Each month, we highlight a Super Volunteer of the Month, a member who has gone above and beyond to advocate for clean air and children’s health. Our members in states across the country are more important than ever as we work to preserve clean air and climate protections. Will you join us?

This month, we are celebrating Annette Luzius, mom of three and materials engineer, living in Sylvania, Ohio. She was nominated by Amanda Rowoldt, Moms’ Ohio Field Organizer.

It’s the rare person obsessed with home air quality. Annette has been thinking deeply about it since her days as a college student studying clothing technology. After earning her masters in textile engineering, she worked for more than a decade for a leading filtration company, tasked with, as she says, “filtering the useful from the harmful” in automotive and residential systems.

Then came motherhood. When she was pregnant with her first child 10 years ago, Annette researched furniture, paint, flooring, and baby products and learned about indoor air pollutants that can escape from all of the above into the air we breathe. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde, and other toxic chemicals, which can cause a range of potential health problems, from cancer to developmental disorders to hormonal and reproductive problems. Children and babies are the most vulnerable.

Annette began a serious search for low-emissions baby gear, quickly realizing there was very little public awareness around the quality of the air circulating through all our homes every day. Now, she is channeling her knowledge to engineer a whole-home filtration system that reduces pollutants not captured by the traditional henting, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in the majority of households in the U.S.

Tell Congress: Protect Our Families From Harmful Toxic Chemicals

Annette shared her journey with Amanda earlier this year when she reached out about becoming more involved in Moms’ work to reduce air pollution from petrochemical and plastics facilities across Ohio. An outspoken advocate for clean air in the home and local communities, she shared with us her story full of entrepreneurial spirit and hopes for a pollution-free future.

What makes indoor air quality so important—and difficult to improve?

We spend the majority of our time indoors, so the quality of that environment matters. I wish more people understood that. And having a good HVAC filter doesn’t mean you’ve addressed every possible indoor air issue. HVAC filters are primarily designed to capture particles, but gases such as VOCs require a different approach—like ventilation or gas phase filtration.

This isn’t always particularly convenient. There are portable air purifiers you can put in individual rooms to help address gases, or you can ventilate. But if you ventilate, your outdoor air could be polluted as well. When we had all the wildfire smoke this summer, you couldn’t ventilate your house. You couldn’t even see the sun anymore; it was so dusty out there.

Why is it so hard to raise public awareness about air quality?

Pollution is invisible a lot of the time, and you can’t even smell some particles in lower concentrations. You can’t see it, and you will probably not get sick immediately. It’s a slow process.

Have you experienced any personal victories in advocating for cleaner air?

There are so many things we can do to prevent respiratory health issues. For me, it’s simply getting people curious. I recently had a conversation with a pregnant woman about VOCs, and she said, “I’ve never thought about them.” Ten minutes later, she was asking all about where VOCs could come from in the kitchen, the baby’s room, furniture, and so on. That’s a victory!

Curiosity is the first step to exploring solutions for indoor air quality. As a new mom, I had so many things going on in my head, the last thing I wanted to worry about was the filtration system. So now I am looking into engineering a whole-house solution to get rid of VOCs. Maybe some families are happy putting an air purifier in the nursery, and that’s it. But the baby is not just living in the nursery. The baby is where you are, around the whole house.

What would your vision for a whole-home solution to VOC pollution look like?

It would be integrated in the HVAC system most homes already have—the rectangular air vents in the floor and the ceiling usually have a cover on top of them. You could put a filter in there with enhanced activated carbon to get VOCs and other gases out. The good thing is people won’t really have to think about it because every time an HVAC is on, the air will go through those filters. They’d last for months until you replace them. In the end, my hope is you wouldn’t have to discard the filter; you could send it back to be recharged. It wouldn’t go to the landfill.

This solution is noiseless, and it doesn’t steal your space, like a portable air purifier does. It just disappears into an HVAC system and does what it has to do to get rid of the VOCs in your home.

Any advice on talking to friends and family about air quality to inspire them to take action?

It’s just starting a conversation and meeting people at their level. When I was working at a filtration company, I was working with an artist, and he liked to spray paint in his apartment. I gave him a sensor that counted all the particles in the air. I asked him to put it in his room while he was painting and look at it from time to time. He was amazed at how many tiny particles were floating around as soon as he started spray painting. The next thing he did was rent another room to do his artwork because he was concerned for his pets—and he got himself a mask.

Tell Congress: Protect Our Families From Harmful Toxic Chemicals

Meteorologists are warning that 2026–27 is going to be a very wet and snowy winter in many parts of the country—and El Niño is to blame. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, which is part of the National Weather Service, announced in June that the anticipated climate pattern had arrived, and it’s shaping up to be historic—one of the strongest El Niños ever recorded.

