I’ve just returned from BlogHer 2011, and it was quite a trip back.
Let’s just say I spent over 30 hours in Chicago’s O’Hare airport, walking in circles, trying to catch different flights, and studying the humanity (and sometimes a lack there of) of people in the airport.
At BlogHer 2011, I witnessed my first flashmob, saw palm trees, went to informative sessions, ate tasty food, and danced to 80’s infused retro hip hop until late in the night.
But the biggest treat about BlogHer was finally meeting several of the members of the Moms Clean Air Force and the Green Moms Carnival. How lovely it was to finally meet these people in person!
I will do a roundup post about BlogHer in general soon, but let me just say it an amazing event, packed with knowledgeable, inspiring and powerful women. It’s also a conference full of corporate influence, unsustainable practices, and lots of opportunities for companies to shower bloggers with free stuff. Products with questionable health and safety records, such as Proctor and Gamble (with unsafe chemicals in products), Jimmy Dean (factory farmed meats), and Pepsi-co (can you say liquid candy bars?).
In my mind, the Moms Clean Air Force booth was a refuge in the corporate marketing storm that was the expo hall at BlogHer.
Every single woman I talked to while working the booth and at the conference seemed genuinely happy to talk with us. They were eager to learn about the threats to clean air, and many already knew about them. These mamas were infinitely supportive and signed up for the Moms Clean Air Force. I think they were relieved to have a place where no one wanted them to try or buy any product– we just want their voice, and simple action– to help us fight for clean air.
I joined Elisa Batista of MotherTalkers; Gina Badalty of Mom-Blog; Gina Carroll of Tortured by Teenagers; Dominique Browning, author of Slow Love Life; Ronnie Citron-Fink of Econesting; Jill Zimon of Writes Like She Talks; and Ana of Latina Bloggers Connect. You can find information about each of them at this link, including links to their blogs and publications.
I’m proud of the many women who joined us this past weekend in our fight for clean air. We weren’t selling or giving away anything. We were uniting our voices to protect our most vulnerable against dangerous pollutants in our air.
Even as I walked many miles in the airport with sore feet, schlepping my computer for hours on end, and missing a standby spot by only one seat, I remembered this.
I remember the power and humanity and care of the women I met. Together, we stand stronger than the multi-billion dollar polluting industry and their lobbyists.
Thank you if you joined us at BlogHer–it was inspiring and powerful to meet you. Please join us if you haven’t already because together we are stronger and can make more of a difference in the health of thousands of children.