*Click on Links Below:
*Actions You Can Take
*Bills to Support
*Petitions You Can Sign
*Calendar
*United Nations Child Rights and the Environment

Actions You Can Take: Comments & Petitions

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Calls, Emails, Letters and Public Comments You Can Make

Please click here for Bills to Support

🌼😊🍀Please ask your school, university, city, county or state to pass the actions below, if they have not yet.
We can help.  Please reach out to us at CleanEarth4Kids.org.

🍀 A. Stop toxic pesticides to protect our children, water, birds and wildlife, ecosystems, healthy soils, environment and climate.
Join hundreds of cities, counties, universities, schools, HOAs… that do not allow toxic pesticides.
Use the City of Malibu’s Earth Friendly Management policy as an example of IPM (Integrated Pest Management) plan that stops synthetic/man-made pesticides and fertilizers in the city limits. Please watch this video on Pesticide Free Parks.
🔎CleanEarth4Kids.org Team 5 Stop Toxic Pesticides page

🌼Call or send a message to your US representative to support PACTPA (Protect America’s Children From Toxic Pesticides). Click here to find your representative.

🌼Call or email Consuelo Martinez, Escondido City Councilmember District 1
contcmartinez@escondido.org. 760-839-4638

Example:
Dear Councilmember Martinez,
Please stop toxic pesticides on public land in Escondido. All kids, people, birds and wildlife should be safe in Escondido. Our air, water and land should be safe, not poisonous.

🌼Tell the EPA to restrict toxic noenicitinoid pesticides that are wiping out bees and other pollinators and threatening our food supply. Click here to sign the petition.

🍀 B. Please pass a public smoking ban, like the city of Encinitas, CA, and others.
Please pass a multi-family building ordinance to stop smoking and vaping.
Please stop the sale of all smoking products, like Manhattan Beach, Beverly Hills and others. Protect our lungs, hearts, brains and lives from toxic 2nd and 3rd hand smoke.
(Cigarette butts, e-cigarettes and vapes are toxic plastic waste that poison water, birds, wildlife and our environment.)
🔎Team 3: Smoking and Vaping Hurt Your Lungs page of  CleanEarth4Kids.org
🔎 Team 3: Clean Air Saves Lives page of CleanEarth4Kids.org

🍀 C. Please protect our health from toxic wood smoke.  Please stop wood smoke on public land and stop wood burning fireplaces & stoves in new construction.
Please click here for our Stop Wood Smoke video, created by Judith on our Youth Board.
🔎 More Info Team3: No Wood Smoke page

🍀  D. Please stop plastic grass/artificial/synthetic turf. Toxic chemicals, PFAS “forever chemicals,” lead, and heavy metals have been found. Synthetic turf has a much higher injury rate. That is why the NFL players union wants to play on real grass and the US Women’s Soccer Team sued to play on real grass like the US  men’s team.
🔎More Info on Team 5: Stop Synthetic/Artificial Turf page, Team 5: Stop PFAS on CleanEarth4Kids.org

🍀 E. Stop the sale, use and storage of leaded aviation fuel. There is NO safe level of lead. Please click here to sign on to our letter.

Lead is especially toxic to children and fetal development.  It damages children's brains and nervous system, lowers IQ scores, slows their growth and development, harms muscle coordination, speech, language and causes behavior problems.  And these impacts are lifelong.

Approximately 70% of airborne lead in the U.S. comes from piston-engine aircraft. These aircraft are the largest remaining source of lead pollution in our air.

Click here for more info, or info from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Help us #GetTheLeadOut!

🍀 F.  Please set a 100% renewable energy goal and please pass a building electrification ordinance.
#ElectricNotGas   #ElectrifyEverything   #CleanAirSavesLives   #ClimateAction
Natural gas (methane) is a dangerous air pollutant that harms lungs and climate.
Here is a link to our Dangers of Natural Gas video, created by our youth.
🔎 More Info on our Team 3: Clean Air Page and our Action Plan for Cities…

🍀 G. Clean Air Saves Lives. Please install No Idling and No smoking signs.
🔎 More Info: Team3: No Idling Page,  Team 3: Clean Air Page, and  Contests pages on CleanEarth4Kids.org. 

🌼😊🍀Please help us support important Bills to protect public health, clean air and water, healthy soils, pollinators and wildlife, public lands, education, racial, social, climate and environmental justice. 

