Christopher Gavigan | Healthy Child Healthy World

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Christopher Gavigan

CEO / Executive Director

Christopher Gavigan is Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Child Healthy World. For more than a decade, he has dedicated himself to improving the lives of children and families. He holds degrees in environmental science and geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and has extensive graduate training in child psychology and education. He has worked as an ecology and sciences teacher in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area, and as a child and family specialist. He is the founder of Pinnacle Expeditions, an outdoor leadership program for teenagers.

Since joining Healthy Child Healthy World, Gavigan has launched public awareness campaigns, strategic partnerships, and educational programs that have educated millions about daily choices and actions that impact our children’s health and our planet’s future. He is the best-selling author of "Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home".

Shelby Rodriguez

The 2009 Mom on a Mission Winner

Nancy Gould Chuda

Co-Founder & Chair of Honorary Board, Author & Environmental Activist

is the founder of Healthy Child Healthy World. Healthy Child Healthy World was established to honor the Chuda’s only child, Colette, who died in 1991 at the age of five due to a rare, non-genetic, form of cancer. Since launching both the Colette Chuda Environmental Fund and Healthy Child Healthy World, Nancy has won numerous awards for her advocacy. The California League of Conservation Voter's Environmental Leadership Award, The Healthy Schools Heroes Award, presented to both her and her husband James Chuda by Governor Gray Davis for their legislative efforts in securing The Healthy Schools Act which was signed into law in January, 2000.

She serves as an associate of the Director's Council of Public Representatives of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and was appointed by President Clinton’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Donna Shalala, to serve as a member of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council for the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) a position she held for four years.

Bill Acevedo

Lawyer, Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean

Bill is a partner with the Oakland, California-based law firm Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean. Bill represents clients in a variety of matters such as general business disputes, environmental contamination claims, product liability, toxic tort, and personal injury actions. In addition to his litigation practice, William leads the firm's Green Business Practice Group - an experienced group of attorneys who advise and support companies that value health, the environment, and a sustainable economy. He advises clients on various business issues and participates in organizations committed to promoting the development of sustainable business practices. Bill's green business clients are media-based companies that focus on sustainability issues. They typically require legal services pertaining to entity formation, general business advice, contract negotiation/drafting, trademark and licensing issues, and employment counseling. Bill regularly speaks on green business issues, and he has been quoted on green business and sustainability matters in various periodicals, including the San Francisco Business Times, the East Bay Business Times, Law360.com, and GreenBiz.com.

When not servicing his clients needs, Bill recharges his batteries by surfing and cycling along the California coast.

Kiersten Alton, Rph.

Nutritionist

After graduating from the University of Montana with a Pre-Med Zoology degree, I then attended pharmacy school at the University of Texas where I obtained a bachelors degree in Pharmacy.

I currently work for a holistic, wellness Pharmacy called Peoples Pharmacy. We specialize in helping patients get back their health by changing diet and lifestyle first. When needed, we use supplements, herbs, vitamins and diagnostic testing to help manage all types of conditions. I have over 500 additional hours of training in other modalities of healing. I love working with infants, toddlers and older children.

My true passion lies in changing the way we feed our children. I firmly believe many of the childhood diseases and conditions such as asthma, ADD, and eczema could be reduced if we gave those little growing bodies the building blocks to develop a healthy system. As a pharmacist I feel that the overuse of antibiotics has greatly contributed to many of these conditions. I work with many Autistic and special needs children. This is the most rewarding work anyone can do. These children desperately need our help. Their bodies are extremely toxic from the environment, the food and modern medicine. My future goals are to start a structured nutrition program in schools, which engages the parents, teachers and children to develop healthy eating habits. Good eating habits begin with that first bite of food at 6 months of age.

I love what I do, but more importantly I love being a mother even more! My toddler has taught me more about life in the last 4 years than any school or class ever will. He has helped me develop toddler friendly programs and tests all of my recipes and natural remedies!

Jason Avant

DadCentric

Jason Avant is the founder and managing editor of DadCentric. originally launched in 2005, the site was one of the first group dadblogs, and remains one of the most influential. He and the website have been featured on ABCNews.com, BusinessWeek.com, USA Today, Time.com, CNN.com, Details Magazine, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the CBS Evening News.

A blogger since 2004, Jason has also served as the managing editor for Parentricity, co-hosted PDX.fm’s Man Time show, and was a staff blogger at Babble.com’s Strollerderby.

Jason has also worked as a blogging consultant for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. In addition to his duties at DadCentric, Jason is the Contributing Editor for UpTake.com’s Nightlife Blog, and runs his personal blog, Pet Cobra.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

James Chuda

Co-Founder & Environmental Architect

is a dedicated environmentalist, and co-founder of Healthy Child. He is an independent, nationally board-certified, architect specializing in the creation of non-toxic living and working environments that welcome healthful lifestyles. Along with his wife Nancy, Jim received the 1996 "Environmental Leadership Award" from the California League of Conservation Voters.

Roger and Sloan Barnett

Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation, Author of Green Goes with Everything

"Many people do not realize that the environment in which we live is just as important to our health as the nutrients we consume. We all want to make our homes the safest place in the world for our families. Many of us think about the potential impact of climate change, but very few think about the chemicals we are exposing ourselves to in our homes. Thanks to the efforts of Healthy Child Healthy World, moms, dads, and caregivers are gaining the knowledge they need to make smart choices and keep their families safe. It is our greatest hope that we make the world a healthier place for future generations by inspiring change in one person, one life at a time."

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Roger Barnett

Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation

Roger Barnett is the Chairman and CEO of Shaklee Corporation, the leading provider of premium quality, natural nutrition and personal care products, environmentally-friendly household cleaning products, and state-of-the-art air and water treatment systems. Founded in 1956, Shaklee is the number one natural nutrition company in the U.S., with more than 750,000 members and distributors in the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, Canada and Taiwan.

https://www.shaklee.com

Bill Benjamin

Strategic Partnerships Director

As Strategic Partnerships Director at Healthy Child, Bill Benjamin is a “packager” of business assets and an evangelist for Healthy Child's programs, connecting with like-minded companies who value the additive power of connection when objectives are aligned and brands are compatible.

Bill is a consummate brand-builder, having launched several properties and events in the entertainment and media industries. At Universal Studios, Benjamin launched “Holiday Wonderland” supported by partners including Macy’s and the “Giving Tree” cause marketing program. Additional successes include growing the Los Angeles Times “Festival of Books” into a world-class event, attracting over 140,000 guests per year and raising the broad appeal of this literary festival to brands including Toyota and Sprint.

A recent father to son Tate, Benjamin sees the importance of raising children in a healthy, non-toxic environment. He holds a BA from Brown University and an MBA from UCLA, and loves to garden, bike and develop his yoga practice.

Meredith Blake

Founder and CEO, Cause & Affect

The chief strategist of Cause & Affect, Meredith Blake is a nationally recognized public interest attorney, advocate and social entrepreneur with twenty years of experience in creating positive social change. Meredith is the Founder & CEO of Cause & Affect, an innovative agency working with influencers to create social change movements. In this role, Meredith works with clients to create deep impact philanthropic initiatives and social action campaigns grounded in research and with an eye toward sustainability. To achieve the greatest possible success, Meredith also brings to bear her experience at the nexus of media and social change: helping to bring visibility to causes, reach the greatest constituency possible and create cross-platform initiatives that enable individuals to learn more and become part of the solution.

Prior to launching Cause & Affect, Meredith worked as a top executive at Participant Productions, a film production company founded in 2004 by former EBay president Jeff Skoll to create movies that are consciousness-raising as well as entertaining. In a dual role as Executive Vice President of Corporate & Community Affairs and President of the Participant Foundation, Meredith developed action campaigns for each film and oversaw the company’s charitable giving. Participant’s first slate of movies—including North Country, Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck and the documentary Murderball—were nominated for 11 Academy Awards. Among Meredith’s notable achievements at Participant was the social action campaign that accompanied the release of Vice President Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. This film and action campaign have been recognized among the greatest contributions to furthering discussion and forging solutions on the issue of global warming.

In addition to her background in media, Meredith provides her clients with years of experience as a nationally lauded activist and social entrepreneur. Straight out of law school at the age of 25, Meredith founded a nonprofit legal-services agency called Break the Cycle, which empowers youth to end domestic violence. As Founder and CEO, Meredith took the organization national in 2003. After building it from the ground up, Meredith was able to position the agency as a leader in the field and establish services now being replicated by others, effectively increasing the scope and impact of her vision.

Meredith was a fellow of the Fund for Social Entrepreneurs and the Violence Prevention Initiative of the California Wellness Foundation. She was also a fellow, and served on the board of directors, of Echoing Green, which provides first-stage funding to visionary leaders with bold ideas for social change.

Meredith has been profiled extensively in the media, including Variety, Premiere, the Los Angeles Times, and on National Public Radio, and has been honored by numerous organizations for her efforts in underserved communities. Her recent honors and awards include being named a 2006 SuperLawyer by Los Angeles Magazine and one of the “Top 20 Lawyers Under 40” by California Daily Journal, as well as receiving the Distinguished Service Award from Women Lawyers Association.

Born and raised in New York, Meredith graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a double major in political science and mass communications. She received her law degree from the UCLA School of Law. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Jeremy and their two sons

Ciaran Blumenfeld

Momfluential Media

Ciaran Blumenfeld is the mother of four fantastic children that range in age from toddler to teen. Her family has been impacted by asthma, allergies and other miscellaneous ailments that seem to be a sign of the times. Her response has been to look more critically at the food her family eats and the products that they use. Going green without going to extremes is a daily goal. She's been a fan of Healthy Child Healthy World since her first interaction with the founders and is thrilled to serve as an ambassador.

Ciaran is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. She has over 15 years experience in marketing and advertising. She is the publisher of Momfluential Media, a member of Lifetime Moms and also contributes to Mommies With Style, LAMomsBlog, and Traveling Mom. Along with a business partner, she produces the Francie Pants line of children's sport/privacy shorts.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Amy Brenneman

Actress, Activist and Mother of Charlotte and Bodhi

"I became involved with Healthy Child Healthy World because of my dad’s work (he's part of something called Environment and Human Health out of Yale University) and because, of course, I became a mom myself. We started cleaning with Method products, we stopped chemical pest and weed control, we started eating more organic. The first day our pest guy came and used organic methods was so moving to me. I expected to have to clear out of my office for the requisite four hours, but he, maskless, said, no. That wasn’t necessary since no harsh chemicals were being used. A light bulb went on. “Oh my god,” I said. “This is so much better for you guys, too!” He beamed. Of course: Imagine being around that stuff all day?"

