Women's Health and Environmental Defense Announce Partnership to Fight Global Warming

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Sandy Drayton, Women’s Health, sandy.drayton@rodale.com, 212-573-0262
Allison Keane, Women’s Health, allison.keane@rodale.com, 212-808-1676 
Diane Slaine, Environmental Defense, dslaine@environmentaldefense.org, 212-616-1267

(New York, NY - March 16, 2007) - Women’s Health, the women’s lifestyle magazine published by Rodale Inc., has joined forces with Environmental Defense, one of America’s most influential environmental advocacy groups, in an effort to combat global warming. With more than 500,000 members and more Ph.D. staff scientists and economists than any similar organization, Environmental Defense is known for developing market-based solutions to the most serious environmental problems.

The new partnership will help raise awareness about global warming and other health-related environmental issues and will further educate Women’s Health readers about what they can do to protect our environment. Founded in 1967, Environmental Defense was the first major environmental group to focus on human health issues, making it a valuable resource for Women’s Health, whose readers have cited global warming as their number one environmental concern.

“I’m delighted that we are teaming up with one of the top environmental groups in the U.S. Together, we can further educate our readers on how they can make a real difference in their own lives and in the long-term preservation of our environment,” said Tina Johnson, VP/Editor-in-Chief of Women’s Health. “Fighting global warming goes to the core of our mission here at Women’s Health, because to live a healthy life, we need a healthy planet.”

The evidence for global warming is everywhere. The cumulative impact of melting glaciers, increasingly severe storms and 70-degree days in December have turned climate change into front-page news around the world. Fortunately, there still is time to avoid the most dangerous consequences of global warming if we reduce the greenhouse gas pollution that causes the warming. But scientists say that we need to act soon as the window of opportunity is closing.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports the average temperature in the United States has increased roughly two degrees over the last one hundred years; and the past nine years were among the warmest on record.

Top scientists from around the world are now 90 percent certain that human activities are causing global warming. The increasing use of fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—and the burning of tropical rainforests are the biggest factors leading to climbing temperatures, rising sea levels, flash floods and fiercer tropical storms, especially over the Atlantic Ocean.

“Many of the steps we can take to reduce global warming will reduce local air pollution as well,” says Dr. John Balbus, the physician who heads the Environmental Defense health program. “By working together to safeguard our air, water and land, we can protect not only the natural world but also our own health and that of our children.”

The Special Report in the April issue of Women’s Health, “Keep Your Cool,” is all about global warming. It explores the latest science behind the ongoing degradation of our environment, and offers up a wide variety of easy, actionable ways for each of us to step up and begin to repair the damage.

In the coming months Women’s Health and Environmental Defense will collaborate on a series of initiatives and events aimed at tackling global warming. Women’s Health will also issue a “green challenge” to readers, asking them to dramatically reduce their carbon footprint and to report back on how they did it.

About Women’s Health
Women’s Health is a new women’s lifestyle magazine rooted in healthy living. Launched in October 2005 and published 10 times a year by Rodale Inc., Women’s Health is a fresh, smart and inspiring magazine for today’s active young women. The magazine speaks to every aspect of a women’s life including health, fitness, nutrition, emotional well-being, sex and relationships, beauty and style. Women’s Health’s ad pages in 2006 were up 114% from 2005 and advertising revenues rose 371%. The title’s circulation was up 98.5% to 648,981 in the second half ‘06 versus second half ‘05, showing the highest percentage growth in total subscriptions and total circulation of any magazine for this six-month period. In its first year of eligibility, the magazine was named to Adweek’s annual Hot List which recognizes ten magazines for outstanding performance in circulation, advertising, and overall buzz within the industry.

About Environmental Defense
Environmental Defense is a leading national nonprofit organization representing more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, the organization has linked science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society’s most urgent environmental problems. Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air, clean water, healthy food and flourishing ecosystems.