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Mind the Store Campaign: Removing Hazardous Chemicals from Products We Us Every Day

Thursday, April 11th, 2013


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The Precautionary Principal: When the health of humans and the environment is at stake, it may not be necessary to wait for scientific certainty to take protective action. The precautionary principal is codified into law in many European countries, particularly when it comes to unproven chemicals and their potential long term impact on our health and the health of our children. In these countries the burden of proof that these chemicals may cause harm falls on the producer rather then the consumer. Yet here in the United States, land of the free and the brave, that burden of proof too often falls on all of us. As parents who want to make smart, healthy and safe choices this can be an impossible burden.

What does this really mean to you and I? In simple terms, it means that there are as many as 80,000

Credit: Safer Chemicals Healthy Families

chemicals that have been created by the chemical industry since the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) was enacted in 1976, yet these chemicals have never been fully assessed for their toxic impact on human health or the environment. These chemicals may be found in the clothes our children wear, the furniture our children play on, the shampoo our families use, and the products we use to clean our home.

Unbelievable but true. While we wait for legislation to update the TSCA, we at ClimateMama are honored to join with Safer Chemicals and Healthy Families and many parents around the country to ask the 10 largest retailers in the country, companies we all support and frequent, to help us MIND THE STORE and get the “worst of the worst” the Hazardous 100+ Chemicals out of their stores and protect our children and their health from from the impacts of these chemicals.

At ClimateMama we all do our best to shop wisely, check labels, and buy organic as often as we can. Yet, too often we can’t even pronounce half of the chemical names listed on products we buy, let alone know what is and isn’t tested, safe or hazardous. A long time ago, when my children where just learning to read, I decided that if they couldn’t pronounce the ingredients in a product I was buying, it likely was something I shouldn’t buy. My children are now teenagers and don’t regularly come shopping with me anymore. I want to trust that if there is a beauty product or cleaning supply for sale at my local store, that it is safe and I can grab it and go. Unfortunately too often this isn’t true, particularly here in the USA. Many products formulated for our use regularly use chemicals from the Hazardous 100+ list, yet when these same products are sold in countries like Sweden or Germany, these chemicals are removed!!! Say it isn’t so…but sadly it is…

Credit: Safer Chemicals Healthy Families

As a concerned parent, join us as we use our collective power to get these chemicals off our local store shelves.

Here’s how you can get involved: go to Mind the Store at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families right now and send a letter asking the nations top ten retailers to reduce, eliminate or safely substitute for, chemicals of high concern from our everyday products. It’s easy, and something you and the kids in your life can do together, today!

Check in with us next week, as I will be visiting a local outlet of one of the TOP TEN retailers with a letter and an “ask” that they help me and my family by “Minding the Store.” I look forward to sharing my story and my experience with you. I hope that you too will join me and politely let your favorite stores and brands know that because you have your family’s health and safety in mind, you’ll be reading labels and voting with your dollars every time you go shopping. Let us know how your visit to the store went, and if your favorite retailer will help you “Mind the Store”…

Yours,

ClimateMama

PS What does this have to do with Climate Change? Simply, many of the Hazardous 100+ are derived from petrochemicals (fossil fuels). More complicated but equally relevant to me is the fact that my children and I seem to be part of a big “experiment” and at the mercy of companies that aren’t really sure “how harmful” their products are, but are willing to bargain with my health and that of my children while we all wait to find out. This same attitude and lack of adherence to the precautionary principal is ingrained in the production, distribution and transportation of fossil fuels and “big agriculture” products where the “experiment” not only involves my children’s health but that of our planet’s as well.

No one is “minding the store” as these billion dollar companies scar our earth, our environment, and poison our air and our water. We have allowed many of these companies to be “exempt” from rules that are set up to protect us. We assume that our government officials are regulating industry and looking after our health, welfare and “minding the health” of our planet for our children and future generations to come. In fact, too much is left to industry to self-police and too many unknowns aren’t answered.

The Mind the Store Campaign is a great starting point. It empowers us by giving us the tools to make a difference in a simple but meaningful way. Through our collective power I firmly believe we have the strength to help heal our planet and move us in the direction of a sustainable future and away from the precarious cliff we are standing on….

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Posted in Food, Health & Fitness, In The News, Politics, Product Reviews, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy | 7 Comments »

Climate Change, People Power and Great Movies from “Down Under”

Wednesday, April 10th, 2013


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Credit: Shutterstock

As extreme weather continues to wrecks havoc around the world with wildfires, droughts, floods and superstorms becoming the norm coverage in world media and “connecting the dots” on these extreme events and climate change isn’t keeping up.

