Gregg Small.
What's your job title?
Executive director of the Washington Toxics Coalition.
What does your organization do?
WTC works to protect human health and the environment from the impacts of toxic pollution.
What are you working on at the moment?
Photo: iStockphoto
A top priority right now is our Pollution in People Project. For many years, the environmental movement has been focused on preventing pollution of our air, water, and soil. Sadly, those are not the only problem areas anymore. The fact is that every single one of us is now contaminated with pollutants in our bodies that we didn't ask for. In May, WTC released a report that examined the levels of more than two dozen highly toxic chemicals in the bodies of 10 Washingtonians. The results were alarming, showing that even people living healthy lifestyles have high levels of mercury, flame retardants, pesticides, and other chemicals in their bodies. We are working to educate the public about this issue, and are pushing for policy reforms to phase out the use of some of the most toxic substances on the planet and replace them with safer substitutes.
How do you get to work?
Four-mile car ride.
What long and winding road led you to your current position?
In college, I was required to take a full-year lab science. Not being much of a hard-science guy, I learned that the easiest course was environmental science. So I took it, and I became enthralled with the issues. My first job out of college was with Green Corps, an incredible training program for recent college graduates who want to be environmental organizers. My life was changed, and I have been organizing ever since -- first in Vermont, then in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Seattle. While my title for the past 10 years has been executive director, I still consider myself an organizer.
Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in Pittsburgh and have lived in Seattle for the past five years.
What's been the best moment in your professional life to date?
Completing my yearlong training with Green Corps in 1993. That year gave me the skills and confidence to do what I do every day now.
What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?
Mountaintop-removal mining. It is truly amazing to me that we allow mountaintops to be blown apart for mining, and then allow our rivers, lakes, and streams to be polluted with the debris. This is legal in our own country. It boggles my mind.
Who is your environmental hero?
Martin Luther King Jr. While not an environmental activist, MLK is my driving inspiration to help build the movement that we need to protect our health and the environment. His dedication and leadership inspire me every single day.
What's your environmental vice?
Like many people, it is my car. I only drive about 50 miles per week, but it is more than I should.
How do you spend your free time (if you have any)?
Hanging out with my wife Pam and our almost-two-year-old daughter Lillian.
If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?
A fundamental reform of the laws that are designed to protect our health and the environment from toxic chemicals. Our federal and state laws simply don't work, and we need an entirely new system in place. We should start by phasing out the use of the most hazardous chemicals, requiring manufacturers to provide data about the health and environmental impacts of the chemicals that they produce, and investing in cleaner ways to produce the products that we want.
Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?
When I was 18, the Beatles. Now it's the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Wilco.
What's your favorite movie?
If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?
There are so many opportunities to make a difference in protecting the planet. The most important thing is to pick one and really do it. If you have spare time, volunteer with a group that you like. If you have money, donate as generously as you can. If you have limited time, call a legislator once per month on an issue that you care about. The most important thing is to get involved. Reading a book about the problems isn't going to get it done. Dedicating your skills and resources will. Don't just read, act!
Gregg Small, Washington Toxics Coalition.
Small Talk
What can be done to start the process of weaning our dependence on chemicals, therefore leading to reduced levels in our environment and us? -- Kristina Logsdon, Seattle, Wash.
Our top priority in Washington is passing a bill to phase out the use of toxic flame retardants called PBDEs that are rapidly building up in breast milk, our bodies, and the environment. For the past two years, the Washington legislature has failed to pass the bill despite bipartisan support, the endorsement of the leading public-health associations in the state, and the availability of safer substitutes. We will be back again during the 2007 legislative session and are very optimistic that Washington state will be the first state in the nation to phase out all forms of PBDEs. Polluting industries have spent a lot of money to defeat the bill, and we need everybody to join together to fight back.
I'm interested in getting tested by something like the Pollution in People Project. Can I sign up to do it through your group? Can I do it on my own? -- Penny Gedeon, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
We provide information on our site about the testing process and how you can set something up with a physician.
What are the most toxic substances? How do we prevent their use when many ingredients are put in language not understood by the layperson? -- Jerry Broadbent, Bucoda, Wash.
