It's sad, but I think a lot of mothers really have no idea how terrible some things are - blue ketchup, anyone?  They don't even stop to think, not even if you say "eeewww, that's really NOT good for you or your kid or the enviornment".  They don't want facts and they don't want healthy, they want easy and fun and kid-friendly.  They're not bad mothers, they love their children and care for their welfare, they just can't be bothered.  Besides, the environmental movement is a bunch of hippie weirdos, right?  I have a parenting website I post regularly on (yes, I'm a loser, I know it!!) and I moderate a board there on environmental issues.  I've tried everything under the sun to get these women interested, and I get a reply every once in a while to one of my posts.  Things that show me that no one read past the first paragraph, or maybe even the title.  They think it's cute that I'm so concerned, and I'm kind of the token outspoken pseudo-hippie, you know?  I think that the amount of work it will take to show mothers how detrimental these things really are is phenomenal, because they are not about to agree that maybe, in the future, all that Comet is probably going to come back and bite them on their butts.  It has to be that right now little Johnny is getting sick because the Comet coats the bathtub where he takes his bath.  And if there's not a direct link, it will be discounted.  We all know how tired and harried and frazzled mothers are.  Even enviro mothers get tired of trying all the time - imagine if you're not all that concerned how much you want to go out of your way to scrub with baking soda?   Heck, I admit it, we gave up on "natural" shampoo and we're washing with Pantene at my house.  I feel guilty as hell, but the natural stuff made my head itch, and it was the only natural one I could find.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's going to be a long uphill battle where you have to really scare the bejesus out of these mothers to get them to join in.  Drunk driving feels real and immediate, we all know so-and-so who died because of a drunk driver.  We don't all know someone who got mercury poisioning, and so we figure it happens to other people, sometimes, if it's even a real threat.  

I know these moms who serve blue catsup...they're not all bad. One of them built a massive raingarden to recharge the watertable in her backyard. Another is refusing to move to a McMansion just b/c she happens to have 5 kids, opting instead for a sense of community and livability. For my part, I have two rainbarrels, grow all my own organic vegetables in the summer, and avoid doing laundry during rainstorms to avoid recharging the sewer system (not to mention no blue catsup, if that counts). Still, life is full of compromises, and my kids get fast-food a couple of times a year. Life goes on, despite the small compromises.

We just have to help moms PRIORITIZE those compromises to best suit the earth. That means we need to be relevant to be heard. Maybe for Mother's Day, if each mom were to be earth-friendly and relevant to just one other person, and if that were to happen every year, we'd have the planet covered in time.

And, let's not forget: Father's Day is just around the corner.

It'll take every one of us, doing and modeling what is right and do-able, to effect real change. What better gift to give Mother Earth in a couple of days?

Take the challenge; pass it on; there's nothing to be lost in trying.

The links between environmental mercury and developmental disorders and Autism are becoming clear and undeniable.  A the results of a study were just published in the Los Angeles Times (Mar 17) that
showed for every 1000 pounds of mercury released a Texas county, there was also a 43% increase in special education services and a 61% increase in the autism rate.

The scientists point out that this does not prove that there is a causal link.  That will be the next step.

Another study (LA Times April 3) by the University of Arkansas showed that autistic children have abnomally low levels of an anti-oxidant called glutathione that among other things, is "crucial for neutralizing toxic metals such as mercury".

Is there a single person out there who does not know a family affected by autism?

School districts are really struggling to deal with the costs of educating these children.

Once these children are grown, who will pick up the cost burden of their transition into society?

This is a genuine crisis that touches everyone, on a very personal level for some, but on a financial level for everyone.

Yes, this will work very well with people who have a masters degree and are accustomed to turning data into information, and then translating that into relevant actions. I think you'll lose the masses, though.

Rather, you need to be relevant and simple. What actions, specifically, do you want moms/people to take? How will this affect their children, the food they eat, and their pocketbooks? ...in defensible terms that EVERYONE can understand.

OK Angela, I am with you. Let's get this party started....your article infused my soul with wonderful thoughts of what we could do as mothers to enlighten those still in the dark about what is happening to the very Mother that sustains our lives. What mother does not want better for their children...breathable air, playgrounds that aren't comtaminated, clean water to drink....need I go on...? We need a grass roots effort to tap into the strength and resources of mothers who want to walk softly upon the earth and leave it a better place for their children and grandchildren.
I am here and I have the energy.... feel free to contact me....so as I said...let's get this party started.....Happy Mother's Day to Mother Earth and all us human mothers trying to make a difference......

