Last month, Defend’s organizer, Sergio Cahueque, joined the Community Conservation Initiative leaders for their #TheCCINeighnorhoodCleanUpProgram in Deer Oaks Park. This community clean-up is part of an ongoing effort to take care of the environment, and we are grateful for the invitation to talk to impacted communities about our Healthy Housing program. The Community Conservation Initiative…

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Hosted by Jerusha Klemperer, in episode 16 titled “PFAS: The ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Your Food,” Food Print spoke to our campaign manager, Adam Nordell, to focus their attention on Maine to learn more about PFAS and how the chemicals have ended up in well water, on farms, in food, and ultimately in people’s bodies. Adam…

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For the past few months I had the opportunity to work with Defend Our Health as an intern, where I focused on supporting priority bills in Maine’s 2023 legislative session. With my background in environmental health, and my current work as a public health analyst and a Physician’s for Social Responsibility Next Generation Climate Ambassador,…

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On July 10th, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) announced that the PFAS Fund Advisory Committee adopted the Plan for Administration of the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination.  According to the DACF, this newly adopted bill will provide direct support to PFAS-impacted farmers, purchase and manage PFAS-contaminated agricultural land, and fund research to…

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Gulf Coast communities have long been subjected to the iron grip of petrochemical plants and oil companies. These communities, often BIPOC and low-income, are heavily subjected to the health impacts of both air and water contamination. Around 200 million Americans likely receive water that is contaminated with PFAS and the Gulf Coast is no stranger…

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Yesterday, Defend joined legislators, constituents, and health activists as they testified in support of LD 1645 “An Act to Reduce Plastic Packaging Waste” introduced by Rep. Lori Gramlich.  The day began with a press conference held by Defend, as reported by WABI 5 News. During the press conference, executive director, Mike Belliveau, urged that swift…

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Maine’s leading the nation by dumping a cancer-linked toxic chemical. The Maine Legislature passed a law to eliminate toxic PFAS from products we use every day. We’re the first state to get this done! (LD 1503) Maine will also protect our firefighters, whose risk of cancer is elevated by exposure to toxic chemicals. No longer…

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