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Amy and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Amy Brenneman

Actress, Activist and Mother of Charlotte and Bodhi

Amy Brenneman is one of the most talented and respected actresses of her time. Additionally, she spends her time working with two organizations dear to her, Healthy Child Healthy World and The Feminist Majority. Amy is a champion messenger for Healthy Child and has gone on numerous television and radio shows to help educate the public about children’s health.

Amy Brenneman

Actress, Activist, and Mother

Amy Brenneman is one of the most talented and respected actresses of her time. Additionally, she spends her time working with two organizations dear to her, Healthy Child Healthy World and The Feminist Majority. Amy is a champion messenger for Healthy Child and has gone on numerous television and radio shows to help educate the public about children’s health.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Lenore Breslauer

Colette Chuda’s grandmother and founding member of Another Mother for Peace *deceased

“We who have given life must be dedicated to preserving it.”
Another Mother for Peace, January 1970

Lenore Breslauer, was Colette Chuda’s grandmother. She was a founding member of the citizens antiwar group, Another Mother for Peace (AMP. Her work opposing the Vietnam war helped shape the conscience of a nation.

She was born and raised in New York City. She attended Hunter College and began work assisting William Morris of the William Morris Agency. Married, she moved to Los Angeles and began to raise her family, working over the next two decades for the prominent business management agency, Breslauer, Jacobson and Rutman.

She was an active participant in West Hollywood's City Council-- and was the first restaurant owner in the cities history, to earmark into law, the public use of outdoor seating for eating and dining. Sunset Plaza O Lenore, along with her son, Jon Gould owned and operated Pasta Etc., located on Sunset Plaza Drive which was one of the first, authentic northern Italian cuisine eateries in Los Angeles. Hailed by food critics as "better than Italy," her homemade pasta, sauces,and salad dressings were distributed throughout southern California in places like Mrs. Gooch (now Whole Foods). Her devotion to food segued to her "roots," as an activist.
When the HIV Aids epidemic began, she opened her kitchen and assisted Project Angel Food, an organization her son helped to create along with author Marianne Williamson get started by serving homemade meals to patients who could not have access to public places do to the threat of their illness.

During the 1960s, with the Vietnam War as catalyst, Lenore became an activist. With six like minded friends from diverse backgrounds, she founded Another Mother for Peace (AMP), a non-profit, non-partisan association whose goal was to eliminate war as a means of settling disputes between nations, peoples and ideologies. This enormously active association grew to more than 80,000 strong and was recognized nationally and internationally. AMP sought to educate women to take an active role in creating peace by re-establishing the dialogue between individuals and their elected representatives. Their efforts set a standard for all-volunteer, grassroots activism. Their logo is familiar to many and has become emblematic of the peace effort. Their slogan, "we who have given life must be dedicated to preserving it. . ." lives on.

Lenore's daughter, Nancy, now carries forward the legacy of grassroots activism, turning toward protecting children's environmental health: "by putting our children's environmental health first, we protect our future."

My mother’s legacy will always inspire friends of Healthy Child Healthy World.
Throughout the years her activism provided a platform for others to emulate. Another Mother For Peace (AMP) membership grew to 450,000 people, and today their logo remains an internationally recognized symbol of peace, a sunflower bearing the message: “War is not healthy for children and other living things.”

Lenore’s leadership and selfless efforts continue to inspire us. In 1991, thanks to her support, she helped Jim and I establish (CHEC) the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition to respond to another threat to children and other living things. The threat of toxic chemicals. Using her motto at AMP, we adopted a template of our own. “Toxins are not healthy for children and other living things.”

Throughout the years, Lenore served on many committee’s, volunteered her home as a base for campaigns and fundraising efforts, and petitioned her friends for support. She attended the very first meeting in Jackson Hole Wyoming and contributed tirelessly, hours, days, months and years to the building of a grass roots base using her experience, wisdom, and expertise as an advocate for world peace.

In 2002, at a Special Mother’s Day celebration held in her honor, Erin Brockovich bestowed Lenore with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her dedication to protect, defend and preserve human life.

In 2003, to honor her memory, we established a Special Mother’s Day fund. “Another Mother for a Toxic Free America,” mission helped to empower citizens to change government and industry policies to protect children from toxic chemical threats.
Over $75,000 was raised to support educational outreach for California state legislation protective of childrens health and a parents right to know.

Erin Brockovich

President of Brockovich Research & Consulting, Environmental Advocate

"To bring about change, the most important thing is information. The Freedom of Information Act gives you access to records. I know it sounds like a lot, but there’s always one angry mom in the group who’s willing to do the research. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with public agencies, Congress, neighbors: If you go into a tirade without facts, it will fall on deaf ears. (If you don’t like to speak publicly, work with someone who can; none of us is ever a lone warrior.) But when you have documents, when you can say, This is poison being sprayed…Look at how often they’re spraying…people are masters at making connections. Oh, my god, my daughter has been acting like that, too. As soon as it hits home, as soon as it’s about parent and child and neighborhood, people spring into action."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Erin and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Erin Brockovich

President of Brockovich Research & Consulting, Environmental Advocate

Erin Brockovich is President of the consulting firm Brockovich Research & Consulting and was the Director of Environmental Research at Masry and Vititoe law firm until 2008. She is credited for spearheading the 1996 environmental lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company on behalf of 600 members of the Hinkley, California community. Her tireless efforts resulted in a $333 million compensation package, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. Erin’s Healthy Child Healthy World message advocating for children’s health appeared on over 22 million Organic Valley milk cartons in 2003.

Jessica Capshaw

Actress, Mother of Luke, Wife of Healthy Child Executive Director, Christopher Gavigan

What I so appreciate about Healthy Child's book is the way the information is delivered. It offers the most credible parenting advice, passed through a trusted filter that makes it understandable and doable. Every parent out there can feel personally empowered to prioritize what they should do today. It shows me the best products, affordable and inexpensive alternatives, and supports my instincts to do all I can for my child and family's health.

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David Carpenter, MD

Professor of Environmental Health & Toxicology University of New York at Albany

Dr. David Carpenter is a Professor at the Environmental Health and Toxicology Division, School of Public Health at the University of Albany in New York. Dr. Carpenter is currently an editorial advisor of the Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice and International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health.

He is the host of a 30 minute public health information show called "The Public Radio Health Show", which is carried on more than 170 stations nationwide including the Armed Forces Radio Network and Voice of America. Prior to joining the University at Albany, Dr. Carpenter was a Research Physician at the Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research.

Dr. Carpenter's research interests are in the following areas:

* Synaptic transmission
* Neuronal thermosensitivity
* Excitotoxicity and neuronal cell death
* Neural basis of human disease especially the Dementias and ALS
* Neurotoxicology
* Ionizing and non-ionizing radiation biology
* Public health education

Dr. Carpenter received his M.D. at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Carpenter is the author of more than 240 peer-reviewed publications, four books and over 40 book chapters and reviews. .

Dr. Carpenter was appointed to the board of the Pacific Basin Consortium in January 2000.

Beth Nielsen Chapman

Singer and Songwriter

Recording artist and songwriter, pens songs for other artists and her own albums, including the groundbreaking Sand & Water, written and recorded following the death of her husband from cancer in 1994. This record is often used as a tool for healing through grief. A survivor of breast cancer, Beth often interlaces her music with information on wellness and moving through grief to joy, providing inspiration through song.

Theo Colborn, Ph.D.

President of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, Gainesville

"When one asks, “What caused that single cell to split and keep splitting until it morphed into a baby?”, the baby-making story begins to read like a real fairy tale. It is hard to believe that in the invisible universe where the egg is developing, there are hormones operating in the part-per-trillion range. And that each hormone is programmed to exert its influence on the construction of the baby only during rigid windows of time. No other period in the baby’s life is as fragile as during those early days when its organs and brains are being constructed and programmed. And just as there are fairy tale villains, there are many modern chemicals that can enter the womb environment and disturb its sacred hormonal balance."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Theo and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Theo Colborn, Ph.D.

President of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, Gainesville

Dr. Theo Colborn is Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida and President of TEDX (The Endocrine Disruption Exchange). She written and lectured widely on the human health and environmental threat posed by endocrine disruptors and other industrially-produced chemicals at low concentrations in the environment. Her prior positions include a Fellowship at the Office of Technology Assessment (US Congress); Senior Fellow, W. Alton Jones Foundation; researcher at the Conservation Foundation; director of the Wildlife and Contaminants program at WWF-US. In January 2000 Dr. Colborn was awarded the Blue Planet Prize, the 1999 Norwegian Rachel Carson Prize, the 2003 Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry's Rachel Carson Award, and Time Magazine's 2007 Environmental Heroes Award.

Sheryl Crow

Musician, Mother of Wyatt

"I sometimes think the thing that keeps adults from acting is cynicism, a belief that we can't really change things; we desensitize ourselves to the news; apathy puts us to sleep. And once you're asleep, you can't do anything.

Kids aren't like that. They don't have that cynicism in them, not yet anyway. They're awake to what's around them, so they can actually do something about it. We teach our kids all these ideals: Let's leave the Earth a better place than we found it; If you see something wrong, you can change it through action or education. Yet as we get older, we stop believing what we're saying. Kids, on the other hand, are motivated not just by what's in their head but by what they actually see, like a baby polar bear. Kids are so acutely aware and smart, they will be the ones to motivate us, their parents, to change."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Sheryl and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Devra Davis, PhD, MPH

Director, Center for Environmental Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute; author, The Secret History of the War on Cancer

Bio: Devra Davis's career has spanned all areas of academia, public policy, and scientific research. President Clinton appointed Dr. Davis to the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, (1994-99) an independent executive branch agency that investigates, prevents, and mitigates chemical accidents. As the former Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health in the Department of Health and Human Services, she has counseled leading officials in the United Nations, World Health Organization, and World Bank. She also served as a Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—the group awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with Al Gore. She is the recipient of a Women’s Leadership Exchange Compass Award, for breaking the paradigms of how women are perceived, and the first Lisa Zhang Environmental Award from the United Nations in January 2008. She is the author of more than 190 scientific publications, the editor of 11 books, and has written two best-selling books.

