Children Need Bedtime Stories, Parents Need a Wake-Up Story: Are You Awake?

Posted February 4th, 2010 by Janelle Sorensen

For most parents, a wailing baby is our daily wake-up call. Parenthood is a never-ending procession of realizations, do-overs, and wake up calls. We learn something new everyday, and often times our children act as our most powerful teachers.

Over the past 17 years, Healthy Child Healthy World has witnessed the “light-bulb moment” of millions of parents when they learn that toxic chemicals have unknowingly contaminated their homes, their environments, and their own bodies. It’s unthinkable that the government hasn’t been protecting our families and that industry has greedily swept aside concern for public health in the face of profit.

Chronic childhood illness – asthma, allergies, autism, cancer, obesity and diabetes – is plaguing our nation, and credible scientific evidence links chemical exposure to many of these conditions. Yet, most of the roughly 80,000 chemicals in everyday products like cosmetics and food packaging have slipped through the regulatory system almost entirely unchecked for potential health impacts. Sadly, most parents are unaware and unwittingly expose their children to risky products every day.

It’s time to re-write the story.

2010 can and should be a year of overwhelming change, but only if we make it so. If 2009 was the year of Hope, 2010 will likely be the year of Hope 2.0. In other words, its what happens when Hope meets reality. The reality is that petrochemicals are the foundation of our culture and they are wreaking havoc on our health and the environment. Any successful solution to the climate crisis and the health care crisis must address petrochemical regulation. The reality is that hope alone does not create change. Action does.

What we need is a massive awakening.

Help wake people up. Take 3 minutes to watch AWakeUpStory.org Then share it with everyone you know. And, be sure to sign-up to help us fight for safer chemicals and healthier families.