In today’s episode, Ken is joined by two guests, Diane Cotter and Peter Arlein who both came into environmentalism as a way to protect their families, friends, and communities from toxic ‘forever chemicals.’
 
Worcester, MA native Diane, wife of firefighter Paul Cotter, plunged into the PFAS rabbit hole when she questioned whether Paul’s exposure to the chemicals contributed to his prostate cancer. Her relentless pursuit for the truth revealed numerous sick firefighters and afflicted firefighter communities nationwide.
 
Former ski-shop wax tech Peter took matters into his own hands by creating the Colorado-based company MountainFlo dedicated to making ski wax and bicycle lubricants without PFAS and petroleum, to protect the Rocky Mountains he cherishes and the outdoor sports community he belongs to.

Disruptors Diane Cotter and Peter Arlein are determined to protect their communities, stretching from Massachusetts to Colorado, against toxic 'forever chemicals'

Join Founder and President of Environmental Working Group Ken Cook as he helps folks connect with their inner environmentalist. Through conversations with diverse innovators and disruptors, Ken delves into the challenges we face and the solutions available to address them. 

Everyone on Earth has an intrinsic desire to breathe clean air, drink clean water and eat clean food. So in reality, everyone already is an environmentalist, but not all of us are aware of it…yet. 

Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week. 



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Climate change, air pollution, jobs! These are buzzwords that have helped the nuclear energy industry stay in power. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by author and environmental engineering professor, Mark Jacobson and former Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and author, Greg Jaczko to discuss why we continue to waste so much money in nuclear power, what the new clean energy alternatives are and why we are still using both.

Mark Jacobson & Greg Jaczko on clean energy alternatives to nuclear power

Almost 100% of Americans have toxic substances in our bodies and it negatively affects our health in numerous ways. In today’s episode,  Ken is joined by functional medicine pioneer and EWG board member, Dr. Mark Hyman. Functional medicine is a complete approach to your whole interconnected biological system. Dr. Hyman came to functional medicine after being diagnosed with mercury poisoning and after using functional medicine to detoxify his body, he became determined to help as many people as possible.



Ken and Dr. Hyman discuss why we are exposed to so many toxic substances, where we are exposed to them, and what you can do to help yourself reduce exposure and increase detoxification.

Dr. Mark Hyman on treating toxic chemicals in our bodies

When buying or eating food, we don’t often think about the chemicals used in weed killers…but we should. In today’s episode, we go in-depth with Carey Gillam, Managing Editor of The New Lede, EWG’s journalism initiative, and the widely used commercial toxic pesticides found in weed killers. Ken and Carey discuss their link to Parkinson's, non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and childhood leukemia, and her ground-breaking investigations that have exposed corporations like Monsanto and Syngenta that have concealed health risks from the public for decades.

Earlier this month, EWG partnered with California assembly member Laura Friedman to introduce Assembly Bill 1963 which would end the use of Paraquat on fields and orchards in California by January 2026. The passing of this bill could enormously impact the lives and the health of California’s farmworkers, their families, and agricultural communities across the state.

Carey Gillam on how corporations conceal the dangers of toxic weed killers from consumers

For decades the American people have been exposed to toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS with no protection from our government. Until now… In today’s monumental episode, Ken travels to Fayetteville, North Carolina to join the EPA as they announce the first-ever legal limit on PFAS in the drinking water of tens of millions of Americans. In anticipation of this announcement, Ken spoke with environmental attorney, Rob Bilott, who has worked tirelessly for 25 years to make this legal limit on PFAS possible.

Disruptors Diane Cotter and Peter Arlein are determined to protect their communities, stretching from Massachusetts to Colorado, against toxic 'forever chemicals'

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