I’m certainly not a film critic but I believe that no one can transform herself into a character like Meryl. I am an environmentalist, though, and I can testify to another role that Meryl has held with great passion - environmental health activist. Meryl Streep and I first met in September 1988. That summer, the ozone hole had been discovered over Australia, where she was filming A Cry in the Dark, and she was moved to act. Upon her return to the states, she offered to help NRDC raise awareness about environmental issues. At that time, NRDC scientists were working on a report about weaknesses in the regulation of pesticides used in food production. The report release in March 1989 became known as the Alar report (for the growth regulator used on apples), and Alar in turn the symbol for lax regulations of toxic pesticides that could be found in and on common fruits and vegetables. Meryl and I worked together to create Mothers & Others, a group of concerned citizens that rallied to support NRDC in the fight for tougher pesticide residue standards, standards that thanks to a law passed 10 years later would protect particularly vulnerable sub-populations such as infants and young children.
