Hot Mamas

Summers are getting hotter, wildfires more frequent, and our children are feeling the stress of an uncertain climate future. How do we keep our kids safe and healthy in a warming world? In this episode, host Sarah Spengeman talks to pediatricians Dr. Amanda Millstein and Dr. Lisa Patel about practical ways parents and caregivers can protect children and youth from air pollution and heat. When is it O.K. for children to play outside? What are the signs of heat stress? Should we speak with our children's teachers about these challenges? And how do we talk to our kids about hard issues like climate change or racism without stoking their fears? Lisa and Amanda share insights from their experiences as physicians and as mothers of young children.As climate and health advocates, Lisa and Amanda also discuss how they are working for more sustainable schools and healthier, more equitable communities where all children can thrive. You'll hear how you can make a difference in your own neighborhood or state, and policy proposals that can save lives.  Recommended Resources:Climate Health NowMedical Society Consortium on Climate and HealthProtecting  Youth in Warming Summers fact sheetsNew  Biden admin heat resourcesAmanda Recommends: Listos CaliforniaEssential Labor by Angela GarbesLisa Recommends: 99% Invisible

This hopeful conversation with Hot Mama Jennifer Rennicks - clean energy policy wonk and mother of two grown daughters - is the best way to start your new year! Jennifer spends her days working to keep our children safe from the toxic pollution generated by our country's fleet of dirty diesel school buses. Did you know children riding a fossil fuel-powered school bus are exposed to 12x the pollution compared to outdoor levels? Jennifer talks all about the exciting trend toward electrification of school buses, the federal and state leadership that is accelerating this trend, and how any parent can advocate for all-electric buses in their school district.Jennifer also shares her story with us - how an unplanned study abroad trip to Costa Rica changed the trajectory of her life, how having two asthmatic daughters fueled her advocacy, and the lessons she's gained from two decades championing cleaner energy in the Southeastern United States. You'll also hear why Jennifer says our clean energy transformation is unstoppable! This inspiring conversation will feed you soul for the year ahead! Recommended Resources:League of Conservation Voters’ Chispa program: Clean Buses for Healthy Niñoshttps://www.lcv.org/chispa/clean-buses-healthy-ninos/E School Bus 4 Kids!https://www.eschoolbus4kids.org/WRI's Electric School Bus Initiativehttps://www.wri.org/initiatives/electric-school-bus-initiativeMothers Out Front Toolkithttps://nation.mothersoutfront.org/electric_school_bus_campaignALA's Electric School Bus Solutionhttps://www.lung.org/policy-advocacy/healthy-air-campaign/electric-school-bus-solutionFollow Jennifer on Twitter!https://twitter.com/JenRennicks

Xoli Fuyani is a powerful voice for climate justice and a leader in the global parent climate movement. She is a mother of two children and the founder of Black Girls Rising in Cape Town, South Africa, which provides "Brave space for Girls where they are taught  personal growth and development." This multi-year program mentors and trains the next generation of climate and social justice leaders, providing them the skills they need to find their own voice and claim their power. In this podcast, she shares how Black Girls Rising is transforming the lives of girls to transform the world. Xoli has been an environmental activist her entire life and recently traveled to COP26 to deliver a message from 500 parent groups around the world who are demanding an end to all fossil fuel investments to protect our children. Tune in to hear why she traveled from South Africa to urge climate action, her concerns about climate finance, and why indigenous knowledge must not be ignored. Xoli also talks navigating her busy life as a working mom and how she finds and spreads healing through her dance practice.  Parent letter to COP26 delegates:https://parentsforfuture.org/nonewfossilfuelsFollow Xoli and Black Girls Rising on social media:https://twitter.com/xolifhttps://www.instagram.com/black.girls.rising/To donate, contact Xoli:XoliFuyani@gmail.comMusic courtesy of Doubletron

In this episode of Hot Mamas, I talk to Shannon Brescher Shea, working mom, environmental activist, and author of Growing Sustainable Together, an incredibly well-researched guide to raising environmentally-conscious kids in ways that foster compassion, resilience, and radical kindness for the Earth and all beings. Shannon shares her own struggles as a mom, trying to navigate both "mom guilt" and "green guilt," and how her own personal journey led her to researching and then writing this book. We discuss hot button issues like individual action vs. systemic change, wealth and privilege, and managing climate anxiety. Shannon makes the case for expanding the concept of sustainability to include social and personal sustainability and explains how not to give into the corporate bunk that tells us its all our fault or that we can buy our way out of the mess.  You won't want to miss her insights into how living our values can help us live healthier, more meaningful family lives.Recommended Resources:Growing Sustainable Together by Shannon Brescher Sheahttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/625190/growing-sustainable-together-by-shannon-brescher-shea/Climate Justice Family Toolkit http://bit.ly/2Pzw5lFGreen and Sustainable Parents Facebook grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/131462194117227Follow Shannon on social mediahttps://www.facebook.com/welleatyouupweloveyousohttps://twitter.com/storitellerLast Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peñahttps://mattdelapena.com/books/last-stop-on-market-street/