Yes! Grassroots! Get a rainbarrel for Mother's Day, commit to recycle more, or simply cut down on waste. It doesn't have to start off as a big deal. Just...instead of receiving gifts this Mother's Day, why not give something small back to the earth?

Angela rocks.

Thanks for the information and the link to the web site for Rainforest Action Network. I went to the site and added my 2 cents in a letter to Bill Ford Jr.  I encourage all those that are concerned to do the same. Every voice helps.

I have been told by wildlife researcher friends that because of mercury in our lakes here in northern Wisconsin, loon chicks do not respond to alarm calls from their parents quickly enough to avoid predation.

An ominous sign for young humans exposed to mercury too?  

Keep fighting moms!!

Replacing coal with these renewable energy sources will halt the mercury introduced into our environment.

Mercury pollution, oil wars, and radioactive contamination are not good for "children and all living things".

Was that phrase from an anti-war poster of a past era?  It's still a good one.  Fight the power!!

First off, I was very disappointed to discover Mothers and Others literally the day before they disbanded.  They offered a voice to those of us who believe that our actions now have severe consequences later.  I wailed to my husband "I just found my people and they're all leaving!"

Moving forward.  I have been very interested in the pschycology of change, because I have been wondering how to get the other mothers around me to see the errors of their ways, as it were.  Of course, dividing into us and them is the first wrong step.  As I looked at the change process, I laughed at the wisdom I was given in business school.  "You have to get customer/client/employee buy-in, then it will work."  It turns out to be much more complicated! Change of this magnitude requires transformation - a shift in our values to where doing the right thing gives us better feedback than continuing on our current path.

How do we as mothers first attract attention to the pressing causes, then provide a blueprint for a life that lives out the optimal choices?  Put more simply, how do we reach the blue ketchup mothers (and the Glad Plug-Ins, yuck) and give them an experience that enlightens?  We can not alienate, nor dictate.  

I believe that every mother who is trying to do right for her child is reachable by this movement.  So many of my friends who know my "different" lifestyle respect it without wanting to change.  Much of it is fear of being different.  Advertisers have taught us that if we don't use the new improved Clorox wipes in our bathroom, that our friends will think we are gross and dirty.  That is a powerful force, one we have to overcome through education and good role models.  

My post groweth too long, I must conclude.  A blueprint for making changes exists in the form of Flylady, a guru for cleaning/uncluttering your home.  She has a following of over 250,000 people who are learning, one habit at a time, to change the way they live.  Many of her teachings are already green, I think they can go greener.  And it is a wonderful model for motivating people through encouragement, not fear.

I hear your rally cry, Angela Park.  We are out here, waiting to organize.

Lee

I agree with earth daughter -- "let's get this party started" -- and I also hear Melanie's concerns that moms are busy people and can't be bothered with one more thing that needs to get done. But just think of what we could accomplish if we each did just a small part? This needs to be a grassroots effort -- one baby step at a time. I am a working mom with 2 sons, school PTA stuff, baseball games, soccer games, religious school, etc. to juggle but I'd love to be kept in the loop on efforts to energize a grass roots mom's coalition. I am not in a position to lead the effort but I can certainly do my part.

RG

People with little free time, information overload and shortened attention spans tend to scan a large post.

By breaking it up thusly...

...even breaking some rules of syntax..one gets their attention further down the article.

Keep up the good fight!  Blue ketchup is a vegetable?  Hehehey.

Oh put up your site address too please!

I think we should keep it simple. Don't try to take on too many issues--ketchup, comet, etc. How about we create an organization called Mothers Against Mercury (MAM)? Very simple messages. Mercury causes brain damage in children. Where does mercury come from? Burning coal. Let's stop burning coal. What do you think? I can imagine some good bumper stickers (Yes, MAM!). Has the advantage of hitting fossil fuel emissions as well.
Rosemary

I've tried everything under the sun to get these women interested, and I get a reply every once in a while to one of my posts.  Things that show me that no one read past the first paragraph, or maybe even the title.  They think it's cute that I'm so concerned, and I'm kind of the token outspoken pseudo-hippie, you know?

I too have a message board and most of my enviromental issues barely get read? I feel everybody thinks (there she goes again) and these are important issues. This Planet is a "Terminal Planet" and we have the resourcses and alternatives to fix it, but this thing we have as a President and this Adminastration we will have nothing but a toxic planet to leave our decedants, if that much.

