Right now, Congress is in the final stretch of deliberation over legislation that will decide the future of our national chemical regulation – and we need to take this opportunity to have our voices heard. In 1976, after years of unfettered environmental degradation, and skyrocketing chronic diseases, learning disabilities, and other health issues, Congress passed …
VPIRG and the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Vermont, alongside our legislative and national allies, are calling for greater transparency and consumer protection from harmful chemicals in our cosmetics and their fragrance components. In January, H. 706, an act relating to the disclosure of cosmetic ingredients, was introduced in the House Committee on Human …
The 2016 Vermont legislative session is here! VPIRG is excited to build on the nearly 45 years of success that we have achieved together and continue working in the State House to protect our environment, watch out for consumers and put Vermont on a path to a sustainable future. Click on a program name below to …
Read the 2015 Trouble in Toyland report to help you avoid potentially hazardous toys. For the past 30 years, US PIRG Education Fund and Vermont Public Interest Research and Education Fund have conducted an annual survey of toy safety, which has led to over 150 recalls and other regulatory actions and has helped educate the …
Today we won an important victory in the fight to protect our children from toxic chemicals. Over the past few months, the Department of Health and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR) have been working through the rule-making process of Act. 188 to ensure the law is implemented as intended. Despite hearing from industry …
Lawmakers vote to require product-specific disclosure of toxic chemicals! Read More »
Probably a bit like sea salt, according to a new report published in Environmental Science & Technology. We’ve known the pervasiveness of microplastic pollution in our lakes and oceans has seriously disrupted marine ecosystems by fooling organisms into thinking it is food, among other things. Now researchers have discovered plastic in common table salt found …
Just hours before planned events at Macy’s stores in ten states calling attention to the retailer’s sale of some furniture products containing toxic flame retardant chemicals, Macy’s announced it would end the practice. As part of the Mind the Store campaign, VPIRG and other public health and environmental groups around the country had been pressuring …
As we learn more about the impact that microbeads have on our environment, Vermonters are realizing they are something to be afraid of this Halloween. Microbeads are small plastic beads added to things like toothpaste and face washes to help with exfoliation. A recent article in the Washington Post noted that up to 8 trillion …
Kids seem to often have a better ability to recognize problems than adults do. This was certainly the case in a Windsor classroom this week as I spoke with middle school students about two major environmental issues we’re facing today- microbeads in personal care products and ever-present plastic bags. To the students, it’s simple: we …
VT students research innovative solutions to our plastic woes Read More »
The United Nations Environment Programme has released a new report in which it recommends a ban on microplastics, including microbeads, found in personal care products. The report states, “for the last 50 years, microparticles of plastic, or microplastics, have been used in personal care products and cosmetics, replacing natural options in a large number of …
