Folgen
-
Food production is responsible for a third of the climate crisis, yet it’s the part of the problem we talk about the least. With agricultural land making up forty percent of our planet, we are literally eating the Earth. The first step is acknowledging the mess and the second is addressing it. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by investigative reporter Mike Grunwald. They discuss Mike’s exploration of our broken food system in his new book, “We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate”.
Both Ken and Mike acknowledge that industrial agriculture has many problems: it mistreats workers and animals, pollutes air and water, and relies too heavily on toxic chemicals and antibiotics. But they also share a conviction that reform is possible — and essential — if we want to feed a growing population without destroying the planet.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
We Are Eating the Earth The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate
Monsanto Hid Decades Of Pollution (The Washington Post, 2002)
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
The Republican-led Congress is considering a “Big Beautiful” reconciliation bill that might include new hurdles for crucial assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP, such as adding work requirements and increasing paperwork. GOP lawmakers claim the changes aim to tackle fraud, waste and abuse in the programs.
In today’s episode, Ken talks with Bob Greenstein, founder and president emeritus of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a think tank that for more than 40 years has been the gold standard for analyzing the impact of federal and state government budget policies.
Ken and Bob highlight the millions of Americans who will lose access to health care and food assistance if the bill becomes law. A core EWG belief is that you can’t help people make healthier choices if they don’t have access to food. Creating barriers to, and reducing, benefits, doesn’t mean healthier kids – it only leads to hungrier kids.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Brookings InstitutionPaul Krugman's Substack
Work Requirements and Work Supports for Recipients of Means-Tested Benefits (CBO)The Recession of 2007–2009 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Medicaid Work Requirements In Arkansas: Two-Year Impacts On Coverage, Employment, And Affordability Of Care (NIH)
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Fehlende Folgen?
-
While there are positive aspects of having top government officials talking about chronic disease prevention and diet, the food industry's primary goal remains profit – not public health. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Marion Nestle, one of America's most respected voices on nutrition and food politics.
Marion believes that truly addressing human health and equality in food requires getting politics out of the discussion. She has dedicated her career to advocating for public health and food policy, is a professor at NYU, author of several books and writes the daily newsletter Food Politics.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:Marion Nestle’s Newsletter Food Politics
Marion Nestle’s Books
Awareness of the MyPlate Plan: United States, 2017–March 2020Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Food Research & Action Center
Food security among SNAP participants 2019 to 2021: a cross-sectional analysis of current population survey food security supplement data (Journal of Nutritional Science)
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Eric Garcia is a journalist and author who challenges the misconceptions about autism spectrum disorder through his own experience living with autism. In Eric’s book, “We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation,” he explores how society can improve support for people on the spectrum through policy, education and healthcare.
In today’s episode Ken is joined by Eric to refute Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's harmful and scientifically discredited claims linking autism to vaccines. But more importantly, this episode is about changing the conversation around autism to focus on the importance of self-advocacy, inclusion, progress and respect.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:We’re Not Broken Changing the Autism Conversation
Sen. Maggie Hassan questions RFK Jr. in confirmation hearing
In a Different Key: The Story of Autism
Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity
The Closing of Willowbrook (DisabilityJustice.org)Robert Kennedy Visiting Institutions in NY
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
There are times when society needs to act, the government needs to act, and today we’re going to focus on how you can act for your health. It’s rare for physicians to help you live a healthier life by integrating the whole notion of environment health. But in today’s episode Ken is joined by one of the country’s leading medical and legal experts in environmental health, Dr. Aly Cohen – a triple board-certified physician in rheumatology, internal medicine, and integrative medicine.
Dr. Aly Cohen has a new book out today, “Detoxify, The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them.”
We’re excited to share this episode May 6 – the day her book comes out – because there are many great tips that you can follow to make a positive impact on your life.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:DETOXIFY: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them
Dr. Aly Cohen Instagram
Dr. Aly Cohen Website
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
The U.S. faces a growing measles outbreak. At the time of this recording, there are more than 800 confirmed cases and at least three deaths, including two young children who were unvaccinated. These tragic losses were almost certainly preventable with the MMR vaccine, which is safe, highly effective and widely available.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases on earth, and it spreads quickly in communities with low vaccination rates. Once nearly eliminated in the U.S., a rise in vaccine hesitancy has opened the door for its return, fueled by misinformation, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The danger isn’t just measles. Falling vaccination rates threaten to bring back other serious, preventable diseases once under control.
