Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Superhero of the Week: Dana Swanson

Earth Ministry's Dana Swanson was recently caped as Superhero of the Week by the Washington Toxics Coalition! The excerpt below is reposted from the ToxicsWAtch blog.

Pssst. Hey. Did you know that everyday people have joined forces to protect kids from toxic chemicals in products? They’re pretty steamed about toxic chemicals in things they use every day. So they’ve formed the League of Everyday Superheroes to stop toxic chemicals from invading our homes.

Green Girl, AKA Dana Swanson, is the Outreach Coordinator at Earth Ministry, an organization that works “to inspire and mobilize the Christian community to play a leadership role in building a just and sustainable future.” She is a recent graduate of Augustana College, where she developed a passion for environmental stewardship while interning at an organic farm. She pursued an interest in food and agricultural issues volunteering with Farm to Fork, building bridges between the college and local growers. We asked her a few questions to learn even more about her superhero powers!

Who would be your celebrity sidekick? Kermit the Frog

If you could have any superpower what would it be and why? I’d want to be able to teleport from one location to another – less pollution than driving and way more fun.

What do you do to be a superhero for kid’s health? Children deserve protection from everyday toxins that can negatively impact their health. I don’t understand the effects of most toxins, how can we expect kids to discern a safe product from a harmful one? Someone has to speak out to protect our children because kids have more important things to do, like turn a cardboard box into a castle.

Why do you support the Children’s Safe Products Bill? When I have children, I know I’ll have to worry about runny noses, diaper rash, and bullies – but parents should not have to worry about formaldehyde in baby blankets. Supporting the Children’s Safe Products Bill is easy, stressing about the levels of cadmium in plastic cups is not.

Want to be a superhero like Dana? Take the Superhero Pledge and receive recipes for homemade, non-toxic cleaning products!