What a Situation to Be In!
EHANS’ Guide to Less Toxic Products
is a huge success
but funders’ just don’t get it….
UPdate Summer 2007

EHANS’ Guide to Less Toxic Products has turned into a major success, but we have a problem we didn’t expect. The Guide frequently receives letters asking our opinion of products which are not included in the Guide. We also receive many inquiries from people asking when the Pest Control section will be available.

EHANS is anxious to update the existing sections of the Guide to Less Toxic Products including personal care, household cleaning and baby care and to add a much-needed section on less toxic pest control. But we cannot do this until we can find funding for the project. So far, securing funding has proven difficult, even though more than 500 people a day visit the site, and the Guide is endorsed by prominent health and environment groups across the country.

We have spent huge amounts of volunteer time writing grant proposals only to be turned down. Although everyone agrees the Guide to Less Toxic Products is valuable and important, it falls between the funding cracks. Environmental funders have told us the Guide is really a health project, in spite of letters of support from major environmental organizations across Canada explaining how valuable the Guide is to their work. Health funders tell us that the Guide to Less Toxic Products doesn’t fit their priorities, such as promoting exercise, stop-smoking programs, safe sex and helping seniors stay in their own homes ­ all important, we agree.

In addition, preventing illness from environmental pollutants which may not show up for decades, doesn’t make the grade with many funding agencies which are looking for immediate, measurable results.

Although the Guide to Less Toxic Products is used by individuals and organizations across Canada, we have been told it is not eligible for funding from agencies in richer provinces, because the project is based in Nova Scotia.

Many people have donated hundreds of hours to make the Guide to Less Toxic Products the unique, successful resource it is. EHANS will continue to seek funding to make sure the Guide to Less Toxic Products continues to serve the needs of so many people.

Until we can find a funder wise enough to understand the value of the Guide to Less Toxic Products, we are asking for your support. Can you hold an event to benefit the Guide? Convince your workplace to donate Casual Day proceeds to the Guide? Encourage a service organization to make a donation to the Guide? Or make a donation yourself?

EHANS is a registered charity. All donations are tax deductible.