In today’s episode, Ken talks with two leading experts on why it’s critical that parents and caregivers stay informed and make sure children are fully vaccinated — not just for their own safety, but for the health of our communities. The first segment is with Dr. Mike Koster, Pediatric Infectious Disease Professor at Brown University. The second segment features Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS, an infectious disease epidemiologist and award-winning science communicator.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Jessica Malaty Rivera, MSMichael P Koster, Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator
Kennedy, in His Own Words: Flu, Diabetes, Autism and More (NYTimes, January 2025)Thimerosal and Vaccines (FDA.gov)
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Unraveling decades of environmental progress, the Trump administration is systematically dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency. It’s dismantling critical statutes that have protected public health and the environment for years.
In today’s episode, Ken is joined by his old boss and mentor, former EPA Administrator Bill Reilly, who served in various roles under four U.S. presidents — Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. As EPA chief from 1989 to 1993, Reilly championed landmark policies like the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. He also played a key role in responding to major environmental disasters, including the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oil spills.The Trump administration claims to be defunding the EPA for “economic reasons.” Bill and Ken, however, highlight how environmental regulations have historically driven economic growth rather than hindered it as the agency’s critics claim.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Three Former E.P.A. Leaders: You’ll Miss It When It’s GoneAdministrator William K. Reilly, 1989-1993 (EPA Archives)
The Cuyahoga River Caught Fire at Least a Dozen Times, but No One Cared Until 1969 (Smithsonian Magazine)
Lee Zeldin "Power the Great American Comeback"
Clean Air Act Revisions (C-SPAN)
Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (C-SPAN)
Alaskan Oil Spill Update (C-SPAN)
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Ken is continuing his cook's tour of the who’s-who at public interest organizations. He’s joined by DJ Gerken, the president and executive director of the Southern Environmental Law Center.
SELC is the largest environmental nonprofit organization in the southeastern United States. It fights daily to protect our right to clean water, clean air, and a liveable climate. Ken and DJ discuss the latest coming from Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency that has unleashed a wave of controversial moves, from deep budget and staff cuts, office closures and unprecedented rollbacks of critical environmental and public health protections. They debate the current playing field, and how both EWG and SELC are rising to protect American health.For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Southern Environmental Law Center
E.P.A. Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices
Lee Zeldin "Power the Great American Comeback"EPA shuts down 10 environmental justice offices, axes EJ division
EPA eliminating environmental justice jobs
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Ken’s having another episode, one that quite a lot of people are having lately, all about the federal job layoffs. This is a little bit tricky, as Ken and EWG have at times been critical of the very agencies that are in the Trump administration’s crosshairs.
To help Ken unpack this, he’s joined by his friend and environmental hero, Peter Galvin. Peter is one of the founders and the director of programs for the Center for Biological Diversity. They talk about policy, strategies for the next four years, and how their organizations will rise to the occasion to ensure all Americans have a cleaner, safer, non-toxic future.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
The Center for Biological DiversityFrequent Questions and Answers: Draft Sewage Sludge Risk Assessment for PFOA and PFOS (EPA)
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to Unleash American Greatness as Head of EPAICYMI: Administrator Zeldin on Record-Breaking Response: How EPA Tackled California’s Wildfire Crisis
PFAS in sludge spread on farmland poses health risks, EPA report says
OPM-OMB Memo Guidance on Agency RIF and Reorganization Plans Requested by Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative 2-26-2025
She Lobbied for a Carcinogen. Now She’s at the E.P.A., Approving New Chemicals (NYTimes)PFAS Rule Withdrawn
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
The meat industry has been consolidating rapidly for decades, concentrating its power in a way that creates problems not only for the environment but also for farming communities in the U.S. and around the world.
In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Chloe Sorvino, a journalist at Forbes and author of the new book “Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat.” Chloe unravels a tangled web of bribery, deceit, and international corporate intrigue as she explores the dark side of the modern industrialized meat industry.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:Chloe's website
Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat.
EWG Food Scores: Meat
Decoding Meat And Dairy Product Labels
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Ken Cook is having another episode, and this one is all about two R’s: Red Dye 3 and RFK Jr.
Ken is joined by his fellow public interest leader Dr. Peter Lurie, the president and executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI. He has a storied career in public health, including a stint as the Food and Drug Administration’s associate commissioner for public health strategy and analysis during the Obama administration.
Thanks to a petition CSPI filed with the FDA in 2022 FDA petition, Red Dye 3 is now banned from use in food products in the U.S.
