Press Releases

2008

March 12, 2008: Drug Company Drops SLAPP Suit Against Ecology Center

The Ecology Center announced today an end to the SLAPP suit filed against it by Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals.  After nearly two years of litigation where the company alleged at least $9.3 million in damages, the parties entered into a settlement in which Morton Grove drops its lawsuit and the Ecology Center makes no payment to the company, nor any admission of liability.

"We consider this outcome an unqualified victory," said Mike Garfield, Director of the Ecology Center.  "We're glad to be able once again to focus 100% of our efforts on protecting public health and the environment."

March 7, 2008: Ecology Center Annual Meeting Features Acclaimed Investigative Reporter

The annual membership meeting of the Ecology Center will feature acclaimed investigative journalist Mark Schapiro, editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and author of Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What’s at Stake for American Power. The event takes place on Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m., at Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive, in Room 101 of the Morris Lawrence Building.

January 13, 2008: Invisible hitchhikers may be lurking in your car

"Oh great, my child's going to be a mutant," says Lou Terrier as the woman explains to him why she wants to look inside his car. Then Bobbi Chase Wilding slips into the passenger seat of Terrier's family wagon, takes a large gray gun from a shopping bag, removes a rectangular, metallic cap from the business end, aims it point-blank at the dashboard, and pulls the trigger.

January 3, 2008: New State Law Adds Restrictions to Lead in Toys

The New Year brings a new warning to toy retailers and wholesalers in Michigan: Get the lead out.

Effective immediately, a package of new state laws calls for fines of up to $50,000 against companies that sell toys containing high levels of lead.

2007

December 21, 2007: Gov. Granholm, Michigan Legislature OK Bills Limiting Lead in Children’s Products

Health, environmental and child advocacy groups praised legislation signed by Gov. Granholm that limits toxic lead in children’s products. Amid a public furor over toy recalls — and just weeks after the release of www.HealthyToys.org — the new Michigan standards protect children from high lead levels in items such as toys, childcare articles, lunchboxes and children’s jewelry. The rules fill a void in federal laws, which currently apply only to lead levels in paint.

December 18, 2007: Consumers Respond with Overwhelming Demand for More Information About Chemicals in Toys

After overwhelming response to www.HealthyToys.org — a holiday shopping guide to toxic chemicals in toys released this month with more than 230,000 visitors — The Ecology Center and the Washington Toxics Coalition announced results of another 22 popular children’s toys and products tested for lead and other harmful chemicals. These were selected from over 4,500 nominated via the test my toy feature on the site, where visitors vote for toys not already tested.

December 5, 2007: Lead, Arsenic, Other Harmful Chemicals Found in Popular Toys; Michigan-based Ecology Center Releases Testing Results and Consumer Action Guide at www.HealthyToys.org

The Ecology Center, a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, today released the results of their testing of 1,200 popular children's toys for toxic chemicals at www.HealthyToys.org. Working with environmental health groups across the country, the Ecology Center led the development of the site to inform consumers about products they will be purchasing this holiday season. Parents and other holiday shoppers can now easily search by product name, brand, or toy type to learn how the products rate in terms of harmful chemical content.

December 5, 2007: Federal fuel economy agreement protects jobs, environment; Dingell, Pelosi break logjam, craft forward-looking energy pact

Leading Michigan environmental groups today applauded U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell for crafting a landmark agreement to increase automotive fuel economy by 40 percent as part of a national energy bill.

November 15, 2007: Gov. Granholm Joins Midwest Governors to Take Action on Energy Security, Climate Stewardship

Michigan conservation, environmental and faith-based organizations applaud Gov. Jennifer Granholm and six other Midwestern leaders for taking bold action to revitalize communities, create new jobs and protect natural resources. The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord commits the states to develop within the next year a regional carbon cap and trade agreement to reduce global warming pollution. It is an essential step forward to protect the Great Lakes.

August 23, 2007: Legal Action Cites Chrysler, Producers for Continuing Use of Lead-Based Wheel Weights

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH-California), working with the Ecology Center, today initiated legal action to stop the sale of lead-based wheel weights in the state of California, due to the threat of lead pollution to the state's waterways from wheel weights that fall from cars and trucks. CEH notified the major producers of wheel weights and Chrysler, a leading auto maker, that the lead-based weights are illegal under state's safe drinking water law.

August 22, 2007: Ecology Center Blasts Latest DTE Announcement on Green Currents Program

Ann Arbor environmentalists today panned Detroit Edison's recent announcement that it would only be purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) from the Stoney Corners wind farm to carry out its so-called "GreenCurrents" program. "Detroit Edison should be purchasing wind power, not wind certificates," said David Wright, Ecology Center Clean Energy Program Director. "As it stands, GreenCurrents customers are missing the significant economic benefits that could be provided."

July 3, 2007: The Truth About DTE's GreenCurrents

If you live in southeast Michigan, you've recently received a brochure touting a renewable energy program from DTE with your latest energy bill. Here's the truth about the GreenCurrents program and the state of renewable energy in Michigan.

May 16, 2007: First-Ever Ranking of Toxic Chemicals in Child Car Seats Released Today at HealthyCar.org

Crash tests aren’t the only way to prove the safety of a car seat, according to new research released today by the Ecology Center. Beginning today, consumers can look up which car seats rank the best and worst in terms of toxic chemical content at www.HealthyCar.org. Anyone looking to buy a new car seat, or wondering if their child.s current car seat is safe, can visit this site and search by model, or comparison shop between different models.

May 10, 2007: Dow Chemical Investors Worth $305 Million Challenge Company on Social and Environmental Catastrophes

Shareholders representing $305 million will challenge Dow management at its annual stockholders' meeting to address concerns about the company's destructive impact on human health and the environment. Stockholders will vote on two resolutions related to contamination that Dow has failed to remediate -- dioxin contamination in mid-Michigan and abandoned waste in Bhopal, India; a third resolution addresses the asthma epidemic and links to pesticides made by Dow.

May 9, 2007: Federal Judge Dismisses Lawsuit in Chicago Against Ecology Center and Medical Professionals

A federal judge's ruling late last week dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Ecology Center and two Michigan pediatricians by Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals. In 2006, the Ecology Center, the pediatricians, and other medical, public health, and environmental organizations supported the Michigan Legislature's action to ban pharmaceutical products containing lindane, a chemical ingredient that was used in pesticides until the EPA recently withdrew its use in agriculture.

April 13, 2007: Celebrate Earth Week! Join Us!

March 20,2007: HealthyCar.Org Released Today As First-Ever Consumer Guide to Toxic Chemicals in Cars

Today the Ecology Center released the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in cars at www.HealthyCar.org. Over 200 of the most popular 2006- and 2007-model vehicles in the U.S. were tested for chemicals that off-gas from indoor auto parts such as the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests and seats. These chemicals become part of the air we breathe contributing to "new car smell" and a variety of acute and long-term health concerns. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in a car every day, toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles is a major source of potential indoor air pollution.

February 5, 2007: RAA Introduces Complete Recycling Services for Construction and Demolition

January 22, 2007: Ann Arbor News Wrong on Greenbelt -- Land Preservation a Huge Success Story

Despite devoting much space to an article on the Ann Arbor Parks and Greenbelt Program, the Ann Arbor News unfortunately missed the big story. Simply said, the past 15 months have been the most successful period in land preservation history in Washtenaw County, for any community in Michigan, and possibly for any community in the Midwest. Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities are making major strides to preserve our community's best rural lands.
 

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