Planning to cut down on your carbon footprint this year?

Want to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals and pollutants?

2011 was a great year for EWG, and it was all thanks to you. We are looking forward to a 2012 filled with new research, tips and tools so you can make safer, healthier choices for your family.

Thank you for your continued support,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Everything we've accomplished this past year is because of you, and everything we're able to do next year depends on you. That's why it's so important to give today.

The December 31 deadline is less than 48 hours away. We absolutely have to make this goal or we won't have the budget needed to get our critical research done for the coming year. There's no turning back the clock after midnight December 31. Either we make it, or we don't.

Can EWG count on your generous help once again?

Click here to make your tax-deductible donation to EWG right now, before midnight tomorrow. We're just $78,633 away, so a donation will really help push us over the finish line.

We've already told you about a lot of the great things we have in store for you next year. You're going to love our new household cleaners database. And of course, there are all those updates to the reports and guides you depend on, like the Cell Phone Radiation Guide, Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and the National Drinking Water Database.

Our efforts to fight the Secret Farm Bill get to the heart of what EWG is all about. We're working to ensure that affordable organic food is more accessible, that farming practices are both sustainable and environmentally safe, and that millionaires don't receive farming subsidies.

If you're reading this now, I know it's because you care about EWG and you count on us to provide you with the information you need to stay safe and healthy. If that's the case, then won't you please donate today? We need your help to not only continue our research, but expand on it. With your donation before midnight tomorrow, EWG will have its biggest and best year yet.

Click here to make a tax-deductible donation to EWG and help us reach this important goal by midnight tomorrow. We're just $78,633 away but the deadline is approaching, so please respond just as soon as you can.

I'm looking forward to calling Ken back and giving him the good news that we've achieved our goal.

Thanks again for your continued support!

Jocelyn Lyle
Director of Development, Environmental Working Group

Hello Viewers,

Are you facing the holiday shopping crunch like I am? Searching high and low for great gift ideas?

I've still got to find something special for the home chefs on my list, and I want these gifts to be unique - and, of course, healthy. Like so many of you, I turned to EWG and looked through our research on plastics, non-stick pans and so much more to come up with quick ideas for safer, fun kitchenware. Whether you're prepping for holiday feasts or looking for last-minute gifts, these should fit the bill.

Environmental Working Group doesn't just help you get through your gift list we also make shopping as easy as possible. If you click on one of our dedicated Amazon links, you'll be able to shop conveniently online and a portion of your total purchase amount will be donated to EWG, at no extra cost to you - no matter what you buy.

I wish you a safe - and flavorful - holiday.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Here are a few of the safe, attractive kitchenware products that caught my eye and would make great gifts.

For the stove top:

• Chef's Secret 5-Ply Stainless Steel Griddle with Glass Lid

• T-Fal Ultimate Stainless Steel Copper Bottom 12-Inch Fry Pan

• Lodge Logic Dutch Oven with Loop Handles

• Cuisinart's 77-10 Chef's Classic Stainless Steel 10-Piece Cookware Set

• Lodge Pro Logic 14-Inch Cast Iron Wok

For the oven:

• Norpro 8-Inch Stainless Steel Cake Pan

• Pyrex Bake, Serve and Store Sets

• Norpro Stainless Steel 15-Inch by 10-Inch Jelly Roll Baking Pan

• Anchor Hocking Oven Basics 11-Piece Bake Set

• Fox Run Stainless Steel Muffin Pan

• Pyrex Bakeware 1 1/2 Quart Casserole Dish with Lid

• Progressive International Stainless Steel Roasting Pan

Accessories:

• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

• Calphalon 6-Piece Stainless Steel Crock Set

• Norpro 3-Piece Stainless Steel Balloon Whisk Set

P.S. At EWG, we want to keep providing you with the information you need to make smarter, healthier choices for you and your family. Time is running out to meet our 2011 fundraising goals. Donate $10 or more today, and we'll send you our special ChicoBag mesh produce bag to thank you. This deadline is so crucial, a generous donor will match your gift, doubling your impact!

• Anna Getty's Easy Green Organic Cookbook to help you cook yummy meals that are good for you and the environment.

• A Klean Kanteen Reflect reusable stainless steel bottle that's 100 percent plastic-free and made with a bamboo cap - a first of its kind!

