Listen to your mother! The age-old saying can be true for advice on balancing work and home life, getting over a cold, on losing a loved one, and increasingly on how to act on climate. Last month, we were joined by three phenomenal moms in the climate movement for a Let’s Talk Climate episode that provided a range of ideas for getting involved in climate action, talking to your kids about climate change, electing climate champions, and building equity into climate solutions. Thank you to our guests:
Veronica Butcher, Executive Director of Mothers & Others for Clean Air
LaTisha Harris, Community Organizer with Mothers Out Front
Tracey Holloway, Gaylord Nelson Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin—Madison and a member of Science Moms
LaTisha shared the ways she talks to her son about climate change in a way that will build his vision for a healthier future, “I begin to explain to him, ‘you see this, this, this factory, it doesn’t belong here. You shouldn’t have this and you shouldn’t have to live next to this.'” She added that simple, practical conversations and “being able to watch mommy fight, and advocate, and speak out against it” help, too.
Tracey really honed in on an important way to combat misinformation, “…one of the things that I try to do is just to clarify that my only role is to tell the truth,” and direct people to reputable sources. You can say ‘you know we may disagree on what to do, but let’s try to get to a common understanding on the facts.
And, in response to a question about moving from personal action to systemic change, Veronica talked about the importance of storytelling to connect the dots from chronic health issues to root causes of climate change. “I think that personal stories is the most important thing that we can all focus on…we’re humans we resonate with the storytelling.”
Resources shared during the episode:
Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most
Mapped: How climate change affects extreme weather around the world
Healthy Indoor Breathing Toolkit
Actions from Mothers & Others for Clean Air on Electrifying School Buses
MomentUs Statement and Commitment
Health Impacts of Air Pollution 1-pager from Mothers & Others for Clean Air
Climate for Health Moving Forward Toolkit
Climate for Health Ambassador Training
The Cost of Tackling Climate Change Is Less Than the Cost of Doing Nothing
EJSCREEN: Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
Health Ranked Top Motivator in Support for Climate Solutions
