This issue in the MOMSpot, we chat with MOMS member Dana Clark, Corporate Accountability Director with Rainforest Action Network, about how she and other moms in Utah are working to clean up the air in their state.

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up?

Dana with her son Rio

What were you like as a kid?
I grew up in Virginia and went to school in Maryland. I'm currently living in Salt Lake City, I moved here a year and a half ago. Before that, I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for six years. I was a little "nature" kid. I spent tons of time outdoors and organized little nature clubs. Being outdoors is a big part of what makes me happy and feeling grounded.

Now that you're a mom, what concerns you most about the world your son will grow up in?
Well, a lot of things. In terms of the work I'm doing with Rainforest Action Network, the climate issues are really sobering when you think of it from the perspective of your child. There's so much work that needs to be done. It makes me very depressed to think of what Rio is inheriting from us. In terms of local issues, the air quality in Utah is some of the worst in the country. Children who grow up in polluted air never develop full lung capacity. That issue is pretty resonate for me right now.

You co-founded Utah Moms for Clear Air when you were pregnant with your son. Tell us about some of the work you're doing?
We've recently worked to pass legislation to raise funds to retrofit the school buses in Utah. Diesel particulates are among the worst in terms of impact on children.  Most school buses are diesel and most of them idle. The air quality on a bus can be four times worse than outside the bus. The older buses are the worst, and the newer buses are a thousand times better. So, you can either retrofit an old bus, or you can buy a newer bus. We work to raise awareness about idling. I happen to live across the street from a school, and I will often see parents idling for a half an hour while they are waiting for their kids to come out. We've been working with the schools to be more aware of those issues and promote sustainability, specifically on idling reduction campaigns.

I'm part of the clean energy working group (of Utah Moms for Clean Air) and we are trying to promote sustainable alternative energy sources. In Utah, sun is abundant and wind is also possible. We're working to fight new coal-fired power plants that are being planned in both Utah and Nevada.

We also work on smart growth and transportation related issues. We also provide general education about how bad the air quality can be. The Governor, who is a republican, has made air quality one of his primary issues, so we're working to hold him accountable.

Congratulations on your success on your school bus campaign. What other things do you see happening in Utah that give you hope the situation can turn around?
Obviously our demographic with Utah Moms for Clean Air is women who are mothers, but broader than that, it's not just moms, but also Dads and anybody who believes in our mission of using the power of moms to clean up Utah's dirty air. Everybody's really fed up with it. I think the formation of the organization really touched a nerve. There's a lot at stake you can't help but be conscious of the problem. Those of us with young children know that the scientific understanding of the health impacts is so much more robust now. Asthma rates are higher here than in the rest of the country. To the extent that we can start mobilizing a diverse constituency around  the need for solutions to the problem and stop the things that are causing the problem I think we can make some progress.

What advice would you give to other mothers who are living in communities with poor air quality?
Start by talking to your friends and neighbors. We have a right to a healthy environment, we have a right to raise our children in a place where they can thrive and grow to their full capacity. In order to have that right be protected, you've got to organize. Identify your key issues, start addressing the solutions to get there. Moms are a really powerful political force. It's hard to shut your door on a woman who's there to talk about the health of her baby. We're talking about the next generation and generations to come and wanting the world to be a better place for them. The other thing I would say is, there's no shortage of work to be done. Find the issue that compels you the most, whether it's clean air, toxins in breastmilk, pesticide use, water quality--or whatever it is that pisses you off--and get involved.