🍀🌼😊🍀 Clean Air Saves Lives. Please ask the EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) to adopt the World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines, 2021. Reduce toxic pollution, including PM, particulate matter levels in our air.

• Send an email to EPA Director Michael Regan at Regan.Michael@epa.gov and CARB Chair Liane Randolph at Liane.Randolph@arb.ca.gov

• Link & our Team 3 air pollution page for more info

• Sample comment, you may edit:
  Air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to our health. Reducing air pollution levels will save lives, reducing strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and respiratory diseases like asthma, birth defects, still birth, pre-birth and low birth weight babies..  Air pollution was estimated to cause nearly 7 million premature deaths worldwide yearly.
  Please adopt the WHO Air Quality Guidelines, 2021 and do all you can to stop the burning of fossil fuels, wood and biomass.
  Please stop false solutions like Carbon Capture (Direct Air Capture) that produce more fossil fuel pollution than they take in. This false solution only benefits the fossil fuel industry.

🌼😊🍀Please ask your city, state, university, pension system, business, bank… to divest from fossil fuels.

• In California, support SB 252 Bill would require the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) to divest from oil and gas companies.  They have over 11 billion in fossil fuels and are the largest public pension funds in the US.

• Send letters and comments in support to Trevor Taylor, Legislative Director for the bill’s sponsor, Senator Lena Gonzalez.

• Click here to send email (trevor.taylor@sen.ca.gov).

• Link &link to more information on divestment

Please click here for Bills to Support

Ban the Sale, Use and Storage of Leaded Fuel Sign-On Letter

Click here to sign on to our letter.

• There is no safe level of lead, according to the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Lead is a toxic heavy metal. 

• Lead is especially toxic to children and fetal development.  It damages children's brains and nervous system, lowers IQ scores, slows their growth and development, harms muscle coordination, speech, language and causes behavior problems.  And these impacts are lifelong.

• Approximately 70% of airborne lead in the U.S. comes from piston-engine aircraft. 
  These aircraft are the largest remaining source of lead pollution in our air.

• Click here for more info. Help us #GetTheLeadOut!

Stop Synthetic Turf Sign-On Letter

Click here to sign our letter to protect our kids from toxic chemicals, PFAS, lead and heavy metals found in plastic grass/artificial synthetic turf.

• Synthetic turf contains toxic chemicals
  Doctors, nurses, health professionals, university professors, and children's health organizations are deeply concerned about the toxic, cancer-causing chemicals, PAHs, benzene, PFAS “forever chemicals,” lead and heavy metals that have been found in the plastic blades of grass, backing, crumb rubber and other infill.

• Synthetic turf is dangerous to athletes.  Synthetic turf fields are full of bacteria and must be regularly cleaned with chemicals.  Turf burns from synthetic turf can become infected with bacteria like staph and MRSA which can be life threatening. 
  An EPA study found MRSA on 70% of fields tested.

  Synthetic turf increases injuries.  According to an NFL Players Association (NFLPA) study, playing and practicing on synthetic turf increases the chance of a lower extremity injury with a 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries compared to grass. The NFLPA and the AFL-CIO have called for all NFL fields to be natural grass.

• Click here for more info on the dangers of artificial grass/synthetic turf.

Light Shows- NOT Fireworks at SeaWorld Sign-On Letter

Click here to sign our letter to stop SeaWorld fireworks!

• We want clean air and 💧🌊🐬water- NOT pollution & toxic chemicals, PTSD & lost 🐾pets!

• Fireworks can put out heavy metals and other pollution into the air which can drift miles and miles.

• Click here for more info on the dangers of fireworks.

Ongoing Comments

Ask the City of Oceanside, CA to take actions to protect our health

• Email comments to CityClerk@OceansideCA.org. Sample comments, you may edit:

  • Stop leasing land to West Coast Tomatoes. They not only have worker violations, but they also use toxic pesticides near homes and schools. They use over 90,000 pounds of 70 different pesticidees every year. They use pesticides like diazinon and cyfluthrin which are banned in many countries around the world. They are being used 100 feet away from homes and 1/2 mile from Mission Vista High School! The EU bans 195 pesticides, China bans 54 and the US only bans 21. Link for more info.

