Ripple’s release of a study on toxic chemicals in gardening products made major headlines in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CNN and many other TV, radio and print outlets. High amounts of lead, phthalates and BPA were found in the water of a new hose after sitting outside in the sun for just a few days, according to researchers at the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center.

Nearly 200 hoses, gloves, kneeling pads and tools were tested for toxic chemicals that have been linked to birth defects, impaired learning, liver toxicity, premature births and early puberty in laboratory animals, among other serious health problems.

We worked with our client to develop key messages, B-Roll for television, graphics for print and blog visuals, and a youtube video to maximize social media circulation.

To reduce potential toxic chemical exposure, make sure that your kids and pets don’t drink straight from a hose during the hot summer months! The full results and other tips to reduce exposure can be found at HealthyStuff.org.

When you see “lead-free” on a product, you may (logically) assume that there is no lead. WRONG. The Ecology Center’s recent study of toxic chemicals in low-cost jewelry – much of which is marketed to children – proves that not only may there be lead, but there may also be cadmium, nickel, mercury and other hazardous chemicals. Ripple publicized this new research – available at www.HealthyStuff.org – and garnered high profile coverage on CBS News.com, ABC News San Francisco, Boston Herald, Houston Chronicle, Fox Detroit, San Francisco Chronicle, United Press International, New York Magazine, Seattle Post and more. According to the CPSC, parents and caregivers should not allow young children to be given, or to play with, cheap metal jewelry, especially when unsupervised. The CPSC states that: “Swallowing, sucking on or chewing a metal charm or necklace could result in exposure to lead, cadmium or other heavy metals, which are known to be toxic at certain levels of exposure.” Why these chemicals aren’t regulated at all is another story. Grrrrrrrr.

“New Car Smell” made major headlines last week with Ripple’s release of the latest data on toxic chemicals in cars. The Michigan-based Ecology Center tested over 200 of the most popular 2011- and 2012-model vehicles for chemicals that off-gas from parts such as the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests and seats. The Honda Civic had the least amount of lead, bromine and PVC in their cars, while the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport had the most. Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in a car every day, toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles can be a major source of indoor air pollution. We publicized the results, available at the consumer-friendly website www.HealthyStuff.org, plus the accompanying widget and mobile phone application. As a result of our outreach, 400 television stations featured the story, plus CBS National Radio, USA Today, CNET, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Wired, WebMD, GreenBiz, Auto News and more.

The good news is, since the Ecology Center first started testing cars in 2007, overall vehicle ratings have improved. The best vehicles today have eliminated hazardous flame retardants and PVC. Today, 17% of new vehicles have PVC-free interiors and 60% are produced without Brominated Flame Retardants.

Anyone looking to buy a new car can visit www.HealthyStuff.org and search by model, comparison shop between different models, and cross reference with fuel economy standards to find both a healthy and fuel-efficient vehicle. The full list of top 10 best and worst cars can be found here:

Ripple spearheaded the national media campaign for “Occupy the Courts” – a day of action organized by Move to Amend marking the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s infamous Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate money in elections. We used social media to get the word out to various Occupy groups about the 130 events taking place at federal courthouses in 47 states. We wrote template press materials and conducted a media training for local organizers, making it as easy as possible for them to conduct their own local outreach. Just a few days before the event we took advantage of New York’s denial to give protesters a permit by encouraging a lawsuit to be filed, and then turning this into its own media campaign, generating dozens of stories in New York– the origin of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Before “Occupy the Courts” even started we had generated stories in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall St. Journal, Associated Press, Reuters, Huffington Post and many local TV news stations around the country, building anticipation about the national day of action. Finally, we outreached to press in Washington, DC to cover the rally at the U.S. Supreme Court, which was packed with reporters and TV cameras. Our aggressive outreach tactics resulted in more than 1,000 print and online stories plus over 500 more on TV and radio, including Countdown with Keith Olbermann, a mention on Rachel Maddow, coverage on Headline News and too many others to list. All in all, this was one hit big! Citizens United is front and center in public awareness now, and will hopefully be overturned in the near future!

Ripple promoted a big announcement by Greenpeace and Facebook that they will collaborate on the promotion of renewable energy, encourage major utilities to develop renewable energy generation, and develop programs that will enable Facebook users to save energy and engage their communities in clean energy decisions. This news came two years after Greenpeace launched its global Unfriend Coal Campaign enlisting 700,000 online activists to call on Facebook to power its data centers with clean energy instead of coal.