• A To-Go Ware Snack Stack food carrier that's perfect for packing both hot and cold foods.

• An EcoBags organic cotton canvas lunch sack that's reusable and machine washable.

• A LunchSkins by 3GreenMoms reusable sandwich bag that is dishwasher-safe and free of lead, BPA and phthalates.

• Earthbound Farm's new organic savory snack mix.

• Organic seeds from Seeds of Change.

• EWG's Quick Tips for Safer Cosmetics shopping guide.

• EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce wallet guide.

• EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health wallet guide.

• More than $50 in coupons from great companies like Organic Valley, Amy's Kitchen, Stonyfield and ChicoBag.

All it takes is a tax-deductible donation of $135 and you'll get an incredible gift bag while also helping EWG meet our end-of-year fundraising goal.

Click here to make your $135 tax-deductible donation to EWG and get our exclusive gift bag in time for the holidays. This is a great time to give, because your donation will be matched by a generous donor.

I hope this gift bag will introduce you to some excellent new products and help you make better choices to keep you and your family healthy.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

• Resist shortsighted calls to cut funding for the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA needs the resources to protect human health and the environment.

• Make sure that all Americans - especially children - get enough of the right kinds of food to lead healthy lives, like supporting school meals, supplemental nutrition programs and healthier fruits and veggies. That means ensuring that food is produced in ways that protect and improve the health of soil and water and that enhance long-term agricultural sustainability.

• Fix the outdated farm subsidy system. Direct payments that go out regardless of market conditions or actual land use must be eliminated. Price support programs are irrelevant in today's booming farm economy and need to be reformed.

• Protect conservation spending. Programs that protect our nation's farmlands and have direct effects on the availability of safe water get cut year after year. Enough is enough.

Please stand with EWG by signing onto our letter to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. The country needs responsible budget cuts that eliminate wasteful spending such as direct payments and bloated crop insurance programs.

Click here to sign onto EWG's letter to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction. Make sure it balances the budget in the right way.

President Obama announced his plan to cut the federal budget, and EWG applauds several of his proposals - from reforming taxpayer-funded crop insurance to cutting big oil's subsidies. The committee needs to hear from all of us. Please let them know that you stand with EWG today.

Thank you for standing up for responsible budget cuts. So much is on the line.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Do you want to stop childhood obesity?

I'm sure you do - but food companies don't. They spend billions on advertising targeting children - $1.6 billion in 2006 alone - and now they're objecting to voluntary government guidelines for marketing food to children.

Major food companies are lobbying the government to withdraw the guidelines completely and instead use the industry's own definition of " responsible advertising." The message couldn't be clearer: they don't care if their products hurt kids. They care about the bottom line. So we joined forces with the Center for Science in the Public Interest to take on the food industry and tell its chief executive officers to stop the attacks and start helping our children. We need you to stand with us today to make sure they get the message loud and clear.

Click here to stand with EWG today in demanding that the CEOs of 13 manufacturers use their resources to market healthier food to our children, not to lobby to protect the unhealthy status quo.

Because of the alarming rates of childhood obesity, in 2009, Congress instructed the Federal Trade Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, and Department of Agriculture to form an Interagency Working Group to look into child-targeted advertising and recommend standards for marketing food to children under 18.

When the Working Group published its draft, voluntary guidelines in April, it suggested that food companies adopt two voluntary principles, not legally enforceable by any regulatory agency, that food advertised to children should:

&bull make " a meaningful contribution to a healthful diet" by containing a significant amount of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fish, extra lean meat or poultry, eggs, nuts and seeds, or beans.

Hello Viewers,

It's been a busy spring and summer here at EWG. Blogger Chris Hunt may have had it just right when he wrote, " I'm starting to wonder if anyone at the Environmental Working Group ever sleeps." We do, actually, but only after we've worked hard to get you the information you need to make smarter choices about personal care products, food and so much more.

Here's just a taste of what we've been working on recently:

The Revamped Skin Deep
In April, we released a fresh design for our most popular consumer site, the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. After seven years and an overwhelming 250 million searches, the site has a new look and great new user tools. Dive in!

The 2011 Sunscreen Guide
Our Sunscreen Guide found that of the more than 600 beach and sport sunscreens analyzed, we can only recommend one in five. Nearly one in three products listed are still laced with a type of vitamin A that accelerates the growth of tumors and lesions on sun-exposed skin, according to government studies.

The Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen Lists
EWG released its updated 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce -- the handy guide that helps you avoid the Dirty Dozen, conventional fruits and vegetables highest in pesticide residues -- and choose items from the Clean 15 list instead. Apples topped this year's Dirty Dozen.

It's called the farm bill -- it's really a food bill
Every five years Congress passes a bill that determines if many of us can put affordable, healthy food on our tables. Meanwhile, millions in farm subsidy payments go to city slickers nowhere near a farm, not to working farm families who need help. Help turn the farm bill into a food bill.

Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health
EWG's latest report and shopping guide shows you how small changes to your diet can have a significant impact on your health and the environment. Click here to pledge to go meatless one day a week, and we'll send you a tasty recipe from Chef Mario Batali to help you get started.

And that's only the tip of the iceberg. Click here to see what else EWG has been working on.

We're only about half way through the year, and we've got so much planned for the next few months. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Ken Cook
President, Environmental Working Group

Hello Viewers,

Did you see The New York Times article about our latest fracking research? Environmental Working Group's new report punches holes in the oil and gas industry's claim that fracking is not a threat to drinking water.

EWG's new investigation shows that EPA concluded in a 1987 report to Congress that hydraulic fracturing can -- and did -- contaminate underground sources of drinking water, contradicting the industry's insistence that the process has never caused such pollution.

EWG's report was published not a minute too soon. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is about to decide whether to allow high-volume hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling across the state! The governor needs to hear from you today that you want New York's drinking water protected.

Click here to join EWG Action Fund in telling Gov. Cuomo not to issue any permits for high-volume fracking until more rigorous scientific testing has been conducted!

EWG's report found that there were four abandoned natural gas wells near the West Virginia home that EPA's 1987 report identified as an example of contamination of underground water supplies by fracking. These abandoned wells could have been the conduit that allowed chemical-laced fracking fluids to find their way into the drinking water. That's worrisome, because New York State has an estimated 75,000 abandoned oil and natural gas wells, and we don't know where about half of them are located.

New York should not issue any permits until more rigorous scientific testing has assessed the risks of fracking and horizontal drilling. There have been few, if any, studies of hydraulic fracturing's potential to contaminate drinking water. Over the last 25 years, neither the EPA nor Congress has made any mention of the agency's 1987 finding, and until recently EPA has not attempted a broad, scientifically rigorous investigation of hydraulic fracturing. The complete results of that ongoing study are not due until 2014.

New York State has publicly told EWG that it has never conducted any testing on the impact of fracking on water supplies.

EWG's research shows that fracking poses great risks to drinking water. The governor should not issue any permits until more testing is done -- so that the state can know for a fact whether or not fracking can be conducted safely.

Click here to protect New York's drinking water today!

New York State's water is too valuable an asset for Gov. Cuomo to gamble on risky drilling without the best science.

Thank you for taking action,

Ken Cook
President, EWG Action Fund

Want to shrink your children's risk of obesity, cancer and heart disease? It's simple! Just ease back on the number of times you feed them red meat... and reduce or totally cut out processed meats.

Dr. Harvey Karp
Creator, The Happiest Baby on the Block

Hello Viewers,

What's for dinner?

It's a question I hear a lot from my kids. When we sit down to dinner, I want to know that -- no matter what we're eating -- the food on our table is healthy for them and for the environment.

I want you and your family to feel just as good about the food on your dinner tables. That's why we created the Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health -- so you'll have key information to help you make smart choices about food.

Click here to check out EWG's easy-to-use shopper's guide.

As I read the final report, I was reminded that our daily decisions about the food we eat have a significant impact on the environment. Most American children consume three to four times more protein, primarily from meat, than is recommended. I hope you'll join my family in pledging to use EWG's guide to make less of an impact on the environment by making healthier choices.

At EWG, we're dedicated to empowering you with the information you need to help your family eat healthier and greener -- and we want to make it as easy as possible. So we have pulled together great resources such as quick tips to pick greener proteins, a meat and dairy product label decoder and some great books and recipes.

Check out EWG's Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change + Health!

With the right information at your fingertips, it's a lot easier to do something great for the health of your family and the planet. I hope you find these tips and the guide as useful as I do!

Sincerely,

Jane Houlihan
Senior Vice President for Research, EWG