  • Stop the sale of leaded aviation fuel at the Oceanside airport. The Oceanside Municipal Airport only sells jet fuel and leaded AVGAS. Lead is a dangerous neurotoxin. Lead is cumulative poison especially toxic to children and unborn babies. There is NO safe level of lead. Planes flying everyday from the airport are poisoning Oceanside with lead. Link for more info.

  • Stop wood fire pits at the Harbor. Wood smoke is toxic. Burning 10 pounds of wood in 1 hour releases the same amount of cancer causing PAHs as 6,000 packs of cigarettes. Wood smoke is a complex mixture of gases and fine particles, called particulate matter or PM. PM2.5 is so small, it can enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier. There is a growing body of research that clearly shows that wood smoke increases the risk of serious health outcomes including asthma, heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and brain conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia. Burning wood harms the climate; it releases carbon dioxide, short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) like black carbon along with methane. Link for more info.

  • Put up No Smoking Signs. People are smoking in public places, filling the air with cancer-causing secondhand smoke. There are cigarette butts everywhere at the Oceanside Harbor and city parks which is plastic pollution that ends up in our streams, rivers and ocean. Please educate people on not smoking and not littering.

  • Put up No Idling signs with children’s art to remind people to turn off their engines when they are parked and educate the public on the dangers of exhaust. Car exhaust is full of toxic chemicals like benzene and carbon monoxide. 1 minute of idling puts more carbon monoxide into the air than smoking 3 packs of cigarettes. Idling is a source of air pollution and even short term exposure to air pollution increases the risk of Covid. Link to article. Link to more info.

  • Adopt an ordinance to stop the use of polystyrene foam, lighter-than-air balloons and single-use plastics. Link to more info.

  • Purchase open space and increase wetlands restoration

  • Take climate action. Set a goal of 100% clean, renewable energy, encourage the adoption of electric lawn equipment and pass a building electrification ordinance to stop natural gas in new construction like Encinitas and Solana Beach. Link for more info.

Petitions You Can Sign

Tell Montclair Public Schools District No Artificial Turf!

Click here to sign the petition

Ask Congress to Support the Safer Beauty Bill Package

Click here to sign the petition

The Safer Beauty Bill Package is 4 bills to close gaps in federal personal care product safety.

H.R. 3619: Toxic-Free Beauty Act. Bans 11 of the most toxic chemicals, including mercury, formaldehyde, parabens, phthalates, and phenylenediamines. The European Union, California and Maryland already ban them.

H.R. 3620: Cosmetic Safety Protections for Communities of Color and Salon Workers. Funds research and education to protect women of color and salon workers: the most vulnerable in beauty products.

H.R. 3621: Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Right to Know Act. Requires product label and website disclosure of all ingredients in personal care products.

H.R. 3622: Cosmetic Supply Chain Transparency Act. Requires suppliers of raw materials and ingredients to provide full disclosure and safety data to companies.

Ask Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Dept. of the Interior to use Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds to move our farms from fossil fuel-based pesticides and fertilizers to organic, regenerative agricultural that is safe and equitable. Action link.

• All available conservation funds in the IRA like the Conservation Stewardship Program, agricultural programs, etc. must go to transform farming in the US away from toxic pesticides and fertilizers.

• Moving farmers to organic, regenerative organic, and permaculture will help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, create healthy soils which holds more carbon, grow healthy food, protect all our health, maximize biological diversity and minimize harm to our environment.

Ask the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to stop the use of toxic pesticides in National Wildlife Refuges. Petition link.

• Toxic agricultural pesticides are sprayed in these sensitive and protected areas.

• In 2016, over 270,000 acres were sprayed with more than 490,000 pounds of deadly pesticides like neonicotinoids which harm threatened and endangered wildlife and plants while getting into surrounding groundwater and soil.

Ask National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to update their car seat fire safety regulation . Petition link.

• Nearly all children’s car seats are treated with hazardous flame retardants because the NHTSA has not updated their fire standards since the 1970s.

Ask President Biden to revoke Nationwide Permit 12. Petition link.

• Nationwide Permit 12 (NWP12) is a loophole in the Clean Water Act to fast-track gas/oil pipelines without proper environmental review

• Used for the Dakota Access Pipeline and tried to use it for the Keystone XL pipeline

Ask the EPA to pass the Cross State Air Pollution Rule to clean up power plants. Petition link. Link for more info.

