What are all those chemicals in your shampoo? Your lipstick? your aftershave? And what do they have to do with asthma, breast cancer and learning disabilities?

Learn, share and help change this toxic mess: Watch The Story of Cosmetics, a 8-minute film exposing the ugly truth about personal care products - brought to you by Clean Water Action, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, Annie Leonard's Story of Stuff Project and Free Range Studios, and take action to help pass the Safe Cosmetics Act.

photo by Daniel Lobo / CC BY 2.0

Tell the EPA to keep stormwater out of DC's rivers!

What is the greatest threat polluting the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek? The answer may surprise you. It is not industrial waste or piles of trash.

It's runoff of stormwater after heavy rains.

Unfortunately, this problem often goes unnoticed for the simple fact that we can't see it. During rain storms (or when our recent dumping of snow melts) water rushes off all of our paved surfaces taking much of the untreated oil, sediment, trash and other pollutants into our storm drains and the combined sewer/stormwater system which empty directly into the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers.

Unlike the pollution that can more easily be controlled from a single source (waste discharged from an industrial building or construction site) stormwater is more difficult to control and thus requires a comprehensive solution.

The problem is that two-thirds of the District have an inadequate stormwater drainage system that uses old approaches to rush water away from our neighborhoods and streets as fast as possible towards DC's creeks and rivers.

Fortunately, new water management solutions can reduce and even eliminate stormwater pollution.

Take action now: Urge the EPA to issue the strongest stormwater permit possible for DC. Help protect the Potomac, Rock Creek, and the Anacostia from this hidden pollutant.