DEIRDRE IMUS JOINS WITH MAYOR, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND DEP COMMISSIONER TO HELP LAUNCH ‘GREEN’ CITY PROGRAM FOR BRIDGEPORT
January 26, 2009 09:35 AM
BRIDGEPORT, CT– Government plays an important role in developing more environmentally-responsible cities, and the public can catalyze the effort, said philanthropist, author and children's health advocate Deirdre Imus at a city meeting on greening and sustainability in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Nov. 18.
Invited to help Bridgeport for her expertise in greening, Ms. Imus applauded the initiative and said the public can strengthen such efforts by living and thinking "green," supporting public "greening" efforts, and suggesting new practices.
Deirdre Imus is the founder and president of the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® (www.dienviro.com) at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation. The Environmental Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission 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 event was the first step in Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch's "City B-Green 2020 Sustainability" initiative to reduce Bridgeport's carbon footprint, promote “green” jobs and technology, and attract new business. Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Gina McCarthy attended as well as about 50 business and community leaders. A "Green Tie" event attended by 150 followed.
"Greening almost always reduces costs," Ms Imus said, "usually right away and almost always in the long run when health and environmental costs are factored in. Right now city and state officials are especially interested in green practices that can cut expenses." One simple practice is to switch away from toxic cleaning products to the Environmental Center's Greening the Cleaning® program that contributes to better indoor air quality and eliminates toxic chemicals from the waste stream.
Hundreds of healthcare facilities, government authorities, businesses and schools have implemented the Greening the Cleaning program since 2001, with direct savings in cleaning costs ranging from budget neutral to 75 percent, she said.
Greening the Cleaning means eliminating to the greatest extent possible, all cleaning agents containing hazardous ingredients and replacing them with naturally-derived ingredients with the least level of toxicity. One hundred percent of all profits from the institutional products go to the Environmental Center for supporting education and research 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.
Inspired by our award-winning program, the Greening the Cleaning household line is available in stores nationwide, as well as from Imus Ranch Foods. One hundred percent of all profits from the retail line go to the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer, a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit.
We're All Responsible
Ms. Imus said many states, cities, towns and schools are dealing with decades-old toxic chemicals -- from lawn chemicals to industrial waste, noting that heavy metals and other environmental toxins can bioaccumulate in the body. "We are all responsible for the environment we leave our children and grandchildren," she said.
Ms. Imus is also co-founder and co-director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer (imusranchfoods.com), an authentic 4,000 acre working cattle ranch in northern New Mexico, which provides the experience of the American cowboy to children suffering from cancer and various blood diseases, as well as to children who have lost a brother or sister to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
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