I would like to see your BBS sometime, but I don't kown if we are allowed to give links here or not as this is my first post.
graci

whoops, my email is: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_2ONmiVIn1z').innerHTML = output; //]]>  (please don't spam me LOL)

I'm one of those people who grew up in the 60s and 70s preaching to my parents about solar power and going on Sierre Club outings solo. Then something happened - moved East for college, got a pointless graduate degree, had a series of soulless jobs - and the next thing I knew, I was married with kids in New York City desperate to nurture the city along with my family but without a clue how to do it. Speaking on behalf of us who have fallen out of the fold, getting back in is not easy. The jargon, the vitriol, the predictable attire - which is why GRIST was such a joy to stumble onto. But back to the mom thing - I wanted to find a way to make the concept of urban ecology accessible to (1) myself and (2) my kids. As luck would have it, I had just gotten into book producing - a great little business if you don't care for cash. I worked with another overeducated, would-be green freak urban mom and we came up with a book concept, found some funding, a brilliant Seattle-based designer and a brilliant Seattle-based writer (along with some NY talent, it must be said) and voila. It's called GO WILD IN NEW YORK CITY (my 9-yr-old son grimaced at any title with the word "nature" in it (he who has been collecting bugs since 2 - I blame the media (see rant below)))  and it introduces all the vital elements of nature in the city, along with a vast array of organizations working to preserve it. We're now collaborating with Teachers College at Columbia to create teaching guides. Turns out place-based learning - especially science and service-based projects - is au courant. If we can get subject of urban ecology into the curriculum AND into the home, I'd like to think we can begin to get a wider range of Americans to behave in ways that take nature into account.

But to really have an impact, we need to begin going for the big-money media. What ever happened to the ad with the guy in the canoe with a tear rolling down his cheek? Give a hoot don't pollute? I might have wanted to grow up to be a hippie when I was a kid, but I got the idea from television. If there were a coalition of Moms in the Media Against Amoral Corporate Control of All Programming, we might really get something going.

It seems as if we have two different visions going here. Some of us are interested in a group that would target ordinary American lifestyle choices. We might make a support group sort of thing with chapters everywhere. Mothers getting together to talk about how to live more sustainably. That kind of thing seems likely to succeed. It's getting trendy.

My idea (MAM) is more a grassroots lobbying organization to advocate for public health and safety against the coal industry. My eldest son is autistic and I live in sight of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are being destroyed by acid rain.

MAM could certainly have dynamite heartwrenching ads on tv. Imagine a shot of a cute little 2yo boy doing something strange over and over and his mother calling him and not getting an answer. Voiceover begins, "Colin was a happy baby who loved to play peekaboo. Now...."

Rosemary

Can I just say I've never seen so many mothers getting organized over a blogpost? Wow. You guys are great. Maybe if we drive more mothers to this post to pickup the converstation we can move it elsewhere like...eco-moms.org or something. This is amazing.

As a longtime organizer I would just throw one piece of advice into the discussion circle here. The environmental movement has for years been focused on working through the government and it seems to have been largely unsuccessful. However, working locally with businesses, schools and industries and creating local branches of volunteers with interested parties lays a fantastic root system for growth and expansion.  It'd be so cool to have mothers connected by not just one issue but by a broad strategy that all agree on.  

Just my 2 and half cents.

Keep the conversation going! Email this link to your friends!

Here's a low-tech, potentially completely idiotic idea: I get several forwarded emails a day from mom friends about various things I need to do online to help fight off the complete overthrow of democracy. So, as you all have observed, moms are ready to network and act, esp if they can do it online while the kids are asleep and/or the boss is out. Could we create a weekly (monthly?) emailable enviromom tipsheet, meant to be printed out (or copied by hand onto scrap paper) and stuck on the fridge (or computer monitor, or ironed onto tshirts with debilitating stains)? It could follow the Rain Forest Network's 7 Things model - both behavioral and activist to do's. Each edition would have a topic, say, TO DO: SAVE KIDS FROM MERCURY POISONING and move from at home tasks to, Talk to everyone you know in advertising to see if they can come up with someone who might be interested in producing and distributing a pro bono public service ad. Each tip sheet could have a specific contact person for more info.

Ideally the email could have a distinctive look, and anyone who passes it along would be entitled to become an official member of whatever the group is called, thereby earning the right to slap the very appealing logo/clever tag line onto all their belongings, and onto any holes in their children's clothes.

Whaddya say?

Jessica, that sounds like a wonderful idea. I like it a lot because it includes both lifestyle change and political advocacy. Are you the one who said earlier you do the Flylady program? I do, too. And we could use some of her ideas as a model. She keeps things positive, includes a lot of inspiration and applause. We could include quotes from poets and ecologists, hopeful news stories, interesting statistics. We wouldn't want to just send a "do this now" message everyday. People wouldn't last long.

