“I want to feel like I’m doing more to help make the world a better place than just turning off the unused lights in my house.”

Those were the words of Cornwall’s Natalie Wren recently, describing why she is a founding member, and the current ‘team leader’ of the Cornwall chapter (Hudson Highlands) of Mothers Out Front, is a national climate justice organization that advocates for a livable climate for kids.

“I found them several years ago when I was looking to do something, but really wanted to jump on somebody else’s bandwagon,” Wren said. “Climate change is such a deep concern of so many, especially people, like me, with little kids.”

But wait. Don’t let the name fool you. Mothers Out Front is not just a group for moms.

“This movement comprises over 35,000 supporters in 40 communities across the country, with several teams across New York State,” Wren explained, noting that the local chapter has members who are not moms. “We are made up of community members -- moms, dads, caregivers, and non-parents alike -- who are deeply concerned about the climate crisis and know it’s time to take action. We seek climate solutions and policies that benefit our community, and we hope to be a resource to our local leaders.”

Mothers Out Front was, however, founded by two mothers from Massachusetts. The national organization has a staff that helps organize chapters, as well as point local chapter members to areas where help is needed in their region. Campaigning for local, state and national level political candidates who support similar environmental positions and educating people about the environment – “what hurts and what helps it” are also pillars of the organization.

The Hudson Highlands team was established in Cornwall in September 2024 – with just three members -- and is now one of the movement’s fastest growing chapters, Wren said, with 25 members from Cornwall and the surrounding area.

If you watch or attend local municipal meetings, you may already be familiar with some of their ideas. For instance, they’ve lobbied the Cornwall Central School District and its Board of Education to push forward on using electric school buses. They’ve spoken with the Cornwall Public Library Board about installing solar panels at the library. They’ve also asked both the Town to update zoning and building codes to require reduced carbon and particulate emissions, and investment in clean, renewable energy, and hope to do so at a Village Board meeting soon.

They’re very interested in the plans for the soon-to-be constructed hotel on Main St., hoping that it will be a “zero emissions” building.

Sarah Miles Smiley, a senior organizer for Mothers Out Front, says the Cornwall chapter of Mothers Out Front is already having an impact in New York State.

“I was thrilled when Natalie decided to start a Hudson Highlands Mothers Out Front team, the first team in the region west of the Hudson River, and I have been inspired by how quickly the team has grown - a testament to the dedication of its leadership and members,” she said this week. “They take on strategic campaigns that align with Mothers Out Front’s priorities to promote sustainable schools and to move our communities off fossil fuels to renewable energy. Through their work, they are also building community and supporting each other to take on leadership, which is at the core of how we build the local power we need to preserve a livable climate for our children.”

Mothers Out Front members in Cornwall have met with state representatives Assemblyman Chris Eachus and Senator James Skoufis’s Chief of Staff Emma Fuentes, because while their hope is to help the greater Cornwall community make an impact locally, they know there are state issues that will eventually – or already have – trickle down to Cornwall.

The group members are not trying to be a thorn in the side of local leaders, Wren stresses. “We want to give them information to help empower them.”
She continued: “We’re doing a little bit of everything right now! I see our work as having two pillars. “First is to support our local community with sustainability-focused events like our Christmas toy swap and our upcoming spring sporting goods swap. Second is to engage in local and state campaigns that affect climate policy.”

The history of this area is not lost on Wren and other group members.

“I see Mothers Out Front as having a brilliant future for the Hudson Highlands region, and I am excited to continue the legacy of the modern-day environmental movement, which started right here at Storm King Mountain in the 1960s,” Wren said.

Specifically, in 1962, a 17 decades-long legal battle began that launched a nationwide environmental movement. Consolidated Edison Company proposed building a giant hydro-electric plant on the Hudson River at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall. It took until 1980 for ConEd to give up the fight and donate the land purchased for plant construction to be used as a park.

“I believe that climate change is the most critical challenge of our time and that our kids are among the most vulnerable populations affected by a polluting fossil fuel industry,” Wren said. “As a mom I believe it’s my responsibility to advocate for my kids’ future and for the world that they’re inheriting.”

She’s thrilled that others feel the same way.

“As team leader, I have been humbled by the brilliance of my team members and by the broad interest in Cornwall residents for climate action,” she said.

Mothers Out Front Hudson Highlands meets on the third Sunday of each month at Cornwall’s Munger Cottage – although, note that April’s meeting will be on a different date since Easter falls on that third Sunday. You can find out exactly when they’re meeting by following their Facebook page (Mothers Out Front Hudson Highlands).

You can expect to see group members at various established upcoming events, like Earth Day at the Hudson Highlands Nature Center and Cornwall-on-Hudson’s RiverFest. You can also watch for events they are planning, like a second kids’ toy/sports equipment swap (set for May 17), clothing swaps, and a Repair Café.

“We’d love to grow our number of members,” Wren said. “We all know the old saying, many hands make light work!”