BREATHE FREE AND EASY

Family Health: Children, Parents and Grandparents

Everyone has the right to pollution free air. It’s a fundamental gift from God (Genesis 1). Still in the United States, we have to fight for clean air. There are a variety of industries who don’t care about the quality of air if it means they will have to spend money to keep the air clean. Most American cities now have smog warnings so people at high risk including infants, asthma sufferers and the elderly have to stay indoors on those high smog days. Polluted air doesn’t just affect your family but everyone around your family. Imagine days where outdoor sports and playdates at the park get canceled or postponed because our air quality is too poor to be outside. The good news is everyone has a role to play in helping keep our air clean.

SPEAKER OR VIDEO PROGRAM

Moms clean air force organizer, EEN Director of Women’s Ministries, a local doctor, a pediatrician who is an expert on asthma. Play video Global Pandemic - Air Pollution | Romain Lacombe | TEDxAthens (19 mins)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Do any of your kids already show signs of asthma? Can we pray for them now?
2. If you have to keep your kids indoors, what’s your favorite play activity to do with them?
3. How are we called as Moms to work towards healthier air?
4. What actions can we take individually to not contribute unnecessarily to air pollution?
5. How, as Moms, can you advocate for healthy air in your community, so all children can
6. benefit?
7. What changes will you commit to at home to reduce your family’s impact on polluted air?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• EEN Handout 5 Ways to Reduce Air Pollution.
• Visit Moms Clean Air Force Smog Section on website. Order pamphlets from Mom’s Clean Air to hand out at meeting.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR OFF MOPS MEETING WEEKS

• Visit hospital ward with asthma wing.
• Implement a no idle policy for your church, preschool or school.
• Have a bike, walk or carpool Sunday.

DIGGING DEEPER

Air pollution is a common ailment of people around the world but in particular with children. Their little lungs are still developing, so they are particularly susceptible to particulate matter in the air. Even if you can't see it, there is air pollution everywhere. From invisible gases like methane to dust from construction to fine particulate matter coming from coal-fired power plants, there are lots of ways your child can be effected. So here are the ways you can not only protect your kids but also protect kids everywhere. Want know more? Check out this resource from our partner Moms Clean Air Force.

DEEPER EXPLANATION OF THE HANDCARD

When we designed the handcards, we wanted quick things that were easy to implement into your daily life, but some of you might be curious about why these simple things can actually add up to big changes. Here are some ways to mitigate the air pollution surrounding us:

1. Don't idle your car at church or school. Did you know that your car creates more air pollution when it's not moving  then when it's driving? We should have said don't idle your car period, but we wanted to plant the seed about schools and churches because many churches and schools have no idle policies. If you would like to start this policy at your school or church, the EPA has a guide for you to start the process. If you want to go directly to the no idling page instead of all the support information from the EPA, here's the direct link. 

2. Plant a tree at home, church or park. Trees are the lungs of the earth on land. We loose many trees in our cities and suburbs due to development every day. Trees trap carbon until they die, but since most of their life they take in CO2 to make sugars to grow, trees are considered a great way to reduce carbon. One tree might not end our carbon problem but if everyone planted one in America that would be 300+ million trees. It adds up. Trapping carbon isn't the only benefit that trees supply. Planting them near your air-conditioner condenser will lighten the work your air-conditioner because it won't have to work so hard which means you save money. It doesn't only work at home but at church too. Here are some tree planting tips: 

• Plant native plants to the area. Native trees are much more likely to have growth success. If you are going to implement shading your air-conditioner make sure it's a tree that doesn't shed tons of leaves.
• Contact you local County Extension office or Nursery for help when picking trees.
• Get a living Christmas tree one year for Christmas. Then the whole family can plant it together. 
• If your church has room, trees along the perimeter of the parking lot will create shading which reduces the heat that comes off the pavement which means it can help with air pollution. Shaded cars actually use less gas to start operation during the summer. 
• Need a mission project for church members? Coordinate with a local park group or tree non-profit to help plant trees.

3. Use less energy at home and church. Change those light bulbs. We know changing your lights bulbs might seem like old news but do you know how many people still haven't switched to LEDs? Yes, LEDs are a bit more expensive but they have come down in price drastically. Here's why LEDs are better than CFLs. They are estimated to last 5 times longer than CFLs which means you will forget the last time you changed a light. LEDs use even less energy than CFLs and don't have the issues the CFLs have with people who have seizures. LEDs also operate cooler. There is a reason incandescent bulbs were used to bake in an Easy Bake Oven. They are hot. LEDs don't put off heat which means your light bulbs are not fighting your air-conditioning. LEDs don't have mercury so no special disposal is needed, but once they burn out take the time to recycle them. In 25 years when they burn out they should be even easier to recycle. Here's the one drawback about LEDs, your children won't ever remembering you changing light bulbs so be prepared for the conversation in their 20s when you get the call, Mom, my light went out what do I do?

4. Make sure your tires are fully inflated. Under-inflated tires actually causes your car to work harder which means more gas to make it to operate. In fact under-inflated tires can cause you to use up to 144 extra gallons of gas per year per PSI point. It's this kind of waste that all Americans can be aware of and do the right thing and make a small change. Learn how to to check your tire pressure and just add it to your routine and with all the savings maybe you can do something special with the savings. For more knowledge about tire pressure, check this article, Keeping Your Tires Inflated for the Environment, for Your Safety.

5. Contact your local officials and tell them to support clean energy. The great thing about wind and solar energy, beyond the fact that they are renewable, is they generate no air pollution when operating. It might be intimidating to contact your local official, but we have a solution! Have you downloaded and read our Bible Study, Healthy Creation = Healthy Children? You can simply read the study and do it yourself and once you get to the end, we have a whole section that teaches you how to advocate to your elected officials. One Mom contacting an elected official? You could possibly change a decision in your community or convince a congressperson to rethink a vote. It could really happen. You have the power and your faith in Jesus to convict people's hearts! So what are you waiting for?