From Mountains to Molecules: Tackling Toxics To Protect People/Our Planet

Does it seem like a new, potentially dangerous substance turns up almost every week in what we eat, wear, or use? Is it hard to keep track of what might harm our health and how to avoid it? What sources should we trust for information about the health hazards around us?  

The Green Science Policy Institute is trying to make these challenges easier. Rather than addressing each of the tens of thousands of chemicals found in everyday products, the Institute focuses on reducing the use of six classes of chemicals that contain many of the hazardous substances found in consumer goods.

Arlene Blum, scientist, author, and world-class mountaineer, is the founder and executive director of the Institute. At Arts & Culture on Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m., she will discuss how the so-called Six Classes approach can lead to safer products and protect the health of people and the environment. 

She’ll begin her presentation with some dramatic images and stories from her mountain climbing days. She’ll share how leading successful expeditions on some of the world’s highest, most dangerous peaks gave her the vision and determination to try to improve government policy and manufacturing practices.

Tickets for this program are $5 for club members and students and $10 for non-members. Please register early so we can be sure to accommodate everyone comfortably. 

Dr. Blum founded the Green Science Policy Institute in 2008 after she learned that tris, the flame retardant that was banned from children’s sleepwear in 1977 based on her research, was still being used in furniture and children’s products. “When it was in baby pajamas, you could toss them out and get cotton pajamas,” “But what can you do about your couch? How do you replace it?”

She will explain the wide-ranging work of the Institute, including its scientific research and policy initiatives. Its goals include building partnerships among business, government, academia, and nonprofits to find innovative ways to reduce the use of toxic chemicals.

Dr. Blum led the first American — and all-women’s — ascent of Annapurna I in Nepal, considered one of the world’s most challenging mountains. She also co-led the first women’s team to climb Denali, the highest peak in North America; completed the Great Himalayan Traverse across the mountain regions of Bhutan, Nepal, and India; and hiked the length of the European Alps with her baby daughter on her back.  She documented her adventures in and .

The same leadership skills and courage that helped her scale mountains underpins her work today. “As long as you believe what you’re doing is meaningful, you can cut through fear and exhaustion and take the next step.”

Her achievements in mountaineering, science, and public service have earned Dr. Blum a long list of awards, including induction into the California Hall of Fame in 2018, along with Robert Redford, Joan Baez, and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. In 2014 she won the annual Benjamin Ide Wheeler medal for being “Berkeley’s most useful citizen.” And in 2009, the National Women’s History Project named Dr. Blum one of 100 Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet.

She majored in chemistry at Reed College and earned her Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry at UC Berkeley. She has taught at Stanford University, Wellesley College, and UC Berkeley.

Don’t miss your chance to be informed and inspired by Dr. Blum. Register early for her talk.

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