The reminder: Together, we must give a face and a voice to the women and children whose decisions impact the world’s future. Currently, women are forced to walk farther for kindling and water, work harder for the same crop yield, and make choices between their children’s education or keeping them at home to assist with the burden that environmental devastation has already caused for rural households. These impacts are not isolated to rural areas; urban areas are now burgeoning with environmental migrants whose farms could no longer produce enough income due to unpredictable rainfall and desertification.
I had never been particularly politically active before. My previous activism was limited to volunteering for candidates, making phone calls, and posting yard signs. But the Preschool Matters campaign pulled me further in. I was recently divorced, so I had time on my hands and loved the positive energy of the young paid staff. I immersed myself in every aspect of the campaign. I walked precincts, reached out to media outlets, spoke at Rotary clubs, and stuffed mailings. I was the chair of the campaign and a tireless volunteer.
We need a comprehensive plan to address restoration in the Gulf, and a key part of that plan must be to establish a long-term research and monitoring program so that we can better understand changes in the ecosystem and develop management solutions that keep our environment and economy healthy. A well-funded and robust science program will help guide these efforts by providing research to support the design, selection and evaluation of restoration projects.
