires and relies on much stronger communication and record-keeping. We let the Environmental Health Inspectors know that they can ask for the pesticide logs at centers that have our IPM certification sticker!

We were also able to present at the Telamon Health Advisory Committee meeting, which included leadership from the Southeastern Migrant Head Starts. With farmworker children especially vulnerable to exposure to pesticides, it is a pleasure to work along side such dedicated individuals who help ensure their health and safety. Thanks again for the invite, and we look forward to seeing you at the next one!

Educating Migrant Education on the revised Worker Protection Standards

Last week, Toxic Free NC was asked to present on the revised WPS at the annual Migrant Education Program Outreach Worker Regional Conferences in Smithfield and Winston Salem alongside other program officials and the NC Department of Health and Human Services.  This presentation was crucial in educating outreach workers on the new standards, such as children under 18 not handling, mixing, or applying pesticides, so that they may identify potential violations on outreach trips.  We had some great conversations concerning what outreach workers can do to increase enforcement efforts, how this effects the populations that they work with, and why the revised WPS is a crucial tool in decreasing workers’ exposure to pesticides.  We were so appreciative for the opportunity to speak and look forward to continuing the conversation with them and providing resources to help their clients and their community!

Toxic Free NC traveled to Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender counties to deliver our IPM: Plan and Policy training. Over 150 child care providers attended the trainings and were provided with information and tools to ensure the safest pest management at their child care facility. Many have begun the certification process, we’d like to highlight The Puddle Jumpers, Pat’s Toyland Preschool, and  Rhonda’s Precious Gems, for completing the certification this month and encourage parents and providers to move their center to join the movement!

Program Manager, Dylan Williams (bottom right) and attendees in Whiteville go over the importance of protecting children and staff at child care centers from the exposure to pesticides. (Photo Credit: Wallyce Todd)

A huge thank you to everyone who was able to attend a training despite the busy life of child care and early childhood development. We look forward to helping your center be among the safest and healthiest in the state!

We’d also like to thank the Smart Starts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties for their active participation and support of this important work.  Their resources and connections in the community are the reason we were able to turn out as many folks as we did for this first round of trainings. Thank you!

Toxic Free NC in the news…

Toxic Free NC was recently featured on WECT in Wilmington while conducting IPM trainings in multiple counties in the Southeast.Check out Toxic Free NC’s Program Manager, Dylan Williams, discussing the benefits of IPM in child care facilities and what we can do to get pesticides out of the places where children live, learn, and play.

Chemical Companies Consolidate

Earlier this month, Chinese, state-run chemical company ChemChina agreed to buy Swiss pesticide and seed giant, Syngenta, for $43 million making it China’s largest outbound acquisition ever.  Given the size of the merger and the other recent consolidations within the agricultural industry, there are some serious questions that must be addressed in regards to how this will affect the global food supply trade.  Click here to read Toxic Free NC’s analysis of how this merger will affect North Carolina’s grower, farmworkers, and consumers.

Meeting with Senator Burr to get labeling on toxic products

(L to R: Beth Messersmith (MomsRising); Mateland Mayes (owner, My Sisters’ Natural); Gath Regan (Deputy Director of Economic Development with Senator Burr’s office; Preston Peck (Toxic Free NC)

Toxic Free NC’s Policy Advocate, Preston Peck, NC MomsRising’s Beth Messersmith, and Mateland Mayes, owner of My Sisters’ Natural, met with Garth Regan from Senator’s Richard Burr’s office to discuss the Senator’s leadership on the Personal Care Products Safety Act (S.1014).  This act would require that personal care products be labeled with their ingredients and regulated through the Food and Drug Administration.  It has been over 75 years since there was any legislation passed regarding ingredients in personal care products, and since then, many of the products have been found to contain toxic ingredients such as lead in lipstick.  We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Burr’s office as he provides leadership in the U.S. Senate to move this issue forward.

Thanks for your feedback on our website!

We received some extremely helpful responses about how we can effectively use our website to get information out about reducing toxics in North Carolina.  Thank you to all of those that chose to fill out our survey and congratulations to Mario Sugus who was randomly selected from the respondents to receive some Toxic Free NC swag and Burt’s Bees bath products!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2016! As we move forward together with our work to transition North Carolina to a toxic free society, we want to take a moment and thank everyone that generously chose to support us with their end-of-year contributions.  Together, we raised tens of thousands of dollars to support our work to eliminate pesticides and other toxics from our bodies and our environment.  A huge thank you from the Toxic Free NC team! We look forward to working with you towards our shared goal of a toxic-free North Carolina.

Interns Needed!

Are you, or do you know of, an undergrad student that is looking for a PAID Summer internship?  Toxic Free NC is working with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to provide an 8-week paid summer internship in public policy.  Click here to view the details, but hurry as applications are due Tuesday, February 2 by Noon.

We Need Your Input on Our New Website!

Now that our new website has launched, we need input from the community on how we can make it an effective and useful tool. Please take a few minutes to check out our website and fill out this brief survey with your thoughts! Also, feel free to email us you thoughts and suggestions to info@toxicfreenc.org. Participants will be automatically entered to win some Toxic Free NC swag and some Burt’s Bees bath products! Thanks in advance for your input!

Policy Update

The NC Pesticide Board Meeting was earlier this month and you can read Toxic Free NC’s full notes from the meeting on our new website.  Some of the main topics covered during the meeting were a request for aerial spray height limitation exemption for a pheromone used to treat the Gypsy Moth; a Worker Protection Standards update from the NC Department of Agriculture; two request for funding from the Pesticide Environmental Trust Fund; and a presentation from Toxic Free NC’s Policy Advocate, Preston Peck, on the effects of neonicotinoids on North Carolina’s Blue Crab.  We will maintain a presence at the Board meetings and continue to request to be on the agenda to let the Board know that there are many topics of concern to our supporters and we are there to be the voice of human and environmental health in NC!

IPM in child care, coming soon to the Southeast!

Toxic Free NC will be visiting the Smart Starts of Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, Pender, and New Hanover counties to train child care centers on pesticide safety and least-toxic Integrated Pest Management practices. The training includes a workshop on how to become IPM certified through Toxic Free NC and ensure common-sense pest management is practiced at your center!  Click here for more details!

[ Not in our current target area, but interested in participating? Both Parents/Guardians and Center Directors can contact Dylan Williams: Dylan@toxicfreenc.org for more information ]

Toxic Free NC Turns 30!

Toxic Free NC has fought pesticide pollution since 1986 and this year marks the 30^th year that we have stayed true to that fight.  We have won several victories along they way including, forcing the NC Pesticide Board to create an interagency task-force to study groundwater contamination by pesticides, increased buffer zones for aerial pesticide spraying, increased protections for farmworkers through the revised Worker Protection Standards, and increase protection for pollinators by pressuring corporations, like Bayer CropScience, to act responsibly.  As long as there are pesticides and other toxics in our homes and environments we will continue to watchdog regulatory bodies, advocate for policies that put human and environmental health first, and intentionally work to be a more inclusive and equitable organization that pushes back against environmental injustices.  Please stay tuned for more events throughout 2016 as we celebrate the last 30 years while preparing for the next 30 years!