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The NYC Mid-Winter Climate Institute brought together K-12 educators to identify meaningful entry points for climate education lessons in their classrooms and beyond.

6 real policies to help people eat real food Ketura Persellin March 12, 2026 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kicked off the “Eat Real Food” campaign last month, promising a series of food and nutrition policy changes to “Make America Healthy Again.”So far, it has failed to act, instead providing a dog and pony show that distracts from policy decisions undermining public health at every turn. Talking the talkFrom the release of its 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to a heavily scrutinized Superbowl ad featuring Mike Tyson, the administration has made its nutrition agenda clear: It wants Americans to eat “real food.”Its actions suggest otherwise.The Food and Drug Administration relaxed rules that prevent food companies from claiming “no artificial colors” in their products. President Donald Trump signed an executive order securing a steady supply of herbicides containing glyphosate – a toxic pesticide previously targeted by Kennedy for its known health harms. And in 2025, the Agriculture Department delivered the largest funding cut in history to the nation’s most essential food assistance program.Walking the walkIt’s one thing to tell people to choose real food. It’s another thing entirely to make sure those choices are within reach for everybody. The factors that determine our diets include cost, convenience and culture – not to mention the power and influence of companies that profit from producing highly processed foods or harmful pesticides used on U.S. crops.If the Trump administration wants to help people eat real food, it should start by addressing structural barriers. These are six policies that would actually help people eat real food:1. Reform food chemical policy, including processes for reviewing chemical safety. Food safety should be the responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration. But a regulatory loophole has allowed companies to make the final call. Almost 99% of new food chemicals introduced to the market since 2000 have been approved by the food and chemical industry without federal safety review. Narrowing the “generally regarded as safe,” or GRAS, loophole should be a top priority for any administration seeking to remove harmful chemicals from food.2. Improve regulation and disclosure of ultra-processed food. An estimated 73% of the U.S. food supply is made up of ultra-processed food, or UPF. Produced in industrial settings, UPF typically contain multiple additives, artificial colors and flavors or non-sugar sweeteners, and are lower in nutritional value than less processed foods. Research has identified UPF as a leading contributor to chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, depression and heart, kidney and gastrointestinal diseases. But the FDA has yet to define UPF or require front-of-package disclosures, making it difficult for consumers to identify these foods.3. Fully fund local and regional food programs. Since 2013, the USDA Farm to School Program has improved local food access for more than 22 million children around the country. The popular program was reinstated this year after being canceled, along with the Local Food for Schools and Child Care Program, in 2025. The Farm to School Program is critical for sourcing more real food for kids, who get as much as half of their daily calorie needs met at school, and requires continued funding and support for projects meeting local needs.4. Make sure all kids have access to healthy school meals. Participation in school meals has been linked to benefits such as better overall diet quality, attendance and test scores. State policies providing school meals to all kids at no cost have been associated with reduced food insecurity, particularly among households living on lower income. Now, dozens of states around the country are also taking steps to remove harmful chemicals from school meals or take UPF off the menu entirely. To make real food available to all students, the administration must keep pace with state progress.5. Expand initiatives to make healthy food available everywhere. In too many places around the U.S., real food is hard to come by. Supermarkets and other stores with fresh produce are not in every community. Programs like the Healthy Food Financing Initiative are designed to fill these grocery gaps by encouraging private financing for more grocery stores, farmers markets, food coops and other sources of fresh food.The program is currently operating under an extension of the 2018 Farm Bill and requires reauthorization and full funding.6. Protect SNAP from funding cuts or changes to eligibility. For the one in seven households that don’t always have enough to eat, food choices can be limited. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, improves food security and helps level the playing field for people who qualify – a majority of whom are either children, elderly or adults living with a disability. Protecting SNAP benefits also means restoring funding for SNAP Education, or SNAP-Ed, which helped make healthy choices easier for families on limited budgets. This program was eliminated last fall. Real food needs real commitmentsWithout meaningful action, the “Eat Real Food” campaign is just rhetoric.In the coming months, the administration has the opportunity to put its priorities into practice by closing regulatory loopholes, strengthening local and regional food systems and making sure every child has enough healthy food to thrive. But judging by its recent actions, it seems poised to leave the opportunity on the table. Areas of Focus Food Ultra-Processed Foods Authors Sarah Reinhardt, MPH, RDN March 12, 2026

New findings shed light on a widespread gap in the geologic record, where more than a billion years of Earth’s history appear to have been erased.

