If you haven’t heard about Mothers Out Front (MOF), it was only a matter of time. Mothers Out Front is a local non-profit organization gathering hundreds of parents in numerous communities to confront climate change. Motivated by the love of their children, grandchildren, and their commitment to protect them, MOF is working hard to convey the dangers climate change poses for future generations and the necessity of switching to clean energy. 

MOF at the MA statehouse on Feb 1 demanding climate change mitigation legislature.

“We’re all really inspired by our children and grandchildren. We have plenty of allies who are inspired by the idea of children and future generations,” explained Electa Sevier, a member of Mothers Out Front and part of the leadership team.

According to their website, Mother Out Front was born in December of 2012 from “a series of conversations among a handful of mothers in the Boston area.” As these conversations became more urgent, MOF founders began hosting “house parties” to formalize the discussion. Within 3 months, the group had over 200 members and MOF solidified into an organization with a clear goal: “to empower mothers as an organized constituency whose moral voice, energy and determination will become an unstoppable force for political and societal change.”

Grassroots Initiatives

In less than 2 years the organization has developed into the force it is today. This year, their work has been focused on encouraging Governor Patrick and the gubernatorial candidates to invest in clean energy. On February 1st, several hundred people from MOF gathered downtown for a march to the State House in support of a campaign to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to invest only in clean energy. The goal was to persuade Governor Deval Patrick to sign an executive order that would limit new energy infrastructure investments to clean and renewable energy sources.

8^th Essex district representative, Lori Ehrlich speaking at MOF’s Feb. 1^st march to the MA statehouse.

“We want to increase demand for clean, renewable sources,” Sevier continued, “Massachusetts has done great work with….emission standards and the Renewable Portfolio Standard, but we’re not going to hit our goals if we keep investing in fossil fuels.”

MOF members at MA statehouse. 

Today, the group is growing fast and their voices are getting louder. On April 6th, the Boston Globe Magazine featured an article by Melissa Schorr about Mothers Out Front and its’ founder, Kelsey Wirth. Schorr, a mother who is not active in the environmental movement, frames the story as a challenge: “CONVINCE ME.” The article goes on to describe MOF’s origins, accomplishments and future plans. Additionally, Schorr’s narrative leaves us with a grasp on what the climate change mitigation situation looks like today and how we interact with this threat, mother or not.

What’s next for Mothers Out Front? Expansion! When you deal with a global issue like climate change, actions can always be bigger. Already, the group plans to travel to Washington D.C. to join a march against the Keystone XL pipeline.  They also have set a goal to switch 10,000 households to renewable energy through New England GreenStart and New England Wind, both programs of Mass Energy and People's Power & Light.

To get involved check out www.mothersoutfront.org, or visit www.massenergy.org/green to switch to renewable energy now!