Promise to Vote for Little Lungs
The November election is fast approaching, and this year, the health of our children is a key issue for Pennsylvania parents and families. Dirty air, toxic chemicals and harmful pollution are all having a devastating impact on our children’s health, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Amanda Lapina, a Pittsburgh mom, is speaking out to educate parents on the issues affecting her children’s health. She’s encouraging moms everywhere to have a say in the upcoming election. Lapina wants to elect a politician that stands with children to make sure that we’re all addressing the impacts of climate change.
“When I became a mom, I said yes to protecting my children with my whole heart,” said Amanda Lapina. “My kids’ health, and everybody’s kids’ health actually depends on who we put into office.”
The same air pollution that is making our children sick is contributing to rising temperatures, extreme weather, disruptions to the food supply, increases in ground level ozone and particle pollution.
Parents need to be demanding answers from candidates — from all political parties — about what they’ll do about climate change and other issues that directly affect kids’ health.
“You have a role on Election Day in the voting booth, but sometimes being a good mom means being a good citizen,” said Gretchen Dahlkemper, director of Clean Air Moms Action. “And you have an active role to play in democracy before and after Election Day.”
“We have the opportunity to put people in office, on both sides of the aisle, who are going to look at solutions-oriented rules to combat climate change,” Dahlkemper said. “Let’s stop fighting about the causes and start fighting about the solutions.”
Those solutions include pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state governments to cut carbon and methane emissions, promote cleaner energy sources, and crack down on companies that pollute our air, water, and soil. Dahlkemper, a mom of three who lives in Pennsylvania, said she’s mindful of her daughter, who has asthma, and how these policy questions directly affect her health.
Amanda Lapina is joining Dahlkemper and others to vote in this election because it’s the most important election that she’s ever seen.
Think about who’s going to be protecting our kids when you’re going to the voting booth. Don’t let your child’s health be voted away.
Ways to Get Involved
Parents are powerful. They have an incredible opportunity to affect the outcome of federal, state and local elections. We must work together to ensure we elect leaders who put our country on a clean energy path.
Check out Clean Air Moms Action’s Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook feeds to meet more moms who are acting as health heroes for their kids – taking short, simple actions that will have a powerful impact on children’s health across Pennsylvania. It might be as quick and simple as pledging to vote, or just talking, mom to mom, with friends, but there’s something every parent can do to make a difference in this election.
“Start having intentional conversations,” Dahlkemper said. “Email, call, or talk face-to-face to five of your friends. Not complaining about the election, but talking about it, why it’s important for you, and why this election is so important to the health of our kids.”
Join A Day of Action
Clean Air Moms Action is also running phone banks, to reach other parents, with a phone day of action on October 27. On October 29 and November 5, the organization is holding “Mom to Mom Days of Action,” encouraging families to go door-to-door, talking to their neighbors about the importance of voting and a healthier environment for kids.
Even a small gesture goes a long way. Dahlkemper said she keeps hearing friends say they can’t believe what’s happening in politics, and they’re unsure how to change it. She said she always replies with a call to act and a promise to vote.
“If you don’t know what to do to make sure that you wake up on November 9 and recognize your country, contact us,” she said. “We will make it work for you.”
Clean Air Moms Action, advocacy partner of Moms Clean Air Force, is building political support and mobilizing an army of concerned parents across the country to keep toxic chemicals out of our homes and bodies as well as delivering climate change solutions big and small.
Every child deserves the right to clean air, and clean energy is the key to our children’s healthy future.
Don’t let your child’s health be voted away. Make your promise to vote for little lungs on Election Day – November 8. Visit cleanairmomsaction.org
Gretchen Dahlkemper, Director: Gretchen Dahlkemper directs national strategy for both Moms Clean Air Force and Clean Air Moms Action. Prior to becoming the National Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force, she served as Moms Clean Air Force’s Pennsylvania field organizer. Raised in Erie, PA Gretchen has worked across the state on environmental education and activism. Gretchen is mom to three small children and lives with her chef husband in Philadelphia.
Clean Air Moms Action is the political action partner of Moms Clean Air Force. As moms, we are building strong, bipartisan support to protect our children from the health impacts of air pollution – including the urgent crisis of our changing climate. By cultivating unlikely political support and mobilizing an army of concerned parents, we work toward keeping toxic chemicals out of our homes and bodies and delivering climate change solutions big and small.
