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Green institute launches to address dangerous chemicals in products
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A major new nonprofit group has been launched with the goal of eliminating hazardous chemicals from consumer products. It’s known as the Green Products Innovation Institute, and as the New York Times reports, the initiative includes some big names.
A formal launch event was held at Google’s corporate headquarters and attended by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as executives from Google, Wal-Mart Stores, YouTube and the designer chairmaker Herman Miller. The institute’s board of directors and "founders circle" include Brad Pitt and Robert Kennedy Jr., and the board is led by California’s director of conservation, Bridgett Luther. The institute will be based in San Francisco.
The idea behind the group, Luther told the paper, is to act as a standards developer and third-party certifier of chemicals. It hopes to create change in the same way early-actor climate registries have led to better global warming protocols in places such as California. One goal is to have the group’s seal placed on products it tests, having the seal become a recognizable sign of certification.
Speaking at the event, Governor Schwarzenegger called the institute "a perfect example of a public-private partnership" He said its certification process might help call attention to the problems of toys, lotions, candies and similar products containing lead, carcinogens or other hazardous chemicals.
Schwarzenegger is also looking to address the problem of contaminated groundwater, the paper reports, and he believes an $11-billion water bond up for vote in the fall could be the solution. The governor said that more than 600 wells are contaminated throughout the state.
The Daily Democrat of Woodland, California reports that opinions differ over the bond package, which is officially known as The Safe, Clean and Reliable Drinking Water Supply Act of 2010. Opponents and supporters of the measure recently voiced their opinions at a public forum held by the Water Resource Association of Yolo County.
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