I am not sure there is anything more terrifying than watching your child struggle to breathe and mom of three LaTisha Harris knows that fear all too well. It's her intense, motherly desire to clean our air for our children, to save lives, and create opportunities for her community that fuels her leadership for climate justice as an organizer for Mothers Out Front in Fresno, California. LaTisha talks about her love for her three children, two of which have struggled with asthma, and what it is like to grow up in the most pollution-burdened neighborhood in her city.  She shares valuable insights and experience from her many years as an organizer, and how she is able to build connections with each individual to motivate action for sustainable neighborhoods - by focusing on what matters to them. You'll get to find out what Mothers Out Front is all about, what they are fighting for across the country, and how they are building an organization grounded in equity and justice. LaTisha is also real about her fears. Fires, drought, extreme heat. But she won't give up the fight. Listen to hear why and how you can join her.Recommended resources for this episode:Mothers Out Fronthttps://www.mothersoutfront.org/people/latisha-harris/What is environmental justice?https://www.mothersoutfront.org/campaigns/climate-justice/ecoAmerica’s Let’s Talk Climate webcast, Mothers Know Best: Practical Advice for Climate Action featuring a conversation with LaTisha Harris, Community Organizer, Mothers Out Fronthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCV58X3-z7IFresno ranks as one of the most polluted places to livehttps://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article250984129.htmlFresno looks to set aside 3,000 acres for manufacturinghttps://gvwire.com/2021/08/30/fresno-county-looking-to-set-aside-3000-acres-for-warehouses-manufacturing/Anti-racism resources for white peoplehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/edit

On episode four of Hot Mamas, I chat with Joelle Novey, mom of two young children and director of Interfaith Power and Light for Maryland, Washington, DC, and Northern Virginia. She shares how she came to work on climate, asking the question of what it would actually mean to truly live out our faith and moral values in all of our practices, and how a stint as a hospital chaplain was the best possible training for her work shepherding people through the climate crisis. We talk about why allowing ourselves to feel the grief of the climate crisis is the way to be fully human in this moment, but how harnessing the fierce warrior protectiveness of motherhood is how we can, at the same time, fight for all that we can save. The problems with Noah's ark imagery, the value of rest, and reflection on "what is mine to do?" are some of the rich topics that come up in our conversation. Joelle shares so much wisdom from her work with many different faith traditions and multi-generational communities and how she tries to model the reality she is seeking to create-even in the darkest times. Recommended resources for this episode:Joelle directs Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) [www.ipldmv.org], one of a network [www.interfaithpowerandlight.org/about/state/] of Interfaith Power & Light affiliates engaging faith communities in climate work around the country. Joelle also serves on the advisory board of Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action Dayenu.orgA video of Joelle and her son on why they march:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zWcPmIriCoWwRmFBAmfUKbDABt8sY1sA/viewRe-examine the imagery of Noah's ark:Lecture by Rabbi Julia Watts Belser, "Reading Noah’s Ark in the Age of Climate Change" https://www.mtso.edu/theologicalcommons/archive-resources/reading-noahs-ark-in-the-age-of-climate-change/ Noah's Archive: A Conversation with Jeffrey Jerome Cohen and Julian Yates https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krGEy4nth30Pope Francis' encyclical teaching on ecology, Laudato Si:https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html

On episode three of Hot Mamas, I talk to Frida Berry Eklund, a mother of two children and the co-founder of Our Kids Climate, a network of 58 parent groups from 23 countries who are uniting for climate action to protect the kids we love from the climate crisis. Frida shares what it's like to be a mom in Sweden, where families are supported with paid leave (two years after having a child!) and affordable childcare. We talked about her journey from pop singer to vocal climate advocate and, how, when she became a mother, she discovered the inherent power parents possess to fight for their children's very survival on this planet. But, when it came time to start talking to her own kids about this very issue, she looked everywhere for a book on the subject and couldn't find one - so she researched and wrote a handbook herself! You'll hear some of the most important lessons from this book, and be sure to listen to the end to hear her very cool Greta Thunberg story, and, of course, how you can join the climate parent movement. Recommended resources for this episode:Our Kid's Climatehttps://ourkidsclimate.orgParent for Futurehttps://parentsforfuture.orgThe Climate Crisis is Our Responsibility, Not Our Children'shttps://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/opinion/the-climate-crisis-is-our-responsibility-not-our-childrens/How to Talk to Kids About Climate webinarhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCH7LMJt-Wo

On episode two of Hot Mamas, I talk with Surili Patel and Seema Wadhwa, two longtime climate and health leaders and co-founders of Aawaz 4 Climate, an inclusive community of professionals dedicated to the climate and health. We chat heading back to daycare, why two kids is exponentially more challenging than one, the ever-present mom guilt, and the lack of sleep that every parent knows all too well!  You'll hear why, even as busy moms, they wanted to start a new network to bring more diversity to the climate movement, and why they believe kitchen conversations can drive climate and health solutions. Surili and Seema also share how they are navigating the very real challenges of raising environmentally conscious kids in a consumer society and cultivating love of self in children of color in a white-dominated world.  You'll hear what they've learned through these challenges about grace and forgiveness, developing resilience, and the strength they draw from their female friendships. You also won't want to miss the excellent kid book recommendations!Recommended resources for this episode:Anti-racism resources for white peoplehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/editAawaz 4 Climatehttps://www.aawaz4climate.com/Books by Deborah Diesenhttps://deborahdiesen.com/

The very first episode of Hot Mamas features a conversation with Dr. Amanda Millstein, a mother of two children ages 3 and 5, and the co-founder of Climate Health Now, an organization of medical professionals in California who are protecting and improving the health of all people by advocating for urgent, equitable climate solutions. Amanda and I talk about what the Hot Mamas podcast is all about, our experiences with California's megafires, and the need for solidarity among moms working on the climate crisis.She shares how her climate activism began (unexpectedly) in her doctor's office, why she's fighting one of the most powerful corporations on the planet to protect her tiny patients, and how activism keeps her hopeful.You won't want to miss the very first episode of Hot Mamas, conversations with working moms trying to keep their cool on a heating planet.Recommended resources for this episode:Anti-racism resources for white peoplehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/editClimate Health Nowhttps://www.climatehealthnow.org/"Curb refinery emissions to reduce Bay Area Pollution" by Dr. Amanda Millsteinhttps://www.mercurynews.com/2021/02/03/opinion-curb-refinery-emissions-to-address-bay-area-air-pollution/Urge the Air District to adopt the Refinery Pollution Rulehttps://actionnetwork.org/petitions/fight-back-against-pbf-and-chevron-urge-the-air-district-to-finally-adopt-the-refinery-pollution-ruleComment on the Bay Area Air Quality District's proposed rulehttps://www.baaqmd.gov/rules-and-compliance/rules/reg-6-rule-5-particulate-emissions-from-refinery-fluidized-catalytic-cracking-units?rule_version=2021%20Amendment

In this episode, host Sarah Spengeman talks with two EcoMadres, Lucy Molina and Shaina Oliver. EcoMadres is bringing Indigenous and Latina moms together to address issues of clean air, climate, and toxics that affect the health of children and families.  Both Lucy and Shaina and their families live in the shadow of the Suncor Refinery located in Commerce City, Colorado.  For decades, the refinery has spewed toxic pollution that has severely impacted the predominantly Latino neighborhoods. Lucy and Shaina have spent years organizing the members of their community and standing up to Suncor on behalf of their children's right to breathe clean air and drink clean water.In this episode, they share how they won a critical bill that will finally monitor three specific toxics from the refinery and how they're fighting for other climate justice policies in Colorado. They share what they have learned as they have fought alongside other mothers, what a just transition looks like, and what is giving them hope to keep at it.For anyone who has wondered what environmental racism looks like from a first-hand perspective, this is a must-listen episode.  Recommended Resources:Take action here:Thank the EPA for objecting to CO's permit for Suncor RefineryAbout Shainahttps://www.momscleanairforce.org/team/shaina-oliver/About Lucyhttps://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/commerce-city-mother-polluted-neighborhood/73-a77532fc-9c67-4f6e-a1d9-0184ee45f91cAbout EcoMadreshttps://www.momscleanairforce.org/ecomadres/About Cultivandohttps://www.cultivando.org/About the Suncor settlementhttps://www.cpr.org/2021/04/21/commerce-city-nonprofit-wins-suncor-energy-fine-money-will-use-it-to-monitor-suncor-energy/Lucy and Shaina's join op-ed calling for EPA to object to the Suncor permithttps://www.denverpost.com/2022/03/21/suncor-pollution-epa-cdphe-plant-2-permit/Contact Sarahsspengem@alumni.nd.edu

Harriet Shugarman is one of the leading voices in the parent climate movement, the founder of Climate Mama, and the award-winning author of the book How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Action. Harriet joins host Sarah Spengeman to share her story--how, even though she had worked on climate change, she woke up to the climate emergency after she had her children. She talks about why she launched Climate Mama as a community to connect parents concerned about climate change and how she's seen the parent climate movement grow over the past decade.Harriet and Sarah chat about what it means to be hopeful in the midst of a climate crisis, what women and mothers bring to the climate movement, and why centering indigenous voices and frontline communities is essential to solving climate change. You won't want to miss Harriet sharing essential wisdom from her own book, along with her top children and adult book recommendations!Recommended Resources:Climate Mamahttps://www.climatemama.com/How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Actionhttps://newsociety.com/books/h/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-climate-changeClimate Reality Projecthttps://www.climaterealityproject.org/What the World Needs Now book serieshttps://www.cherylrosebush.com/kids-books

On this episode of Hot Mamas, I talk to Nicole Sitaraman, a hot mama of a six-year-old son, and a leading voice for climate resilience, clean energy and environmental justice. She shares her journey,  from growing up in Philly, the daughter of a strong mother who made sure Nicole had the opportunities she needed to succeed, to starting out in her career as a civil rights attorney, and how that led her to work creating more just and sustainable communities with Sustainable Capital Advisors.NIcole and I talk about the importance of raising kids in community, how becoming a mom has shifted her worldview, and why it's critical we have honest conversations with our children about race. We also get to hear her expert perspective on the reconciliation bill now in Congress and the policies we need to kick our fossil fuel habit. Tune in for this inspiring and informative conversation with Nicole!Recommended resources:Sustainable Capital Advisorshttps://www.solarunitedneighbors.orgSolar United Neighborshttps://www.solarunitedneighbors.orgBlack Owners of Solar Serviceshttps://www.blacksolar.org"Clean Energy Sector Must Expand Hiring Beyond White Men"https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-clean-energy-sector-must-expand-hiring-beyond-white-men-report-2021-09-09/

On this very important episode of Hot Mamas, I talk to two fierce mothers and a grandmother putting their bodies on the line to stop the Line 3 pipeline, a proposed pipeline expansion to bring nearly a million barrels of tar sands per day from Canada to Wisconsin. Each of these powerful women are fighting with all their might to protect our water, the treaty rights of Native Americans, and for a safe climate future. Anishinaabe tribes and allied groups have been resisting the construction of Line 3 across Minnesota since it was proposed in 2014.First, I was honored to hear from Nancy Beaulieu, an enrolled member of the Leech Lake reservation, co-founder of the Resilient Indigenous Sisters Engaging (RISE) Coalition, and one of the leaders of Fire Light Camp at the pipeline’s first planned crossing of the Mississippi. Nancy has been demonstrating and holding ground to stop the pipeline and is currently monitoring "frack-outs" and the contamination of the water her community depends on. She explains how her people's existence and all life is being threatened by Line 3, why we are all "treaty people," and how to support the struggle.Then in part II, I speak with Jill Ferguson (aka "Badass Grandma") and Cheryl Barnds. Both have demonstrated and been arrested in solidarity with their Native American brothers and sisters. Both women talk about why they are willing to put themselves in harm's way to stop the construction of this pipeline and why they refuse to give up. They share their journeys to activism, their fears and their hopes, how you can be in solidarity to stop Line 3, and how we may be able to heal all that is broken.Recommended resources for this episode:Donate to RISE coalitionhttps://mn350.org/campaigns/rise/rise-donate/Stop Line 3https://www.stopline3.orgReach Jamie Pinkham & Joe Biden https://weprotectthewater.org/actionSupport the front https://linktr.ee/HelpStopLine3Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treatyhttps://fossilfueltreaty.orgPressure the banksStopTheMoneyPipeline.comStop HR 1374 - Enhancing State Energy Security Planning and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2021 https://action.lakotalaw.org/action/hr-1374 Social Media#StopLine3@GiniwCollective@HonorTheEarth@RISEandEngage@IENearth@MN_350 @ResistLine3facebook.com/MigiziWillFlyfacebook.com/redlaketreatycamp