This probably comes as no surprise to Californians, who have already seen drastic impacts. This summer and fall have been marked by record-breaking heat and major, unprecedented tropical storms—like Tropical Cyclone Rachel, which pummeled southern California beachfront earlier this month. Governor Newsom issued a state of emergency in September to prepare for an especially dangerous winter storm season.

Tell Congress: The Climate Clock Is Ticking. Act Now for Our Kids’ Future.

But before you stock up on rain gear and snow shovels, here’s a brief refresher on El Niño, including how the climate crisis impacts it and why it could bring wet weather to towns across the country. Visions of sledding through drifts of snow is the stuff of childhood, but extreme winter weather can take a toll on our health too.

What is El Niño?

Since this natural climate phenomenon only takes place about every two to seven years, you may not remember what it entails exactly. Or maybe you never knew. It’s formally called ENSO, which stands for El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Basically, it’s a cycle of warm (El Niño) and cool (La Niña) episodes that occur in the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño happens more frequently than La Niña. It’s marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures near the equator, but its effects can be felt far and wide.

Weather experts consider ENSO the most dramatic climate system the Earth has. One of the things ENSO alters is trade winds. Typically, on non-ENSO years, trade winds blow west along the equator and bring warm water from South America toward Asia. El Niño weakens trade winds and pushes warm water east while La Niña makes trade winds stronger than usual and pushes warm water toward Asia.

ENSO can globally impact rain, flooding, drought, wildfires, public health, economies, marine life, availability of freshwater, agriculture, and so much more. Typically, an ENSO episode lasts about a year, though some last longer.

What is the link between the climate crisis and ENSO?

Scientists say no two El Niños or La Niñas are alike. That said, historical weather data for climate researchers to study isn’t robust. This makes it tricky to understand how climate change has already influenced these natural weather cycles in the past and will continue to in the future. The atmosphere holds far more heat-trapping greenhouse gases than it did at the start of the Industrial Revolution, and it’s reasonable to say this has already impacted ENSO cycles. In upcoming years, ENSO cycles are expected to be stronger. This could mean heavier rainfall, more drought, and record high temperatures, depending on the region. And extreme versions of El Niño and La Niña events, which currently take place about every 20 years, will likely increase in frequency to every 10 years.

Extreme weather—hot and cold—can harm our health in a wide variety of ways. Heat waves can exacerbate air pollution, which in turn can result in asthma attacks, increased vulnerability to infections, and even lung cancer, heart attacks, and stroke. Air pollution is especially dangerous for babies, children, and the elderly. Heavy rainfall, storm surges, and dry and chilly air can all increase the transmission of diseases, including malaria and the flu. Drought can impact drinking water, agriculture, and air quality too. In extreme cold, blood pressure can spike, leading to heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. And we know extreme weather disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and superstorms are linked to depression, anxiety, trauma, and other mental health impacts.

So what does this have to do with upcoming snow?

Well, it really depends on where you live. El Niño tends to peak in December. In the United States, its influence is pretty weak in the summer but more apparent by late fall through spring. The current El Niño is forecasted to be strong through mid-2027. According to NOAA, “Typically, moderate to strong El Niño conditions during the fall and winter result in wetter-than-average conditions from southern California to along the Gulf Coast and drier-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley. El Niño winters also bring better chances for warmer-than-average temperatures across the northern tier of the country.”

If you’re not a meteorologist, chances are this still doesn’t answer why you might want to go skiing this winter. The Climate Prediction Center explains it this way: “You can think of the jet stream as a river of air, which carries more moisture and precipitation along the southern tier of the United States during El Niño. As a result, it is not surprising to see a stripe of increased snowfall … over the southern half of the country.”

Still, there is no guarantee that families in some of the places in the country where snow has been notably absent in recent winters are suddenly going to be busting out snowshoes for the commute to school. Climate change is of course a factor in the decline of snowy winters of late. As NOAA notes, “Snow is flakey.”

Tell Congress: The Climate Clock Is Ticking. Act Now for Our Kids’ Future.

This story is part of our series The Power of Moms: Stories of Intergenerational Influence and Climate Legacy.

Jon Batiste’s song “Petrichor,” released in 2025 on the album Big Money, was inspired by his family’s experience in Hurricane Katrina and the growing climate crisis. He has shared this publicly. But “Petrichor” was also inspired by his mother, Katherine, who went back to school to earn a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in environmental management from Tulane University when Jon was only eight.