In my opinion, the most toxic substances we should be concerned about are a class of chemicals called persistent bioaccumulative toxics, or PBTs. These are chemicals like mercury, dioxin, and PBDEs. What each of these chemicals has in common is that they stick around for a long time in the environment (examples include PCBs and DDT, two long-banned chemicals that still cause health and environmental problems today because they take so long to break down); they accumulate in the food chain (mercury in fish is a prime example); and they are toxic to our health and the environment. Washington Toxics Coalition and many organizations across the globe are working to phase out this entire class of chemicals and replace them with safer substitutes.
What have you found to be the top three sources of pollution in people? -- Vicki Lefler, Jupiter, Fla.
We don't know exactly what the top three sources of pollution in people are at this point. These types of studies are still relatively new and scientists are still sorting out exactly how we are exposed to various chemicals showing up in our bodies. However, we do know quite a bit about some of the sources.
Food is a major source of pollution in our bodies. People who eat fish high in mercury usually have higher levels of mercury in their bodies. People who eat organic tend to have lower levels of pesticides than those who don't -- assuming that their lifestyle doesn't expose them to pesticides at high levels elsewhere. So, watching what we eat is an important step in reducing our levels of pollution.
Many of the products we use in everyday life can also be major sources of pollution in our bodies. Unfortunately, current laws are totally inadequate and allow toxic chemicals to be used in products from baby toys to mattresses and computers. Right now, we're most concerned about cosmetics, toxic flame retardants (PBDEs), PVC, computers, building materials, and the Teflon chemicals.
To what extent have you gotten buy-in from doctors, medical professionals, and other health-care practitioners on your toxics agenda? -- Patrick McLean, Ann Arbor, Mich.
There is growing support from the medical community for the work that we do. The Washington State Nurses Association is one of the leading advocates for phasing out PBDEs and other toxic chemicals. Nearly every major public-health association in Washington supported phasing out PBDEs. Nationally, the American Nurses Association has become very involved in these issues. Globally, the health-care industry has worked hard to green their industry, led by the incredible work of Health Care Without Harm. The public-health community increasingly recognizes the dangers caused by toxic chemicals on our health and is starting to speak out in support of policy change.
How many Washington schools use herbicides/pesticides on school grounds? How can we convince the legislature to remove these toxic chemicals from use on school grounds? -- Roberta Butler, Issaquah, Wash.
As far as we know, the vast majority of Washington schools still use toxic pesticides. That's the bad news. The good news is that a growing number of school districts in Washington and across the U.S. are passing good policies and moving away from pesticides. In Washington, the Vancouver and Bainbridge Island school districts have been leaders. Nationally, Beyond Pesticides has done some outstanding work on pesticides in schools and has lots of good information on their website.
We have a problem here in San Antonio with asbestos contamination in the soil from an old W.R. Grace Co. plant. But because people have been working and living nearby for years, and because the asbestos in question is microscopic, we've been having a hard time getting people to see that there's a problem needing to be fixed. How do you get people motivated to change something they can't even see? -- Margarita Maldonado, San Antonio, Texas
Thank you for your good work on this issue. You have put your finger on one of the biggest challenges facing us in our work -- getting people to recognize a problem that they can't see. I think there are a number of things to do, and perhaps you have tried some of these already.
First, do everything possible to demonstrate that a real problem exists. Have testing done by a credible third party -- perhaps the state or a university. Defining the problem with some hard science is always extremely helpful.
Second, try to use that information to build a base of support for change. Often, it only takes a small handful of dedicated people to get the ball rolling. One person usually isn't enough, but a small handful of people can make an incredible difference in a community, if they are united.
Third, try to create a positive vision for change. While it is important to motivate people with the problem (in this case, contaminated soil that may be poisoning people and the environment), it is also important to motivate people with positives. If the soil is cleaned up adequately, could you build something else there that would be a positive addition to the community?
Other often-effective ideas include working to get the issue covered in the media, connecting with activists working on similar issues elsewhere, and building a coalition with local groups. Keep fighting!
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