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Meet Our 2009 Mom on a Mission, Shelby Rodriguez!
Healthy Child
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
This year, Healthy Child received 128 submissions from across the country in response to our 2009 Mom on a Mission search. We received many compelling stories about dynamic women working to make their communities healthier and safer for their children. But when we received this submission from John Rodriguez about his wife, Shelby, we knew we'd found our winner. Take a look at John's letter, and we think you'll see what we're talking about:
“Hello, I want to nominate my wife, Shelby Rodriguez, for the Healthy Child Healthy World Mom on a Mission Award. For the last year she has been fighting for clean air in our community and was successful in stopping a corporation from using a harmful, toxic, fume producing hot tar roof application on the 100 roofs still needing work in our neighborhood. After we moved into our new rental home she started to develop symptoms like a scratchy throat, sores in her nose, a cough, and asthma symptoms. After some investigation into the constant roofing tar fumes that seemed unsafe to her she found out that all 534 homes in this rental community had either been tarred or were set to be tarred during a three year project. Immediately, she became worried about the safety of our, then, three year old daughter and, despite all the obstacles in her way, became the community organizer to stop the tar roofing here at the Arbors in Antelope, California.
What she did was to contact grassroots organizations and get advice about how to organize the community. She also started filing complaints with the local Air Quality District. She created a flyer and walked our community's 150 acres to talk to our neighbors and inform them about the situation. She found out that there were other people who lived here who had the same symptoms or symptoms from her research, which made her realize that the health of the whole community, especially the children’s, were in jeopardy.
She found that she needed to get people to call in their complaints to Air Quality too, which was difficult because residents were afraid to speak up. Within a few weeks the owners decided to move their smoldering tar kettles away from the bedroom windows at night and stopped work at 3:00 pm. Finally, the corporation decided to stop the project and for the winter we had fresh air for the first time in months, but they were determined to start back up in the spring of 2009.
Meanwhile, she received a call back from the US EPA’s TASC manager who decided to approve a report and community presentation to the community for later in the year. As the TASC manager said, it would help bring validity to her claims that asphalt roofing tar is unsafe for the community. She found a place for the venue, worked with the TASC researchers and writers on the drafts for the report, made contacts with local government, the American Lung Association, the Sierra Club and created a petition receiving over 150 signatures.
Just a few weeks before the presentation funded by the US EPA, the manager of our complex found out who was behind the flyers and complaints she was receiving about the roofing by other residents and sent my wife a scathing letter which threatened her with criminal and civil charges for breaking the community rules and handing out flyers on private property. She told us to start looking for another place to live. That week, an article was published in the Sacramento News & Review as their head lead news story about my wife and her fight to protect the community and our family.
After that, and only one week before the presentation we received a “cease and desist” letter that was meant to keep my wife from advertising for the TASC presentation. Despite all of these baseless threats she kept her composure and organized enough volunteers to have a flyer placed on all 534 homes in our complex as well as many of the surrounding homes that were also affected by these toxic fumes. She was also successful in getting two out of three of the local news stations to cover the meeting and stood up to tell her story and ask those in charge of the roofing to change to a safer and “greener” alternative roofing method for flat roofs called TPO “cool” roofs.
Since that time, the owners have decided to exclude asphalt roofing tar from the possible choices when they finish the project. My wife now volunteers at the American Lung Association, spoke at the Healthy Air Walk and raised nearly $700 for clean air, all the while going to school to finish her Master’s degree and still being a great mom. She is now working to restrict the use of hot tar roofing in residential areas and on or near schools in California for good. Thanks for considering her for this award. She deserves it!!!”
Shelby's story was covered in the November 9th Issue of People Magazine.
Other Media Coverage:
Posted by Angie Gonzalez (Vera) on 11/28/2011 at 10:14 AM
Congratulations Shelby!!!!! Wow you inspire me. Your doing a wonderful job. Blessings to you and your family.
Posted by geranamine on 02/08/2011 at 03:38 AM
Congratulations to Shelby! It is wonderful to read about someone taking action for positive change. Clean air is very important to our health and the future of our lives.
Posted by Ellen McCaleb on 07/24/2010 at 04:02 AM
Thank you for running this contest and for sharing Shelby’s story with us. She is a perfect example of the power of ONE. One person to start something.
