About The Brockovich Report…
stick-to-itiveness: a propensity to follow through in a determined manner; dogged persistence born of obligation and stubbornness.
“Man’s attitude toward nature is today critically important simply because we have now acquired a fateful power to alter and destroy nature. But man is part of nature, and his war against nature is ultimately a war against himself…. We’re challenged as mankind has never been challenged before to prove our maturity and our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”—Rachel Carson, 1963
“Are you gettin’ every word of this honey or am I talking too fast for you?”—Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
How We Got Into This Toxic Mess
We all have a fundamental right to live in a healthy world, but today we live in toxic times.
We can no longer take for granted the simple act of filling up a glass of clean water from our kitchen sink. Officials don’t want to admit it, but I’m here to tell you that we are in the midst of a major water crisis that is beyond anything you can imagine—and right along with it we’ve got critical issues with our air and our land. Pollution problems persist and toxins are everywhere. Without access to clean air, water, and food it’s game over for all of us. We can’t possibly live without these valuable resources.
Today, some of the biggest known contaminants in our water include chromium-6 (an anticorrosive agent), PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which include PFOA (used to make Teflon pans) and PFOS (a key ingredient in Scotchgard), also known as forever chemicals. We’ve also got issues with TCE, (used in dry cleaning and refrigeration), lead, fracking chemicals, chloramines (a water disinfectant), and more. Many of these chemicals are undetectable for those drinking the water.
It’s imperative for everyone to learn about the contaminants that could be affecting your health and how to protect yourself.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, people can change the world.
None of us need a PhD, a law degree, or political clout to help protect our most precious resource: the environment. We have the power together to fight for better enforcement of the laws, push for new legislation, and to storm our city halls until our voices are heard.
In this newsletter, I will show you how—covering the important stories you need to know and offering more resources to understand these issues and get into action. This is a community space where we can discuss these issues and help raise awareness. Something going on in your town? Let’s talk about it.
Knowledge is power and with a bit of stick-to-itiveness, we can make a difference.
About Erin
“Brockovich shows how bad things are, but she never gives in or despairs. Instead, she wants to educate people about their options, to give them the tools to start asking for changes.”—Gabino Iglesias, NPR
I’ve been in the trenches, joining communities and teaching them how to fight against seemingly insurmountable odds for almost 30 years.
Raised in the Sunflower State (Kansas) by Republican parents, I’m an independent thinker who is not afraid to speak my mind and call out both sides of the aisle. Water is not a partisan issue!
Known for my work in Hinkley, California, I helped expose PG&E’s secret, a huge chromium-6 groundwater contamination, and how this poison affected the health of the people there. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct action lawsuit of its kind, spearheaded by me and my then-boss Ed Masry, the utility giant was forced to pay out the largest toxic tort injury settlement in U.S. history at that time: $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.
My name became an Oscar-winning movie and then it became a verb. To “Erin Brockovich something” has become synonymous with investigating and then advocating for a cause without giving up. My work continues today with hundreds of communities throughout the U.S. and the world.
When I was a little girl, my father would sing songs to me all the time about water. We would be playing down at the creeks and he would make up little tunes singing, “See that lovely water, trickling down the stream, don’t take it for granted, someday it might not be seen.”
Before he died, my dad promised that in my lifetime water would become a commodity more valuable than oil or gold, because there would be so little of it. I believe he was right and that time has come.
“Every American deserves to have access to safe drinking water. America is the richest and most prosperous country in the world—we can afford to provide safe drinking water to our citizens.”—Congressman Dan Kildee, representing Flint, Michigan
You can read more about my family, where I got my “stick-to-itiveness” nature, and about many of the communities I’ve worked with since Hinkley in my 2020 book, Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis & What We The People Can Do About It.
You can listen to me gab with amazing everyday citizens fighting for the environment and social justice on my podcast, Superman’s Not Coming.
I served as the executive producer of Rebel, a TV drama inspired by my real life that starred Katey Sagal as Annie “Rebel” Bello.
Want to report an issue happening in your town? Go to my Community Healthbook. And you can always visit my main website Brockovich.com.
Meet The Executive Editor
Hi, I’m Suzanne Boothby. I started my journalism career at Mother Jones Magazine as a fellow in the fall of 2000, fact-checking stories about campaign contributions to the presidential election, the dangers of prescription medication ads, and the toxic sludge created by high-polluting hog farms in North Dakota. I’ve gone on to cover everything from foraging green juice ingredients to the hidden costs of conventional agriculture.
On a personal note, my interest in health, and particularly our toxic world, began as a teen when my Nana died from lung cancer (as a non-smoker). When I lost one of my favorite people in the world, I knew I wanted to spend my life learning more and helping others become more aware of these issues through my writing.
I met Erin in 2016 when we began working together on her latest book. To say that I was swept into a rabbit hole is an understatement! I was shocked by the immense number of people who write to her each and every day, sending photos of dirty water coming out of their taps and stories of dire health issues. I was so honored to help bring her life’s work to the page, visit some of the communities fighting for clean water, and help show the true picture of what is happening in America today.
I am grateful to continue to cover these stories and to help show you how to become an advocate in your community. The time is now. Seriously, right now. Let’s do this.
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