One thing I find frustrating as a mother is that I don't know which changes are most important. If we have so much money to spend this year, should be buy a hybrid or make the house more efficient? You know what I mean? Local produce or organic but shipped? If several of us worked together on it, we could take different kinds of tasks and do the research, write it up, send it to everyone.

Melanie is interested in this, too. What do you think, Melanie?
Rosemary

Hi,

I'm Lee, the Flybaby.  My one concern with the tips was that it would turn into one more thing that we are not doing that we should do (as mothers).  We tend to be a guilt-ridden group as it is.  That's why I brought up the Flylady model.  Her encouragement helps you get over the guilt and actually doing something.  Her message about perfection (it's a bad word!) is also relevant.  

I think we could definitely put together some fridge tips that keep it positive (do what you can, little things add up to big things).  Center for a New American Dreams has a similar approach, but not geared just to moms.  They also have a neat set of stats (replace one lightbulb with fluorescent, save x pounds of pollution).  These facts help people visualize why little changes add up.

We could draw out a rough road map, similar to FL, that has something you can start the day you join, then build on that, until you have those changes under your belt.  Also, a call to action can be part of each message (again, CNAD idea) where you can spend a few minutes (write congresspeople) or more (organize neighbors).

Finally, I'm all for humor for getting across the message.  Any cartoonists out there?  

Obviously I'd like to contribute, what are our next steps to getting organized?

Lee

I just revisited the FlyLady site. It's a great model - humor and babysteps are just what we need to   bring the moms of the country onboard. But it's also a frightening thing to try to live up to - that operation grew over time, has a staff, and deals with changes you can effect within minutes and enjoy all day every day. Hm. Think we can come up with the equivalent? Maybe it's a project you do with your kids to prove the point, then behavioral changes ranked by their impact?

I'm sure we could get the input of the top-ranked people in whatever field we're working in re most meaningful changes, etc. It's just a matter of putting in the - aaaargh - time.

Should we choose a topic and see what we can pull together? I can put some work into it, dig up some art options, and send it around for reworking/rethinking/trashing.

but I must point out that the leader of India's non-violent struggle against British colonialism was GANDHI, not GHANDI.

Fixed, thanks

Lee

The FlyLady idea is very cool -my mom does it and she loves it, she's had a lot of success with it - without all the guilt. ;)  The thing is, I think, not to get discouraged by how big their site is.  We don't have to start out all-encompassing - after all, this will be a spare time volunteer effort, at least for now.  At the moment, I think we could do a monthly newsletter, that way it's not too taxing on all of us busy moms, and then we could move to weekly once we really got swinging and got more volunteers.  Encouragement and support of small changes would be huge - I'm sure we all read the article about our environmental guilt, and that's not helping us any!  We need to feel good about we DO do, not bad about what we don't do - because you can't do it all, right?  Anyway, I'm so excited about this, and I can't wait to get started!  Now, what should we call it - and do ya'll want to start a yahoo group or something, to talk it over a bit more?  

I was going to suggest the same.  We can get set up over there for planning, and put a link from this blog page for anyone interested that reads the blog later on.

So glad you (all) are interested!  I have been thinking about this for quite a while and I'm ready to get moving.

I can set up a group tonight called Flying Green.  This is not a name suggestion, but just a moniker to get us set up for communicating.

I'll drop a post later when it's up.  I'm 6 hours ahead of EST since I'm in Germany, so evening is already here and my kiddo will soon be in bed.

Lee

Thanks to all the nonmoms who have written with encouragement! If any of you (Jay or Dave, for instance), would like to participate in our brainstorming, we could surely use ideas from people who have experience starting organizations and publications.
Rosemary

Those stolen moments in a busy day of tasks around the home could really add up...it should include the dads at home too.  Although they are not nearly as numerous.

All our kids' futures are surely a great motivator for change!

Let's have a revolution!

Low impact, low consumption, high quality lifestyles featuring internet political action in order to deal with the frustration of watching corporate degradation of mother earth.

If the neo-conservative corporate forces don't get our cash, our minds, our souls,or our kids  how can they win?  

If even the half of US who oppose the bushco inc agenda reduce consumption of corporate produced products to a minimum, what would that do?  Our 401ks are already stolen, so do stock markets really matter?

By using the net for political action and pushing reform maybe we can even take back the democratic party from corporate shills and turn it into the reform party it really ought to be.

It's a long shot I admit, but it's better to fight an almost hopeless battle than give up.  If for nothing else, one's own health.  The stress of hopelessness is a debilitating factor that robs from  quality of life.

Fantastic.  Would love to be a part of this. However, feel free to give me the boot--this is your deal.