Media Center

Contact our Public Affairs department at 202-667-6982 for more information.

WHAT: Facts about the Environmental Working Group

The mission of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. EWG is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles. In 2002, we founded the EWG Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization that advocates on Capitol Hill for health-protective and subsidy-shifting policies.

Our two goals are to protect the most vulnerable segments of the human population-children, babies, and infants in the womb- from health problems attributed to a wide array of toxic contaminants. Second, we want to replace federal policies, including government subsidies that damage the environment and natural resources, with policies that invest in conservation and sustainable development.

WHO: Biographies and Contact Information

For journalists

Leeann Brown, Press Secretary.
510-444-0973 x 305 or leeann@ewg.org
Issue Areas: Toxics, water, cell phones, consumer tips, cosmetics, chemical industry, health, bio-monitoring and natural resources.

Leeann came to EWG after attending Rutgers University where she double majored in Journalism and Media Studies and music. Environmental and public health issues have always been key interests of the DC-area native. Leeann enjoys exploring new places, cultures, and music in her spare time.

Sara Sciammacco, Press Secretary.
202-939-9122 or ssciammacco@ewg.org
Issue Areas: Agriculture, farm subsidies, farm bill, black farmers, agriculture pollution, erosion, conservation programs, ethanol, biofuels, nutrition programs, Chesapeake Bay, Mississippi River Basin, Gulf Dead Zone, organics and shopper's guide to pesticides.

Sara Sciammacco worked as a broadcast journalist for eight years. Most recently, she was a political reporter for Capitol News Connection covering the U.S. Congress for public radio stations. Her reporting focused on agricultural policy, health care, education, energy, and the environment. Her coverage of the 2008 farm bill highlighted the inequities in the federal farm subsidy programs. Earlier in her career, Sciammacco was a television reporter at New England Cable News in Boston, Massachusetts. She also held reporting positions in Rhode Island and South Dakota. Sciammacco is a former National Press Foundation Paul Miller fellow. She holds a bachelors degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland-College Park.

HOW: EWG accomplishes much because we’re respected in the field

Our research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know. It shames and shakes up polluters and their lobbyists. It rattles politicians and shapes policy. It persuades bureaucracies to rethink science and strengthen regulation. It provides practical information you can use to protect your family and community. And because our investigations and interactive websites tend to make news, you've probably heard about them. Even if you've never heard of us. Which is fine. We'd rather you remember our work than our name.

WHY: EWG is well-respected in many fields

"An environmental group with clout."
- USA Today

"A green dream team of computer programmers, policy experts and engineers." - Associated Press

"An environmental advocacy organization that has a knack for shaping government data into punchy calculations."
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"The Environmental Working Group has become a respected watchdog of environmental and land-use policies since its founding in 1993."
- The Hill