When I encounter something tall and massive blocking my path I look for a path around it, but not Arlene Blum ’66. She is more likely to climb right to the top and take in the view before deciding where to go next.
This inclination towards elevation once led her to the summits of some of the world’s tallest mountain peaks, but now it takes her into science-based advocacy for consumer and environmental protection through the non-profit organization she founded, the Green Science Policy Institute.
Arlene was recognized for her life of accomplishment Dec. 4, 2018 in a ceremony “Honoring Californians who change the world” at the California Museum in Sacramento. There, alongside Joan Baez, Belva Davis, Thomas Keller, Robert Redford, and Fernando Valenzuela, Arlene was inducted into the California Hall of Fame by Governor Jerry Brown.
You can watch a recording of the Dec. 4, 2018 induction ceremony here (skip ahead to minute 38 or 39 if you’re in a hurry). You can also learn more about Arlene’s life and how she learned of her selection from these stories in the Bay City News and the SF Chronicle. And you might even be motivated to learn more about the six classes of toxic commercial chemicals that contaminate so many modern consumer products (children’s pajamas, furniture upholstery, and more) at sixclasses.org.
2 Photos from the induction ceremony and another from the California Museum exhibit honoring Arlene:
