Photographs by William Taufic.
Deirdre Imus of Southport is serious about greening America—starting at home and in schools—to protect the greenest among us, our children.
“If we truly made our children’s health a priority, we would be a much healthier nation,” says Deirdre, who cofounded—with her husband, radio personality Don Imus—the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer in Ribera, New Mexico. “To date, this generation of children is sicker than other generations. We haven’t solved the problem of cancer, there’s a significant increase in brain tumors, and autism is huge.”
The mission at the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) in New Jersey is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric, cancer as well as other children’s health problems.
Imus Greening the Cleaning products—a not-for-profit venture that supports the Imus Ranch—are nontoxic, biodegradable and tackle everything from dishes to laundry. (“I use the all-purpose spray on our computer keyboards and to wipe down the leather seats in the car,” says Deirdre.)
Deirdre advocates greening hospitals too. “Fundamental changes like that impact thousands of patients and employees and save millions of gallons of water that are not chlorinated by toxic cleaning products,” she says. Hackensack University Medical Center, the first to convert to the Greening the Cleaning program in 2001, reported a 15 percent cost savings.
Deirdre was also instrumental in greening the HUMC’s Sarkis and Siran Gabrellian Women’s and Children’s Pavilion, the largest green hospital building of its scale in the country and so wholesome that the layettes are made with organic cotton and the menus offer organic berries and greens.
“Green your school, church or restaurant. Have us come up and green them,” says Deirdre. One organization that took her up on her offer was Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey. At its ribbon-cutting ceremony in September, the clubhouse for people with cancer and their families unveiled its new glamour—bamboo cabinetry, ceiling tiles made from recycled materials, eco-friendly paints, telephones with toxin-free circuit boards, and a commitment to green cleaning site-wide.
“We knew we needed Deirdre and her team’s expertise,” says Lenore Guido, CEO of Gilda’s Club Northern New Jersey. “They guided us through every step and took our constant phone calls. We couldn’t have done it without them.”
Visit dienviro.com or call 201-336-8071.