I’ve been asked more than a few times why we are Moms Clean Air Force…and not Moms and Dads, or Parents….or The People’s Clean Air Force.
All good possibilities. But here’s how Moms came about: there’s lots of energy online among self-styled “mommy bloggers”–and many who don’t think of themselves that way at all, but are concerned consumers–who investigate everything from BPA in their plastics to air filters for their homes. There is lots of conversation on the ‘net about how to parent protectively–buy the best thing, find the best advice. Moms are clearly still the primary caregivers, and moms use the Internet actively in parenting.
We wanted to speak to those concerned parents about something you can’t buy: clean air. Our message is simple. Sometimes being a good mom means being an engaged citizen.
Of course, Dads care just as much as moms do about clean air and clean water. And of course there are plenty of dads out there who are the primary caregivers. But they aren’t as active with those concerns online, so it seemed harder to reach them.
The other reason is more personal. As my children left home, first for college, and then, graduating, went on to make their own homes, I found myself still wanting to “parent” them. I’m still their mom. I’m still a mom. And suddenly, I realized that starting a movement of moms would be a way to still be a mom, still try to take care of my children–of all of our children. So there is powerful mother energy motivating me here.
I like to say that Moms Clean Air Force is for moms–and for everyone who had a mom. We are doing this in honor of parenting, and in the hope that we will leave the world a bit cleaner and brighter for our children. Everyone who cares about that is more than welcome to join us.