Katherine spoke of this time in their lives while receiving Moms Clean Air Force’s inaugural Power of Moms Award at an intimate luncheon in Washington, DC, in late August. Jon was at her side. She had already been working in office administration in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve and wanted to do more. “I grew up in New Orleans and was very familiar with the environmental concerns, with the petrochemical companies and all,” she recalls. She felt she could be of service.

Going back to school and working full-time with two young kids—Jon’s sister, Kaleana, was 11—wasn’t easy. “It was kind of a struggle, but I was determined. When you have a will and perseverance, you can pretty much do what you want to,” she says, adding that her husband and her mother helped support her during that time.

She herself was inspired to go back to school by her own parents. “They set a good example, because they both were into social justice and helping communities. My dad worked for the U.S. Postal Service. And he was a union organizer, protecting the rights of others. My mother was a social worker.” After graduation, Katherine was promoted at the DOE. “I did pollution prevention, waste management, and policy,” she says. After 19 years at the DOE, she retired in 2016.

You never know what kids learn from environmentalist parents

Katherine says she knows Jon and Kaleana were watching when she went back to school. “I’m sure they felt proud of me.” Still, she adds, “You just never know what’s really going on in kids’ heads, what they’re actually paying attention to.” They implemented environmentally sound practices at home. Katherine also left environmental publications she was reading around the house for anyone else to pick up and learn.

No matter what her kids took in over the course of her career, Katherine says it’s always important to teach children to care for the natural environment. “They are the future caretakers of our planet. When children learn to respect nature, avoid pollution, and protect plants and animals, they develop habits that can help create a healthier world. A clean environment also provides clean air and water, supports good health, and ensures that our future generations can enjoy the beauty and resources of nature.”

When seeds bloom

Years later, when Jon first played his mother “Petrichor,” she says she was deeply moved. “I felt a sense of pride that he was using his gift to bring awareness to the environment.” A humble woman, Katherine, when gently prodded, does allow that maybe she had some influence on Jon, being his mom and an environmentalist.

Seeing Jon develop his own passion for protecting the environment, express it through a song he wrote, and use his voice to send an important message was incredibly meaningful. “As a mother, there’s no greater joy than seeing your child care about something so deeply and choose to make a difference.”

It was also meaningful to be given an award from Moms. She explains, “I was like, Oh my goodness, my heart. I felt so overwhelmed. I can’t believe I’m getting an award for environmental work. My heart felt so full. It was an incredibly special and emotional moment for me as a mother, as an environmentalist, and to share the stage with Jon.”

Tell Congress: Protect Families From the Plastics and Petrochemical Industry

Music is deeply ingrained in Latino culture. It’s emerged as a special way to connect the community to the environment. Across genres, generations, and geographies, Latino musicians have found ways—both subtle and explicit—to bring listeners closer to nature. It helps us understand how we’re shaped by the places around us and to think critically about environmental injustice and lack of access to clean air, clean energy, and a healthy place to live—a perfect conduit.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, here are seven musicians and bands merging music and environmental themes, on and off-stage.

Maná

Maná, the 12-time Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning band and first Spanish-speaking group nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, brings Mexican rhythms and messages of intergenerational justice to the global stage. They’ve written and performed songs all over the map. There’s one that honors legendary Amazon defender Chico Mendes and another that tells the story of an ant’s struggle for survival amid deforestation. Perhaps most notable is their 1992 hit “¿Dónde Jugarán Los Niños?” (Where will the children play?), which recalls a grandfather’s childhood memories of clean seas, clear skies, and abundant wildlife, all now lost to human-caused pollution.

In 1996, Maná turned lyrics into real-life action, establishing the Selva Negra Ecological Foundation to protect at-risk ecosystems and educate communities about safeguarding Mother Earth in Mexico and beyond.

Check out Maná on YouTube.

Bad Bunny

Through countless tracks, performances, and even fashion choices, Bad Bunny uses his platform to bring attention to climate disasters and energy justice in Puerto Rico, his home. His 2026 Super Bowl halftime show was a perfect example: 128.2 million people watched him climb a utility pole as flashes of electricity filled the air behind him. Blasting through the stadium was “El Apagón” (The blackout), a song he released alongside a documentary about Puerto Rico’s chronic power outages and the lingering impacts of climate-supercharged Hurricane Maria.

Check out Bad Bunny on YouTube.