In today’s episode, Ken and Dr. Lurie celebrate that victory and discuss how CSPI, EWG, and other public interest groups are rising to meet this challenging political moment for public health.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:www.cspinet.org
EWG Food Scores: Red Dye 3
What is GRAS?Thank you to our live-stream guests
Day One:
Dr. Rob Davidson, Executive Director of The Committee to Protect Health Care
Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of American Public Health Association
Day Two:
Tom Philpott, Senior Research Analyst at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future
Executive Director Northe Saunders and Advocacy Director Jen Herricks at SAFE Communities Coalition Action Fund
Max Goldberg, founder of the newsletter Organic Insider
Darya Minovi, Senior Analyst at The Center for Science and Democracy at The Union of Concerned Scientists
Author and entrepreneur, Robyn O’Brien
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Our skin is our largest organ, and applying some personal care products may let harmful chemicals sink into the body. That’s why Ken feels so strongly about the importance of non-toxic beauty alternatives.
In today’s episode, he’s joined by Hillary Peterson, the founder of True Botanicals, a skincare company offering products without problematic ingredients. Hillary is a cancer survivor who was motivated to start her company after listening to Ken speak on NPR about how chemicals in personal care products end up in the umbilical cord blood in pregnant people.Every True Botanicals product is EWG Verified® and sourced with organic regenerative farm and wild harvest ingredients. Now entering their tenth year, True Botanicals is dedicated to reimagining what responsible, ethical beauty looks like. Ken and Hillary discuss her journey, influences, and what’s next in the world of better beauty.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
True Botanicals Website
Food Forest Network
Skin Deep
EWG’s Tap Water Database
Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns (EWG)
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Chemicals in our food, water, and air are risk factors contributing to the rise of Parkinson’s disease. It’s the fastest-growing brain disease in the world, creating urgency to address not just treatment for Parkinson’s but also its causes.
Today’s guest is Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist who co-authored the book, “Ending Parkinson’s Disease: A Prescription for Action.” He explains why Parkinson’s is a man-made disease and how eliminating harmful chemicals in food, water, and air could help get rid of it. EWG is on a mission to ban harmful pesticides like paraquat that have links to Parkinson’s disease. We’re thrilled to have Ray as an ally and leader in the fight. Head on over to BanParaquat.org to join the effort.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Paraquat PapersBanParaquat.org
Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
At EWG we believe everyone should have access to safe products, clean drinking water, healthy food, and clean air. We believe in that so much that we’ve spent decades fighting for you.
Ken sits down with his colleagues Scott Faber and Jocelyn Lyle to discuss EWG’s impact in 2024 and what’s to come in 2025. From a potential Red dye-3 ban to pesticides in produce to PFAS in your drinking water, EWG has made incredible progress.We’ll have our challenges in 2025 but we’re ready to face them head-on, but not before we celebrate this year’s successes with you, our listeners. Thank you for your support and we’re excited to do it again with you next year.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
EWG’s Dirty Dozen
EWG Verified
EWG’s Healthy Living AppAlaska Community Action on Toxics
Breast Cancer Prevention PartnersCenter for Environmental Health
Clean Water Action
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sierra Club
Illinois Environmental Council
Defend Our Health
Maryland PIRG
Alliance for a Healthier Tomorrow
Resilient Sisterhood Project
Ecology Center
Women’s Voices for the Earth
Clean + Healthy
Earthjustice
Clean Cape FearNorth Carolina Conservation Network
Oregon Environmental Council
Vermont Conservation Voters
Vermont Natural Resources Council
Vermont Public Interest Research Group
Toxic-Free Future
Zero Waste Washington
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
Break Free From Plastic
Center for Environmental Health
Clean Production Action
Commonweal
Consumer Reports
Environmental Defense Fund
International Pollutants Elimination Network
Learning Disabilities Association of America
National Caucus of Environmental Legislators
Silent Spring Institute
Toxic-Free Future
Union of Concerned Scientists
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
We know which healthy choices we need to make to improve our diet and health but it can seem so daunting in the moment. In today’s episode Ken is joined by pharmacist turned wellness content creator, Mona Vand to tackle exactly that. Sometimes it doesn’t feel convenient to eat healthy or find healthy options when you need something quick but Mona helps reframe how to approach food prep and what to look for.
If you travel as frequently as Ken and Mona, eating healthy can be very tricky. Mona provides some great tips to improve your energy and how to eat healthy and move your body while on the road.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
MonaVand.comMona's Instagram
EWG’s Dirty Dozen
EWG Verified
EWG’s Healthy Living App
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
No matter your politics, you want the food you and your family eat every day to be safe. So why do so many of the products on the grocery store shelves have worrisome food chemical additives that have been banned in other countries, including many linked to cancer and behavioral problems in children.
