Jennifer Sass's Blog
About
- Bio:
I grew up in the Canadian prairies where I learned to love open spaces, wild places, big skies, long summer nights, cozy cold winters, and the comfort of good friends. I came to the US as a post-doctoral student of toxicology and environmental health. After about a dozen successful years as a bench scientist conducting basic medical research, I wanted to transition into policy work. I joined NRDC in 2001 to work towards strengthening the regulation of toxic chemicals. When not in the office I like to hike, bike white water kayak, and walk my dog.
- Roots in:
- Canadian Prairies
- Favorite place:
- wild spaces, wild water, woods, rivers in the moonlight, my tent and a cozy sleeping bag, snow fall.
- Why "environmentalism" matters:
- I come to environmentalism from a history of social justice. My grandparents, parents, and siblings have all devoted their working lives to advocating for the rights and health of disempowered people. When I was a little girl my dad used to take me with him to inspect workplaces, and I remember clearly the smell and taste of slaughterhouse kill floors, the heat and dust of mining and processing plants, the noise of the steel foundry. My dad would blow his nose after our tour and only black dust would come out, and he would tell me that management showed him monitoring data as evidence that noise and dust levels were ‘legal’ and therefore ‘safe’. He taught me to listen to people, not devices and equipment, because they know what makes them sick. As an environmental scientist with NRDC, I advocate for disclosure of information, regard for scientific inquiry and facts, justice for disempowered people, honesty by government, and corporate accountability.
Recent Blog Posts
- Thumbs up for our new EPA on toxic chemicals and pesticides (October 28, 2009)
- Pet collars will no longer contain toxic pesticide carbaryl, effective 2010 (October 21, 2009)
- News from the bee hive: fall/winter preparations (September 10, 2009)
- Nano: the investor perspective from IEHN (September 9, 2009)
- New data confirms widespread atrazine contamination in drinking water and streams (August 21, 2009)
- nano-chemical exposures implicated in workplace deaths (August 19, 2009)
- Chemicals and bees: the good, the bad, the still legal (July 27, 2009)
- NRDC releases report recommending science journals protect themselves from misuse (June 1, 2009)
- EPA announces a much-improved IRIS chemical assessment process (May 21, 2009)
- NRDC sends its wish list on scientific integrity to the President (May 14, 2009)
Read more in Jennifer Sass's Archives→
