CALPIRG

Moonlight State Beach Cleanup Beach cleanups are a fun way to engage in your community and leave the coast better than you found it.

We hope you are gearing up for a fun 4th! As you make your plans for the holiday, here are some tips to help you make sure you can enjoy your cookout and avoid extra plastic waste 🎇

Five tips to avoid single-use plastic at your summer cookout Summertime is just around the corner, and while bringing family and friends together to enjoy the sunshine, eating burgers, dogs and veggies fresh off the grill can be a lot of fun, cleaning up lots of plastic waste at the end of the night just isn't.

Plastic pollution threatens our health and the environment. That's why Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in 2016. But a loophole allows grocery stores to still provide thicker plastic bags at check out. That means plastic bags are continuing to clog up our landfills and pollute our ocean.

Sign the petition to ban all plastic grocery bags once and for all

https://pirg.org/california/take-action/ban-plastic-bags-in-california/

School’s out and summer is here! Check out our summer guide for being a safe, smart consumer this season

CALPIRG’s Ultimate Summer Tip Guide Summer is here! To help you enjoy the season a bit more, CALPIRG compiled these handy tips to make sure you and your family stay safe and healthy this summer.

Food waste is responsible for 4% of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions; equates to an enormous waste of water, land, fuel and other resources that went into producing it; and costs the average American family upwards of $1,500 per year.

Confusing food labeling contributes to unnecessary food waste, but the state legislature is considering action to help. Read more about the effort for uniform food labeling to reduce food waste. https://pirg.org/california/articles/how-confusing-labels-contribute-to-food-waste/

Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin

Hooray! & to ban plastic bags have both passed the Senate and Assembly! Special thanks to Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan Senator Catherine Blakespear Senator Ben Allen for their leadership. Congratulations to all who have joined us in working to !

https://pirg.org/california/media-center/california-advances-bill-to-strengthen-ban-on-plastic-bags/

Californians Against Waste Oceana Ocean Conservancy Azul

Californians shouldn’t have to worry about something they use for 12 minutes harming their health and environment for the rest of their life. We’re calling on the to by passing and . https://pirg.org/california/take-action/ban-plastic-bags-in-california/

California’s annual waste from plastic bags increased to an astonishing 462 million pounds in 2021. We must support and to finally and end this senseless waste. Senator Anna Caballero Buffy Wicks

Does Amazon.com "recyclable" plastic packaging actually get recycled? Read our latest report by State Director Jenn Engstrom, which suggests not. U.S. PIRG Environment America

Truth in recycling Does Amazon’s plastic packaging actually get recycled? We placed trackers in bundles of Amazon shipping materials, and put them in store drop bins to see where they ended up.

This National , learn what the California Consumer Privacy Act means for you and how to exercise your rights

What the California Consumer Privacy Act means for you The California data privacy law gives you some control over how businesses collect and use your personal data. Here's how to take advantage.

Have medical expenses impacted your credit score?

We’re working to prohibit medical debt on credit reports. Share your story to show our decisionmakers how this problem impacts our communities.

Have medical expenses impacted your credit score? We’re working to prohibit medical debt on credit reports. Your story could help.

Our team delivered 56,961 public comments to the Federal Trade Commission in support of . Americans just want to fix their stuff. https://pirg.org/california/media-center/50000-petition-ftc-to-support-right-to-repair/

This , take more control of your personal information. Check out 5 steps you can take to protect your privacy now

5 steps you can take to better protect your privacy right now Privacy tips to protect your personal security when every website and app you use is collecting and selling your data.

High-powered magnets sold on Walmart.com recalled for violating federal safety standards

https://pirg.org/edfund/updates/high-powered-magnets-sold-on-walmart-com-recalled-for-violating-federal-safety-standards/

High-powered magnets sold on Walmart.com recalled for violating federal safety standards Small toy magnets can't exceed a certain strength capability in case a child ingests them.

The holidays are a time to spend time with family, cook meals and enjoy each other’s company. As holiday cooking often entails spending a lot of hours in the kitchen, it can also mean we’re exposing ourselves and our families to harmful air pollutants from our gas stove.

Learn to keep your families safe with proper ventilation of gas cooking, or better, consider switching to electric or induction cooking.

How to keep your family safe from gas stove pollution during the holidays The holidays are a time to spend time with family, cook meals and enjoy each other’s company. As holiday cooking often entails spending a lot of hours in the kitchen, it can also mean we’re exposing ourselves and our families to harmful air pollutants from our gas stove.

VR headsets are growing in popularity and might be at the top of your child’s holiday wish list this year. But they come with risks ranging from dangerous data collection to impacts on developing brains

VR risks for kids and teens VR risks are significant enough the child health experts we spoke to recommend parents steer clear of Meta's Quest VR headsets

We throw away at least 25% more trash during the holidays, but we can reduce our waste with some easy tips. Join U.S. PIRG and Environment America to learn how to reduce waste with your holiday meals, gift giving and packaging. https://pirg.org/events/zero-waste-for-the-holidays-webinar/

You can still get great gadgets for less than Black Friday prices while making a good choice for the environment. Check out CALPIRG's latest Fixed for the Holidays guide on buying refurbished, which can cut the environmental impact of giving a new smartphone by up to 91%!

Fixed for the Holidays You can still get great gadgets for less than Black Friday prices while making a good choice for the environment.

We expect toys to be fun, not dangerous. But sometimes there are safety issues.

Here are tips to make sure toys you buy — or that your children already have — are safe and stay safe after months or years of hard play.

Toy safety tips for families and gift-givers Here's a great list of safety tips for parents with children of all ages.

AMAZING NEWS! California Governor signed SB 244 the Act! Thank you, Gavin Newsom and congratulations to Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman on this historic win!

Statement from us and our co-sponsors CALPIRG & iFixit.com on SB 244 signature here: https://www.cawrecycles.org/press-releases/govsignssb244

Right-to-repair is now the law in California Though there’s a carve-out for game consoles.

Great News! California Governor Gavin Newsom signed for the ! Getting what we need to fix our stuff is a win for the consumers and the planet, and it just makes sense. Thanks to years of advocacy from Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman iFixit.com Californians Against Waste.

https://pirg.org/california/media-center/statement-governor-newsom-signs-right-to-repair-act/

Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner to prohibit surprise ambulance bills. Soon, Californians will be protected from exorbitantly high prices from ambulance providers who they didn’t know were out-of-network. Read more: https://pirg.org/california/media-center/gov-newsom-signs-law-to-prohibit-surprise-ambulance-bills/

About 70 million Slime Licker Sour Rolling Liquid candy products have been recalled because the rolling ball can detach and choke a child. Families are urged to take the candy away from children and contact Candy Dynamics for a refund.

Slime Licker liquid candy recalled; 70 million products could be dangerous Rolling ball can detach and choke a child, warning says.

will save consumers money and reduce electronic waste.

Sign to urge California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign to give Californians what we need to fix our stuff 🛠️

Tell the governor: Sign the Right to Repair Act Right to Repair will save consumers money and reduce electronic waste. Tell the governor: Sign the Right to Repair Act.