Posted by Alan on 06/15/2010 at 09:54 PM
What a amazing story. It is wonderful to read about someone taking action for positive change.
Posted by Foam Roofing on 05/28/2010 at 01:21 PM
First, I think what you’re doing is great. As consumers we need to be health concious, and we can’t just sit back and wait for the government to do it for us. We all need to take responsibility for ourselves and our children. And you, Shelby Rodriguez are an exceptional example to all of us! I just want to thank you for the work you have been doing and all the effort you have been putting into this. I can hardly think of a cause more worthy than our health and the health of our children!
I wanted to bring something up:
Your blog doesn’t mention foam roofing, or maybe better stated SPF / Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing. This type of roofing creates a seamless monolithic barrier on a roof. It’s a type of green, durable, lightweight, energy efficient construction, and it does not pose a health risk like many alternatives. Generally, it’s so light, it can safely be applied on top of an existing roof membrane, and this type of roof can last the life of a building. All this means, there’s less landfill created by this type of roof, and its safe as well as environmentally friendly. The energy efficiency also helps cut down on fossil fuel usage, since you’ll be cutting your energy needs from the local power-plant (and most power plants run on fossil fuels these days). I hope you’ll consider adding this type of roof as a recommended roof type.
Posted by Lin Le on 02/25/2010 at 01:37 PM
What an inspiration! One mom can really make a change! She is so courageous and a true role model. We need more of these stories to wake us up.
Posted by Lucy on 11/20/2009 at 06:23 PM
Shelby, my hat goes off to you!! You are one amazing woman!! It put a smile on my face to read your husband’s article. It is your perseverance, dedication and commitment that caused the tides to turn. You definitely took rejection after rejection and were threatened and made to feel like a “criminal” for stating your beliefs and fighting for your rights, but you did not let that stop you! You held strong to your convictions and in the end, you saved lives and changed lives!!! :) Thank you for taking a stand for so many who would not have had the courage to do so!! :)
Lucy Accardo
Mother of Four
www.MyKidsAreMyBoss.com
Going Green One Family At A Time
lucy@ahealthyworld.com
Posted by Shelby Rodriguez on 11/12/2009 at 11:59 PM
Hi, I wanted to thank all of you for your comments. It means so much to me to see that. It’s so surreal because when I was fighting this battle I felt like I was screaming “HELP US!!!!” into a crowded room and no one could hear me. Many times people who could have helped me decided not to out of fear of lawsuits or out of ignorance about the health effects of hot tar roofing. When I finally started to see the tides turn it was because of perseverance; my message had started to sink in to those who could help me win because I kept trying. I’ll never forget when my contact at the Air Quality District said that I had a “righteous cause” and I knew then that he would do all in his power as the governing agency to help. I’m sure all of you can find a righteous cause too—big or small and I’m looking forward to hearing more stories like this because I know you’re out there waiting to take action, ready to change the world one step at a time.
Posted by Carolyn Steigleman on 11/10/2009 at 10:22 AM
What a shining example of health advocacy on behalf of our children - go Shelby!
Posted by Renee Carlson on 11/06/2009 at 07:05 PM
Great work Shelby! Thank you!
Posted by Angela Adams on 11/05/2009 at 11:31 AM
Thank you for your efforts and courage, Shelby! And thank you to your husband for your nomination and being mindful and appreciative of you!
Posted by Josie Fermanian on 11/05/2009 at 10:28 AM
Wonderful story, we need more women like Shelby!
Posted by stephanie scher on 11/05/2009 at 10:18 AM
WOW shelby! you inspire me to do so much more for our world. I love your determination and courage to stand up for the right thing. you are amazing!! thanks for helping out world have cleaner air.
Posted by Bethany on 11/05/2009 at 09:15 AM
Inspiring, Shelby!! Thank you!
Posted by Tracie on 11/03/2009 at 09:40 AM
Amazing story! Give us “regular people” hope and confidence that we CAN make a difference.
Posted by LDC on 10/28/2009 at 04:32 PM
Congratulations to Shelby! It is wonderful to read about someone taking action for positive change. Clean air is very important to our health and the future of our lives.
Posted by Amanda Chawansky on 10/28/2009 at 01:27 PM
Congrats to Shelby—what a great inspiration!
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Posted by Mary on 05/11/2012 at 07:37 PM
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