As a new member of Minnesota Public Research Interest Group, IâÄôm very excited to see students making a difference both on campus and at the state Capitol. Students were at the forefront of urging the University of Minnesota to cut its contract with Russell Athletic, a company that practiced unfair labor relations when they closed a factory in Honduras after employees tried to unionize. Working with the environmental task force, as well as with MPIRG as a whole, we will shift our focus to the state Capitol to lobby for a bill that would phase bisphenol A , more commonly known as BPA, out of a host of widely used products, including baby bottles and childrenâÄôs toys. Students will meet with legislators and lobby support for the bill on March 31. The proposed BPA bill falls under the umbrella of our larger campaign âÄúDetox Minnesota,âÄù which also focuses on identifying other dangerous chemicals in the products we use every day. Our Detox Minnesota campaign is at the heart of MPIRGâÄôs legislative efforts this spring and we hope we can count on University students to back us up with their support. Laura Dahl University Student MPIRG Volunteer