Filter By:
Type
State
Priority
Posted On
Search Results
2025 Year in Review: ReThink Disposable in California
It's been another successful year for the ReThink Disposable program, and we want to thank our Board, our members, and our valued supporters for trusting us to do this work.
We wrapped up a four-year contract with StopWaste where we worked together to reduce single-use disposable foodware in Alameda County. We've done multiple conversion case studies with local businesses over the course of this contract — the most recent a five (5) restaurant study in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, where we found that even a simple straw and sauce cup conversion saves the restaurant $694 annually and
2025 Year in Review: Toxics in California
California is known as a leader in regulating toxic chemicals in products to protect public health and prevent pollution. The end of the year is a great time to review the opportunities and challenges faced by Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund’s Toxics Program in 2025 and how we met them. There were some grave disappointments, but those only provide fuel for future victories.
REI Members to REI: Take Leadership on PFAS!
REI has tarnished its reputation as a company committed to sustainability by continuing to sell clothing, including for children, that contains PFAS. As an REI member, I am disheartened to see that not only do many REI products contain PFAS, but REI is failing to make meaningful progress to phase them out. REI recently earned an “F” grade for its PFAS phase-out policies.
PFAS are a broad class of toxic chemicals that scientists have tied to a wide range of health and environmental harms. As noted in a recently-released Massachusetts government report, just one subset of PFAS has been linked to
Water as a Human Right
The Human Right to Water, passed by the legislature in 2012 and signed by Governor Brown, was a great policy idea with almost no teeth. Community members and advocates worked for years to gain recognition for water as a human right, with our first bill, AB 1242 (Ruskin, 2009) vetoed by then-Governor Schwarzenegger and its successor, AB 685 (Eng, 2012) taking the full 2-year session to pass. The legislation was short and to the point:
It is hereby declared to be the established policy of the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for