March 2026 Newsletter
In this edition: What to Expect in 2026 | We’re 20! | Fighting for Change Together | Welcome New Board Members | Events to Attend | What We are Tracking
Dear Friend,
How is it March already? Our team has been diving right into an action-packed 2026. In many ways, alarm bells are going off at the federal level, including when it comes to protecting people and the planet from toxic chemicals: The House started this year by introducing a bill that would weaken the Toxic Substances Control Act and undercut states’ ability to regulate within their borders. In January I testified before the Joint Legislative Public Hearing Governor’ Hochul’s proposed 2026-27 Budget for 2026 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic Environmental Conservation. My theme? Calling for investments in “turning off the tap” on PFAS and other toxics as a pathway to affordability, especially in this time of skyrocketing health care costs. We need New York to continue to be a backstop against federal rollbacks and a driver of national market decisions.
I’m excited about the prospects for real change for New Yorkers in 2026, but can I be honest? I’m a little giddy about the milestone Clean+Healthy reaches this year: it’s our 20th anniversary! We will be celebrating all year, including hosting a 20th Birthday Bash on October 7th - mark your calendars!
Keep reading to see what’s in store for our special year! Earth Day Advocacy Day is back on 4/22/26 and registration is officially open. Bring a friend (or many) for a fun filled day of speaking to legislators and their staff about environmental policy on water, environmental justice, waste management, toxic chemicals, and climate. Clean+Healthy’s board is happy to welcome 2 new board members who have excellent backgrounds in advocacy. Don’t forget to check out our events we are looking forward to throughout the rest of winter and Spring.
As always, we appreciate you being here.Together, we win.
With gratitude,
Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director
Celebrating Our 20th All Year.
We are incredibly proud of everything we’ve been able to accomplish together over the past 20 years. All year long, we will be holding events and sharing stories to look back on two decades of environmental health and justice advocacy. Most importantly, please save the date for our Birthday Bash on October 7th, 2026. We can’t wait to gather with our C+H friends; it’ll be a night of good food, drinks, and company as we look forward to more successes in the years to come.
Keep an eye out for our 20th anniversary page on our website where we will share videos of past and present C+H supporters, staff, and partners on what being a part of C+H meant for them.
“Turning off the tap” on toxic chemicals
There are many threats to the environment, including the manufacture, use, and disposal of toxic chemicals that get into air, soil, and water, that consequently impact the public’s health. Clean+Healthy is dedicated to turning off the tap on toxic chemicals through legislative advocacy. This year, we are primarily focused on the bill to Ban PFAS in Consumer Products and the Beauty Justice Act. These bills will protect consumers who use products (e.g., dental floss, cosmetics, personal care products, cookware, ski wax, and more) laden with chemicals that contribute to reproductive challenges, hormone disruption, decreased immune function, and cancer.
This legislative session we will be having conversations with legislators, impacted community members, and our partners to work together to get bills passed and signed into law to make a positive change for all New Yorkers.
We hope you will join Clean+Healthy and our partners on April 22nd in Albany for our annual Earth Day Advocacy Day to let legislators know that New Yorkers deserve safe products free from harmful chemicals. Together, we win!
Reimagining Albany one step at a time
Reimagine Albany (RA), a coalition of groups focused on centering the needs of key neighborhoods along the Hudson River, has developed a five year strategic plan. Originally formed to address the once-in-a-generation redesign of I-787, the vision is much broader, and a lot of focus has been on the $200M for “Championing Albany’s Potential” - which could be a major boost for development funding, but must center community residents’ needs, not just draw new people in. We’re grateful to Albany Law School for their technical assistance to the coalition.Do you live in Albany, especially along the Hudson? We want your input! Please fill out this survey to help us understand what works and what needs to change in the area.
“Building a Lead-Free Future”
Lead Free Kids NY (LFKNY) is forecasting another busy legislative season ahead. In order for us to solve the lead issue, we need to know where it is in homes. NYS Health Department is in the process of creating an Upstate rental registry that will help to determine where lead is located in the most lead-impacted 25 communities of concern outside New York City. Once identified, those properties will be mandated to properly address any hazards that are found. In January, we submitted comments to help strengthen the new rental registry that is going into effect.
Within the 2026 NYS budget released this month, we saw there is more emphasis on getting lead service lines out across the state, so that New Yorkers can have access to safer drinking water. Our priorities as a coalition remain to address lead-based paint hazards in homes, strengthen lead poisoning prevention legislation, and ensure that programs across the state have what they need to provide preventative and supportive care for children, families, and people exposed to lead.
Take Action
Please take a moment to make your voice heard through these action alerts and let your legislator know how important it is for these bills to become law.
PFAS in Consumer Products Bill We cannot rely on the federal government to secure protections for public and environmental health. We need our state legislature to pass bills that will restrict the use of toxic chemicals in our products. This bill has already passed the Senate under the new sponsorship by Senator Pete Harckham.
Beauty Justice We need toxic ingredients out of our personal care products. Sending this letter is a powerful way to let New York State Legislators know that it's time to get this bill passed.
Packaging We can reduce packaging, boost reuse, refill, and recycling, and get toxics out of packaging in NYS.
Welcome to Our New Board Members
Al Huang
Al is the Environmental Justice Director at Institute for Policy Integrity at NYU School of Law and a lawyer providing legal and technical assistance to grassroots groups in low income communities and communities of color facing disproportionate burdens such as toxic pollution. Check out the rest of Al’s bio here
Eve Gartner
Eve Gartner is the Director of Crosscutting Toxics Strategies at Earthjustice, working with regional offices and program teams to design and effectuate cross-organizational legal strategies to address federal and state regulatory failures that have resulted in health impacts. Learn more about Eve here
Coming your way in 2026:
Earth Day Advocacy Day
Our annual Earth Day Advocacy Day is back on April 22, 2026 and you don’t want to miss it. REGISTER TODAY for a day of advocating with participants of all backgrounds and experience levels. All are welcome!
Action Auction!
This Spring we will be holding an online silent auction for fun experiences for you to bid on. Stay tuned for more information.
Advocate with JGP on May 12, 2026
Join the JustGreen Partnership for a lobby day at the Capitol. Help gey key toxics policies across the finish line!
Save the Date!
Clean+Healthy is turning 20 and we are throwing a bash on October 7, 2026 to celebrate 20 years of clean! *add to calendar button*. Keep an eye out for RSVP coming very soon!
What we are Tracking:
New tests show that human hair contains the highest amounts of lead, and some companies can reach lower levels. Brands like Gyal and Rebundle were tested in this round.
The ban on waxes containing PFAS was announced by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) in 2019 that took effect in 2023. These are the first Winter Olympics to feature such a prohibition.
This bill passed in France is very similar to our Ban on PFAS in Consumer Products bill. This shows that despite opposition, it is possible to ban “forever chemicals” in everyday products.
Albany Chef, Caroline Barrett calls for NYS to phase out sale of cookware containing PFAS "forever chemicals".
Our work could not be done without supporters like you. We are so thrilled to be approaching our 20th anniversary; stay tuned for our big plans for next year! Please consider making a contribution to help make our 20th year our best one yet!
Thank you for being here with us! Please reach out to our Communications Coordinator, Jasmine if there is anything you would like to see in our 2026 newsletters! jasmine@cleanhealthyny.org
