BE A MOTHER OR A GRANDMOTHER FIRST. Believe
in your power! The "powers that be" need to hear that all the mothers
of the world want what's best for the children of all species. Please
represent all the mothers and grandmothers around the globe. Even if you
don't have your own biological or adopted children, you are still a
mother of all the children, everywhere. Speak up for them.
REMEMBER THAT CLIMATE CHANGE KNOWS NO BORDERS. Try
to forget that you're in Madrid, Spain representing your own country.
Think of the planet as one nation, under one atmosphere that knows no
boundaries. Speak for all human beings, as well as the rest of nature,
which has no seat and no voice at the talks.
LET COMPASSION BE YOUR COMPASS. Remember
that prosperity and a thriving economy are impossible if the natural
environment is ailing. We must get our priorities right! If a decision
doesn't have the Earth and the children's future at heart, then that
decision is not a compassionate one.
CALL FOR ZERO CARBON ALONG WITH SOME URGENCY IN ACHIEVING IT. Try
to rev up the imaginations of world leaders and negotiators of all ilks
(even the heartless, uncreative ones). Help them envision the Golden
Age of Renewable Energy that we should be quickly heading into.
LET COURAGE GUIDE YOU. Women
are courageous in so many — often unsung — ways. Courage in Madrid,
though it won't be easy, will be simple. What a privileged position you
are in! Please take advantage of it and be brave enough to speak up for
all those who have so little — now and in the future. Be the peaceful
warriors who safeguard the children.
REMEMBER THE GREAT WOMEN WHO HAVE ALREADY DEMONSTRATED THEIR COURAGE,
women like Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Biruté Galdikas,
Patricia Wright, Donella Meadows, Hazel Henderson, Sylvia Earle, Erin
Brokovich, Sister Dorothy Stang, Greta Thunberg, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Lois Gibbs, the
women of the Chipko Movement, Beatrix Potter, Wangari Maathai, Julia
Butterfly Hill, Betty Krawczyk, Vandana Shiva, Starhawk, Sheila
Watt-Cloutier, Hildegard of Bingen, Harriet Nahanee, Eunice Foote. Stand on their shoulders — and be climate heroes in Madrid!
