Dear Mothers & Others Members and Friends, Although filled with sorrow to see Mothers & Others close, we celebrate all of our many accomplishments over the years and the people -- members, volunteers, donors, staff, board members, colleagues, friends, advisors -- who made them possible. There is so much to be proud of: from the earliest report on pesticide residues in food, to the regional Shoppers' Campaigns, the birth of The Green Guide, the creation of the CORE Values eco-label, our campaigns on genetic engineering and food and organic cotton, and more. We thank all who have been involved with Mothers & Others, working to build a consumer movement concerned about the health of children and the environment and building a sustainable food system. The next Green Guide "Special Double Issue: Shopper's Guide to Plastics and Food" will be the last print publication you will receive from Mothers & Others. We strongly encourage you to look at our web site on Earth Day, April 22, 2001 for the new "Online Shopper's Guide to Food." This web-only Guide will be a compendium of the latest information about how to ensure a healthier and more ecologically-sound diet for you and your family. Based on Mothers & Others' Eight Simple Steps to the New Green Diet, you can now link to the best sources of information on "why buy locally produced food," what the new organic labels really mean, how to speak out about genetically engineered food, and many other food issues. Please be advised that since we will no longer be operating and publishing The Green Guide, we have made arrangements for Mothers & Others' members to receive continued membership benefits through the end of your membership period from Co-op America. Like Mothers & Others, Co-op America's mission stresses the connection between the personal, the social, and the environment. Co-op America (www.coopamerica.org) is dedicated to helping people use their roles as consumers and investors effectively to address pressing social and environmental problems, such as sweatshops and deforestation. As a Co-op America member, you will receive a subscription to Real Money, Co-op America's newsletter. Each issue of Real Money is packed with practical, bite-sized and easy tips for living well, investing wisely, and saving more while making the world we share a better place. For those of you who are already members of Co-op America, you will receive membership benefits from the Center for a New American Dream (www.newdream.org). The Center for a New American Dream's mission is to shift American culture away from consumption and towards a more fulfilling and sustainable way of life. They work to help individuals, nonprofits and businesses change the way they operate to protect the environment and improve the quality of life. These members will receive their publication Enough! Co-op America or the Center for a New American Dream will be writing to you in April welcoming you as a member. You will be glad to know that several organizations have expressed strong interest in re-launching The Green Guide. We hope to have a new publishing arrangement finalized soon. The new publisher will contact you to tell you more about their plans and offer you the opportunity to subscribe and receive the first issue free. Please note, however, that a re-launch would take months and that we are unable to offer to transfer your membership to a new publisher. If you want to be notified of a re-launch by e-mail, please contact: subscriptions@yourgreenguide.org. There is also good news that the Children's Health Environmental Coalition (CHEC) will be integrating a variety of Mothers & Others materials on children's environmental health into their ongoing work to inform parents about environmental health hazards in the home. CHEC (www.checnet.org) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public, specifically parents and caregivers about environmental toxins that effect childrens health. For further updates on the future of our programs as well referrals about where to follow up on related campaigns, please bookmark our web site: www.mothers.org. We are always impressed by the eagerness of our members to seek out knowledge, change day-to-day consumer and lifestyle habits, and mobilize as activists. Together we have been leaders of consumer change concerning food and household products, sustainable agriculture, children's health and environmental protection. We encourage you to join forces with the organizations mentioned in this letter, and others on our web site, to continue promoting change for the sake of our children and the planet. All the best to all of you as you continue this important work.
Cordially, |