Photo of the some of the unhappy dwarfs at CHEJ
The other day I caught a glimpse of a television ad featuring young children wishing for a Disney World vacation with the slogan that now there are affordable trips to meet everyone’s budgets. With Christmas vacation fastly approaching, how many parents will crunch the numbers to see if they can afford this type of Magical vacation? It is a paradise for children and a place where adults can re-live their youth.
Is Disney looking out for our little ones best interest when it comes to how they keep the park, restaurants, and hotels clean? According to the Center of Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), Disney’s green cleaning policies are causing the seven dwarfs to be more grumpy, sneezing, and sleepy than usual. For the last two years, CHEJ through its Disney Go Green! Campaign has been urging the Walt Disney Company, whose main clients are children, to reconsider their toxic green cleaning purchasing policies and implement staff green cleaning training to ensure proper use of the products for their parks, hotels, and restaurants. Such policy changes have however, been instituted in the Animal Kingdom to protect the animals.
CHEJ has urged overall changes to Disney’s cleaning policies. (See the correspondences between the companies.) However, Disney asserts that they are using green seal certified cleaners. So, what can you do? The CHEJ urges you to take action as follows:
“Who Put Goofy in Charge of Purchasing?
Recently, the Center for Health, Environment and Justice found that Disney World uses 12 certified green products, and over 80 very toxic cleaners. So what’s the deal? Animals’ sensitivities to chemicals have them avoiding toxics in their Animal Kingdom theme park. Apparently green cleaners are for the birds (and the lions and the tigers and the bears – oh my!) But then where are the toxic cleaners used? They are used where visiting children bathe, eat and play.
Now is the time to call on Disney World to Go Green! Community groups in Florida are joining together to move Disney towards safer cleaning products, but you can get involved! Disney cares most about impressing its visitors!
Get Goofy to Smarten Up! Here’s how you can help:
- Tell your family and friends!
- Join in the fun! Download or order materials to hand out at Earth Day or other events and help spread the word.
- Write your own letter to Disney, or have children write letters to them. Write to:
Jerry Montgomery
Senior Vice President
Conservation & Environmental Sustainability
The Walt Disney Company
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
Take these few steps to make Disney take one great leap – switching to green cleaning products and procedures and becoming a leader in the hotel and tourism industries!”
In addition, the CHEJ suggested hosting a green cleaning party to create awareness of the toxic chemicals we use in our home to keep it sparkling clean. Here are so resources to assist you in this endeavor:
CHEJ’s Guide to Nontoxic Cleaning
Healthy Home Healthy Child Green Cleaning Parties (via Sommer of Green and Clean Mom)
Women’s Voices for the Earth: Host a Green Cleaning Party (via Diane of The Big Green Purse)
Even if you are not planning a trip to Disney or do not have children, it take a village to raise a child. Let’s protect them for one day they will taking care of us.
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Anastasia says
Its really funny that you have this topic so high on your blog list. I just returned from our family get a way and I was shocked at Disney for their green and sustainable practices. Did you know that at Animal Kingdom the straws are paper? Remember those when we were kids? and no plastic container covers. Everything was paper and eco friendly? The other three parks were stuck in the 90’s with plastic everything, bright blue cleaners, no recycling containers, and no save our environment stuff like Animal Kingdom.
So I ask you with a slogan like ‘One World 4 Parks’ why 2 different ways of running a buiness??
I was just drafting my letter to Disney and but wondered who to send it to, but now I know! Thank you
Green Talk says
Anastasia, isn’t it amazing? I guess animals rate higher than human in the Disney kingdom. Anna
Austin Lehman says
You would think such a big park with so many resources would invest in such an important project. It is sad to see Disney being motivated by the dollar when they have so many already.
Ciara says
CHEJ is still working hard to change Disney’s cleaning policies. Join us for a Valentine’s Day of Action on February 13, 2009 to raise awareness of the importance of green cleaning in schools. Visit the site to download a free action tool kit as well as Disney Go Green Valentine’s Day cards to send to Disney World executives.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.....p?key=3960
blogging for dollars says
I have never been to Disney Land before , and when I read your blog I to was surprised to learn the they are trying to be as green as possible shows you can have fun and still take care of the environment.
Daniel Lasky says
Hello, I know this doesn’t relate to the subject, but I would like any Disney employees reading this to please send me a message. I was recently commisioned to build an exact replica of the Hollywood Tower of Terror built of Lego’s and I am having trouble with the shape and measurments of the building. I was wondering if someone could help me out and possibly send me pictures of every view of the tower and maybe even plans used in its construction and layout of scenery. Currently I don’t have the time to take a trip to Orlando and these pictures would really help me to finish the building and meet my deadline.
Thank you, Daniel Lasky
Lilly says
Good to see kids getting involved in green, to me it isn’t done enough.