Dear Little Loves,

I’d like to take the opportunity this Mother’s Day to make a promise to you. While we have ideals that guide us day to day, writing this down will make them more tangible and serves as a reminder to not push them aside for comfort or convenience.

More than anything, I wish happy and healthy long lives for you. We’ve taken so many small steps at home to establish a healthy foundation for you, in fact, your Dad and I have obsessed over every detail. But as you grow, you’re exposed to more and more things that challenge, and even run counter to, those ideals.

So, here are some of our family values. We want to care for our planet so it can be a healthy home for you, and perhaps, your children one day. We want our beaches and bay to be clean, and for the ocean ecosystem that brings us both food and fun to be prioritized. We want to protect our parks and green spaces so we can continue to hike and explore. We want to be thoughtful and restrained consumers, in order to minimize the trash that pollutes our planet. We value farmers, stores, and restaurants that proactively embrace sustainability.

With these values in mind, we will use our voices, votes, and dollars to stand up to the bullies of the world. We will not allow them to treat our planet and its natural resources as disposable. We will be good stewards and will demand the same from leaders. And, most of all, we will stay informed and pay attention. Protecting our planet is so similar to parenting; it requires interest, dedication, thoughtfulness, knowledge, attention, and love. I promise to strive to live up to these ideals, to set the example for you, and to continue to guide you to be stewards of the world. Maybe one day you will find a solution to climate change, or build a program or machine that improves the environment. Perhaps one day you will write or enact laws to protect our citizens and the planet, or lead industries in the future green economy. We will be the change we want to see in the world.

With all my love,
Mommy
Missy Cotter Smasal
Virginia Beach Moms Clean Air Force

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I hope you are healthy and happy and that you feel supported by the ecosystem around you because we are all deeply truly interconnected. We depend on the earth to take care of us, and nature needs us to take care of her in turn. We all need each other.

Dear future generations,

It’s never too late to make a difference. Our actions have very real consequences. We can educate ourselves, learn from our mistakes, and take action. We can hold companies like big oil and big plastic accountable for their negative impacts on the environment. We can educate ourselves and others about what causes climate change and what actions we as individuals can take to lower our carbon footprints.

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I want to sculpt a world for you where you can play outside without gas masks, an ocean to swim in without toxins, and a thick lively forest for you to wander.

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We want a safe and beautiful world for you, little Caleb, and for your children and grandchildren. We promise to do our part.

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Less meat, more on my feet!

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My dearest Paloma Bear,

I want the very best for you and for generations to come. There is only one planet earth. Your mommy and I will make a genuine effort to make an impact to protect it for you.

To my Dad,

I hope on this Father’s Day, my 24th birthday, and the rest of days, we remember that the most basic part of life is living happy with the ones we love. Acting every day against climate change will allow us to keep that simple piece of humanity.

To my daughter and son,

Surrounded by scientists who shared my fears and visions, I often had a hard time to accept that outside our small community climate change received marginal attention.

Dear Tomorrow,

My climate promise: community awareness of the climate crisis.

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