Book Quote "What concerns me most is the insidious repackaging of information—the distorting, revising, concealing, and ignoring by corporations and the government. Thomas Jefferson said that democracy rests on an informed public that freely consents to be governed—but that assumes we're getting the proper information. And we're simply not. How can we consent when we don't even know they put toxic stuff in a product that we then rub on our babies' bottoms? People often ask me if I think the facts I report are just too alarming. I don't. We all have natural repair processes that keep us healthy much of the time. Getting informed about hazards we can avoid is critical to our health and that of our children and grandchildren. What I do find alarming is the volume of information that's been withheld from us...That's what people should be alarmed about, and what has to change."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Devra and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Janet Dean

The Green Mom Review

Janet Dean is a mother of two from Florida. She first started thinking more seriously about green issues and the environment when she got pregnant with her first child. Her transformation started with buying organic milk so her baby wouldn’t be exposed to synthetic bovine growth hormones in utero. From there, she became MUCH better informed and frankly, a little dejected about the state of our food, water, air and the legacy we are leaving future generations. So, for the past nine years she has been slowly greening and detoxifying her family’s life as much as possible while harboring secret dreams of moving to the Pacific northwest. When not momming around and raising the next generation of eco-activists (she hopes) or searching for THE perfect Greek yogurt, Janet can be found writing about greener living at her site, The Green Mom Review.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Tara DelloIacono-Thies

RD Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Strategist

Tara DelloIacono-Thies is a registered dietitian and nutrition strategist for Clif Bar & Company, the nation’s leading maker of all-natural, organic energy and nutrition foods and drinks. As the Company’s in-house nutrition expert, Tara provides strategic guidance on nutrition related questions, translates cutting edge scientific research into product development and ensures the nutritional integrity for all Clif Bar & Company brands. Skilled at explaining nutrition to the public, Tara also answers consumer questions, presents seminars and writes the Eat Well article on LUNABAR.COM, a nutrition column in Bay Area Parent, and Parenting.com .

Aware that proper diet and fitness are essential for optimal health, Tara participates in a variety of sports which inform her knowledge of sports nutrition, weight management and wellness. An avid runner and two-time marathon finisher, she also mountain bikes and practices yoga on a regular basis. As a mother, Tara is also both personally and professionally informed about the nutritional needs of mothers, children, and families.

Before joining Clif Bar & Company, Tara served as a clinical dietitian for Catholic Healthcare West. She is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Dietetic Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Montana State University and became registered dietitian after completing an internship in San Francisco.

Tara resides in Alameda, California with her husband and son.

Laura Dern

Actress, Activist, Mom to Ellery and Jaya

Laura Dern has emerged as one of the great actresses of her generation proving that she is capable of great depth and range, touching audiences and critics alike with her moving and heartfelt performances. The recipient of countless awards, Laura is recognized for her ability to portray a wide range of characters. Not only is she a wonderful actress, but she is a dedicated environmentalist and mother. Her decision to join the Healthy Child Healthy World Advisory Board and become their spokesperson is a testament to her commitment to the cause.

"We hear the news that we're having a baby and we want to be really healthy and careful. So we eat organically, avoid mercury in fish, don’t drink, don’t smoke; we don’t use hair color or paint our nails. We spend all this energy and time creating a really healthy environment--and then we totally switch gears. We stop thinking about health and somehow lead ourselves to believe that the most important thing for the baby when it comes home from the hospital is…a pretty room. And so we choose the coolest crib design, instead of the safest or healthiest crib. We pick the absolute cutest linens, even if they’re covered in flame-retardants and other chemicals (never mind that a baby can hardly see at first). Unwittingly, we put loads of toxic chemicals into the room as we strive to make it look just right."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Laura and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Nicole Desperito

Operations and Public Relations Coordinator

As Operations and Public Relations Coordinator, Nicole assists in the day-to-day running of the office, while also actively seeking new channels to increase awareness in environmental health. She recently received a degree in Communication with a minor in Psychology from USC. When not at Healthy Child, Nicole can be seen running through the streets of Los Angeles, dodging traffic with her iPod in hand.

Larry Eason

Board Chair / Web and New Media Strategist

Larry brings to the Healthy Child board a lifelong commitment to the environment and to improving the lives of children.

As President & Founder of digital strategy and communications firm DotOrgPower Larry helps dot orgs harness the web and new media to achieve their goals. He works with cause leaders to expand their sense of what is possible online and to use that transformed thinking to innovate and succeed.

Larry is an evangelist for the power of online storytelling – pioneering digital storytelling in the 1990s to advance grassroots advocacy.

In 2005 Larry received the Institute for Politics Democracy & the Internet's Golden Dot award for Best Statewide Internet Campaign for developing the online campaign for a California ballot measure funding mental health services. Larry led the online campaigns to defeat California Propositions 1D and 1E in 2009 and to defeat California Proposition 85 in 2006.

Larry's clients include the California Department of Mental Health, International Medical Corps, the Parent Revolution, RAND Corporation, and US Public Interest Research Group.

A surfer, painter and potter Larry teaches ceramics and lives with his wife Wendy, daughter Elise, and 5 rescue dogs in Silver Lake.

Jenna Elfman

Actor, Mother of Story

"I start with little things I can face easily. Right now I’m about to research what plastics to use (and not) for food storage. I just need twenty minutes on Google every so often. I also have organic food delivered and I switched to Seventh Generation cleaning products. (I’ve never liked the smell of cleaning products; but when I was pregnant, I really hated it.) I also use phthalate-free nail polish (that was pregnancy, too—one whiff of the regular stuff and I nearly passed out, plus it’s bad for you when you’re expecting). I’ve bought lots of organic products for the baby—crib mattress, fitted sheets, towels, sleeping gowns, clothes. I even stopped using deodorant and switched to The Rock. Seriously. See, there’s that gradient scale again. Suddenly it all made sense. I was willing to change. "

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Jenna and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Samuel S. Epstein, M.D

Professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health; Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition

Samuel S. Epstein, M.D. is professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. Dr. Epstein is an internationally recognized authority on avoidable causes of cancer, particularly unknowing exposures to industrial carcinogens in air, water, the workplace, and consumer products--food, cosmetics and toiletries, and household products including pesticides--besides carcinogenic prescription drugs.

Dr. Epstein's past public policy activities include:

* Consultant to the U.S. Senate Committee on Public Works

* Author of Congressional legislation

* Membership of key federal committees including EPA's Health Effects Advisory Committee, and the Department of Labor's Advisory Committee on the Regulation of Occupational Carcinogens
* Key expert on banning of hazardous products and pesticides including DDT, Aldrin and Chlordane.

He has published some 270 peer reviewed articles, and authored or co-authored 20 books including: the prize-winning 1978 The Politics of Cancer; the 1995 Safe Shopper's Bible; the 1998 Breast Cancer Prevention Program; the 2001 GOT (Genetically Engineered) MILK!; and most recently, the 2009 Toxic Beauty (with Randall Fitzgerald).

Brenda Eskenazi, Ph.D.

Professor of Maternal & Child Health & Epidemiology, Director, Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research School of Public Health

Dr. Brenda Eskenazi is a professor of maternal and child health and epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley. She is also the Director of the Center of Excellence in Children's Environmental Health Research at Berkeley. Dr. Eskenazi is on the editorial boards of the American Journal of Epidemiology and the Journal of Children's Health and is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology.

Dr. Eskenazi has contributed widely to the field of children's environmental health, including the Surgeon General's report on smoking and women's health, the World Health Organization's Tobacco-Free Initiative report on environmental tobacco smoke, and the United States-Vietnam Committee on the Human Health and Environmental Exposures of Agent Orange and Dioxin in Vietnam. She also served for nearly a decade on the State of California's Scientific Advisory Board for the Toxics Initiative (Proposition 65), which aimed to identify chemicals that were reproductive or developmental toxicants.

Dr. Eskenazi’s current research interests are in the following areas:

* Effects of environmental exposures to reproductive, perinatal, and children's health
* Reproductive and development effects of passive and active exposure to cigarette smoke, benzene, dioxin, and other persistent endocrine disruptors, and pesticides, as well as other agents on fetal and child health and reproductive health of men and women
* Reproductive and pediatric epidemiology.

Dr. Eskenazi currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Children's Health Environmental Coalition and the Study Design Working Group of the National Children's Study.

Ruth Etzel, MD, Ph.D.

Research Director South Central Foundation

Dr. Ruth Etzel is a pediatrician and epidemiologist. She is a Commissioned Officer in the United States Public Health Service currently stationed at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, where she serves as Research Director for the Southcentral Foundation, an Alaska Native health organization.

Dr. Etzel founded the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Epidemiology and chaired it from 1988 to 1992. She is the Editor of the AAP manual Pediatric Environmental Health and Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. In 2003 she was appointed to the AAP Committee on Native American Child Health. In addition to being board-certified in Pediatrics, Dr. Etzel is also board-certified in Preventive Medicine and served for 9 years on the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Etzel received her Ph.D in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina.

Stephanie Eversfield

Director of Development

Stephanie Eversfield is the Director of Development for Healthy Child Healthy World. She holds a rich background in nonprofits, both large and small, including rescue missions, the United States Olympic Committee and most recently Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. In addition, Stephanie’s professional tenure includes marketing and advertising on behalf of non-profit organizations with the emphasis on growing the constituent base .

Stephanie’s expertise lies in strategic development, comprehensive giving campaigns and fundraising events, all resulting in revenue growth. Her passion lies in not only seeing the results, but also developing a network of relationships and fostering our success within each individual. In her dwindling spare time, Stephanie loves relaxing in Pasadena with Ethan, her son, Dave, her husband, two dogs, Jack and Sugar, as well as good friends along with traveling to fascinating destinations around the world.

Anna Fader

Mommy Poppins

Anna Fader grew up in New York City and now raises her two children here. After over a decade working as an advertising creative, she traded power for passion and started writing Mommy Poppins as a way to share her love of New York and her vision of how magical raising kids here can be. Fader is dedicated to maintaining Mommy Poppins as a site that supports local families and businesses and provides the best content available to parents.

