Maine is making great strides in reforming the way toxic chemicals are regulated, used, and disposed of. We still have a long way to go but the public is engaging in well-coordinated efforts to promote safer alternatives to the worst of the worst chemicals in the products and food we use and eat every day. Dozens of state-wide public health and environmental organizations, representing more than 100,000 members collectively, are prioritizing comprehensive chemical policy reform in their work plans. Admittedly, “comprehensive chemical policy reform” is a mouthful and a bit wonky, but if you attend this Teach-in at the Fair, you’ll learn that there are many innovative, fun and empowering ways to pitch in to this movement, and to celebrate in the positive change that is taking shape. Whether you’re concerned about pesticides drifting onto your playground, cancer-causing chemicals in your personal care products, toys that could harm your child’s central nervous system, or endocrine disrupting substances in your food packaging, there are many opportunities to engage in efforts to promote a clean and healthy Maine.
MOFGA’s Public Policy Teach-in on Saturday will: explain Maine’s Kid Safe Products Act of 2008, and the ongoing efforts to ban the use of bisphenol A; show how Maine is contributing to federal efforts to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act; highlight the growing toxics activism on college campuses throughout Maine; inspire participants to coordinate local bans on cosmetic herbicide use; introduce fairgoers to advocacy pros who can help with local organizing efforts; and provide an update on the Maine Board of Pesticides Control’s development of a comprehensive pesticide spray notification registry.
Panelists will include: Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center, and founder of The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine; Nancy Ross, Associate Professor of Environmental Policy at Unity College, current member of MOFGA’s Public Policy Committee, and past Executive Director of MOFGA; Paul Tukey, author, organic lawncare specialist, publisher of People, Places & Plants Magazine, and producer of the film A Chemical Reaction: The Story Of A True Green Revolution, which highlights successes of the anti-pesticide movement sweeping across Canada and into the U.S.; Meredith Small, Executive Director of Toxics Action Center; and Heather Spalding, Associate Director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. A question and answer period will follow short presentations by each panelist. Sharon Tisher, Environmental Law and Honors Professor at the University of Maine – Orono, current member of MOFGA’s Public Policy Committee, and past president of the MOFGA Board of Directors, will moderate the panel discussion.