Scientists, who are “shouting from the rafters” about the crash course we are on with our environment are not being heard. Dr. James Hansen, NASA who resigned in early March 2013 after nearly 50 years as a climate scientist for NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, stated that “as a government employee, you can’t testify against the government,” and he plans to play a more active role vis a vis lawsuits lawsuits challenging the federal and state governments over their failure to limit emissions and on visible symbols of climate change like the Keystone XL pipeline.

Two wonderful films from film makers “down under” in New Zealand – Thin Ice – and Australia – 2Degrees – have come to our attention and we would love for you and the kids in your life to learn more about them.

Thin Ice , the inside of Climate Science launches on Earth Day, April 22nd.

Thin Ice Trailer from Thin Ice Climate on Vimeo.

In the film, Geologist Simon Lamb follows scientists at work in the Arctic, Antarctic, Southern Ocean, New Zealand, Europe and the USA. They talk about their work, how climate science has come under increasing attack in recent years and their hopes and fears – with a rare candour and directness. This creates an intimate portrait of the global community of researchers racing to understand our planet’s changing climate. Learn more about the film here.

Credit: 2Degrees, vulnerabilities of forest dwellers to climate change

2Degrees, from Australia, is the second film that has come across our desk and which we look forward to seeing when it is released later this year.

2Degrees looks at the urgency of the climate crisis from a climate justice perspective and features what is happening to our rainforests, the lack of progress from the international community through the United Nations process, and positives like campaigns for solar thermal power and the voice of youth fighting for their future. Similar to Jim Hansen’s concerns that “the message isn’t getting out,” one of the films producers, Angela Palmer, shared the following personal take on the lack of media attention in Australia around climate change with Climate Mama. This same lack of urgency and attention we see and feel here in the USA is found the world over and we all need to work together to overcome this inertia, from the ground up!

Angela Palmer on 2Degrees media silence and a “call to arms”

Green Turtle Films has been working on our film, 2 Degrees, about climate justice, for over 4 years now. Having been immersed in this subject for so long, we take it for granted that climate change is real, humans are causing it, and the planet will face dire consequences if we continue with the currently universal “business as usual” approach.

Credit: Shutterstock

But the reaction of the Australian media to the recent fires and heatwave still manages to shock us. There have been very few mainstream media articles linking the recent events to climate change. The few that have resulted in a storm of skeptic voices, led by the national newspaper, The Australian, and members of Parliament from the conservative opposition.

This silence on the part of the media was not by accident. Scientists were speaking up, such as Liz Hanna, from the Australian National University, who made an impassioned plea:

“Those of us who spend our days trawling — and contributing to — the scientific literature on climate change are becoming increasingly gloomy about the future of human civilisation. We are well past the time of niceties, of avoiding the dire nature of what is unfolding, and politely trying not to scare the public. The unparalleled setting of new heat extremes is forcing the continual upwards trending of warming predictions for the future, and the timescale is contracting. This trepidation on the part of scientists and researchers, and in some cases flagrant resistance by stakeholders in the fossil fuel industry, to allow the real story to be fully revealed and comprehended by the public at large, has allowed the stalling of action to save the planet, and ourselves”.

The media’s behavior has made us even more determined to finish our film and have it distributed as widely as possible. The message of our film is that we will not have a “top-down” solution to climate change from the United Nations process or from governments in the time frame the science demands. The only way we will see a reduction of emissions is for the general public to take action: to both reduce our own personal emissions and to demand more from our governments, media and industry. Only when it is clearly an electoral issue will governments take it seriously. People power has forced change in the past, and we need to do it again now. Our film is a call to arms, and clearly it has never been needed more urgently.

Click here to find more information about 2 Degrees

Stay tuned for more Earth Day movie recommendations next week..In the meantime, as it is DO SOMETHING WEDNESDAY, check out these two films, with the kids in your life. Find out if there is a screening in your neighborhood, or better yet, plan one. In the lead up to Earth Day, discuss what actions you and your family will take to combat climate change at home, with your community and beyond. Share your ideas with us so we can share them with others!

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama Video Peek of the Week, Disasters, Do Something Wednesdays, Earth Day is Every Day, Nature, Oceans & Water, Politics | No Comments »

Don’t FRACK My Mother: Music Video

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013


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Grab the kids in your life and have some fun, sing-a-long while you and your kids learn some facts about FRACKING.

Artists against Fracking have pulled together some wonderful musicians including:

•Alexa Chung
•Ben Lee
•Carrie Fisher
•Daniel Pinchbeck
•Devendra Banhart
•Fred Armisen
•Ione Skye
•Joseph Gordon-Levitt
•Josh Fox
•Liv Tyler
•Lindsey Wixson
•Maggie Gyllenhaal
•Mark Ronson
•Melissa Auf Der Maur
•Michael Skolnik
•Natasha Lyonne
•Penn Badgley
•Reggie Watts
•Sean Lennon
•Susan Sarandon
•Yoko Ono
•Zoë Kravitz

All these artists have one unifying message: “Don’t Frack MY Mother …or Yours!” Whether you live in New York State, Virginia, Ohio, Wyoming, Texas, Pennsylvania or Colorado (or anywhere else in the USA or abroad where fracking is or could take place) remember..we don’t have all the facts. Some of the facts we do know: Fracking is already harming communities where it is currently taking place, poisoning water, air and people! There is NO safe way to treat fracking waste. National, State and local regulations on fracking are lax, incomplete and commonly not enforced. These facts, beside the climate impacts of methane (natural gas) which is a fossil fuel, are not clearly understood nor properly measured.

