Down to Earth Profile: Angie Dierdorff

While pregnant with her first son, Angie Dierdorff experienced an epiphany. As she took classes on natural childbirth, she learned about the importance of healthy nutrition and the side effects of drugs during labor. This led her to become more conscious of her own environment – her food, her air and the politics and policies governing the world into which she would bring her child. “That was the beginning of my journey,” said Dierdorff, a community activist and prime mover behind Community-Minded Enterprises’ Sustainable September Spokane. Long before sustainability became a buzzword and simple living was hardly a trend, Dierdorff and about half a dozen other mothers met to discuss how to create a safe and healthy community for their children. Conversations revolved around normal parenting issues – breastfeeding, attachment parenting, and raising children in a consumer culture. While their kids played, the moms supported each other in raising hearty and happy families. “We all had this desire to feed our children the healthiest food we could find,” recalled Dierdorff, whose reading list during her first pregnancy included Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” and “A Civil Action,” a book about water pollution in Woburn, Mass. About a decade ago, when organic produce was considered “alternative,” these moms were already talking about the benefits of local food raised without pesticides, antibiotics or growth hormones. Before long, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other toxins became part of Dierdorff’s vocabulary. PBDE — used as a flame retardant in electronics, plastics, building materials and other products – was also in her breast milk, Dierdorff learned during a meeting of La Leche League, an international organization and support group that promotes breastfeeding. Dierdorff was devastated to learn that even something as healthy as breast milk — which studies show has antibodies that fight disease and lower the risk of ear infections and other health problems — contains traces of contaminants. Soon after her discovery, she became angry. She educated herself about toxins that she and others are exposed to since childhood, many stored in fat tissues. She started limiting the amount of animal products – milk, cheese and meat – at home. She began scrutinizing the sources of their foods. Before long, she started sharing the results – not just to the mothers in her group. “I became an activist and agitator,” Dierdorff said. “I wanted everyone to know.” In 1999, Dierdorff became a founding member of PEACH, People for Environmental Action and Community Health. Along with Eden Brightspirit Hendrix, an organic farmer, and environmental activist Lois Gibbs, Dierdorff started hosting gatherings to educate people about contaminants in the environment, “zero waste” (instead of simply recycling), and how to keep children and communities safe by supporting area producers and eating organic, locally-grown food. The women raised awareness of the rising levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Spokane River. They protested at the Spokane Waste to Energy Facility. They launched awareness campaigns about food, health and the dangers of pesticides. Dierdorff became a member of the Washington Toxics Coalition and made presentations to local groups about the dangers of PBDEs and other toxins. Through the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane, Dierdorff became involved in efforts to create a Green Sanctuary Program, which promotes environmental stewardship and provides a framework for Unitarian Universalists to “proclaim and live out their commitment to the Earth.” Dierdorff also gathered families to buy bulk organic food through Azure Standard, a business out of Dufur, Ore., that specializes in natural, organic and earth-friendly foods. Azure delivers groceries and other products monthly at no cost to homes within 3 miles of the company truck’s route. “We wanted to create community right here where we lived,” Dierdorff said. “You don’t have to move to live in a better place.” Dierdorff’s passion for environmental and social justice began in childhood. She grew up on a small farm in Bend, Ore., where her parents raised goats and other animals. She planted seeds and harvested vegetables for the dinner table. Before going to work as the district attorney in Jefferson County, her father would rise at 4 a.m. to work at the farm while her mother collected eggs and milked goats. Her parents, also Unitarians, talked about the need to reach out to others, care for the planet and make the world a better place. As a student at the University of Oregon and Eastern Oregon University, she majored in English and drama, and moved to Spokane in 1990. It wasn’t until her first child that she felt compelled to take action. Motherhood helped her find “my people.” “It was when I became responsible for this other life that I became more aware of what I put into my body,” she said. “What I do affects this child. What the government does affects this child. What happens in the world affects him.” Now 41 and a single mother of two boys – Will, 11 and Mike, 8, Dierdorff was hired by Community-Minded Enterprises in January to bring individuals and organizations together. Her job is to coordinate events for Sustainable September Spokane – the first time the local community has dedicated an entire month to sustainability. “We’re trying to define sustainability as thinking constantly of future generations and being aware of the way we live now – how the choices we make now affect future generations,” said Dierdorff. A decade after she first became aware of her role as an activist on behalf of children, the environment and sustainability, Dierdorff said the names of at least a dozen chemicals are ingrained in her brain. She has learned lessons and experienced hopeful changes in Spokane. “We are all interdependent – the way we live, the way we consume affects others and the world,” she said. “What we eat is a matter of social justice.” Through education and advocacy, our region is becoming more aware and taking positive steps – albeit slowly. “My experience in Spokane has taught me that we can’t force change to happen,” she said. “All we can do is be the change we want to see and from that, get ripple effects. … After all, everyone wants to live in a safe and healthy community.”