Green Child Magazine Winter 2013 | Page 29

Ed: The driving force was initially my family… my kids, my wife’s miscarriages that never had an obvious cause. But the further I got into this – the 80,000 chemicals that our corporations, our courts, and even the government, feel are an acceptable level of risk – the more I realized this issue was way bigger than protecting just my own family. GCM: Randy Hayes of the Rainforest Action Network said this movie makes it impossible to hide behind the numbers. It’s true. How did you find that delicate balance of educating people without overwhelming or scaring them? Ed: The numbers are big. It’s a mess that happened slowly. We have to consider that it took 100 years to get into all of this. We can’t use our “take a magic pill” mentality to get out of it. So it’s a long-term problem, and I’m giving people the information so they can make better choices. These changes, over time, will be the solution. GCM: From what you learned making this film, what’s your advice to a parent wondering where to start making changes? Ed: It basically comes down to three areas: water, food, and personal care products. We’re made up of 70% water, and the planet is mostly water. So drinking pure water matters. Do a little research. Ask a few questions and find out the best way to give pure, filtered water to your family. And from an activist standpoint, do what you can to protect ou