I’m on the road for our PVC-Free Campus Tour at colleges all across New York State.  I’ve been setting up our giant 25-foot ducky and showing documentaries like Toxic Towns, USA and Blue Vinyl.

So far I’ve visited Cornell and SUNY Geneseo, and will also be going to Canisius College, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Fredonia, Vassar College, and SUNY Albany in the next 2 weeks.  All the students I’ve met with were shocked to learn their schools were using PVC that’s poisoning environmental justice communities around the country.

Students are launching PVC-free purchasing campaigns at their colleges to help shift the market away from PVC and towards safer building materials free of harmful chemicals like phthalates.   This is important as studies have found PVC building materials are laden with toxic chemical additives.

Big colleges like Cornell and SUNY Buffalo spend millions of dollars every year building and renovating buildings with PVC building materials like flooring, carpeting and roofing.  They also buy lots of PVC school and office supplies, from computers to binders.

Even the US Green Building Council  is waking up to the dangers of PVC building materials, as they’ve recently announced pilot credits for avoiding phthalates and PVC in LEED buildings.  Last year, the EPA  announced a “chemical action plan” for phthalates. Over 90% of all phthalates are used in PVC products, many of which are found in colleges across America.

As I’m waiting for my next event to start sitting in a cafe sipping on some much needed coffee, I put together this photo slideshow for you all to enjoy.

Yours for a PVC-free future, Mike Schade, PVC Campaign Coordinator, Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)