Use nudity when potentially child-killing chemicals don’t garner enough attention

Back in September, Senator Al Franken and Rep. Steve Israel has introduced the "Household Product Labeling Act," which will enable consumers to determine whether potentially harmful chemicals are present in the household cleaning products they use. Here's the full text of the Senate version of the Act. Here's the problem:

In many households across the country, the entire family pitches in on household cleaning chores. The effort is obviously intended to keep everyone healthy by cutting down on germs, bacteria, and mold. But unfortunately, many of the ingredients in commonly used cleaning products may be dangerous themselves. Current law requires that product labels list immediately hazardous ingredients, but there is no labeling requirement for ingredients that may cause harm over time. Many chemicals contained in household products have been shown to produce harmful health effects. Consumers have a right to know which of these potentially harmful chemicals might be present in their kitchen and bathroom cupboards. This information is particularly important to families with small children, who as we all know have more direct contact with floors and household surfaces. This legislation simply makes that information readily available to consumers, giving them the opportunity to make an informed choice about the chemicals they bring into their homes.
This is an incredibly important bill, because consumers should have a right to know the chemicals to which they are exposing their families (see here for related post). How do you promote a bill when the "mere" sickness and death fail to attract enough attention? A private company called Method decided to shoot this clever (and somewhat provocative) video:

Continue ReadingUse nudity when potentially child-killing chemicals don’t garner enough attention

How to have a conversation about health care reform

I commend the way that Al Franken engaged with these tea party folks recently: Watching this video makes me ever more suspicious that the media is driving unnecessary conflict (on health care reform and on everything else) in order to sell ads. It seems much easier to talk when the media isn't around spewing sound bites and featuring angry extremists, instead of focusing on the many ways we actually agree with those with whom we "disagree." I couldn't take my eyes off of the woman who tried to start the conversation in a contentious way. I kept wondering whether her views on Al Franken were shifting given the impressive way he discussed the issues surrounding health care reform.

Continue ReadingHow to have a conversation about health care reform