The MMob

Mainstreet Moms Organize or Bust

Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned…and during the 2004 presidential election, a group of politically thwarted mothers in Bolinas decided to turn that fury into action. “We were determined to figure out ways to have an impact,” says Megan Matson, cofounder of MMOB, Mainstreet Moms Organize or Bust (formerly Mainstreet Moms Oppose Bush). “At the time, we felt our children’s future was imperiled; we had to do something.” And so Matson, along with cofounders Caroline Quine and Arlene Allsman, coordinated a letter-writing campaign that reached out to unregistered-voter moms nationwide.

“Today we are a nonpartisan, nonprofit project” still “committed to securing a more viable future for our children,” says core member Felicity Crush. Among its “bite-size” menu of actions scaled to fit into overscheduled lives, building awareness of climate change is at the top of the list. “It is so much more useful for us to become educated about the solutions rather than wallow in the crisis,” Matson says. “Brain Up!” exhorts the website, which offers a syllabus of helpful books, online resource links and suggestions for making time to get informed. These include taking a break from reading fiction and watching local TV news. “Think of it like college,” says Matson. “Get some bubble gum, coffee and a highlighter,” and hunker down to learn.

Here in Marin, MMOB members are educating themselves and spreading the word about Community Choice, an energy plan that allows municipalities to broker their own power and demand green energy from suppliers. “Marin is at a crucial point for pulling together support from its 11 cities for Community Choice,” says Crush. “We believe it is a great opportunity to institute renewable energy on a large scale and dramatically reduce carbon emissions over time at the municipal level.” Ready to join? Check out
themmob.org.

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