Claire Moshenberg

Claire Moshenberg is a writer, editor, and online organizer. She has an extensive background in developing online and on the ground campaign strategies for state and national campaigns. Her writing has appeared on the Huffington Post, MomsRising.org, Yahoo! Shine, Care2, Feministing, and more. She has campaigned for a range of issues including Environmental Health, Health Care, and Immigration Reform.

Blog Post List

Environmental Health

January 18, 2011

Get organized. Eat healthier. Magically make time to relax. The list list goes on. It's January, and a lot of us are taking stock of promises that we made to ourselves in the form of New Year's resolutions. Toys "R" Us knows something about promises: They made one in 2008 to take toxic chemicals like PVC out of their toys. Three years later, that promise still hasn't been kept. So next week, we're giving Toys "R" Us the push they need to keep their resolution this year by giving them a giant "Happy New Year-- Keep your Resolution!" card and a petition signed by thousands of people across this...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

December 3, 2010

Two years ago, CHEJ and the Teamsters made a discovery: Toy juggernaut Toys "R" Us was peddling PVC-containing toys to the under-12 set. Toy-box classics like Toy Story 3 Barbie and You and Me Take Along Baby doll were exposing kids to toxic chemicals like lead, PVC, and more. And as anyone who has ever encountered a proud young toy-owner knows, toys aren’t just played with: they’re slept on, they’re gnawed on, they’re hugged within an inch of their lives. All of this kid/toy contact means one thing: constant toxic chemical exposure for the toys’ young playmates. So in 2008, Toys “R” Us did...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

November 26, 2010

What's stinkier than day-old-dirty dishes left over from Thanksgiving? A corporation that doesn't live up to its public promises. In 2008 Toys “R” Us publicly promised (even issuing a news release!) to reduce the use of toxic toys that contain polyvinyl chloride (also known as PVC) from their products and packaging, and to offer more PVC-free products. [1] It seemed like Toys "R" Us had finally figured out that PVC and its additive chemicals--which have been linked to rising chronic diseases in children including asthma, learning disabilities, obesity and cancer [2]-- had no place in children...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

November 19, 2010

Picture it: Thanksgiving, circa 1990. The table filled the entire room and overflowed with guests, so many that looking back all I remember is a blur of noise and food and endless pies. But in that blur, one thing stands out: green bean casserole. The white ceramic crock, crisp and brown on top. The layer of crunchy onions that sheltered a grotesque tangle of green beans and partially congealed mushroom soup. Okay, it wasn’t the prettiest food on the table, but I didn't care. I was in side-dish-love. They say you can't talk about religion at the dinner table. They say forget about politics,...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween! This week, we asked you on our Facebook page what your best non-toxic tips are for this Halloween. Here are a few of our favorite tips and links for this Halloween! Heather McMeekan: "I'm giving out 'color', 'shape', and 'number' flash cards to the kids. The little ones seem to love them." and "Candy goes to the freezer & becomes the fodder for the Christmas Gingerbread House." "Candy Insanity, Halloween Here We Come" from Spoonfed: http://www.spoonfedblog.net/2010/10/20/candy-insanity-halloween-here-we-... Rachel McLain Browne: One thing we've done in the past to keep...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

July 16, 2010

The beaches are crowded. The fireworks have come and gone. And everywhere I go, the smell of grills, chlorine, and perpetual sunscreen follows me. It’s summer time; Sweltering, smack-in-the-middle of the season summer time. The summer holidays aren’t the only things to have come and gone. Summer movie season has more or less wrapped up, with all of the explosive popcorn flicks and wildly anticipated sequels rapidly aging out of a year’s worth of promotional hype. And with most of this years summer fare clocking in around the two hour plus mark, it might surprise you that my favorite summer...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

June 21, 2010

Maryland parents, advocates, and businesses worked hard this year to protect children from Bisphenol-A (BPA), and that hard work paid off! The BPA-Free Babies and Children Act passed, and we couldn’t have done it without Senator Brian Frosh and Delegate James Hubbard, who led the successful effort in the Maryland General Assembly to ban BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups. Maryland PIRG, Maryland Nurses Association, and MomsRising are throwing a party to thank Senator Brian Frosh and Delegate James Hubbard, and we want to see you there! Come for the award presentation, then join us on the...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

June 11, 2010

There are two pictures from my childhood that I think of often, the classic kind that live for years on family refrigerators and mantels. One shows a little boy and I, very young and impossibly blond, too concentrated on our game to notice the snap of an aunt's camera from across the room. Then one with the same boy, the two of us side by side, toddlers dwarfed by an enormous armchair, baby-faced and grinning. We share the mischievous glee of young friendship, two baby trouble-makers who spent every Rosh Hashanah stealing fistfuls of chocolates from his grandparents candy dishes, running...

