Letters to the Editor

Mothers Out Front

Dear Editor,

Mothers Out Front is an environmental group made up of mothers and their allies who are concerned about climate change and are fighting for a livable planet for future generations.  On January 25, over 200 members of Mothers Out Front, including members of MOF Winthrop, met with Governor Healey to present a letter with over three thousand signatures outlining action that the governor should take to combat climate change, promote environmental justice, and secure a livable planet for our children.

The Governor was extremely open to our concerns and assured us of her support.  She acknowledged the consequences of using fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas).  The use of fossil fuels results in the emission of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide).  These gases trap heat, causing the increase in temperatures (global warming).  At the present time, land and sea temperatures have been increasing over the past 30 years and are now the highest since records have been kept.  Temperatures are expected to continue to rise in the future.

Devastating deforestation has also occurred over the last 100 years, adding to the increase in global temperatures. Protecting our trees is vital, especially for the future of our children, to slow climate change and ensure that our Earth will have clean air.

How can we make things change?  We need to phase out the use of fossil fuels, electrify our homes and means of transportation, and stop cutting down our trees and forests.  We need to transition to solar and wind to generate electricity and improve battery technology to store the energy generated by renewable sources.  Recycling and composting are important measures that we can incorporate in our homes.

The most important thing to acknowledge, for our future, is the building of a healthy Earth.  We need to provide and ensure a clean and safe environment for the future for our children, not only in Winthrop, but all over the world.  We must all work together to accomplish this task. 

If you would like to join Winthrop Mothers Out Front please contact us at:

Maryalice Sharkey

[email protected]

To the Next Gov. of the Commonwealth

Dear Editor,

As mothers and caregivers, we stand clear-eyed, resolute and shoulder-to-shoulder, focused on the future. We dream of a climate where all children can thrive.

We envision a Commonwealth where children can breathe clean air – in their homes, schools, and neighborhoods. Where families can count on safe, healthy, affordable, and sustainable housing. Where workers can count on quality, family-sustaining jobs. Where communities can be free from unjust burdens of pollution and energy infrastructure.

We have a path to this future, but in our path stand the enormous and powerful fossil fuel industry and the many others who benefit from the extraction of gas, oil, and coal, as well as the expansion of infrastructure to deliver them.

As governor, you have an opportunity to take meaningful and just action now.

Massachusetts can lead the nation in putting the brakes on the climate crisis and ensuring a livable world for all children. But the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.

We call on you to commit to these goals as you lead a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels to safe, affordable, clean, renewable energy:

1. Protect air quality for all communities – both indoors and out

• Champion laws to measure and improve air quality in pollution hot spots

• Stop the siting of dirty energy plants in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, which already are overburdened with pollution

2. Stop the runaway construction of dirty energy plants and pipelines by ensuring that department commissioners prioritize health, safety, equity, and the preservation of our climate.

• No industry insiders!

3. Say “no” to utilities’ plans to prolong the piping of methane and other dangerous gases under our streets and into our homes.

• Ensure that customers’ fees go toward climate-friendly solutions, not a costly rebuild of underground gas lines.

• Reject industry calls for hydrogen and biomethane (so-called “renewable natural gas”), which will not solve our climate crisis.

4. Prioritize funds and policies to speed the adoption of clean, safe, and affordable electric solutions

• We can make all homes – both new and existing – fully electric, using technologies such as air-source heat pumps and networked geothermal systems, as Massachusetts moves toward a fully renewable electric grid.

5. Ensure that low- and moderate-income people benefit by scaling up funding to retrofit older homes, while ensuring that lower-income renters don’t get forced out.

6. Invest in workers, including prioritizing union contracts, so workers can move from low-wage jobs and jobs in declining industries into good-paying jobs in renewable energy.

The shift to a clean energy economy is one of the largest challenges facing our next governor. While this list is not complete, it reflects our priorities as mothers who care deeply about the health and safety of our children, homes, and communities. We call on you to publicly back these policies and to swiftly execute them when you take office. Future generations are counting on you.

Members & Supporters of Mothers Out Front

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.