Advocates to treat chemical industry to free lunch at next week’s GlobalChem – no joke!

Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.

[Update 2:20 EDT:  For GlobalChem attendees who would like to attend our luncheon but won’t yet be at the conference on Monday, we have a call-in number you can use:  (800) 256-8682; code 43491.]

Next week is the chemical industry’s annual GlobalChem bash in Baltimore.  Like last year, there will be a session on “modernization” of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  I was the NGO representative in that session last year, but alas, my inbox never saw an invite this year.  This year’s session will instead be limited to four industry speakers and there won’t be anyone from the advocacy community speaking in any other session of this year’s conference.

Might that be because the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition that EDF helped found held a rally in plain view of last year’s conference that featured a 20-foot-high rubber ducky and the message:  “Chemical industry — You can’t duck real reform!”?

But no matter.  To show our magnanimity, our coalition will be back this year on the first day (Monday, March 21) of the GlobalChem conference – and this time we’ll be offering a free lunch to the participants.  Lunch will be served from 11:30-12:30 in the same hotel, the Hilton Baltimore, that is hosting the industry conference.  But there’s more than just lunch on the menu … .  

While this is not what I would call a catch, our luncheon will feature four speakers who will provide alternative perspectives on what is needed in TSCA Modernization.  The luncheon details are here, but the speakers will be:

• Andy Igrejas, National Campaign Director, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
• Richard A. Denison, PhD, Senior Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund
• Ariana Kelly, Maryland State Delegate and former National Campaign Director for MomsRising.org
• Howard Williams, Vice President and General Manager of Construction Specialties

(Curiously enough, although we made our reservation over a month ago for the Calloway Room on the same (2^nd) floor of the hotel as GlobalChem, just a day after our advisory announcing the briefing went out, the hotel told us we were to be moved to a more distant location!  Further inquiries led to hotel staff informing us that this was done at ACC’s behest upon learning of our event.  When we made clear the intent of our event, the staff agreed to return us to the original room.  So – as of this posting – we’re still slated for the Calloway Room in the North Foyer.)

We welcome any and all GlobalChem participants to attend.  If you’re interested and can do so, please RSVP today to Shayna Samuels at 718-541-4785 or shayna@ripplestrategies.com.  That way, we can make sure we have enough lunch.  But if you forget to RSVP, please feel free to come by anyway – we’ll order extra!