In addition to the website, Anna is currently writing a book, occasionally contributes to other publications, and consults on New York City family issues and blogging. She has appeared in the local and national media discussing parenting and family life, New York City activities and venues, family travel and social media.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Jay Feldman

Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides

Co-founder and executive director of Beyond Pesticides, has dedicated himself to finding solutions to pesticide problems after working with farm workers through an EPA grant to the national advocacy organization, Rural America. Since 1981 he has helped to build Beyond Pesticides’ capacity to assist local groups and impact national policy. [email protected]

Michele Franck

Health Care Programs Consultant

Michele joins Healthy Child Healthy World as a Health Care Programs Consultant. Coming from a diverse background in marketing and advertising in the healthcare industry, Michele became passionate about children’s health after seeing the positive impact small changes can make in her own family’s health.

Michele holds a degree in Business Management and has extensive graduate work in marketing, with a focus on managing direct and relationship marketing programs. In her free time, Michele enjoys having fun with her family and friends, reading, and the outdoors.

Danielle Friedland

Social Media and Community Relations Manager

Danielle works to increase awareness and expand the movement to create healthier environments by utilizing social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. She also manages the Healthy Child Healthy World Parent Ambassadors that both help guide the organization and broadcast the message. Danielle is the creator of Celebrity Baby Blog, a blog devoted to celebrity pregnancies and celebrity babies, which was purchased by People.com in 2008.

Her other passions include her two children, her husband, and helping moms breastfeed (she's a Certified Lactation Counselor). Follow her on Twitter at @that_danielle.

Mary Martin Gant

Chair / National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences / Program Analyst National Institutes of Health

Amy Gates

Crunchy Domestic Goddess

Amy Gates lives in Colorado with her husband and two young children. She blogs at Crunchy Domestic Goddess where she attempts to raise social consciousness and inspire people to question the status quo. She also is a contributing editor at BlogHer where she focuses mainly on maternal health issues and green family living. Amy enjoys gardening, biking, hiking, cooking, photography, and spending time with her family and friends, and is passionate about home birth, natural family living, urban homesteading, and other "crunchy" things. She's trying to change the world, one blog post at a time.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Betty Ann Gaynor, M.A., M.A.T.

Betty Ann Gaynor has served as a public relations/media professional for more than a decade, primarily in health and children-related campaigns. Experience and education in communications, as well as an eclectic and curiosity-driven intellect and spiritual commitment to promoting wellness, are the driving forces behind her effective and creative programs.

Her background includes national, regional, and local public relations for Everett Clay Associates Inc., an award winning Miami-based and New York-affiliated public relations firm. Since 1990, she has been an independent consultant, and has done promotion for books, such as Raising Children Toxic Free: How to Eliminate Toxins in Your Home and Environment (Avon 1995), medical/surgical physician practices, and general and hospitals specializing in cardiology, orthopedics, and eating disorders.. Additionally, in corporate promotion, she has nationally showcased captivating, wholesome and educational play systems for children and their families.

An ardent health advocate, she has served as the national publicist/media advisor for The Children's Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) since 1994 and spear-headed the public relations media strategy for CHEC's Environmental Childproofing Campaign, launched in January. 2001.

Gaynor's results-oriented campaigns have produced national hard news and feature placements with Associated Press, United Press International, Gannett and Scripps Howard syndicated wire services, national magazines, and daily newspapers with a circulation range from 120,000 to over a million. Her broadcasting coverage includes international placements as well as stories on network-affiliated television and radio stations.

In addition to her skills in media-related public relations, Gaynor is a published free-lance writer and veteran junior high school teacher, having worked in both the public and private school systems.

Gaynor holds two master of arts degrees, one in Journalism and the second in teaching Spanish. She is a graduate of The University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California.

Mandy Geisler

Programs Director

As Programs Director at Healthy Child Healthy World, Mandy oversees and coordinates programs, projects, operations and events. Mandy holds a Master's Degree in Economics and Education. When not working, she loves to travel above all else, dance, and go for a nice long stroll through Central Park.

Anna Getty

Green Living and Holistic Lifestyle Expert, Mother to India and Dante

Anna Getty is a certified Kundalini Yoga and Prenatal Yoga teacher, a specialist in organic cooking and cuisine, the founder of Pregnancy Awareness Month, and a consultant for her positive lifestyle brand, PureStyle Living. She has a series of best-selling yoga DVDs and is releasing two organic cookbooks in 2009. Anna sits on the board of Healthy Child Healthy World and the Environmental Media Awards, and works closely with The Organic Center.

"The question I like to ask myself is, How green can I get? I pose it without getting completely insane about it, also trying to keep it lighthearted and easy. It’s about taking baby steps; doing what you can when you can.
I’m always doing research. It makes buying things complicated—I’m on the lookout for what’s fair trade, organic, sustainable or nontoxic. But it also makes me ask myself how badly I need something. I have to admit that sometimes all the searching and worrying turns me into a neurotic mess—I’ve found myself getting down on my husband for not recycling—but then I have to remember that he too is learning and taking small steps as well.
Right now I’m doing great on the garbage front—our trash guy only collects it every two weeks. We just started a compost system. I try to avoid gigantic packaging, and I buy more used and vintage pieces. My current project is trying to recycle of all the plastic I’ve collected over the years: baby bottles, toys sippy cups, etc. It’s a cool challenge to look in the garbage and ask, How do I make this even less?"

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Anna and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Dina Goda

Program Intern

Dina has been helping Healthy Child Healthy World in researching and writing blogs, program assitance and web contents.

She has earned a BA degree from UC Berkeley in Spanish Literature and another Molecular and Cellular Biology with Genetics Emphasis. She will be attending the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara, medical school in January of 2009.

Lynn Goldman, MD

John Hopkins School of Public Health

Dr. Lynn Goldman, a pediatrician and an epidemiologist, is a Professor at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where her areas of focus are environmental health policy, public health practice, and children's environmental health.

Dr. Goldman has served as Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances (OPPTS). With the EPA, she successfully promoted children's health issues and furthered the international agenda for global chemical safety.

Prior to joining the EPA, Dr. Goldman served in several positions at the California Department of Health Services, most recently as head of the Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control. She has conducted public health investigations on pesticides, childhood lead poisoning, and other environmental hazards.

Dr. Goldman’s research interests are in the following areas:

* Environmental Epidemiology and Surveillance
* Chemicals Policy
* Disaster Preparedness
* Education and Training
* Pediatric Environmental Health

Dr. Goldman has a B.S. in Conservation of Natural Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, an MPH from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, and an M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.

Dr. Goldman has served on numerous boards and expert committees, including the Committee on Environmental Health of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control Lead Poisoning Prevention Advisory Committee, and numerous expert committees for the National Research Council. She currently is Vice Chair of the Institute of Medicine Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences and Chair of the IOM Gulf War and Health Study.

Myra Goodman

Earthbound Farm

Myra Goodman is the author of Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook (Workman, 2006), and the co-founder, with her husband Drew, of Earthbound Farm. Over 25 years ago, the two city kids from New York taught themselves to farm their 2.5-acre backyard garden organically so they could feel good about the food they were growing. Today, Earthbound Farm is joined by 150 dedicated farmers using sustainable organic methods on more than 33,000 acres; in 2009 alone, Earthbound Farm’s organic farming operations will keep more than 10 million pounds of synthetic agricultural chemicals out of the environment and out of the food supply.

Myra Goodman is the co-founder, with her husband Drew, of Earthbound Farm. She currently serves as executive vice-president and chief creative officer. Originally from New York City, Earthbound Farm started in 1984 when Myra and Drew began farming organically on their 2 -acre backyard garden in Carmel Valley, California. Today, their organic produce is farmed by more than 150 farmers on 30,000 acres and is available in 76% of American supermarkets. Annually, Earthbound Farm's organic farming avoids the use of more than 10 million pounds of conventional agricultural chemicals.

“Starting our family brought the value of eating organic food into even sharper focus. Children are more vulnerable to developmental damage from pesticide residues on food; their bodies are still growing, their metabolisms are faster, and because of their smaller size, they eat more fruits and vegetables per pound of body weight than adults do.
When we first started farming, Drew and I knew instinctively that we didn’t want conventional agricultural chemicals in our backyard or on our food. We wanted to grow food we’d feel good about, and so we taught ourselves to farm organically.
It’s my personal passion to bring the benefits of organic food to as many people as possible and serve as a catalyst for positive change. We’re trying to change how America farms and how Americans eat, because we believe organic food is the healthiest choice for people and the planet."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Myra and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Jason Graham-Nye

Kimberley (wife of me) and I (Jason) had this grand plan...to move to America from Australia and launch a new and very unique kind of baby diaper: gDiapers. They are flushable and compostable and have been in Australia since 1991. We were just happy customers who loved it so much, we bought the rights to the rest of the world and headed to Portland, Oregon with child and dog in tow.

We launched the product 11 months ago and are now available nationally through Whole Foods & Wild Oats and 300 or so natural supermarkets.

We are the very first consumer good with William McDonough’s "Cradle to Cradle" product accreditation - something we are very proud of. We also give a percentage of revenue to CHEC - we love those guys and gals.

Dr. Philippe Grandjean

Adjunct Professor of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health

Dr. Grandjean has served as Vice-Dean and Institute Chairman at Odense University and as member of the Danish Medical Research Council. He is founding editor of the web-based journal Environmental Health and has served as European Editor of the Archives of Environmental Health and is currently a member of editorial boards of ten scientific journals. He has been elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was elected to the Board of Collegium Ramazzini in 2005. Past committee memberships include the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency SAB/SAP Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program Subcommittee, the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, the Panel on Contaminants of the European Food Safety Authority, and the chair of the Commission on Toxicology of IUPAC, and the Danish Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Research, as well as advisory tasks for several international organizations.

https://myprofile.cos.com/PGrand

Melinda Gray

Dr. Alan Greene

Founder of DrGreene.com, Author of Raising Baby Green: The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care

Dr. Alan Greene is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, the President of the Society for Participatory Medicine, on the board of directors of Healthy Child Healthy World and the Organic Center. He is the author of many popular health and parenting books including Raising Baby Green and Feeding Baby Green.

He has been featured in the New York Times and has appeared on CNN, The TODAY Show, Good Morning America - NOW, and NBC Evening News. Dr. Greene was honored as one of “the 100 most creative and influential innovators working in health care today” and was named the Children’s Health Hero of the Internet by Intel. He is the Founder of the pioneering consumer health Website DrGreene.com that has touched millions of lives since its inception in 1995.

