Respons Industry for a Sound Env RISE
Scared Green! How John Stossel, ABC, Rightwing Think Tanks and the Chemical Industry are Colluding to Trash Environmental Education
by John F. Borowski
Who would have believed that Michael Sanera, avowed enemy of environmental education, would be given a forum for his snake oil diatribes by a company that bills itself as "friends of children"? Yes, the Wonderful World of Disney, power brokers for ABC News and their industry puppet, telejournalist John Stossel, have environmental education in their "cross-hairs."
An urgent e-mail from RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) beckons their members to support Mr. Stossel and Mr. Sanera's Jihad on eco-education. RISE, affiliated with the American Crop Protection Association, a trade group founded to defend "urban usage of pesticides," apparently believes that a frontal assault on environmental education could be beneficial. The last line of their alert is most revealing: "Let's try to help Mr. Stossel. He treats industry fairly in his programs." So, the search for disgruntled parents and their "scared green" children to parade in front of a camera is in full swing.
While in St. Louis at a National Science Teachers' Convention last week, I stumbled uponMichael Sanera, who was peddling a book entitled "Facts Not Fear." His booth, sponsored by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a rightwing think tank generously funded by the likes of Dow Chemical, General Motors, Texaco, and Philip Morris,was a strange sight. In the midst of all these science teachers, Mr. Sanera was akin to a carnival huckster, alerting the unsuspecting educators to the "evils" of environmental education. The main problem with his manifesto, "Facts not Fear," was that, on closer inspection, it proved to be light on scientific facts, while downplaying ozone loss and species extinction, and making misleading statements about forest issues. This transparent attack on ecological studies leaves little to the imagination. Yet, Mr. Sanera is apparently the "point person" and a favorite son of many think tanks troubled by the scientific enlightenment offered by environmental education.
Even more telling is that on the webpage for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, there is a "Save John Stossel.org" section. Apparently, the folks at CEI were dismayed by the tongue-lashing Mr. Stossel took for stating that organic food is no safer than agricutural products sprayed with pesticides. As it turns out, the tests that Stossel reported supposedly proving his thesis were - strangely -never done. CEI states in their webpage that Stossel should not be open to criticism because he has the "right to free speech." They warn their supporters that "politically correct causes and special interests" are prepared to place that freedom in "jeopardy." But aren't investigative reports supposed to be held to the same standards of accountability as scientific research?
With the current occupant of the White House downplaying everything from global warming to the dangers of arsenic in water, the timing of this environmental witchhunt could be invaluable to him in debunking environmental education programs in schools nationwide. The flood of corporate-generated "environmental education materials" pouring into schools is reaching a fever pitch:forest lessons from Weyerhauser, coloring books from the coal industry, and teacher less manuals from the biotech folks. Carefully coordinated with a well-financed attack on environmental education, the swamp of misinformation being created could numb our youngest citizens to the environmental challenges that will face them in the future.
So, here they are - environmental education and corporations - strange bedfellows, indeed - , but a coalition that possesses the weapons the arsenal it needs for a winning campaign: access to the media, a large cash flow from a consortium of powerful corporations and a "Madison Avenue" public relations plan "word-smithed" by topnotch professionals.
If Stossel's "Scared Green" spot succeeds in being aired (and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't), will there be equal time for the defenders of environmental education? Will educators such as myself, who have seen the power and enlightment of environmental science classes have the time, access, and money to combat this onslaught of formidable critics? The apparent Sanera, Stossel, and RISE connection only seems to reinforce that money and power guarantee access to a large public audience. And maybe even more apparent, are the nails that are sealing the coffin of the "liberal media," thereby further tilting the power of the media to the few and mighty. And in the end, somewhere between the commercials and the spin, the truth will shrink to an all-time low at the height of the age of information. But alas, I don't lose hope, because in classrooms around the country, some dedicated teacher will enlighten their charges with credible and sound data, providing the skills to make rational and sound decisions on ecological issues. And maybe that is what the foes of environnmental education fear the most.
bs http://www.pestfacts.org/ For all media inquiries, please contact Karen Reardon at (202) 872-3860
RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment)
1156 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 872-3860
Email: rise@pestfacts.org
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http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Responsible_Industry_for_a_Sound_Environment
Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), established in 1991, is an affiliate of CropLife America, with which it shares a Washington, D.C. office. RISE, a lobbying and public relations trade organization, defends the "urban usage" of pesticides in homes, schools, and landscapes. It also defends "urban vegetation control."
RISE has what it describes as "an excellent working relationship with" the Environmental Protection Agency. Its website notes its involvement, with EPA, on the "Consumer Labeling Initiative, a campaign encouraging people to read and follow household product labels (including pesticides) before using." [1]
Other groups RISE affiliates with include the Golf Course Superintendents of America, the National Arborist Association, the National Pest Management Association, the Professional Lawn Care Association of America, the National Roadside Vegetation Management Association, and the Mountain Lakes Vegetation Management Society. [2]
Regarding local resolutions passed by 70 cities and one province in Canada which limit pesticide use for lawn care, RISE president Allen James said, "Local communities generally do not have the expertise on issues about pesticides to make responsible decisions." According to James, it's better to consider such issues at the state level. "Decisions are made much more carefully and the train moves much more slowly" at the state level, he told Scripps Howard News Service. [3]
Angela Bendorf Jamison is one of RISE's main media contacts. [4] Jamison is a former reporter who heads the small, North Carolina-based PR firm Communicopia Marketing Services. The Communicopia website lists RISE among the firm's clients, along with lawn care product manufacturer The Scotts Company, plant services provider SePRO Corporation, and Duke Energy's retail arm, DukeSolutions. [5]
Contact information
RISE
1156 15th Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
phone: 202-872-3860
Fax: 202-463-0474
Web: http://www.pestfacts.org/
Web: http://www.westnilevirusfacts.org/
SourceWatch resources
External links
- Joan Lowy, "U.S. lawn-care industry fighting back against pesticide bans," Scripps Howard News Service, January 17, 2005.
- Alan Bisbort, "Language Barrier:Bushybabble cannot be translated," Valley Advocate, February 17, 2005.