Don’t believe the hype or the ad agency and industry commercials. The only “rush to frack” is being created by oil, gas and pipeline companies who want to increase $$$ their own bottom line. We have a glut of natural gas on the market. We need a “full stop” and proper studies to understand the complete health, environmental and economic costs of fracking before any more harm is done to us or to our MOTHER. Learn more. Stay tuned, tune in and sing-a-long..“Don’t frack my mother….”

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Climate Mama Video Peek of the Week, Lifestyle & Fun, Politics, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy, fracking and pipelines | No Comments »

Climate Change and Influential Women: International Women’s Day

Friday, March 8th, 2013


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March 8th is International Women’s Day and is observed as a national holiday in many countries. I want to take a few minutes now, inspired by the indomitable Jennifer James, founder of Mom Bloggers for Social Good and the Global Team of 200 to share with you some of the reasons why this DAY of observance means a lot to me – personally. I want to share some of my thoughts on why I feel that women will be central to creating a culture that will make, create and facilitate policies and action to successfully fight against climate change.

First though, a little background that you can share with the kids in your life on International Women’s Day. The day was first “established” in the early 1900’s as an opportunity to unite women in the campaign for women’s rights to work, vote, and be trained, to hold public office and to end discrimination. For so many reasons, even in this day and age, I feel that we must continue to mark this important “day” for the same reasons, and to acknowledge and celebrate women. In many countries, and also in many places in our own country, women still are not paid equally to that of their male counterparts, women still are not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women’s education, health and the violence against them is much worse than that of men.

Photo Credit UN DPI

One woman who inspired me early in my career was Bella Abzug, a congresswoman from New York. She had her own flair and style, always wearing a special hat, her “signature” that set her apart. I met her in 1995 in Beijing, China, at the 4th World Conference on Women. I was very fortunate to spend some quality time, one on one with her, on various occasions over the two weeks of the conference, where we were a million miles away figuratively and literally from our respective homes in New York City.

One moment in particular sticks in my mind to this day. While waiting in an almost empty make shift “conference room” for the start of a panel discussion, she sat down next to me, looked me in the eyes and asked me about myself, my hopes, my dreams, and how it was, that I was in Beijing, representing the International Monetary Fund? She shared with me some personal insights about how she had “gotten to where she was currently at in life” at that moment. She told me that in her mind and from her experience, women could do anything they choose, they just couldn’t and shouldn’t pretend to themselves or others that they could do it all at the same time!

She shared a little bit about her experience and thoughts about raising children, going to college, finding her passion and how she came to establish WEDO, the Women’s Environment and Development Organization. She was a trend setter, a visionary and a powerhouse to be reckoned with. At that time I was recently engaged, had no children yet and would soon face many personal and professional challenges that were made that much more difficult for me, I feel, because I am a woman. The short time I spent with her and her wise counsel has stayed with me and continues to give me strength and fortitude to this day.

Today, I see and feel a part of a real movement building among women. A movement built on the difficult and mounting challenges that climate change, corporate power, ineffective government and greed are placing on us and our planet. While this movement is not yet clearly defined, it is beginning to take shape. This is a movement that is built upon the belief in a bright future for our children based on clean energy, access to abundant food, clean air, potable water and social justice for ourselves, our families and for the world community. Every day I feel excited, exhilarated, passionate and scared. I am part of this movement and I strongly believe that women will be the change agents we need to move us forward successfully.

Take some time this week and next to celebrate women who are important in your life; women who are related, living, friends and even women who you may admire from afar. Grab the kids in your life and explain to them that women’s rights and equality are not a given in many, many countries, and in many communities and families, even ones that may be just “down the street.”

Thank you Franke, Amanda, Angela, Jeunesse, Rachel, Lise, Christiana, Mary, Dominique, Victoria, Maggie, Maya, Anna, Wangari, Ronnie, Rhoda, Katherine, Sarah, Lisa, and Naomi for being my inspiration and strength for my personal battles against our changing climate. There are so many more women who I could name here, and will at some point; amazing women who inspire me every day and who constantly demonstrate to me that women are making a real and positive difference – leading in the fight – quietly and loudly – generals in the constant battles against climate change. We are beginning to win some of these battles, the war itself however remains an epic and lifetime challenge.