Dr. Greene is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, an Attending Pediatrician at Packard Children's Hospital, and a Senior Fellow at the University California San Francisco Center for the Health Professions. He is the Past President of The Organic Center, on the Advisory Board of Healthy Child, a founding partner of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, and a consultant for the Environmental Working Group. In 1995, he launched DrGreene.com, cited by the AMA as “the pioneer physician Web site” on the Internet. His award-winning site receives over 440,000 Unique Users a month from parents, concerned family members, students, and healthcare professionals.

"Though a doctor may not provide the "greenest" answers to your questions, how he or she answers is often just as illuminating. Willingness to engage in a dialogue may be the real hallmark of a green pediatrician. When choosing a doctor, you of course want someone steeped in science, and aware of recent literature and controversies. But you also want someone who both articulates a point of view and desires to hear yours. I believe that teaching and inspiring one's patients, along with their families, about the value of nutrition, exercise, and overall attentiveness to environment may be of greater importance than the ability to write a prescription."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Dr. Greene and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Nancy Greenspan

Writer

Nancy Greenspan is a founding board member of Healthy Child Healthy World. Her commitment to environmental issues grew from witnessing the effects of toxins on children’s health. As an environmental activist, she has worked on pesticide regulations, recycling initiatives, and energy conservation programs. Ms. Greenspan is a writer. Her latest book is the End of the Certain World, a biography of Nobel physicist Max Born, who is also the grandfather of board member Olivia Newton-John.

Stanley Greenspan, M.D.

Professor of Pediatrics & Child Psychiatry George Washington University

Dr. Stanley Greenspan was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at George Washington University Medical School and Chairman of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders. The world’s foremost authority on clinical work with infants and young children with developmental and emotional problems, his work has guided parents, professionals and researchers all over the world.

During his lifetime, Dr. Greenspan authored over 100 scholarly articles and chapters, and authored or edited over forty books. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time Magazine, PBS NewsHour, ABC’s Nightline and on the ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN News.

Dr. Greenspan’s other positions include: Practicing Child and Adult Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst; Supervising Child Psychoanalyst at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute; and Co-Chair of the Council on Human Development.

He was also the founding president of Zero to Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, and past director of the NIMH Mental Health Study Center and the Clinical Infant Development Program.

Dr. Stanley Greenspan passed away in January 2010.

Rebecca Gruber

LilSugar

Rebecca Gruber is a self-proclaimed "mom’s mom" who loves talking babies and keeping abreast of the latest-and-greatest products available to parents and kids everywhere. As the Associate Editor of LilSugar.com, the baby and parenting site on the PopSugar Network, Rebecca enjoys connecting parents with new products and ideas – letting them know that they are not alone in this parenting journey. After earning a joint Political Science and Communications degree from the University of Michigan, Rebecca had a lengthy career in public relations, specializing in strategic planning, corporate positioning and crisis communications for a variety of clients, including Macy’s, Delta Air Lines, SkyTeam, FedEx, National Geographic and Newman’s Own. When she is not testing new toys or trying to settle the work-outside-the-home versus stay-at-home debate, Rebecca can be found at her local NYC playground with her husband and two sons.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson

Actor and Actress

Rita: If I get involved in something, it's not as if I sit around and say, Today, I'll make a change. It's an education process. It's a lifestyle attitude you develop. Recently, I read about plastic and researched it a bit, and then I replaced all of our plastic bottles with reusable glass canisters. It took no time before all of us—kids, too—were using them.
Tom: This new attitude has been developing, I think, since when Apollo 8 went to the moon at the end of 1968 and took that first-ever picture of the whole Earth. I remember what an amazing moment that was for everybody, seeing this blue and white ball. So that's what it looks like, I thought. It felt almost chromosomal: We could see we were limited, that there was not an infinite amount of everything. And that we'd better not waste anything. Because that's all there was.

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Tom, Rita, and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Joe Henry

Poet & Lyricist

Although formally educated, JOE HENRY attributes much of his learning to his many years as a laborer, rancher and professional athlete. A renowned lyricist, his words have been performed on more than a hundred recordings by such varied artists as: Frank Sinatra, John Denver, Olivia Newton-John, Garth Brooks and Rascal Flatts. In addition to his many music awards, Henry also received a National Conservation Achievement Award from the National Wildlife Federation "for the celebration of the natural world in his work," and the (Colorado) Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. This is his first work of fiction.

Tessa Hill

Board Member, President of Kids for Saving Earth

Motivated by the loss of her 11 year-old son and her husband to cancer, Tessa Hill founded and serves as President of Kids for Saving Earth. A founding board member of Healthy Child Healthy World, she has worked to protect the Earth and its children. Tessa is also is a board member of Beyond Pesticides, a Community Partner with The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and served on federal advisory board for the EPA's Children's Health Office.

"Clinton was 11 when he died. I don't know for sure if pesticides caused his death. Many scientific studies suggest a link between pesticides and brain cancer. I do know that it isn't worth taking a chance with toxic bug control methods. There are many safe ways to eradicate pests, including lice. I used boric acid to beat back a roach infestation at our beach house; it worked beautifully and didn't contaminate the property. I refuse to use standard mosquito sprays or flea treatments that contain cancer-causing chemicals.
Before he died, Clint wanted to start a club to teach kids and parents about environmental issues. Kids for Saving Earth (kidsforsavingearth.org), which provides materials to educate and empower children, parents, and instructors about ways to protect the Earth and children's environmental health, is Clint’s legacy."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Tessa and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Tessa Hill

President, Kids for Saving Earth

Kristen Hayes Hoemke

Foundations and Grants Consultant

As Foundations and Grants Consultant, Kristen assists with researching potential foundation partners and with developing a strategic fundraising plan. Kristen is a Senior Program Specialist with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start in San Francisco, California. She is responsible for overseeing grants to organizations that provide early childhood development services for low-income children age birth – five years. She holds a Masters degree in Public Management and Social Policy.

Kristen was inspired to volunteer after reading Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home during her first pregnancy. With a toddler at home and second child on the way, Kristen remains committed to improving her home environment and helping to ensure all children receive a healthy start.

Jeffrey Hollender

President, Seventh Generation, Inc., Father of Meika, Alexander, and Chiara

President and Chief Inspired Protagonist of Seventh Generation, Jeffrey Hollender is a well-respected leader in the socially and environmentally responsible communities. Jeffrey has led Seventh Generation from its humble beginnings to its current position as the leading and fastest-growing brand of natural products for the home. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors of Greenpeace USA, Healthy Child Healthy World, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, and Alloy Inc., a publicly traded company.

"We know how to create that healthy home the doctor spoke about, and we have. What I want is for everyone else to know, too. Because so many people simply don't. People just don't realize that many of the things surrounding them are turning their homes into toxic sinks in which the air is two to five times more polluted than the air just outside. Most of all, they don't realize what all these things can do to the most vulnerable and defenseless among us. I don’t want anyone else to feel what I felt on that scary summer day. I don't want another child to suffer. From where I sit, I can see the place where those things never happen. I can see a world that's safe, clean, and healthy, one that nurtures life instead of harming it, and we're going to get there."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Jeffrey and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Kate Hudson

Actress, Entrepreneur, Mother of Ryder

"Food is another area where I try to exert control. Cooking is one of my favorite things to do; when I'm away on a set and can’t cook for Ryder, it drives me crazy. I like to get as inventive as possible--Jessica Seinfeld beat me to the punch with her book because I hide good things in Ryder's food all the time. He doesn't like veggies so I boil them, puree them, then hide them in anything so he doesn't say, "Mommy, I see something green..." It's all about taking charge. You can't stop your child from what they're going to do outside the home. But I can do something—quite a lot, actually—about the products in my home. That requires my being as conscious about things as possible—what you put in and on your body. Plus, I believe in constantly finding new ways to do things, myself."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Kate and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Zem Spire Joaquin

Editor-in-chief of Ecofabulous.com, Environmental Consultant, Mom of TK

A former contributing editor at House and Garden and Domino Magazines, Zem Joaquin is Editor-in-Chief of Ecofabulous.com, 7×7 Magazine’s Queen of Green and KFOG’s Eco-Expert. Mentored by William McDonough, Zem is a certified BuildItGreen design and strategy consultant and Cradle to Cradle enthusiast who helps companies and individuals create beautiful, smart, sustainable spaces and practices.

"My life's mission came to me with unbelievable clarity. It's amazing how everything can change in a single moment. My approach was very holistic and thorough. I looked at every material in our house. I’m not going to lie to you: the changes weren’t cheap, and it took time and research. But I changed to non-toxic cleaning supplies, to organic mattresses, bedding, and towels, I removed carpets, I put in air and water filters. Was I obsessed? Yes—and I still am. Has our investment paid off? Let’s just say that my kids, who recently started a new school year, just came down with colds for the first time this year—astonishing in and of itself. In the past, it always turned into asthma after a couple of days; not this time. Actually, they haven’t had a single incidence in over a year and one half! And I’ve never felt better, too."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Zem and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Dennis Odin Johnson

Rene Jones

Director, UTA Foundation

René Jones is the founding Director of the UTA Foundation, the private, non-profit charitable arm of United Talent Agency, one of the entertainment industry's leading talent and literary agencies. As Director, Jones has established and oversees all charitable programs for the foundation and works closely with UTA's clients and employees on their philanthropic activity. Ms. Jones began her career in the U.S. Senate working for Sen. Barbara Boxer, then she went on to serve as Finance Director and Consultant for many high-profile U.S. Senate and Governor campaigns around the country. She also served as Development Director for several non-profits including: Do Something, The White House Project, and The Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Roy and their son Chase and daughter Vivienne.

Isabel Kallman

Alpha Mom

Isabel is the founder and chief at Alpha Mom, which began as the nation’s first parenting TV channel found in 13 million homes and has since transformed itself into an online destination and marketing research lab. The term “Alpha Mom” has been recognized by media-- such as USA Today, The Today Show, and Good Morning America-- as the category generic for the ultimate influencers. More recently, Forbes anointed Alpha Mom one of the Top 10 Mommy ‘Hood Gurus and Parents Magazine named Isabel an online “Power Mom.” For Isabel, this year should bring some exciting new business initiatives that are in the works and fun travel with her husband and 7 year-old son.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Melina Kanakaredes

Actress, Mother to Zoe and Karina

"When you become a parent, it offers a chance to do things in a new way, to be more conscious about the decisions you make because each one affects more than just you. You want to give your children the greatest parts of what your parents gave you and then maybe take it even a step further. From my family I learned a respect for using and not abusing the land, not taking it for granted. Now I'm trying to convey to my girls the value in simple things, especially given the opulence of LA and big-city life: eating fresh food from the farmer’s market; looking for fairies or lightning bugs in the woods rather than sitting in front of the TV; observing how the flowers and trees change with the seasons. We love watching things grow. In our yard we have some amazing fruit trees—grapefruit, lemons, figs—which remind me so much of Greece."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Melina and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Dr. Harvey Karp

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, UCLA School of Medicine, Creator of The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block

Harvey Karp has been a practicing pediatrician and child development specialist for 30 years and is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the USC School of Medicine in Los Angeles. He has been a spokesperson on children’s environmental health for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the California Department of Health Services, and the California Medical Association. He is the creator of "The Happiest Baby on the Block” and "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" book and DVD series, and has committed his full-time efforts to writing, lecturing and education.

