banning the bag and phasing out foam - why voluntary bans don't work

The stakes are high. Plastic debris, which absorbs pollutants like PCBs and oil contaminants, is mistaken for food and eaten by fish and other marine creatures. That means that the human food chain is being poisoned by plastic. 

2011 was a challenging year for environmental legislation in Sacramento as lawmakers were reluctant to support any measure that could be spun a imposing additional cost to the state or threatening jobs. Despite these challenges, Clean Water Action and its water allies achieved many notable victories for water this legislative season. The following is a list of gifts of clean water for the 2011 holiday season provided, in part, by Clean Water Action.

improving water quality in the san joaquin valley
Clean Water Action has worked to improve water quality in the San Joaquin Valley for nearly a decade. Hundreds of small communities there lack safe drinking water and do not have the resources to treat or replace their contaminated source water. Despite myriad projects and bond initiatives to address these problems, the list of contaminated water systems continues to grow.

Nitrate is the most common contaminant in the region. In drinking water, nitrate can make it hard for the blood stream to absorb oxygen, causing “blue baby syndrome” in infants. Other health effects linked to nitrate are cancer, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and thyroid disruption.