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Climate change is terrifying. I don't want to wait to see what happens when my son, when our children grow up. I want to do something about it now.
This Mother’s Day: Side by Side with #OurOtherMother
What:
This Mother’s Day we are calling on all creatives to produce a piece of art or a message (illustration, poem, story, photo or song) that shows our love for mums and #OurOtherMother – planet earth.
The campaign has been started by parents’ groups and children’s illustrators, who are worried about climate change and want to push for a brighter, safer future for our children. It is open to everyone!
We are delighted that iconic British illustrators Jim Field of Oi Frog! and Rebecca Cobb of Paper Dolls have already agreed to join this campaign and engage their networks.
The campaign has been launched by parent climate groups – Our Kids’ Climate, Parents For Future UK, Mother’s Rise Up – and illustrator networks, Kid Lit For Climate and EditArtz.
To join in:
Get creative! Celebrate #OurOtherMother (planet earth) through an illustration, image, poem, image or anything… Get those creative juices flowing!
Share It. Post on social media using the hashtag #OurOtherMother Tag us too, so we can see!
Spread the word. Tag people you think would like to be involved and create something celebrating #OurOtherMother.
People to tag:
Why:
Global climate talks – known as COP26 – will be hosted by the UK this November. We want to show our leaders how much we care for our planet, #OurOtherMother.
Mother’s Day in the UK – 14 March – marks the start of this campaign. But we plan to keep going right up to these crucial talks. On Sunday, 9 May, some sixty countries around the world will celebrate Mother’s Day – so this will be another moment for our campaign.
Our shared home, planet earth, is under threat and we all have a role to play in protecting it. So get involved and show your love for #OurOtherMother! You don’t have to be a professional illustrator or author to contribute – we welcome contributions from everyone!
Here’s to #OurOtherMother and creating something that celebrates the beauty and wonder of planet earth!
Windfarm action calls for fair and green economic recovery from COVID-19
“The pandemic has brought worry and heartache to millions of families in the UK and beyond. We all want governments to do everything in their power to stop the virus spreading and help get people back on their feet. For the sake of our children, we also need governments to put the same energy and investment into preventing an even greater climate catastrophe unfolding across the globe.” – Julie Walters, actor.
In July 2020, mums and dads created a wind farm outside Downing Street to call on the Prime Minister to deliver a fair and green economic recovery from COVID-19.
Parents marched from Parliament Square to Downing Street with huge hand-held turbines to represent the low carbon revival needed to create jobs for our children today and help ensure a safe climate tomorrow.
On the same day over 100 prominent parents including actors, Julie Walters, and Lily Cole; tech entrepreneur, Martha Lane-Fox; scientist Professor Robert Winston; author, Michael Morpurgo; singer, Paloma Faith; and presenter, Konnie Huq, published an open letter to the Prime Minister echoing these demands. The letter highlights that the government can create more jobs, more quickly by investing in a low carbon recovery – improving energy efficiency, expanding public transport, boosting green energy, and restoring nature – than rebooting our outdated dirty fossil fuel economy.
Rosamund Kissi-Deborah, whose daughter Ellie suffered a fatal asthma attack as a result of air pollution said:
“Air pollution kills 40,000 people in the UK every year and new research shows that the coronavirus is more deadly in areas of high air pollution. Ensuring every child, woman and man in the UK has clean air to breathe should be a government priority for the sake of our health, our economy and our climate.”
The action was organised with Parents for Future.
Celebrating Mother's Day in a crisis
Mum, doctor and campaigner, Jenny Harper-Gow on the Coronavirus and climate crisis: Read Jenny’s blog
Pushchair and Rhyme Time Action
On 23 September 2019 we gathered with pushchairs for a climate rhyme protest outside Downing Street and the headquarters of Shell and BP – two of the world’s biggest polluters to demand climate action.
The protest generated lots of media attention around the failure of government and the big fossil fuel companies to act and sparked a lengthy – but not especially encouraging – discussion with a representative of BP.
Mother's Day March
Organise a local event
UN Climate Summit