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Climate Mamas & Papas, Global Team of 200, In The News, Politics, Take a Stand: Action & Advocacy | No Comments »

Climate Change: The Facts, Al Gore & Climate Mama

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013


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At ClimateMama we owe our start, our inspiration, and a debt of gratitude to the Climate Reality Project it’s staff, leaders and it’s chairman Al Gore. Our own Climate Mama, Harriet was personally trained by Mr. Gore and the Climate Reality Project staff six years ago. This training was the beginning and impetus for the development and launch of our ClimateMama organization. Along the way there have been many wonderful surprises, great friendships and amazing programs and projects that Climate Reality has shared with us, and that we in turn have been able to share with you.

We want to tell you about some new and exciting developments that we think will make you smile, help you learn and give you real and simple ways to share more about the reality of the climate crisis, how we can all be part of the solution, AND have some fun along the way! (Because we believe that all should be able to enjoy our journey to change the world and make it a better place…)

1. Catch our own Climate Mama in an up close and personal Town Hall encounter with Al Gore. Harriet was invited to participate in SiriusXM’s “Town Hall with Al Gore” hosted by Ari Rabin-Havt—host of SiriusXM’s The Agenda, Senior Advisor to Media Matters and a leading voice in progressive politics—The Town Hall program with Al Gore, was recorded in New York City at the Sirrius XM studios. The program will air on various channels and at various times: 3/2 4 pm ET , Saturday 3/2 10 pm ET , Tuesday 3/5 5 pm ET , Tuesday 3/5 10 pm ET.

Find out how Mr. Gore answered Harriet’s question: Our community at ClimateMama is made up of many parents who are choosing to face reality head on and who are often very knowledgeable about the current and anticipated impacts of our changing climate. We recognize the path we are hurtling down. When we sit back and let ourselves put our arms around the big picture, the perils that our planet faces and which we and our families are headed towards, it often feels overwhelming. Knowing the uncertainties we face and the hard choices we will need to make in a very short time, how do you nurture yourself and what advice would you give others on how to build the inner strength needed to keep “fighting the fight” and believing in a hopeful path for our future?

Tell us what you think and what you do to nuture yourself and build inner strength as you find and fight for solutions to combat climate change?

2. Grab the kids in your life and check out the latest tool and fun program and game developed by Climate Reality called Reality Drops. Do you ever find yourself at a loss when confronted by a friend, colleague or stranger who questions your facts on the climate crisis and seems to have “contradictory” facts of their own? Not to worry, Drop some Reality on your friends and family today…!

“Just like the tobacco companies in the ’50s, the fossil fuel industry has engaged in a well- funded and coordinated effort to mislead the public about the scientific reality of climate change,” said Al Gore, former Vice President of the United States, and Founder and Chairman of the Climate Reality Project. “Reality Drop provides an easy, intuitive way for people to arm themselves with the facts, educate their friends, family, and networks, and call on the media to report the truth.”

3. Take two minutes with the kids in your life and watch this short video that helps us understand why we should Put a Price on Carbon. There is a lot of talk about why we should be doing this and how that would help us solve the climate crisis, this helps put it all in perspective. We are allowing fossil fuel companies to use our atmosphere like a sewer, free of charge. This is hurting our economy, our health, our children, our future and our now!

Yours,

Climate Mama

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Posted in Climate Mama News, Games & Toys, In The News, Lifestyle & Fun, Politics | No Comments »

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Welcome to Climate Mama

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You are a mother, a father, a grandparent, an uncle, an aunt, a teacher or a child at heart. When you hear the Native American saying, “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, it makes you stop for a moment and think. You love nature, travel, adventure and believing in a world that is special and unique. Climate change and global warming are words that alarm you, that often seem too big to get your arms around. You care about what’s happening to the world and notice small changes in your own life that seem to point in the direction of a threatened environment. But you wonder if these changes are real, and if they are you can’t imagine what you can do to help change what is happening.

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Climate Mamas and Papas

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Climate Change so often seems too big to get our hands around. We wonder where we can start and how we can actually make a difference. Each one of us has a different path that we will follow. Some of us cut a wider swath than others, but each of us has a role to play. We would like to introduce you to some amazing individuals, Climate Mamas and Papas who are making a difference, who are, through their daily lives, affecting the lives of all of us. They inspire us, empower us, and challenge us to reach for the stars, to strive to do the best we can to help change the crash course we are currently on with our environment. Lets meet some of these amazing people and find out what inspires them. Meet our featured Climate Mama, Desiree Di Mauro today!

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Featured Partner & Campaigns

 

The Climate Reality Project is one of the world’s leading organizations dedicated to mobilizing action around climate change. With a global movement that is more than 2 million strong and a grassroots network of trained Climate Leaders, Climate Reality is "spreading the truth and unleashing the cultural momentum to solve the climate crisis."

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