• Also called the Good Neighbor Plan, these rules would protect communities “downwind” of power plants, chemical manufacturing, iron/steel mills and other sources of air pollution.

• Over half of the U.S. population breathes unhealthy air every day and power plants are one of the biggest sources.

Ask the EPA to set the strongest air pollution standards possible for trucks and buses. Petition link. Link for more info.

• Trucks and buses are almost 25% of transportation-related emissions in the US, their toxic air pollution especially harmful to vulnerable communities

• It has been over 10 years since the EPA updated these standards

Ask your Senator to support a ban on single-use plastic in National Parks. Petition link. Link for more info.

• 70 million pounds of waste is left behind at our parks every year with single-use plastics big part of it

• Plastic trash is found everywhere and leaks toxic chemicals like phthalates into our water and soil

Ask President Biden to stop the federal government buying single-use plastic. Petition link. Link for more info.

• The US government has massive spending power, the single largest consumer of products/services in the world…$650 billion each year

• General Services Administration issues regulations that govern purchases, yet they have no requirements for plastic items

Ask your Senator to support the Fair Repair Act. Petition link. Link for more info.

• Would require manufacturers of electronic equipment like smart phones to make documentation, diagnostic and repair information available to the public and independent repair shops

• Gives consumers the ability to repair what they own instead of having to throw it away and buy a new one which is bad for the environment

Ask the UK government to stop burning trees for energy. Petition link. Link for more info.

• In 2019, the UK imported over 8 million tons of wood pellets (more than any other country in the world) to burn for energy

• Burning wood (biomass) to make electricity is dirty energy. Just like fossil fuels, burning biomass puts out huge amounts of carbon dioxide and air pollution while destroying wildlife and habitat.

• UK taxpayers subsidize large biomass power plants almost £3 million a day

Ask the EPA to regulate air pollution from planes. Petition link. Link for more info.

• Planes put out huge amounts of particulate matter, greenhouse gases and can contain toxins like lead and sulfur dioxide

Ask Biden Administration to permanently ban train transport of liquified natural gas (LNG). Petition link. Link for more info.

• Called “bomb trains”, LNG is very explosive. Just 1 tank car could cause city-wide destruction. 22 LNG tank cars is the same energy of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

• Rail transport of LNG was banned for decades until a 2019 Trump executive order

Ask the EPA to protect vulnerable communities from dangerous toxic chemicals. Petition link. Link for more info.

• Many industrial manufacturing or disposal facilities are located dangerously close to neighborhoods.

• Hazardous waste sites, polluting industrial facilities and other dangerous industries are disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color. Studies show this is intentional.

• Residents are exposed to toxic chemicals in the air, water, and soils, increasing their rates of cancer, asthma, heart disease and other serious health problems.

Please ask your local represesntative to join the Electrification Caucus.  Petition link.  Link for more info.

• Electrification for homes, commercial buildings, and vehicles is a solution that can be done now to address the climate crisis, lower costs for American families, create jobs, and improve indoor air quality.

Please ask President Biden to fight climate change and stop exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).  Petition link.  Link for more info.

• US is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), 7 million tonnes in Dec 2021 alone.

• LNG is fracked gas made into a liquid by being cooled to -260ºF and is very explosive. Leaks can can quickly become a toxic, explosive cloud. Processing LNG also makes toxic air pollution like benzene, mercury, ammonia and sulfuric acid.

• The life cycle of fracked LNG (extraction to end use) makes it one of the dirtiest fuels on the planet.

Please ask REI to stop PFAS in their products.  Petition link.  Link for more info.

• PFAS, called “forever chemicals” are a group of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals that are linked to liver damage, thyroid disease, decreased fertility, high cholesterol, obesity, hormone suppression and several types of cancer.

• REI uses PFAS in their snow gear, raincoats and many other products…exposing us to toxic chemicals!

• Patagonia, a major supplier to REI, is stopping PFAS in all of their clothing by 2024.

Ask your member of Congress to cosponsor the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. Petition link. Link for more info.

• More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year: harming wildlife, ecosystems and human health

• BFFPPA will do things like:

  • Require producers of packaging, containers, and food-service products to design, manage, and finance waste and recycling programs

  • Ban single-use plastic carryout bags and non-recyclable certain single-use plastic products

  • Make massive investments in US recycling and composting infrastructure