MomsRising Together

April 20, 2010

In Episode 305 of Mad Men, Peggy Olson shows up at Don Draper’s office with a serious matter to discuss. She sits down across from him, folds her hands, and begins: She’s thankful for her meteoric rise at Sterling Cooper, and for Don Draper’s hand in it as her boss cum mentor. But her success is not enough. Peggy is still making less money than her male co-workers. Something has changed though, and she believes she now has a powerful weapon to protect her from pay discrimination: She has legislation. “I don’t know if you’ve read in the papers,” she says, “But there’s a law now that says men...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

March 24, 2010

MomsRising is proud to partner with Ecology Center's Healthy Stuff project in sharing results from their independent consumer product safety testing. Healthy Stuff tested a wide range of consumer products for the presence of toxic chemicals like lead, arsenic, and PVC, all of which have been associated with a wide range of health problems in children and adults. You can learn more about MomsRising's Environmental Health Program and health research here . The Ecology Center, along with allied organizations nationwide, has released the biggest database yet of independent tests of toxic...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

February 16, 2010

Tired of toxins in baby products? So are we! That's why we're excited about the great work that's going on at the Green Science Policy Institute ! They're testing baby products for flame retardant chemicals, but they need your help! The Green Science Policy Institute is seeking donations of one inch square pieces of polyurethane foam only from baby products purchased in the US or Canada, such as nursing pillows, strollers, infant carriers, or high chairs. Read this statement from Arlene Blum of the Green Science Policy Institute to find out more: "Our goals are to determine what baby products...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

January 28, 2010

In Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things , a new book by Environmentalists Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, there’s a scene where Smith, caught in the middle of a chaotic two-kid-household bedtime routine, is stopped in his tracks by the discovery of flame retardants in his sons’ new pajamas. It was a familiar scene with heavy implications, one that made me think of a similarly fraught pajama story from my own childhood: I was eight years old, standing with my arms spread out, as my mom tailored one of my dad’s old flannel shirts into a nightgown. My new checkered...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

December 22, 2009

Last week, I went to the Reproductive Health Technology Project , Association of Reproductive Health Professionals , and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families congressional briefing on the “Dangers of Chemicals on Reproductive Health.” I was astounded by what I learned at the briefing, and also frightened. Who knew that infertility is becoming an increasingly common problem for the 30-and-under set? At my age, the biggest reproductive health worry for my friends and I is finding ways not to get pregnant; I never thought I should already be worrying that I won’t be able to get pregnant when I want...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

December 8, 2009

It's the holiday season, and no one loves the holidays like our old friends, toxins. Yes, toxins love a party, and their social calendars are full. They have plans to pop up in your meals, hide out in your gifts, even lurk in your makeup bag! And unlike some guests, toxins never show up empty-handed: they come armed with a wide variety of risks and illnesses, including dermatitis, asthma, and an increased risk for cancer. Tired of toxins crashing your party? We're tired of it too! That's why we've put together a Healthy Holiday Guide to help you take toxins out of your gifts, parties,...

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

October 28, 2009

When it comes time to transform your child into a red-nosed clown or green-skinned witch this Halloween, what you don’t know could hurt you. The Campaign for Safer Cosmetics recently tested ten face paints commonly used for children’s Halloween costumes, and the results weren’t pretty. Ten out of ten paints contained lead, and many of them contained other allergens as well, including nickel, cobalt, and chromium. Yes, the FDA argues that the level of lead in our cosmetics, including face paints, is within a safe range, but then the CDC says “No safe blood lead level has been identified.” Who...

MomsRising Together

September 22, 2009

Last week marked the premiere of the new Healthy Stuff database, offering consumers the opportunity to check out the level of toxics in a variety of products. But consumers aren’t the only ones taking notice: Healthy Stuff has been featured in a number of media outlets, including USA Today, Alternet, Detroit Free Press, Yahoo Parenting, the Daily Green, and many more.

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

September 16, 2009

Searching for a new car? Back to school clothes shopping with the kids? Don’t miss out on the new Healthy Stuff database just because you’re on the go!

MomsRising Together

Environmental Health

July 22, 2009

Want to say goodbye to those ever increasing parental worries about toxic chemicals? So do we! We're sick and tired of reading report after report about dangers associated with the products we use everyday. MomsRising has joined a growing movement of workers, scientists, fertility experts, and advocates in supporting comprehensive reform for America's chemical policy. As part of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign, we're calling for updated chemical regulations so that chemicals are proven to be safe before they are out on the market and in the products our kids use every day. Join...

MomsRising Together

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Blog Post List

Two More Years of Toxic Toys?

The Tale of the Toxic Toy Aisle: A Holiday Story

What's worse than a pile of dirty dishes?

What We Talk About When We Talk About Green Bean Casserole

Healthy Halloween: Your Tips!

Scandal, Intrigue, and a Scheming Baby Bottle

Maryland Moms: Lets Celebrate!

Cancer: When the Personal is National

This Equal Pay Day, Lets All Be Peggy Olson

Consumer Products: Find Out What's "Healthy Stuff!"

Get Involved: Testing Toxic Baby Products

"The Health Case for Reforming TSCA," New Report from Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families

Dangers of Chemicals on Reproductive Health

Taking Toxins Off the Guest List

Pretty Scary: New Report Finds Heavy Metals in Children's Face Paints

Healthy Stuff in the News

HealthyStuff.org On the Go

Building a Healthier World for Our Families