As I wind up my 25-year tenure at PAN, I’ve been reflecting on what’s kept me in this work for so many years. Because, honestly, the work we do is hard. The changes we’re working toward don’t happen overnight, and some may not occur within our lifetimes.
Being a parent has shaped my 25 years at PAN in fundamental ways. The more I learned, the the more protective I felt of our daughter Linnea, and the more horrified I was about the millions of children around the world who are regularly exposed to dangerous pesticides.
As I look back on two and a half decades of work with PAN, a clear through-line is the pesticide industry's consistent, aggressive efforts to protect their bottom line.
Update: Just last week, EPA announced a ban on all food uses of chlorpyrifos! Though the decision is not perfect — and we’ll continue pressing for phaseout of all remaining, non-food uses of this dangerous chemical — this is a huge milestone that protects the health of millions of children, farmworkers and families. Next up, we’ll continue pushing for the EPA to do the right thing by following the science and standing up to corporate influence.
Two days after Michael Regan was confirmed as the new EPA Administrator, PAN delivered 22,863 of our supporters’ signatures to his desk, urging him to act quickly to get some of the most dangerous pesticides off the market.
The first few weeks of 2021 have been an incredible ride. As the Bernie meme makes its final rounds after last week’s inauguration, I’m inspired to throw a few reflections into the rhetorical ring.
Communities have shown up for each other in amazing ways during this tough year. Now comes the hard work of building the healthy, resilient food and farming system we so urgently need.
People showed up for democracy last week. Now, like many across the country, we’re taking a deep breath and looking toward the year ahead.
It’s messy and imperfect, but our democracy is worth it. For the past few months we’ve been encouraging everyone in the PAN community to show up for what you believe in during this year’s election.
More than 70 million people have already voted in this hugely consequential election, breaking early voting records across the country.
