Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has introduced The Household Product Labeling Act (S. 1697), which would require household cleaning products to carry labels that list all of their ingredients.

“Moms and dads have a right to know whether harmful chemicals are present in their kitchen cupboards,” Franken says. “When my wife, Franni, and I were raising our own kids, we were constantly concerned with what we used to wash their cribs, their pacifiers, the floors and surfaces they played on. This is just a commonsense measure to help parents keep their kids safe and healthy.”

Current law requires product labels to list immediately hazardous ingredients, but there is no labeling requirement for ingredients that may cause harm over time.

Toxic chemicals in household products produce harmful health effects—the main reason we recommend natural and organic options.

The bill would make information readily available to consumers. HR 3057, the House companion bill, was introduced by Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY).

From the Mind of Al Franken 

• Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot
• Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
• The Truth (With Jokes)
• Oh, the Things I Know!

September is National Food Safety Education Month. So, should we don our party hats?

I think not.

Let’s look at some recent news events:

• A woman is fighting for her life in Las Vegas. Linda Rivera was infected with E. coli after eating contaminated Nestle Cookie Dough, which was later recalled.
• Cantaloupes from a Florida distributor tested positive for salmonella on Aug. 21 and have been recalled.
• Jumbo green onions from several distributors were recalled Aug. 12. They, too, tested positive for salmonella.
• The romaine recall we told you about on July 26 continues. Salinas, Calif.-based Tanimura & Antle has expanded it to cover all 50 states.
• Cilantro from a Texas distributor joined the salmonella-infection club on July 28. The product originated in Mexico.

If there was ever a time for a national overhaul of our food-safety systems, it’s now.

True, the House of Representatives has passed the Food Safety Enhancement Act (HR 2749), but there were unresolved issues regarding organic producers and access to local food. OrganicAuthority Publisher Laura Klein has grave concerns about this bill.

Do you worry about the safety of our country’s food supply? Please let us know how recent events have changed your buying habits.

Photo courtesy of the CDC

Hopefully that’ll all change, because The House just passed a $6.4 billion school modernization bill that will devote money to build and update more energy-efficient school buildings.

Not unlike my college dorm room. Advocates of the bill said all students and teachers deserve a safe and healthy learning environment, but too often schools are literally falling apart.

The passage of the bill wasn’t all chocolate and roses. Opponents of the legislation, mostly Republicans, grumbled at the high price tag, but the money will come. Supporters of the bill say green schools save $100,000 a year on operating expenses and the typical school lasts 40 years.

However, the challenge is changing people’s perception. Most people think green schools cost more up front, but eco-friendly builders insist they do not.

Sounds like a sweet deal to me. Finally my old school will get that VCR they’ve been eyeballing!

Via CNN.

“The bill represents a crucial step forward in addressing the global climate crisis, the need for millions of new green jobs to end the recession, and the national security threats that have long been linked to our growing dependence on foreign oil and other fossil fuels,” says former Vice President Al Gore, board chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection. “I encourage Congress to further strengthen this excellent legislation during floor consideration and move to pass this bill in both the House and the Senate this year.”

“Every day, it becomes clearer that we need to create new jobs and industries that will drive the clean-energy future, keeping energy prices low for families and businesses, all while addressing the challenge carbon emissions pose to our climate,” said Reed Hundt, cochair of Coalition for Green Bank, a consortium of leaders in energy development. “This legislation will provide reliable low-cost financing critical to a private-sector–led transition from carbon to clean energy.”

Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, applauds the bill, but he views it through a local lens.

“We’re concerned that the committee agreed on a bill that provides billions of dollars for state governments but excludes direct funding for cities, which is where the majority of climate protection actions have been taking place, as demonstrated by the 950 mayors who have signed The U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement,” he said. “We’re recommending that at least 20% of the direct proceeds from auctions created by this bill that go to states instead go directly to cities to support efforts already under way by nearly 1,000 mayors.”

Ralph Izzo, chairman of PSEG, a publicly traded diversified energy company, acknowledges groups may have specific agendas.

“We cannot let the search for perfection impede real progress,” he said. “Chairmen Waxman, Markey and Boucher listened to their colleagues and worked to produce revised legislation that reflects a balanced and collaborative approach. We’ve seen real leadership in the crafting of this comprehensive bill, and I am hopeful that we’ll see something move through Congress this year.

“This bill marks a turning point in the discussion and is an indication that the country is getting serious about the need to address global warming,” he added. “The threat of climate change requires that we transform the way we produce and consume energy, and the way we live our lives. How we respond will be the defining issue of our time.”

Sponsored by Congressmen Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Edward Markey (D-MA), the bill is designed to create millions of new clean-energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America’s energy independence and cut global-warming pollution.

Specifically, ACES contains four goals:

• Promote renewable sources of energy, carbon capture and sequestration technologies, clean electric vehicles, and the smart grid and electricity transmission
• Increase energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy, including buildings, appliances, transportation and industry
• Place limits on emissions of heat-trapping pollutants—cutting global-warming pollution by 17% (compared to 2005 levels) in 2020, by 42% in 2030 and by 83% in 2050
• Protect U.S. consumers and industry while promoting green jobs during the transition to a clean-energy economy

“This bill, when enacted into law this year, will break our dependence on foreign oil, make our nation the world leader in clean-energy jobs and technology, and cut global-warming pollution,” Waxman said.

“With this plan, we will shape a new energy destiny for our country, where we innovate more and pollute less,” Markey added. ”Today, we have chosen bold action to preserve good-paying jobs here in America and preserve our planet.”

Joseph Mendelson, director of global-warming policy at the National Wildlife Federation, applauded the committee’s vote.

“The House is going into Memorial Day recess with a bang,” he said. “Committee passage of comprehensive energy legislation is a shot heard around the world. It marks a historic turning point in climate politics that secures America’s role as a leader in the clean-energy revolution.”

For Your Organic Bookshelf

The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works
Climate Change: Picturing the Science