We are a group of parents motivated to make long lasting changes in the health of our communities – and especially for our children.
We began our work in Marin County, California – which has one of the highest breast cancer rates in the country.
Children are uniquely vulnerable to pesticides, as well as other common household toxins. Scientific data is emerging linking many chronic childhood diseases, as well as long-term health issues, to common toxins found in our homes, food, air and water. Long term chronic exposure to substances in every day products – such as BPA found in can linings and plastic containers & flame retardants found in our bedding, couches and children’s car seats – are having serious health consequences that may not appear for decades or even until the next generation.
Our mission at MOMS Advocating Sustainability (MOMAS) is to provide parents and policy makers with scientifically driven information in an easy to understand format about the connections between everyday toxins that our kids are exposed to, and our children’s health.
We are solutions oriented. We strive to find practical solutions to problems as simple as how a family can begin to shift towards non-toxic household cleaners, and as complex as how our policy makers can transform California’s invasive pest programs so they can be more effective against pests & easier on our farmers, more economical, while also far less toxic to our kids!
We’ve developed several educational programs geared towards parents and caregivers. Our Modern Moms Health Forums are led by two experienced physicians who are willing to look at independent science and health trends, think “outside the box,” and provide information that will help all families improve their health. We spearheaded a GMO forum in 2012. We also organize fun and educational house parties. We have two physicians on our Advisory Committee so we can be sure that all information we present is scientifically accurate.
MOMAS has successfully changed policy at the state level and county level to help keep our kids safer and healthier:
- At the state level, we were a key player in a historic grassroots effort to stop a misguided multi-year aerial pesticide spray plan for the Light Brown Apple Moth. Along with our friends at California Environmental Health Initiative we are presently spearheading an effort to stop policy-makers in California from approving a plan to pre-approve pesticide use throughout the state whenever and wherever they want. We are also encouraging the state to instead transform our invasive pest program by – among other things – providing tools and incentives to farmers that increase sustainable farming practices. That way, our state’s agriculture will become far more resilient to pests when they arrive.
- At the county level we led an effort to stop the County from spraying pesticides in our parks and playgrounds and on our bike and multi-use paths – and continue to carefully monitor this program. Because of our efforts – and the hard work from our community & our committed County staff and Board of Supervisors – Marin County now has a uniquely progressive and child-focused pesticide policy that is a model for the country. This culminated in Marin County Parks removing glyphosate from use in 2016.
We are excited to launch or website and blog. Please sign up to receive our blog posts in your inbox. Our blog posts will be written by our steering committee members and our advisory board members. Like our work, our blog’s focus is on the health of our kids and our communities – and how we can work together to ensure that all kids can thrive. As parents, we believe it is our obligation to create a safe and healthy space for our kids and for future generations. We hope you will join us!
– Rika Gopinath and Vanessa Armstrong, Co-Chairs