"John Muir, the great American naturalist, said that if you reach out and tug on a tiny piece of nature, you’ll discover that everything is connected to everything else. And because of this great connection, we often blunder into doing harm. “Oops, we’re sorry we polluted your river for the next 100 years!”…“Oops, we didn’t know the chemical we were using caused cancer!” These unintended consequences are especially worrisome for our children because early life experiences and exposures influence whether or not they will grow up to have healthy and happy lives.We've changed the world before and now, for the sake of our children, it’s time to do it again. This book lays out many ideas to boost health, shrink risks, and stack the deck in favor of your child’s well-being. And, as a bonus, your thoughtful example will nurture in your children your deep values, respect for nature, and the desire to make the world better."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Harvey and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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CJ Kettler

Media Industry Leader

C.J. Kettler is a media industry leader with broad operating and investment experience. Since January 2008, C.J. has resumed her role as a Partner at Propeller Partners, LLC and has been engaged as a consultant for large media companies and private equity investors in the digital sector. In January 2007, Kettler assumed the newly created role of President, NA for Travelzoo (NASDAQ:TZOO), a publicly held internet media company with approximately $80 million in revenues. At Travelzoo, she oversaw the North American business unit which accounts for ninety percent of the company’s revenues and reaches 11 million unduplicated newsletter subscribers.

In 2005, she created and launched LIME, the first and leading multiplatform “green living” brand, having secured funding from Steve Case’s Revolution, LLC. Under her leadership, the LIME brand was introduced simultaneously across multiple platforms including broadband television, radio, mobile, online, podcasting and home entertainment. LIME is considered the trusted resource for consumers seeking a healthy and green lifestyle, and for advertisers looking to reach this desirable audience segment.

Beginning in 2001, Ms. Kettler served as Managing Director and Operating Executive at Solera Capital, a private equity firm with $250 million under management. She was Co-President of Latina Magazine, one of Solera’s portfolio companies, and was instrumental in evaluating investment opportunities in the media industry. In 2003, Ms. Kettler co-founded Propeller Partners LLC, a boutique strategic advisory firm serving a wide range of media and entertainment companies.

Prior to Propeller, Ms. Kettler was a founding member of the Oxygen Media management team, serving as President of Sales and Marketing where she managed all cross platform integrated marketing relationships, as well as sponsorship sales, cable affiliate sales and research. From 1987 – 1999, Ms. Kettler was a Founding Partner at Sunbow Entertainment, a top ranked independent program supplier, where, as President and CEO, she negotiated the sale of the company to Sony Music Entertainment.

Ms. Kettler has amassed more than 20 years of operating experience in a wide range of leadership roles straddling digital and traditional media as well as domestic and international content development and production. Earlier senior operating roles include four years at Vestron, where she created and developed the Children’s Video Library. She also held executive positions at MTV Networks, McCann-Erickson Inc., and CBS, Inc.

Kettler holds a B.A. degree in Sociology from Smith College, and is a member of CTAM, WICT, and other industry organizations. She lives with her husband William Hitzig and their three daughters in NYC.

Jena King

Environmental Activist

Jena King is a founding member of C.O.A.C.H for Kids, an organization that provides medical assistance to underprivileged children. She is also on the Boards of University Elementary School (UES) and the Environmental Media Association. Jena is a philanthropist who oversees the Jena and Michael King Foundation, helping support numerous causes championing children and the environment. Jena and her husband Michael King live in Los Angeles with their two children Audrey and Teddy.

Christine Koh

Boston Mamas

Christine Koh is a former music and brain scientist (she earned her Ph.D. in psychology, and completed her music and auditory neurology postdoctoral fellowship at MIT/Mass. General Hospital/Harvard Medical School) turned freelance writer, editor, designer, and creative consultant. Christine is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas (through which she was named a Nielsen 50 Power Pack Mom and one of Babble.com’s 50 Best Mommy Bloggers), the designer behind Posh Peacock, writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse, and also pens the Shoestring Magazine column Minimalist Mama. She resides in the Boston area with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. She tweets about it all at @bostonmamas.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Michelle Lamar

V3 Integrated Marketing

Michelle Lamar is a self-proclaimed geek and marketing and media executive. Michelle is the editorial director for myGLOSS.com, regular contributor to the Huffington Post and her writing has been featured in national publications including The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She also claims to be addicted to Twitter, so you can always follow her @michellelamar.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Philip J. Landrigan, MD MSc

Ethel H. Wise Professor of Pediatrics, Chair of Community and Preventative Medicine, Director of the Children's Environmental Health Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., M.Sc., is a pediatrician, epidemiologist, and internationally recognized leader in public health and preventive medicine. Dr. Landrigan is known for his many decades of work in protecting children against environmental threats to health, most notably lead and pesticides. His pioneering research on lead toxicity at low levels persuaded the US government to mandate removal of lead from gasoline and paint, actions that have produced a 90% decline in incidence of childhood lead poisoning over the past 25 years. He has been a leader in developing the National Children's Study, the largest study of children's health and the environment ever launched in the United States. He has been centrally involved in the medical and epidemiologic studies that followed the destruction of the World Trade Center on January 11, 2001. He has consulted extensively to the World Health Organization, and has published more than 500 scientific papers and five books.

"I’ve seen some terrible cases of lead exposure during pregnancy. In these situations, pregnant moms and their partners decided to sand down old paint on window frames and doors because they wanted to make their homes safe and beautiful for their baby. Tragically, they didn’t realize that the paint they were sanding was lead paint with very high lead content. The sanding produced lead-contaminated dust, and the moms inhaled the dust. In one family, the mom developed a blood lead level of 45 mg/DL, an extremely toxic level. Lead passes easily across the placenta from mother to baby, and her baby was severely brain-damaged. The tragedy is that with proper information, this could have been completely avoided."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Dr. Landrigan and many others, pick up a copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Gigi Lee Chang

Plum Organics Founder

Inspired by his joy of eating and hearing my mommy friends talk about the lack of fresh baby food options, Plum Organics was born. To give parents more choices and to provide babies with better more nutritious baby food.

Using baby-approved recipes and the finest organic ingredients, our products are cooked to perfection and then flash frozen to lock in freshness and nutrients. That's why our foods retain more of their rich flavors, vibrant colors and textures.

From one parent to another, I know you will feel good about Plum Organics when you see the smile on your baby's face!

https://www.plumorganics.com/

Jessica Marie Little

Communications and Programs Coordinator

As Communications and Programs Coordinator, Jessica revels in combining her passions of media and outreach with environmental children's health. She holds dual degrees in Sociology and Studies of Women and Gender from the University of Virginia, and firmly believes there is no 'senior' in one's education process. While at UVa, Jessica was an active leader, extensively volunteering with advocacy and educational nonprofits. When she is not saving the world from toxic chemicals, Jessica can be found in the kitchen or on a bicycle.

Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer

Actor and Jewelry Designer, Parents of Ruby

"Jennifer: We’re making progress, but you have to move slowly so you don’t get overwhelmed; so you don’t think, Oh my God, how can I make everything green, how can I make everything perfect and organic? So when our paper towels ran out at one point, we replaced them with recyclable. Then we changed a few of our lightbulbs to CFLs. One step at a time. We eat organic food and go to the farmer’s market. We decided to become more conscientious about our gas consumption and emissions, so we just bought a hybrid. You do the best you can. We use Seventh Generation diapers so we don’t add to the landfills. I thought for a minute of trying cloth diapers--
Tobey: I tried to encourage it. Jen said, Okay, go ahead. But you clean it up!"

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Tobey, Jennifer, and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Joan Maloney

Graphic Design Consultant

As founder and president of Studio 318, Joan has been responsible for the concept, design and implementation of design, branding and marketing/advertising programs for large and small businesses alike. Started March 18, 1997 and based in San Diego, California, Joan’s client list includes the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Anheuser-Busch Entertainment Parks, (SeaWorlds Florida and San Diego and Busch Gardens Tampa), Jazzercise, The Irvine Companies, and Downtown Los Angeles BID among others.

Joan had the honor of being selected from over a hundred entries to design the graphics for the 2006 Academy Awards, including the 2006 commemorative posters. It was the first time the Academy decided to do two posters from the same concept, and the first time a woman designer was chosen.

In 2005 Joan, and her then 16-year-old daughter Hollis, launched a new company, +E (positive energy), which designs socially and environmentally conscious “awareness apparelTM” and was featured in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Green Gift Bags. Their goal is to use their design abilities to reach out and communicate positive messages to help raise awareness of issues such as missing children, safe water supply and recycling to name a few. Along with the apparel, they plan to add greeting cards, children’s books and other educational materials.

Josie Maran

Model, Founder of Josie Maran Cosmetics, Mother to Rumi

"I wanted to get the word out, and I wanted to find out what other products you could make that would be free of synthetic chemicals. So I took some of my favorite ones to a lab and asked if they could make natural versions. That’s how my company was born.

Now that I have a daughter, I use 100% organic products as much we can. Sometimes that means going without deodorant, but I’ve tried to make it cool to stink. I’ve embraced it and I’ve gotten my friends to do it as well.

