Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode

A cleaner, greener, and brighter future is within our reach. But often the path we have to walk is littered with discriminatory hurdles put up by the male-dominated financial sector. From subsidies that suppress organic farming to everyday biases preventing the funding of new startups and innovative ideas from women and people of color, Wall Street often stands in the way of progress. No one can speak to this better than our guest today, Robyn O’Brien. Robyn is a bestselling author, speaker, entrepreneur and investor. After earning her MBA from Rice University, Robyn went on to work as an equity analyst on Wall Street where she covered the food and tech industry. After falling down the convoluted rabbit hole of contaminated food and personal care products, she now sits at the intersection of environmentalism, equality and finance.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below: Robyn's websiteTed X - "Real Food Evangelism"Ted X - “Patriotism on a Plate”Seeding Innovation: The Path to Profit and Purpose in the 21st CenturyThe Unhealthy Truth: One Mother's Shocking Investigation into the Dangers of America's Food Supply-- and What Every Family Can Do to Protect ItselfDetox Development -The World BankLifting financial performance by investing in women, Long-term capitalism at BlackRock (Nov. 2023)Reforming federal cosmetics law: What is the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act? (EWG)EWG welcomes cosmetics law reforms in end-of-year spending billMontCalmHR5050Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Many people find EWG while seeking information  about pesticides. In today’s episode Ken is joined by our in-house Senior Toxicologist, Dr. Alexis Temkin whose research establishes safety guidelines to help people (including children) minimize their exposure to toxic crop chemicals. In the second half of today’s episode, Ken is joined by renowned pediatrician Dr. Phillip Landrigan whose decades of research and advocacy  is integral for understanding the effects of pesticides on children. We see this episode as Pesticides 101, to help give our audience agency over how they (and their families) are exposed to pesticides. Our government isn’t doing enough to protect us from harmful chemical  residues often found in healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Until that changes, we’re grateful for the work of Dr. Temkin and Dr. Landrigan which has helped  people, including parents and caregivers, better understand how they can take steps to reduce their exposure to pesticides while eating plenty of healthy fruits and veggies. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:EWG’s 2024 Dirty Dozen EWG’s 2024 Clean 15EWG’s Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Chemicals: The top 12 to avoidEWG’s YouTubeAlexis Temkin, Ph.D. EPA warns farmworkers about risks of Dacthal60 Minutes (CBS; 2/26/1989)National Research Council (US) Committee on Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and ChildrenFood Quality Protection Act SigningSafe Drinking Water Act SigningChildren and Environmental Toxins: What Everyone Needs to Know®Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise (contributed by NPR)Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Oil companies have known about their enormous and “catastrophic” contribution to climate change since the 1950s. They lied about it for as long as they could and are now lying about their newfound commitment to solving the problem they created. Who will hold them accountable?  Melissa “Missy” Sims, a lawyer from Illinois, is currently representing 52 Puerto Rican municipalities against Big Oil for hurricane-related damages caused by the climate crisis. Richard Wiles is the president of the Center for Climate Integrity, which helps state and local elected leaders, including state attorneys generals hold Big Oil companies accountable for climate damages through litigation. In today’s episode, Ken, Missy and Richard talk about how they got to the front lines of protecting our planet by working together on a mission to sue Big Oil and what their hope for the future looks like.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:She’s on a Mission From: God Suing Big Oil Companies for DamagesCenter for Climate Integrity The Global Climate Science Communications Action Plan “The Victory Memo”T.I.N.A. Group Sceanarios 1998Exxon’s 1978 report “The Greenhouse Effect”Exxon’s 1979 report “Controlling Atmospheric CO2”Exxon's 2019 Corporate Strategic Planning memorandumShell’s 2020 “Let’s Talk Energy Transition” emails and deckHouse Oversight documents reveal Big Oil’s “greenwashing” climate claims to hide investments in fossil fuelsKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Local businesses and local farms are being lost in this era of monopolizing America’s food system, but the food industry didn’t become corrupt overnight. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Austin Frerick, expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. His debut book, “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry” profiles a series of powerful magnates to illustrate the concentration of power in the food system. Policy language used effectively by the food industry is designed to wall people off, Austin’s book let’s people in.During the 2020 presidential campaign, Austin advised candidates Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Pete Buttigieg on agricultural policy before ultimately serving as Co-Chair of the Biden campaign’s Agriculture Antitrust Policy Committee. He now works at Yale University, collaborating on research related to competition policy and antitrust enforcement.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:“Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry”EWG's Meat And Dairy Product Labels DecoderEWG’s quick tips for reducing your diet's climate footprintEWG’s Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate & HealthKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