Leading health and environmental groups urge N.Y. lawmakers to ban toxic herbicide paraquat JR Culpepper March 11, 2026 Albany, N.Y. – A coalition of leading public health and environmental organizations sent a letter today urging swift passage of the Prohibit Paraquat Act, which would ban the use, sale and distribution of the highly toxic herbicide paraquat in the state. The letter, sent to New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, urges the legislature to take action on A10074 / S9094 this session. Paraquat is commonly used on crops such as corn, soybeans, strawberries, pears, grapes and apples. A growing body of peer-reviewed studies confirms that paraquat exposure directly increases the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a disorder that affects tens of thousands of Americans. It has also been linked to other severe health risks such as thyroid disorders, kidney damage, childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Scientific research shows that even small exposures through air drift or contaminated dust can accumulate over time and pose significant threats to human health.Despite these well-documented risks, paraquat continues to be used in ways that endanger farmworkers, their families and nearby communities, including aerial spraying without sufficient safety buffers.“The human cost of paraquat is severe,” the groups wrote. “Peer-reviewed research shows that exposure to paraquat, particularly when sprayed within 500 meters of homes or workplaces, more than doubles a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease – a progressive, incurable neurological disorder that is on the rise.”Organizations signing the letter include The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Environmental Working Group, Earthjustice, Natural Resources Defense Council, American Parkinson Disease Association, Parkinson’s Foundation, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter and many others.Paraquat has been banned in more than 70 countries, including China, where much of the herbicide is produced. Yet many of these countries successfully grow the very same crops that are being sprayed with paraquat in the U.S. Lawmakers in at least a dozen other states are considering similar bans.The coalition urged lawmakers to pass the Prohibit Paraquat Act, A10074/S9094, sponsored by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D/WF-Assembly District 67) and state Senator Pete Harckham (D/WF-40th Senate district). The bill would protect New Yorkers from this highly toxic chemical that’s already been banned in much of the world.###The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Press Contact Alex Formuzis alex@ewg.org (202) 667-6982 March 11, 2026

Is green beer safe to drink? Your guide to a happier, healthier St. Patrick’s Day JR Culpepper March 10, 2026 This weekend, bars across the country will serve their booze with a festive twist: beer dyed green in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. If you choose to drink alcohol, you may already be comfortable with a certain level of risk. Alcohol use increases the risk of several types of cancer and other chronic diseases, and experts agree that drinking less is almost always better for your health. Then there’s the matter of dyeing beer green. It carries its own health risks, which may be of lesser concern than alcohol consumption.It’s also worth taking a closer look at popular St. Patrick’s Day dyed treats like green-frosted cupcakes or shamrock cookies. Kids typically consume more artificial dye in their daily lives than adults do, and they’re more vulnerable to potential health effects. What’s in green food coloringGreen beer and other St. Patrick’s Day treats, like green Jell-O, cookies and icing, usually get their color through a mix of blue and yellow dyes, especially Blue Dye No.1 and Yellow Dye No. 5. In a two-year study that reviewed extensive research on food dyes, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, or OEHHA, found that dyes such as Yellow 5 pose significant risks to children when their brains are in a critical stage of development. A 1994 study published in Australia and reviewed in the OEHHA report showed that exposure to just one milligram of Yellow 5 can cause irritability, restlessness and disturbed sleep for children. EWG’s Food Scores, which lists nutrition, ingredient and processing concerns for more than 150,000 food and drink products, lists the level of concern for Yellow 5 in food as moderate. Possible concerns for Blue 1 include neurobehavioral effects observed in an animal study published in 2012. According to an analysis published by Center for Science in the Public Interest, Blue 1 is also linked to skin irritation. EWG included both Blue 1 and Yellow 5 in our list of the top 12 food chemicals to avoid, citing the effects they can have on development and their link to behavioral difficulties in children. Regulatory state of playThese synthetic dyes are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, under the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, and are two of the seven colors they currently authorize. The FDA has announced its intent to begin “voluntarily” phasing out petroleum-based artificial food dyes like Blue 1 and Yellow 5 as early as 2026, though it has yet to take any regulatory action toward this goal. West Virginia enacted a state-wide ban on these colors last year. Some food companies have begun making plans to remove synthetic food dyes from their products in response to these state-wide bans of food colors. Other states are considering statewide bans on the distribution and sale of artificial colors including Yellow 5 and Blue 1.Arizona, California, Utah, and Virginia have banned artificial dyes in food served in their schools because of the health risks they pose to children.Safer alternativesIf you’re looking to ditch the dyes but still want to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style, pistachio, matcha and mint are healthier alternatives – they’ll give your creations a green color with added flavor. Instead of green beer, mix up this frozen mint lemonade to keep the holiday spirit alive, while avoiding toxic dyes and chemicals. Or consider food that is naturally green, like this green goddess salad. Check EWG’s Food Scores to see what’s in the food you’re purchasing, including any food dyes, as well as how healthy the product is for you or your children. As always, making informed decisions is about weighing risks. One green treat – whether a pint for the adults or cookies for kids – is unlikely to have a lasting impact on your health. Nonetheless, with green dye in treats for all ages, St. Patrick’s Day is a sober reminder to check ingredients in products you don’t want to make a habit of eating or feeding your children.  Guest Authors Grant Pacernick, Communications intern March 10, 2026