During my years of pursuing my career, my family said, Come on Josie, do something. I always knew I wanted to affect change--my grandmother teaches human rights activism at UC Berkeley, and my dad’s a green builder, after all--but I didn’t have any direction. Finally something just clicked, and it was easy to act."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Josie and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Derek Markham

Natural Papa

Derek Markham is a writer, a father, a WordPress addict, and social media butterfly. His passions include new media, simple living, natural fatherhood, attachment parenting, natural building, unassisted childbirth (homebirth), bicycles, composting (sawdust) toilets, organic and biodynamic gardening, vegan peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, bouldering, and the blues. Follow him on twitter @derekmarkham! He blogs at Natural Papa, and contributes to bluelivingideas.com and greenlivingideas.com.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Audrey McClelland

Mom Generations

Audrey McClelland is a mother of 4 young boys and a founder of the website MomGenerations.com. After graduating from Brown University, and fueled by her love of fashion, Audrey moved to NYC and worked for Donna Karan International for 6 years; her first position was as Donna Karan’s personal assistant. The experience inspired Audrey to create a fashion component for all moms within her personal mom blog on Mom Generations.

Drawing on her background in fashion, on January 1, 2009, Audrey launched the popular series "365 Days of Fashion Advice for Moms" on Mom Generations, offering one piece of fashion and/or beauty advice each day, either through a blog post or a vlog. Audrey also serves as the Beauty & Style Editor on Lifetime Moms and Fashion Editor on Blissfully Domestic. Audrey was named as one of “The Power Pack” Moms in Nielson’s Online 2009 Power Moms list. Her "Mom Fashion Report" will air on MomTV in January 2010. She is a vlogger for Johnson & Johnson’s “Real Moms” Health Channel, one of Hanes’ Social Media Comfort Crew members, a member of the Walmart Moms Social Media program, and she holds a position on Hasbro’s Playskool Panel.

Audrey has appeared in The New York Times, Redbook Magazine, The Boston Globe, Woman's Day and Pregnancy Magazine. She has been on the Rachael Ray Show, hosted the People's Choice Fashion Recap with Tim Gunn and Gretta Monahan and serves as a regular guest on FOX's "The Rhode Show" in Providence, RI.

Audrey's next upcoming project is Getting Gorgeous Events. She has teamed up with Vera Sweeney from I'm Not Obsessed blog to create Mom Fashion and Beauty events throughout the country. Their first event will launch on August 6th in NYC.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Catherine McCord

Chef and Founder of Weelicious

As the mother of two young children, my son's and daughter's health is of paramount importance to me. I started weelicious.com to inspire parents to cook fast, fresh and easy recipes for their families and also to help them get their kids involved in the cooking process and learning how to treat their bodies well from day one!

I started modeling and traveling the world at a very young age, tasting and being turned onto foods that were exciting and exotic to my Kentucky bred palette. When I was living in Paris, Milan, New York and traveling to places like Tokyo, Morocco and Sydney, I became obsessed with learning about local cuisine.

Later I went to culinary school, then worked in a few restaurants trying to learn more tricks of the trade.

Whenever people ask me what type of cuisine I like to cook the best, I say “what’s fresh”. The most important part of food is the ingredients you start with. I like simple food that speaks for itself.

When I had my kids, Kenya and Chloe, I realized that I wanted them to be exposed to seasonal, organic food that’s as pure as possible. I want them to know that food shouldn’t have to be pumped with sugar, salt and preservatives to be delicious.

Kenya and Chloe only know what I feed them. If I gave them McDonalds, they’d love it, but if I give them pesto chicken, that’s what they’ll crave.

Parents’ lives are busy, but we also want our kids to have the best. The recipes on this site are delicious, nutritious and easy, but most important, they’re fast. I make cooking fun for all of us. I prop Chloe in her high chair and let Kenya sit on a stool so they can both be part of the process. Who knows, maybe one of them will be a great chef someday. Ahh….a mother’s dream.

William McDonough

William McDonough + Partners

William McDonough is a world-renowned architect, designer, and winner of three U.S. Presidential Awards: the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development (1996), the National Design Award (2004); and the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (2003). Time magazine recognized him as a "Hero for the Planet" in 1999 and in 2007, stating that "his utopianism is grounded in a unified philosophy that - in demonstrable and practical ways - is changing the design of the world." He is the founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, an internationally recognized design firm practicing ecologically, socially, and economically intelligent architecture and planning, and the co-author of 2002's book, Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.

"Because of the fear of depleted resources, many people have a mentality dominated by the notion of limitation. How much can I get? How little can I give? That way of thinking is now part of our design, too. So we must design something new. We must come up with a plan that offers hope, expansiveness, and a sense of abundance rather than despair, fear, and a sense of limitation. There's no reason to perpetuate this current bad design; no reason for us to continue to use materials that are toxic to our species; no reason we can't put what we know about clean production to good effect. The next generation should be excited about the potential of this new plan, which is driven by a sense of fairness and community, forthrightness and decency, all of which we already have in abundance."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from William and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

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Emily McKhann

TheMotherhood

Emily McKhann is co-founder of the popular, award-winning web community for moms TheMotherhood.com and the online marketing firm TheMotherhood Creative. She has been a blogger since 2004 and was recently named one of Parents Magazine's "Most Powerful Moms on the Web." She also contributes to Been There: Official Blog of TheMotherhood. Emily co-authored the bestselling book Living with the End in Mind, ran public relations agencies in New York and Dallas, and was Director of International Business and Acting Commissioner to the United Nations and Consular Corps for the City of New York. Emily lives in Larchmont, NY with her husband and two daughters.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Jeremiah McNichols

Jeremiah McNichols

Jeremiah McNichols is a blogger, author, industry consultant, and consumer advocate. With his wife Jennifer, Jeremiah publishes Z Recommends, a daily parenting blog featuring product reviews, consumer research, industry reports, and information, with an emphasis on safe, educational, and entertaining toys, activities, and projects to help kids grow into intelligent consumers with sustainable lifestyles. Z Recommends' research and reviews have been cited by such sources as the Washington Post, the Environmental Working Group, the Sierra Club, U.S. News and World Report, Grist, and a wide variety of blogs and websites.

In addition to publishing Z Recommends, the blog's parent company, ZRecs, publishes the blog giveaway hub PRIZEY and the group gardening blog and garden planning tool, Gardenaut. Jeremiah is a frequent guest on the parenting podcast Jumping Monkeys and a contributor to the Wired.com blog GeekDad. Current projects include a series of audio stories for children, a novel for young adults, and a book for toddlers about vegetarianism. Jeremiah and Jennifer are also the proud parents of Z, who started it all.

Nicole Meadow

MPN, RD, and a Registered Dietitian

She specializes in working with infants, children and young adults who have a variety of nutritional concerns such as overweight/obesity, failure to thrive, food allergies, celiac disease, selective eating, eating disorders and many others. Nicole works with typically developing children and children with developmental disabilities. She works with clients and their families privately in her offices in Encino, Valencia or Beverly Hills and teaches classes in the community. Prior to opening her private practice, NutritionWise, she worked at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Nicole has developed innovative and unique techniques to assist children and families with nutritional concerns. Nicole is also a mom to her son Andrew and her daughter Emily Ryann. Visit www.nicolemeadow.com for additional information.

Albert Meyerhoff

Attorney

Albert H. Meyerhoff concentrated his practice for more than 30 years in labor, civil rights and environmental law. After graduating from Cornell Law School in 1972, he joined California Rural Legal Assistance representing farm workers and the rural poor. These efforts included the landmark case of CAAP v. Regents of the University of California, challenging the use of public research funds to promote agricultural mechanization. He also litigated a host of state and federal civil rights cases involving racial discrimination in employment, voting and public education, including Maria P. v. Riles, invalidating a California statute excluding undocumented children from California schools. In 1981, Mr. Meyerhoff joined the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national environmental organization, as Director of their Public Health Program. His concentration was in litigation concerning toxic substances and occupational health. Brought successful challenges to the continued use of cancer-causing pesticides (Les v. Reilly), the exclusion of women of “child-bearing age” from the workplace (Love v. Thomas) and the California Governor’s failure to comply with Proposition 65, an anti-toxics law (AFL-CIO v. Deukmejian). During his 17 years with NRDC, Mr. Meyerhoff testified more than 50 times before the United States Senate and House of Representatives.

Mr. Meyerhoff authored numerous articles for scholarly and general publications, including the Stanford Law Review, EPA Journal, Environmental Law Quarterly, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. He appeared regularly on such programs as CBS News 60 Minutes, ABC 20/20, NBC Dateline, Good Morning America, The Today Show and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and has been an invited speaker at the Harvard Business School, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Sciences and the AFL-CIO. Since 1998, Mr. Meyerhoff lead counsel in several labor and environmental cases, including UNITE v. The Gap, contesting the sale of garments manufactured under sweatshop conditions in the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, and Public Citizen v. U.S. D.O.T., challenging cross border trucking from Mexico to conform to NAFTA but in violation of United States environmental laws. Mr. Meyerhoff was selected “Trial Lawyer of the Year” by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice and a lifetime achievement award from the ACLU. In January of 2008, Mr Meyerhoff passed away at age 61.

Nina Montée

Activist & Environmentalist

is a diligent and accomplished fundraiser who is passionate about children's causes. In addition, she is an entrepreneur, producer, and owner of the celebrated Nina Montée Spa. Ms. Montée resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband, Dr. Harvey Karp. She is the mother of one adult daughter, Lexi.

Maria Mora

Mommy Melee

Maria Mora began blogging in 2002 to offset her post-college "this is the real world" full time job blues. After spending several years working as a webmaster, copywriter and project manager, Maria began delving into design and social media. In 2008, she left an agency job to pursue a career working full time from home as a freelance writer and social media consultant. At the time, the move was a “let’s try it and see” temporary thing. She’s happy to report that she’s still managing to make ends meet while working primarily in sweatpants.

Her blog, Mommy Melee, serves as her main source of time-sucking and procrastination. She can also be found contributing to Aiming Low, Girl Talk Thursday and Your Mama Reviews.

While pregnant with her second son, Maria completed an aromatherapy certification course at the Aromahead Institute of Essential Oil Studies in Sarasota, Florida. As she began learning about essential oils and plant-based products, she took a closer look at the chemicals and synthetics in her home. While she hasn’t gone 100% green, she not commits to seeking natural and safe alternatives—particularly when it comes to the products she uses on and around her two young sons.

Maria believes in supporting research and activism regarding the environmental toxins we expose ourselves and our children to. Her oldest son has a life-threatening peanut allergy, eczema and developmental/behavioral issues that inspire her to pay close attention research on the effects of our environment on pregnant women and babies.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Whitney Moss & Heather Flett

Rookie Moms

Heather Flett and Whitney Moss are the co-founders of RookieMoms.com a website dedicated to helping women have more fun in their first years of motherhood. They are also the co-authors of The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 activities to do with (and without!) your baby. They both live in Berkeley, CA and have two children each.

