Fierce Love: How Cool Parents are Thriving by Combating Global

As a psychologist and an impassioned single mother, I realized that I must use my expertise in behavior change to address the problem of global warming for my children’s sake. When I understood what global warming could mean for my sons’ future—for all children—my mission became clear. Unchecked, climate change is a menace to their health. This calls for action— because we have exactly enough time, starting now.

I also realized that mothers’ love can make history. Mothers launched MADD’s successful campaign against drunk driving in 1980; today parents can create a tipping point to prevent climate disaster.

With the goal of launching a national campaign enlisting mainstream America, I am writing a book of inspiring first-person stories of how parents are tackling global warming—and reaping great rewards as they solve other problems as well. When I first started my book-in-progress, Fierce Love: How cool parents are thriving by combating global warming, I didn’t expect to find parents who were experiencing spiritual renewal and personal empowerment, getting closer to their kids, saving money, and creating economic opportunities-- all while saving the environment. These unlikely environmentalists – most of whom had never been involved with environmentalism before--are using their spheres of influence, big and small, to change the world. They are both giving and getting back.

• A charismatic, visionary urban teacher is solving multiple problems at once. He teaches math and science to automotive vocational students in an urban war-zone—by having students build “green” cars that win in road races against Toyota and Honda. What this teacher is doing is so inspirational that a Hollywood producer has taken an interest in the story.

He integrates math and science into the students’ hands-on work on cars by having them build environmentally friendly cars—using donated cars and tools. Along the way they learn about the context of automotive technology, including economics and geopolitics-- as in, if they can build these cars, why aren’t the automakers doing it?

In 2002 they entered a “green car” road race that included a student competition--and won against students who were funded by Toyota and Honda. They won again in 2005 and 2006. The last car that won boasted 0-60 in 4 seconds at 50 mpg --a supersleek, superfast sports car. Students in the program serve as spokespeople at the road race and auto shows, building communication skills and confidence.

Through a unique partnership with the union, students track into City mechanic jobs where they make more than the teacher. The school department almost shut the program down to create a disciplinary program; but when the Governor gave the team an award at the road race, the school department decided not to cut the program-- yet. Lacking support from the school district, the teacher hopes to raise funds to open a charter school. In spite of a school that is riddled with fires and assaults on teachers, graduates of the program have gone on to buy homes and go to college—with a keen appreciation of the environment.

• A mother of two started a home-based business making “Eco Bags” from yoga mat scraps that would otherwise end up in the landfill. People thought she was “crazy.” But she’s an Internet whiz, and within a few months, she’d been invited to Sundance and was getting as many as 42,000 hits a month on her website. Even though her bags have been discovered by celebrities, she insists on being “affordable green.” Irving and Joan Harris of the Irving B. Harris Foundation are among her fans. She’s learning how to run a business, showing her children how to “repurpose” waste, and donating bags to causes such as the United Negro College Fund.

• A teacher who emigrated from Bogota runs a Spanish immersion preschool where they recycle everything, including plastic playground equipment. Not only do they engage in all kinds of sustainable practices in the classroom, they teach the kids about greenhouse gases. Not bad for preschool.

• The son and daughter-in-law of Professor Roger Revelle, who did pioneering research on human C02 output and taught Al Gore, built a beautiful “green” demonstration house at which they give public tours.

• An investment banker’s 12 year-old son has been insisting that his father buy a hybrid instead of a sports car, and is researching “green” stocks for his father. His son says he doesn’t want to live in a world without snow. His father finds this “poignant”—and he’s giving up not just his dream sports car but his long showers as he responds to his son’s concerns.

• When a physician at a prestigious East Coast medical center converted to Christianity, he started taking stock of his lifestyle and evaluating the underlying environmental causes of the cancers he was treating. He quit his job to work full-time on the environment and sold the big house. They’ve cut their utility bills by 90% by conservation alone-- without installing expensive equipment. And they sailed through the teen years by working together to save the environment.

• A single mom and real estate developer started volunteering as an environmental lobbyist—and using her deal brokering skills, was instrumental in getting the governor to pass a requirement that all new buildings meet green standards. She opened a consultancy, working with clients to develop sustainable energy and development practices. Not surprisingly, her son creates “hydrogen fuel cell” Lego vehicles. She believes that parents owe it to our children to remove existing policy hurdles to create a sustainable world.

These are just a few of the parents I’ve found who are transforming themselves, creating
economic opportunity, and getting closer to family as they go green. Parental love is indeed sparking a movement of unlikely ecowarriors.

If you have an unlikely environmentalist story to share or want to learn more, email DrWarren@multicoach.org.

We have exactly enough time—starting now.

Sarah B. Warren, Ph.D.