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Seventh Generation, The Environmental Working Group and Dr. Alan Greene Conduct Educational Event About Chemicals and Our Children

Seventh Generation, The Environmental Working Group and Dr. Alan Greene Conduct Educational Event About Chemicals and Our Children

Published 10-23-08

Submitted by Seventh Generation

Panel Discussion Webcast Now Available Online

BURLINGTON, VT. "“ October 23, 2008 "“ Seventh Generation, in partnership with the Environmental Working Group and Dr. Alan Greene, held an engaging and educational panel discussion at the Boston Children's Museum billed as "A Conversation About Chemicals & Our Children," in observation of October as National Children's Health Month. A webcast of the presentations, videos and compelling questions and answers from the event can be viewed at http://www.seventhgeneration.com/children-and-chemicals-discussion.

The panel was moderated by EMMY award-winning journalist, Simran Sethi and featured Dr. Alan Greene, renowned pediatrician and author, Jane Houlihan, Vice President of Research at the Environmental Working Group, and Courtney Loveman, Brand Mother at Seventh Generation.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested newborn babies at the moment of birth and found 200 man-made industrial chemicals that nature did not intend. This is the result of laws that do not require companies to prove their chemicals are safe to get on the market. Seventh Generation partnered with EWG, the leading organization seeking to pass the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, to overhaul severely outdated chemical regulatory laws in order to make products safer for children.

The panel discussion focused on the long-term impacts of those chemicals on our children, the importance of consumer product ingredient disclosure and the long overdue need for improved legislation. Parents and caretakers, children, healthcare providers and academics alike received practical information about creating a healthy home for their children and were able to take action by signing a "Citizen Declaration." Seventh Generation and EWG will take the signed declarations from the Boston event, along with those gathered nationwide, and deliver them to the Oval Office and legislators in Washington D.C. in early 2009.

"While our name talks about the next seven generations, for most parents it’s the next generation that matters the most," said Jeffrey Hollender, President and Chief Inspired Protagonist for Seventh Generation. "The subject of conventional household chemicals looms largest where the smallest members of our families are concerned. The fact is that conventional cleaning products are filled with all kinds of hazardous chemicals. Very loose regulations more concerned with protecting trade secrets than public health largely allow manufacturers to put any combination of chemicals in a conventional cleaning product without meaningful safety testing. When we use these products, they pollute our indoor air and contaminate household surfaces with substances that have been shown to cause or are strongly suspected of causing cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, asthma and allergies, neurological and behavioral problems, organ damage, and hormonal disruption. And that's just the tip of the iceberg."

The interactive panel discussion was part of Seventh Generation's "Show the World What's Inside" campaign designed to educate and inspire consumers about the importance of knowing what's inside their household cleaning and personal care products and how these ingredients impact the health and well-being of their families and the environment.

Show the World What's Inside includes a unique Label Reading Guide available online and a mobile application that helps consumers navigate the cleaning aisle at the grocery store by providing an interactive glossary of commonly used terms and ingredients. There is also a new line of 100% organic Ingredient shirts for babies, children and adults, featuring a do-it-yourself ingredient label on the front for consumers to personalize and show the world what's really inside of them.

Finally, all consumers are invited to take action and raise their voices on Capitol Hill by signing the declaration in support of the Kid Safe Chemical Act at http://kidsafechemicals.org.

About Seventh Generation
Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal-care products for your living home. Their products are healthy and safe for the air, the surfaces, the fabrics, the pets, and the people within your home - and for the community and environment outside of it.

For information on Seventh Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products, to find store locations, and explore the company's website visit www.seventhgeneration.com. To read more about Seventh Generation's corporate responsibility, visit the Corporate Consciousness Report at: www.seventhgeneration.com/corporate-responsibility/2007.

About the Environmental Working Group
The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles.

In 2002, we founded the EWG Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.

EWG specializes in providing useful resources (like Skin Deep and the Shoppers' Guide to Pesticides in Produce) to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change.

Seventh Generation logo

Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation

Seventh Generation is committed to becoming the world's most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home. For 20 years, the Burlington, Vermont-based company has been at the forefront of a cultural change in consumer behavior and business ethics.

The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations.

Seventh Generation products can be found by visiting: www.seventhgeneration.com.

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