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 Papers

BanParaquat.org

Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

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.com

Mona'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 Association

California 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