Hope for a Greener, Safer Planet

The Green Moms Carnival has quite a weighty topic this month - we're writing about our recommendations for the Obama Administration on the topic of protecting the environment and human health.  Our collective hope is that the administration will adopt a 'prevention agenda' - which basically means focusing on preventing harm - instead of waiting until after the fact to try and do something about it. 

Diane at Big Green Purse is hosting the carnival this month and she has also set up a Prevention Agenda forum (a ning group - if you're familiar with what that is) where anyone is welcome to jump in and participate.  The recommendations that come out of it will ultimately be submitted to the Obama transition team - Diane's got the connections to make it happen!

Whoa.  I never really thought that in my role as a stay-at-home-mommy-eco-blogger I would be stepping into politics.  Much less trying to influence our next president. 

That said, I've  been pretty amazed at what this collective of eco-minded women bloggers has been doing lately.  Beth from Fake Plastic Fish just got a gigantic company (Clorox) to start a recycling program for its Britta water filters.  Janelle at Healthy Child Healthy World and Jennifer at The Smart Mama are on a non-stop mission to protect kids from environmental toxins.  The gals at the Green Phone Booth and all the other 'Green Moms' in the group are busy being green superheros in their own communities.  We are a powerful influence indeed and there's no reason why we shouldn't be heard by the heads of our government!  

Here are my hopes and dreams for the Obama Administration:

• I hope that the Kid Safe Chemical Act (proposed by the Environmental Working Group) or similar legislation is passed to ensure the safety of children's toys, drinking bottles and personal care products.
• I hope that the U.S. will lead the way in addressing climate change and developing alternative energy solutions. 
• I hope that organic agriculture standards are upheld and strengthened.
• I hope that food safety is a top priority.
• I hope that concerted efforts are made to put green product standards in place so that the general public can trust what they buy and to keep greenwashers at bay. 
• I hope that stronger pollution control laws are developed and maintained. 
• I hope that strong efforts are made to protect wildlife and preserve our country's amazing wilderness areas.

Read more about what Green Moms want from the Obama administration on Diane's Big Green Purse Blog.

Comments

[JanelleS]

I don't know I how I missed this, but I thought next month's was another holiday carnival. Ho hum. I guess I'll just watch for it (eagerly) and do a response post over at Healthy Child. Should be a good one. I can't wait to see what this amazing community has to say!!

[Diane MacEachern]

Can I add a few "hopes" to the excellent list you already created? I hope people will truly come before politics in the Obama administration. I hope the discussion about the 'trade-off' between environmental protection and economic prosperity will come to an end. I hope the environmental laws already on the books will be enforced. I hope this isn't too much to ask for!

[Anna (Green Talk)]

Great list of hopes. I hope that people keep pushing for all of your "hopes" to become a reality. It takes a village.

[Josie]

Good for you for stepping into the sometimes forbidden realm of politics... I think a lot of us have similar high hopes for this administration. The expectations sure are high.

[LisaatEWG]

Great list, and so glad to see Kid Safe on it! It's high on mine, as well. If anyone is game for jumping in to the grassroots piece of passing this bill, email me! I'm actively seeking parents around the country who want to see the Kid Safe Chemicals Act pass and are willing to speak up about it. 'Cause I really don't want to need a toxicology degree to buy wipes and dipes, you know?

While shopping our way out of it works to a point, updating TSCA is a real, long-term solution to the problem of untested, potentially hazardous chemicals in our products. I'm at lisa [at] ewg [dot] org and would love to hear from any active-minded parent who is willing to write a letter, submit a LTE, host a house party, coordinate, blog about it, you name it. There's tons more info here: www.ewg.org/kidsafe. I'm thinkin' that with a community of moms like this, Kid Safe should be a slam dunk! Right?

[Mother Earth aka Karen Hanrahan]

great list of hopes - it wonderfully parallels all the hope Obama created with his campaign - like you I never thought I'd be writing a letter to the president elect - this group is alrady influencial