Over 300 400 500 outlets covered this story, including nearly every major U.S. newspaper. Highlights include: Associated Press, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, Grist, Washington Post, MSNBC, USA Today, CNET, TechCrunch, GreenBiz, PC Magazine, Treehugger and UK Guardian.

“Facebook looks forward to a day when our primary energy sources are clean and renewable, and we are working with Greenpeace and others to help bring that day closer,” said Marcy Scott Lynn of Facebook’s sustainability program.

Greenpeace and Facebook have also agreed to develop and promote experiences on Facebook that help people and organizations connect with ways to save energy and engage their communities in clean energy issues.

Ripple promoted Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranked 15 top manufacturers of personal computers, televisions, mobile phones and smart devices according to company performance on: energy and climate issues, the production of greener electronics, and the creation of sustainable operations. HP came in first, followed by Dell and then Nokia. With our media advisory and pit-bull-like pitching, we generated stories in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, CNET, CNN Money / Fortune, Forbes, Giga Om, GreenBiz, PC World and more. The U.S. Greenpeace spokesperson was also interviewed by ABC and CBS radio. The primary goals of the Guide are to get companies to: 1) become more energy efficient; 2) make products that are free of hazardous substances and last longer; and 3) disclose and reduce environmental impacts throughout company operations, from the type of materials and energy used in the supply chain, to providing free and convenient global take-back programs for its products.

Ripple generated hundreds of television, print and online stories on behalf of the Breast Cancer Fund when we released their study on BPA in Kids’ Canned Food. Exposure to BPA, used to make the epoxy-resin linings of metal food cans, has been linked in lab studies to breast and prostate cancer, infertility, early puberty in girls, type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Childhood exposure is of concern because this endocrine-disrupting chemical can affect children’s hormonal systems during development and set the stage for later‐life diseases. Every food sample tested positive for the toxic chemical, with Campbell’s Disney Princess and Toy Story soups testing the highest. In addition to the 250 TV stories that aired, this report was featured on the home page of CBS.com as well as on MSNBC, Washington Post, Agence France Presse, ABC News.com, The Atlantic, WebMD, plus a news story and editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ripple teamed up with the Ecology Center to release the first-ever consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys. The release of this data – which found lead, PVC, cadmium and other harmful chemicals in popular children’s toys – was a startling wake-up call to many consumers who immediately started paying closer attention to what they were purchasing for their children. Ripple released these findings to the press three years in a row at www.HealthyStuff.org (formerly www.HealthyToys.org) and each time generated hundreds of television, print and online stories including features on CNN (Lou Dobbs, American Morning, Headline News) ABC, NBC, FOX News, CBS, Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle and National Public Radio.

This story also was featured in China, Indonesia, Mexico, Canada, Korea, France, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Romania, Honduras, Pakistan, Vietnam, Australia, Argentina, Switzerland, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Britain.

For each of these campaigns Ripple identified spokespeople, developed talking points, wrote and placed op-eds, developed press releases, created targeted press lists, edited website content, and pitched reporters. As a result of this popular site and consumers’ increasing awareness about this issue, many toy manufacturers have started to replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives. Ripple has been publicizing www.HealthyStuff.org since it was launched in 2005. We’re very proud to say that the site has had over 20 million page views and continues to be the most reliable source of information about toxic chemicals in everyday products. This campaign prompted a change in policy by the Consumer Products Safety Commission regarding toxic chemicals in children’s toys.

Watch the ABC Clip:

Ripple had the honor of working alongside the Havasupai Tribe of the Grand Canyon to publicize their settlement deal with the Arizona Board of Regents over the controversial use of their blood for medical testing.  Thanks to the incredible reporting by Amy Harmon, you may have seen this story on the FRONT PAGE of the New York Times, as well as in every major newspaper across the country.  This was the most emotional project we have ever worked on, and we commend the Havasupai Tribe Members for their righteous fight against the powers that be.  For them this was not about money, power or publicity, but about bringing the spirits of their family members back home.  The blood samples are back where they belong now, and the Tribe is working on healing and moving on.

Katie Couric joined the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Crain’s Business, MSNBC, New York Magazine, Consumerist, Chicago Tribune, UPI, Restaurant News, and dozens of other outlets in covering a groundbreaking report that Ripple released on the health condition of America’s foodservice workers. “Serving While Sick” was a result of 4,300 surveys conducted by Restaurant Opportunities Center United, which found that many restaurant workers lack paid sick days and health insurance – and are therefore forced to work while sick.

Watch the Washington DC CBS Clip: