Photo: ©Harriet Shugarman; Logo ©ClimateMama
The executive director of Climate Mama believes in parents as change agents – and as an instrumental social force for saving the planet
BY MAGAZINE EDITOR SUSAN MAIER-MOUL
Website www.ClimateMama.com
Website ClimateRealityProject.org
Related Post The Writing on the Wall(Paper): Climate Mama quotes Abraham Lincoln
Related Post Conversation: Harriet Shugarman, Part Two
Twitter @climatemama
Email Harriet.Shugarman@climatereality.com
Climate Mama and The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV
In a meeting of hearts, minds and socially conscious reporting, The Magazine of Yoga had the good fortune to sit down with Climate Mama at the Social Good Summit last month. Despite a clamorous press room, Harriet Shugarman, Founder and Executive Director of ClimateMama.com made an immediate warm impression with her tangibly intelligent calm. When you talk to Harriet you have her full attention, as evidenced by her friendly, direct gaze and cogent answers. Join us to learn about Harriet’s work and her unique path from the world of the UN to the life of a climate activist.
Tools to support family learning and individual action
Susan Maier-Moul Thanks for taking time out of your intense schedule to talk with us about your work. What does Climate Mama do?
Harriet Shugarman Climate Mama is an education, advocacy and information site specifically for parents of all ages who are looking to learn more about climate change, and what they can do about it.
Susan Why did you decide to focus on developing information for parents?
Harriet My children’s future is being doomed by my generation before they even have a chance to shape it for themselves. As I learn more and more about climate change, I have come to understand and believe that it is my JOB as a mother to talk to as many people as I can, and to explain to them the collision course we are on with our environment.
I launched Climate Mama in late 2009 as my way of “stepping it up” and moving forward with my climate change education and advocacy campaign. I am embracing and trying to embody my role as a “Climate Mama!”
Susan The art critic Dave Hickey says, “What matters is the integrity of the family endeavor, the style of love and work,” and that the family exists “not just to preserve values, but to invent them, to propagate them by doing things in the world.”
What I love about your work is its explicit empowerment of family, especially the family as an incredibly effective unit of creativity and productivity. Families make things happen, impact the status quo, change the way things are.
Tell us more about what the climate change education you offer families and others who propagate change “by doing things in the world.”
Harriet Climate Mama showcases: climate change news, clips and tips, examples of climate reality-aware parents we call “Climate Mamas and Papas” who are leading the way to informed and active family life.
We also feature sustainable products and services, as well as a wide range of go-to trusted resources on climate change.
Climate Mama provides parents, teachers, uncles, aunts, and the child “within us all” – with accessible information and tools to share with the kids in our lives so that together we are empowered to tackle the many challenges we face from climate change.
Human destiny on a collision course with climate reality
Susan You’ve become convinced climate change is real and it’s the most pressing issue of our time. How can a busy professional make sense of climate change denial and wrap her head around the reality you see?
Harriet We are living in an unprecedented time of climate disruption. We are on a crash course with our environment, and if we don’t put on the breaks soon, the crash we will have will be catastrophic.
Initially unwittingly – since the start of the industrial revolution about 150 years ago – and now knowingly, we humans are putting huge amounts of global warming pollution into our atmosphere, a situation that has now overwhelmed natural climate forces and is more than our planet can handle or absorb.
We are doing this primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, but also through our lifestyle and consumption choices – allowing factory farming, “big agricultural” practices, and transportation and building practices that maximize non-renewable energy use and discourage energy efficiency.
Susan But there are loud claims to the contrary everywhere, too. Mainstream media, talk radio – they’re full of derisive, dismissive commentary claiming climate change is an industry all it’s own.
Harriet We need to stop allowing the issue to be debated in the media; it isn’t debatable – there are not “two sides” in this story. Over 97% of climate scientists and climate researchers around the globe are telling us that we humans are causing our climate to change.
Susan You’re saying climate experts are telling us this is a critical time, and what we choose to do in response, even as individuals and as families, is important.
Harriet We need to listen to the scientists working on the issue and see the evidence nature is showing us.
Susan What steps can we all take, then?
Harriet One, ultimately and most importantly we need policy changes at all levels of government. We need to let politicians know that we won’t support them if they don’t take climate change seriously. We need to stop deniers in their tracks and be on the right side of history on this one.
Two, we also need to make personal choices, business choices and community choices that help us all be more sustainable consumers and wiser in our use of energy. We need to show and tell others about our choices too.
Susan So in terms of the planet, saving the environment isn’t just about big business: it’s really a case of “be the change you want to see.”
Harriet Taking small steps in our busy lives can help lead to and make big policy changes happen. While climate change may seem too big to get our arms around, it is a very real problem that all of us need to and can play a role in addressing.
Tomorrow in part two of our Conversation with Harriet Shugarman, Harriet talks about her own path to activism from policy analyst and economist to being asked by Al Gore to help with The Climate Reality Project – as well as getting arrested while acting on her beliefs.
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© 2011, The Magazine of Yoga, LLC.