Heather and Whitney also share safety tips for families at SafetyatHome.com, and work with 510families.com.

Professionally, Heather is a web project manager for large companies and Whitney is a marketing consultant.

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

Tanya Murphy

Environmental & Human Health Activist

Tanya Murphy is a concerned mother of two children who lives in Westport, Connecticut. She serves on several local boards in her community. Her entrée into the subject of human health and the environment came when a close family member was diagnosed with an environmental illness. After having worked closely with her family’s environmental health physician while pregnant with her first child, it became clear that the positive changes being made for the family member would no doubt be very positive for her unborn fetus, as it initially proved to be for their pets. Shortly after the birth of her first child and a move to the Northeast, she learned about Healthy Child Healthy World and immediately became an advocate our message.

"In the last several years, hundreds of synthetic turf athletic fields have been installed around the country for our children to play on. You've probably seen them—roughly a three-inch thick carpet of ground-up recycled tires over Astroturf. I'd read online about how two professors had taken samples from one such field in New York City and identified worrisome levels of irritants, heavy metals and known carcinogens.

One day, while driving through the Connecticut town next to ours, I noticed one of these fields. I got out of my car, walked toward the field and right away noticed the smell of tires. I knelt down, scooped up a handful of little granules and they left a stain on my hands. Kids are playing on this? I thought. But now, thinking about the new fields, I couldn't help but ask: How might something like ground-up tires affect human beings, especially children?"

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Tanya and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

Carolyn Murphy

Model, Activist, Mother to Dylan

"As I got older, and especially after I had my daughter Dylan in 2000, I realized I couldn't manage every single thing. It was hard enough to maintain my own household and, most important, to be a good mother. Part of the challenge of living a healthy life is knowing what to be wary of, but it's also knowing when and how to be realistic. After that foray in my 20s, I’ve opted not to get on a soapbox. In my home, though, I do what I can—choosing only certain toys for my daughter, purifying my water, using nontoxic cleaning products and finishing my floors naturally. I’ve carried my own reusable grocery bags for years. To me, being a realist doesn't mean giving in but starting small, writing out a list, and naming your top priority (mine was eating healthy). From there, you branch out."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Carolyn and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

Herbert L. Needleman, MD

Professor of Pediatrics & Child Psychiatry University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Herbert Needleman is a child psychiatrist, pediatrician, researcher and professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is also an elected member of the Institute of Medicine, and the founder of the Alliance for Healthy Homes.

Dr. Needleman has been credited with having played the key role in triggering environmental safety measures that have reduced average blood lead levels in children by an estimated 78 percent between 1976 and 1991.

Dr. Needleman received his B.S. from Muhlenberg College and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bianca Nepales

Marketing Intern

As a Marketing Intern for Healthy Child Healthy World, Bianca promotes outreach to local communities and national connectivity via the world wide web. She works on spreading the news on the organization's latest book and educating parents about recent environmental health findings through blogs. Bianca loves good food, newspapers, and is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology at UC Berkeley.

Marion Nestle

New York University

Marion Nestle; author of "Food Politics," "What to Eat," and three other books; is Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and Professor of Sociology at New York University. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition.

Nell Newman

Cofounder of Newman’s Own Organics, Author of The Newman’s Own Organics Guide to a Good Life

"Kids like to be part of the decision-making process. Next time you go to the store, have them help you read the labels to see what's in things, answer your questions about what the foods are, help you find foods with the "certified organic" label. If there's a nearby farmers' market, it's a much more interesting experience than the grocery store. Kids can pick their favorite produce and ask the farmers about how they grew it. Kids love meeting farmers.

Things are different today from when I grew up, and it's a lot harder to get kids who are entrenched in their habits to go outside their comfort zones. But I really believe it's just a matter of exposing them early to where food comes from: a field, not a box; a tree, not a jar; a fish, not a stick."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Nell and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

Olivia Newton-John

Singer, Actress, Environmentalist

Olivia Newton-John helped launch Healthy Child Healthy World in 1992, and served as national spokesperson for a decade. Her steadfast devotion has enabled Healthy Child to receive global attention and international support. Her contributions of time and talent have been significant and far-reaching. She also collaborated on the creation and production of Healthy Child’s first educational video, “Not Under My Roof: Protecting Your Baby From Toxins At Home."

"Healthy Child - Healthy World!!

The 2 are so intricately intertwined, a reflection of each other, and this has been our goal since this organization was started 16 years ago.

Nancy and Jim Chuda, my dear friends and founders of Healthy Child Healthy World, were visionaries and saw the need then for these guidelines to inform parents on how to protect their children from environmental hazards. I am proud to be a part of this green team!"

Robyn O’Brien

Founder of Allergy Kids, Mother of four

"I was completely clueless about food allergies, which is what my pediatrician diagnosed when I called him. And that’s when my education began. That night I sat down at the computer and started researching, and I was stunned at how prevalent the problem had become in the last ten years and how little information there really was about it. I thought, it’s tough enough to protect my child in my own home; how will I protect her when she’s old enough to be at school? Or at friends’ houses? It dawned on me that there had to be a universal symbol for food allergies the way there’s a pink ribbon for breast cancer, so allergy kids could be identified. And so that night I sat down and sketched out that symbol, which became the bright green “stop sign” shape stickers I’ve been trying to get into the hands of parents of the millions of children with allergies."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from Robyn and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

Kristin O’Connor

Kristin's career in food began as a result of overcoming her own struggles with health through diet and lifestyle changes. Inspired by the power of food on her own health, she became curious about the impact on our environment and combined with her love of cooking, Kristin developed her website: www.NourishThis.com. Nourish This is a wellness website providing recipes, articles and tips on eating and living a green/healthy life. All recipes on Nourish This have a nutritional breakdown as well as comments from renowned Naturopathic Doctors.

Her goal is to share the importance of eating whole, organic foods for both our health and our environment.

She helps families and individuals implement healthy/green cooking strategies in their homes through individualized consultation. After each consultation, Kristin provides weekly meal plans customized for specific allergies/general health concerns; how to stick to a budget while eating organic food and cleaning the kitchen with non-toxic techniques. She conducts private or group cooking classes to show the joy and simplicity of healthy cooking.

Recipes and articles by Kristin have been featured on www.healthychild.org, www.godairyfree.com, www.alternativemed.ca and Nourish This is featured on www.bestallergysites.com.

Michelle Obama

First Lady of the United States, Mother of Malia and Sasha

"The number of children with asthma has more than doubled since 1980, and this epidemic disproportionately affects minority communities. As a society, we need to help parents in the inner city live in clean environments that aren’t dangerous to their children’s health. There are both genetic and environmental factors to asthma, but genetics change too slowly to explain the spike in cases we’ve seen recently. Clearly we’re not doing a good enough job addressing the environmental causes.

From my experience in health care, I know that a lot of what contributes to the crisis is people not taking adequate care of themselves on the front end. In addition to living in unhealthy communities, our children eat poorly and exercise less. They spend more time indoors, in front of the TV, where so many other asthma triggers reside. All of this together weakens their immune systems. So we need to make our children’s environments healthier."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from the First Lady and many more, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

David Orr

Professor of Environmental Studies, Oberlin College, Author of The Nature of Design: Ecology, Culture and Human Intention

"What can we do to improve parenting? Most important, we must protect children and childhood, which means changing our priorities. As a society, that means such things as fewer shopping malls and more parks; less television and more family time; fewer roads and more trails. It means no child left behind...in every way.

That goal requires that we, parents and teachers, foster a sense of hope along with the competence to act faithfully. Hope and competence include old and durable standards of decency, compassion, and foresight but now extended to all life for as far out as we can imagine. But hope grows out of the practical necessities to:
1. love our children thoughtfully and consistently.
2. slow the velocity of life by eating together, playing together, reading together, working together.
3. eat well, which means mostly local, organic, and unprocessed foods.
4. engage the natural world—more accurately, to enjoy a love affair with it. The natural world is not an abstraction...yet."

From HEALTHY CHILD HEALTHY WORLD. Reprinted by arrangement with Plume, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Copyright (c) 2009 by Healthy Child Healthy World.

To read more from David and many others, pick up your copy of our book, Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home, today.

Colleen Padilla

ClassyMommy

Colleen Padilla, the founder and editor of ClassyMommy.com lives in the Philly suburbs and is a full time mom for her 2 children, Mackenzie (3) and Kyle (1). Colleen and the Classy Mommy website have been featured on Fox News, MSNBC, Good Morning America, The New York Times, Parenting Magazine, local Philadelphia ABC, CBS, and NBC programs. Colleen has also appeared in a TV special about Alpha Moms on South Korea's NBC affiliate SBS. She also contributes to lifetimemoms.com.

Today, Classy Mommy is an indispensable website for moms featuring fabulous products that can be easily accessed in one of the largest catalogs of independent baby product reviews on the Web with over 1400 product reviews, fabulous giveaways for readers, and lively videos.

Classy Mommy started vlogging product reviews with her children testing out the latest gadgets & gifts in 2006 before vlogging was really in anyone's vocabulary. Her vlogs have since been featured as part of J&J's Real Mom Series along with incorporating vlogging into sponsored campaigns with major companies like Healthy Choice and Better Homes & Gardens.

Colleen has a B.A. in Anthropology and an MBA, both from Cornell University. She has worked in Corporate America for Ford Motor Company, Wells Fargo, and Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals. In her spare time, when she's not blogging or taking care of the kiddies, she loves to go for a run, escape with a fabulous book, or spend time in the outdoors with her husband.

Today, this energetic Mom is a social media consultant, mom expert, and brand advocate. She was a featured speaker at Blissdom 2009 and spoke on the topic of "Ethics and Blogging" at the Blog World 2009 Conference in Las Vegas. Colleen has served as a spokesperson for Energizer rechargeable batteries, is an active member of the Walmart Moms exclusive mom blogger group, Frito Lay's Fab 15, the Hanes Comfort Crew, and a superinfluencer for the Frigidaire Test Drive program. Last fall, Colleen worked as a spokesperson on Mattel's Fall 2009 launch of games targeted towards pre-schoolers too!

But nothing compares to being a mom!

Parent Ambassadors are not official representatives of Healthy Child and their opinions and recommendations do not necessarily reflect those of the organization.

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