In a recent New Yorker article, investigative reporter Sharon Lerner writes about former 3M scientist Kris Hansen who conducted a study in the 90s where she found PFAs forever chemicals in the general public's blood. 3M executives told her PFAS chemicals weren't harmful, she believed them. Decades later she would learn the truth about the serious risks of  PFAS exposure, and why she decided to speak out against the company she worked at for decades.  We are aware of the harmful effects of PFAs because of Professor Philippe Grandjean, a Danish Toxicologist. In the first part of today’s episode, Ken is joined by Sharon Lerner and talks about the human experience 3m scientist Kris Hansen has gone through since finding out her employer lied to her and the general public for decades. Sharon Lerner refers to Professor Philippe Grandjean’s groundbreaking work in her article and in the second part of today’s episode, Ken is joined by Professor Grandjean to speak about one of his own articles that explores the vested interest in keeping facts about chemical exposure a secret from the public.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:How 3M Discovered, Then Concealed, the Dangers of Forever Chemicals (The New Yorker)Sharon Lerner's work at ProPublicaIs Pollution Value-Maximizing? The Dupont Case (National Bureau Of Economic Research)Paracelsus Revisited: The Dose Concept in a Complex WorldEWG’s PFAS resourcesLead: Celebrate its ban, but don't cross it off your list (EWG)Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Climate change, air pollution, jobs! These are buzzwords that have helped the nuclear energy industry stay in power. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by author and environmental engineering professor, Mark Jacobson and former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and author, Greg Jaczko to discuss why we continue to waste so much money in nuclear power, what the new clean energy alternatives are and why we are still using both.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Mark Jacobson’s Book, No Miracles NeededGreg Jaczko’s Book, Confessions of a Rogue Nuclear RegulatorEWG’s Green Energy GuideThe Economic Viability of Nuclear Power Is Only Going DownWhy Small Modular Nuclear Reactors Won’t Help Counter the Climate CrisisKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

Almost 100% of Americans have toxic substances in our bodies and it negatively affects our health in numerous ways. In today’s episode,  Ken is joined by functional medicine pioneer and EWG board member, Dr. Mark Hyman. Functional medicine is a complete approach to your whole interconnected biological system. Dr. Hyman came to functional medicine after being diagnosed with mercury poisoning and after using functional medicine to detoxify his body, he became determined to help as many people as possible.  Ken and Dr. Hyman discuss why we are exposed to so many toxic substances, where we are exposed to them, and what you can do to help yourself reduce exposure and increase detoxification. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:functionhealth.com/markMark's Instagram Dr. Mark Hyman’s Website EWG's Dirty Dozen: Cancer Prevention Edition EWG's 2024 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week. @kencookspodcast www.ewg.org @environmentalworkinggroup 

In today’s episode, Ken is joined by two guests, Diane Cotter and Peter Arlein who both came into environmentalism as a way to protect their families, friends, and communities from toxic ‘forever chemicals.’ Worcester, MA native Diane, wife of firefighter Paul Cotter, plunged into the PFAS rabbit hole when she questioned whether Paul’s exposure to the chemicals contributed to his prostate cancer. Her relentless pursuit for the truth revealed numerous sick firefighters and afflicted firefighter communities nationwide. Former ski-shop wax tech Peter took matters into his own hands by creating the Colorado-based company MountainFlo dedicated to making ski wax and bicycle lubricants without PFAS and petroleum, to protect the Rocky Mountains he cherishes and the outdoor sports community he belongs to. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Peter’s Company: Mountain Flow & Mountain Flow Take Back ProgramDiane’s Documentary Burned: Protecting the ProtectorsWhat are PFAS chemicals?Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup

When buying or eating food, we don’t often think about the chemicals used in weed killers…but we should. In today’s episode, we go in-depth with Carey Gillam, Managing Editor of The New Lede, EWG’s journalism initiative, and the widely used commercial toxic pesticides found in weed killers. Ken and Carey discuss their link to Parkinson's, non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and childhood leukemia, and her ground-breaking investigations that have exposed corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta that have concealed health risks from the public for decades. Earlier this month, EWG partnered with California assembly member Laura Friedman to introduce Assembly Bill 1963 which would end the use of Paraquat on fields and orchards in California by January 2026. The passing of this bill could enormously impact the lives and the health of California’s farmworkers, their families, and agricultural communities across the state.Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Secret “Paraquat Papers” reveal corporate tactics to protect weed killer linked to parkinson’s diseaseToxic Weed Killer Found in Breast Milk, Infant FormulaThe New Lede’s ‘Paraquat Papers’ scoop recognized by agriculture journalistsCary Gillam’s WebsiteKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup 

For decades the American people have been exposed to toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS with no protection from our government. Until now… In today’s monumental episode, Ken travels to Fayetteville, North Carolina to join the EPA as they announce the first-ever legal limit on PFAS in the drinking water of tens of millions of Americans. In anticipation of this announcement, Ken spoke with environmental attorney, Rob Bilott, who has worked tirelessly for 25 years to make this legal limit on PFAS possible. Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare Dark Waters featuring Mark Ruffalo The Devil We KnowEPA Says ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Be Removed From Tap WaterRuffalo: PFAS drinking water standard delivers justice to poisoned communitiesKen Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcastwww.ewg.org@environmentalworkinggroup