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Today I asked Walgreens to take steps to remove toxic chemicals from the products they sell. Here’s how it all went down.
Remember when I was pushed a bit outside my comfort zone [2] and went into the Disney store to deliver my petition? Well I’m at it again and this time I’m asking Walgreens to Mind the Store.
What is the Mind the Store campaign?
“The federal government isn’t minding the store, so the stores need to mind the store,” Andy Igrejas of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families – USA Today [3].
[4]I’m working with several other bloggers and Safer Chemicals Healthy Families on their new campaign called Mind the Store. Together we’re asking the nation’s top 10 retailers to avoid carrying what are being calling the Hazardous 100+ [5] toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals have been linked to cancer,infertility [6], learning and developmental disabilities [6], behavioral problems,obesity, diabetes, and asthma.
Our concern is that certain chemicals could be present in some of the consumer products on the shelves in the store. Those same toxic chemicals may be found in the bodies of newborn babies, children, adults and in household dust and indoor air, in our food and really everywhere.
Most of the 10 retailers have taken some steps to move away from toxics (which is fantastic!), but don’t have an internal chemical policy. Safer Chemicals Healthy Families goal is to work with them to develop these policies.
My job was to visit Walgreens and explain the Mind the Store campaign. I was happy to have Walgreens as my assigned store since they have already taken steps to reduce their environmental impact and improve sustainability by launching their own line of products free of parabens, pthalates, formaldehyde and other toxins. Here’s another chance for them to be an industry leader.
Here I am just before heading into Walgreens.
My visit to Walgreens
Right outside Walgreens I ran into a woman I knew from our preschool. Perfect timing. She was enlisted to take a few photos of me with the letter I was about to deliver to Walgreens. I went inside and asked to speak with the store manager. He was extremely nice and listed we had a great conversation about the Mind the Store Campaign. He explained to me that there’s not much he can do at the store level-any change really has to come from the corporate office. I asked him to send the letter on to the CEO of Walgreen and he agreed. I tried to grab a photo with him, but that’s where he drew the line.
What we’re asking
We will continue to ask Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act, but in the meantime we want retailers to determine if they have any of the Hazardous 100+ in the products they sell. If they do we want them to create a timeline to address these chemicals including reducing, eliminating or safely substituting the chemicals.
How you can help
Join us in telling the top 10 retailers in the US [6] that it’s time to get tough on toxic chemicals and move away from the Hazardous 100+ [5]. Together we can really start to move the marketplace towards safer chemicals. Click HERE to add your personal message to all ten stores.
Check out some of the other amazing bloggers participating in this campaign.
- Shane from Environmental Booty [7] visited Target.
- Anne from Flour Sack Mama [8] visited Costco.
- Becki from Organic Aspirations [9] visited Best Buy.
- Katy from Non-Toxic Kids [10] talks about the Mind the Store campaign.
- Harriet from Climate Mama [11] shares a campaign overview.
- Sommer from Green & Clean Mom [12] visited Walmart and has to go back again!
- Molly from Moms Clean Air Force [13] headed to Safeway with Laura from Laura’s Rules [14].
- Anna from Green Talk [15] went to Lowes since she’s passionate about green building.
I’ll add more as they go live!