To help unravel this, Ken is joined by EWG’s Vice President of Government Affairs Melanie Benesh to do a deep dive into the world of food additives. They discuss how the failures by federal regulators at the FDA have allowed food companies to add troubling chemicals linked to serious health problems into countless foods, and how some states like California are taking a stand on behalf of consumers.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:EWG’s Dirty Dozen
EWG Verified
EWG’s Healthy Living App
What is Propyl Paraben?
Propyl Paraben: Are you eating an endocrine disruptor?
Common food additives in Cap’n Crunch and Apple Jacks cereal may harm human health
Thousands of children’s sweets STILL contain additive unsafe for human consumption
California agency acknowledges synthetic food dyes’ link to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in kids
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Babies are our most vulnerable population when it comes to chemical exposure. And yet, many baby products contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Entrepreneur, environmentalist, and trailblazer Shazi Visram wants to protect the next generation. Shazi’s mission isn’t just business, it’s personal, and the subject of neurological health is particularly close to her heart.
Shazi is the creator of the groundbreaking baby food company Happy Baby and has launched her newest venture - HealthyBaby. Her line of baby personal care products are all EWG Verified.
In today’s episode Ken and Shazi sit down after an EWG board meeting to talk about her journey, what inspires her, and why being EWG-verified is so important to her.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Shazi's website
Happy Family Organics
HealthyBaby
EWG Verified
EWG’s Healthy Living App
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Do you need an election recovery tool kit? Well, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s episode, Ken is joined by activist, educator, author, and podcast host, Jenna Arnold. Her book, Raising Our Hands, dives deep into conversations with white women about their identity, role in the country, and how to become more engaged citizens to make the changes we desperately need.
As a Women’s March Organizer, Jenna is constantly asking questions about what went wrong, what can be done next and what we need to learn more about.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
Jenna Arnold’s Website
Raising Our Hands How White Women Can Stop Avoiding Hard Conversations, Start Accepting Responsibility, And Find Our Place on the New Front Lines
Jenna’s Instagram @itsjenna
Jenna’s Podcast Let’s Begin
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
Everyone wants cleaner, cheaper energy. Well, almost everyone. Powerful utility companies like PG&E, Sempra, and Southern California Edison aren’t going down without a fight, and they fight dirty.
In today’s episode, Ken is joined by Bernadette Del Chiaro, the Executive Director of the California Solar & Storage Association, who was instrumental in passing the Million Solar Roofs Initiative into law with then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.
Since then the solar industry in California has created over 70,000 jobs and has installed over 2 million solar rooftops. But thanks to the monopoly utility giants and the leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom—along with his handpicked regulators—the once-vibrant rooftop solar market has been decimated. Misinformation and deceptive tactics from the utility monopolies, threatened by solar's growth, are systematically dismantling the industry in a bid to protect their profits.
For a deeper dive into today’s discussion:
The California Solar & Storage AssociationCalifornia Public Utilities Commission
1 Million Solar Roofs InitiativeEnergy Cities & Regions (Climate Action Stories)
Milestones: A million solar roofs (Public Interest Network)
Edison Electric Institute
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
-
In today’s episode, Ken is deep-diving into the intersection of environmentalism and animal welfare.
First, Ken speaks with veterinarian Crystal Heath who has been bravely raising the alarm of how her profession enables and endorses animal abuse from veterinarian school to factory farms.
In the second part of today’s episode, Ken is joined by longtime friend and founder of Animal Wellness Action, president of the Center for a Humane Economy, and former CEO of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle. Wayne, like Crystal, is advocating for animal welfare across many industries.
Crystal and Wayne are great examples of individual integrity and commitment to a cause.
They are also great reminders that, as consumers, what we choose to invest in with our dollars makes a difference.
Want a deeper dive on today’s episode? Check out the links below:Our Honor (Crystal's organization)
Animal Wellness Action
Center for a Humane EconomyCrystal Heath wants veterinary medicine to live up to its values (Vox)
New Documents Reveal How the Animal Agriculture Industry Surveils and Punishes Critics (The Intercept)
What are gestation crates and are they legal in the U.S.? (Farm Forward)
Supreme Court Upholds California’s Prop 12, Protects Rights of States to Set Humane Treatment, Food Safety Rules (Animal Wellness Action)
The Bond Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them
The Humane Economy How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals
Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode every other week.@kencookspodcast
www.ewg.org
@environmentalworkinggroup
- Mehr anzeigen
