NEW YORK, NY, May 5, 2009 -- The Daily Green, the consumers guide to the green revolution, tapped author, philanthropist and children's health advocate Deirdre Imus with "The Guardian" award at a presentation ceremony at the Joseph Urban Theater in the Hearst Towers in New York City April 23rd.
The Guardian Award, one of 11 "Heart of Green" awards presented, recognized Deirdre Imus' dedication to improving the health of children by reducing toxins in the environment. The Daily Green’s mission is to broaden the audience for “green” by showing how it’s relevant to everyone. The event was co-sponsored by Yahoo Green, and attended by about 200 people including "green" celebrities, leaders and influencers.
Toxic chemicals are found in everyday products from baby bottles to cleaning products, Ms. Imus said including neurotoxins, carcinogens and suspected carcinogens, teratogens and mutagens.
"Nobody knows the cumulative impact of all these chemicals, but everyone should know the state of children's health because we do have the power to make changes," Ms Imus said. She cited an array of statistics: One in six children is considered overweight, one is six is diagnosed with developmental disorders, allergies are epidemic, asthma is a leading chronic childhood disease, cancer is still the leading cause of death by disease in children, one in 400-500 has sickle-cell anemia, one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism and and nearly one in 200 now suffer from Tourette's syndrome.
"Scientists believe about 85 percent of illnesses are related to the environment, so that means many can be prevented," she said, urging support for the Kid-Safe Chemicals Act, set for reintroduction by Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
Deirdre Imus is the Founder and President of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center, and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. She is the author of The Essential Green You!, Easy Ways to Detox Your Diet, Your Body and Your Life, the latest in the New York Times best-selling Green This! series.
The mission of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children."
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center developed the award-winning Greening the Cleaning® program. Greening the Cleaning® means eliminating to the greatest extent possible all cleaning agents containing hazardous ingredients and replacing them with environmentally responsible ingredients with the least level of toxicity.
Among other "Heart of Green" awards were:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Frances Beinecke - president of Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the nation's most influential environmental groups, which not only works in the halls of Washington but works to win the hearts and minds of the American people.
The Ground Breaker Award: Roger Doiron - founder of Kitchen Gardeners International, which promotes home gardening, and the Eat the View campaign, which successfully convinced President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama to plant an organic vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House grounds.
The Pathfinder Award: Summer Rayne Oakes - author of Style, Naturally, model and activist, and designer of a new affordable line of sustainable shoes, Zac and Zoe, with Payless
The Pioneer Award: Alicia Silverstone - actress, advocate for veganism and author of the forthcoming The Kind Diet, about ethical and healthy eating
The Star Connection Award: Maria Menounos - host of "Hollywood Green" on Discovery Communications’ Planet Green network and special correspondent for NBC’s “Access Hollywood."
The Influencer Award: Planet Green - Planet Green is the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle television. Laura Michalchyshyn, president of Planet Green, was formerly the executive vice president and general manager of Sundance Channel.