I Want Clean Air AND Matt Damon

 

I don’t always consider myself a liberal advocate or a tree-hugger or a nature-lover. Some things are more important to me than others and I recycle at home and take compost things in at work (where we do have a resident tree-hugger who does her level best to convert us and we love her for it!). When our clothes no longer fit us we donate to our local Goodwill, we shop locally as much as possible and, generally speaking, we just try to be responsible citizens of the earth. Those are basic tenets my family tries to live by as we inhabit this place.

But I am, first and foremost, a teacher. Sure, I went to the Dark Side and earned a Type 75 degree to become a principal, but I am eagerly and forever after a teacher. Just because I went into administration doesn’t mean that I want to stop teaching so I happily sit in on team planning time with my teachers and visit classrooms and spend every lunch hour with my middle school students. Right now our 6^th grade team is doing a challenge-based learning opportunity on water resources and they’re pulling together some incredible resources for our students. Students will watch the documentary “Flow” and are using James Mollison’s amazing and heart-achingly beautiful photography book “Where Children Sleep” to give our students an idea about what life is like across the globe. Our hope is that when they see where children sleep they will naturally wonder about access to water and make some important connections.

When Moms Clean Air Force asked me to join it didn’t take long for me to agree to partner with them. I’ve already been concerned about levels of methyl mercury in my seafood. Actually, I’m concerned about any kind of contaminant in my food and what I serve to my family. Even before joining with MCAF I knew how potent mercury is in babies who are in utero and what it can do to the nervous system. It’s dangerous and entirely preventable and that’s something I can get behind. Here’s the thing: we can fix this. It doesn’t have to be that difficult, right? You can do a quick, painless, easy sign up by clicking HERE.

Mercury emissions and pollution are already big concerns of mine and when I think about having to eat that stuff then I am just all up in arms. That is when I become a ferocious advocate for things as simple as clean air. In my research I’ve learned that coal-fired power plants produce almost half the mercury, arsenic, and acid gases emissions that end up polluting the waterways that bring us things like, oh, you know FOOD. One of the things that the Moms Clean Air Force is doing is ensuring that the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are neither obstructed nor ignored by our government. Since the EPA helps push this important legislation to help prevent over 17,000 premature deaths, I find that I am, indeed, a tree-hugging nature lover.

If I didn’t believe in such things and want the best for my family (and yours) then I wouldn’t be the teacher I continue to be, even in a role different from that of a classroom teacher. I wouldn’t be able to support my teacher teams to help students research and engage in high-level, collaborative learning. The challenge-based learning that happens with my little 6^th graders couldn’t happen in the way I choose if I didn’t support my teachers in helping students see how important things like water are to our future. The project they are helping to create includes research about clean water and where it comes from and the inaccessibility that some parts of the world (including the United States) experience when wealthy corporations take shortcuts in their business practices and endanger people and animals. One of the things the teachers really want is to have Matt Damon come and speak to our students about their role while they’re here on this planet.

YOU HEAR THAT, MATT DAMON? They want you. They know what a powerful voice you have especially for matters of education. (Call me, okay? We can make this happen.)

While I wait to hear from Matt, watch what Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom, actress Blythe Danner, has to say about the fight for clean air.

 

 

I don’t compartmentalize these things in my life. Indeed, they cannot be taken apart. Clean air, access to water, and being an advocate for both my children and my students are all tied up neatly under the same umbrella. You can learn more about MCAF at this link. The Moms Clean Air Force is joined by some important and well-respected medical organizations such as the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Pediatricians to ensure our children have cleaner air, water, and food.

Everybody wants that. Even Matt Damon. Even me. Even you.

Please also read Lisa Stone’s post on BlogHer.com “One-Minute Activism: How You Can Remove Poisons From Our Food and Air” and tell us why you joined Moms Clean Air Force. You could win an iPad 2 to use to continue taking action.

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