Rubén Blades

Salsa pioneer Rubén Blades is a Panamanian singer and songwriter often credited with imbuing the genre with a social conscience through his commentary on sociopolitical issues at home and among Latinos in the U.S. His best-selling album and title track “Siembra” (Planting)—recorded with salsa icon Willie Colón—uses the language of nature to call on listeners to “plant” the seeds of a better future. The album’s opening song, “Plástico” (Plastic), takes aim at the superficiality of consumer culture, warning that the pursuit of material wealth can come at the expense of Latino cultural roots and authenticity.

In 2024, Rubén explicitly called for climate action with an original song for Black Butterflies, a film connecting global warming to stories of human displacement and migration. He has attributed his desire to care for the planet to his grandmother’s environmental consciousness. Fun fact: Ruben was the minister of tourism for Panama from 2004 to 2009.

Check out Rubén on YouTube.

Gloria Estefan

Cuban American pop icon Gloria Estefan channels her infectious, upbeat energy into messages of optimism and collective climate action. She speaks openly about climate change, particularly its negative impacts on her beloved hometown, Miami, Florida, while encouraging people to join forces for a better future. In 2023, she reimagined her world-famous hit “Conga” for the educational video “This Is Cooler,” made by the Aspen Institute’s This Is Planet Ed initiative. The resulting “Climate Songa” turned the dance anthem into a call to action.

This year, Gloria and her daughter, Emily, debuted Basura (Garbage), a musical inspired by young Paraguayans who transform landfill waste into instruments, at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Set in an under-resourced community drowned by pollution, the story highlights the community’s resilience and creativity, while raising questions about who bears the burden of society’s waste.

Check out Gloria on YouTube.

Pitbull

Also known as “Mr. Worldwide,” Pitbull played a significant role in bringing Latin music into mainstream pop. He has also brought climate change messages to global audiences. He released the albums Global Warming (2012), Globalization (2014), and Climate Change (2017) to spark conversations about the issue that transcends borders.

Beyond music, he became a Global Ambassador for the United Nations’ Clean Water Campaign in 2018, speaking out about access to safe water and the devastating impacts of climate change. In his statement for the UN’s World Water Day, his message was clear: Climate change can exacerbate both devastating droughts and flooding, and the health of our climate affects everyone.

Check out Pitbull on YouTube.

Natalia Lafourcade

Through a blend of Mexican folk, indie pop, and Latin alternative music, Natalia Lafourcade invites listeners to connect with the histories, memories, and emotions embedded in their environments. There’s “Soledad y el Mar” (Solitude and the sea) and “Pajarito Colibri” (Hummingbird). A more explicit ode to environmental-human reciprocity, “Tierra Querida” (Beloved land), celebrates the land that grows fruits and the people who steward it.

Natalia has turned these messages into on-the-ground action too. Following the 2017 earthquakes in her hometown of Veracruz, her foundation helped restore an important cultural center and birthplace of traditional Son Jarocho music. Her action was about healing community, cultural meaning, and the sense of belonging rooted in it, a theme central to her most streamed song, “Hasta la raiz” (Down to the roots).

Check out Natalia on YouTube.

SonTierra

SonTierra’s name carries a double meaning: “Sound of Earth” and “They Are Earth”—a fitting reflection of the band’s plea for the protection of the planet and each other. The multigenerational group, co-created by Artes Latinas and EcoMúsica, an initiative of Moms Clean Air Force’s EcoMadres program, brings together artists with roots in Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Panama, and Puerto Rico, blending musical genres and family-centered messages that resonate with the ethnically and culturally diverse Latino community.

At a time when Latinos face disproportionate environmental and health burdens, SonTierra shows how music and joy can be a powerful tool for bringing people together, sharing information, and inspiring action. This mission comes through in the song “Legado” (Legacy), which calls on parents and caregivers to protect the Earth for young and future generations: “Will you help protect this land?… I’ll inherit what you left me, may your legacy bring life!”

Check out SonTierra on YouTube.

Tell Congress: The Climate Clock Is Ticking. Act Now for Our Kids’ Future.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced last week at a closed-door conference of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association that EPA plans to weaken oil and gas methane pollution protections. Moms Clean Air Force members, who have advocated for strong protections from this known public health threat for over a decade, are outraged.

Celerah Hewes (pictured), Moms’ Senior Manager for Field Campaigns, calls this “a slap in the face to families who are exposed to oil and gas pollution where they live, work, and play” in a statement to Common Dreams. She also spoke at a rally outside the conference, which is covered by Santa Fe New Mexican.

Tell Congress: Hold Zeldin Accountable for Corrupting EPA’s Mission

Colorado Field Organizer Laurie Anderson also responded, telling Colorado Public Radio News, “Weakening federal protections would undermine progress—leaving frontline communities similar to mine unnecessarily exposed to dangerous air pollution.”

In the news

• Almeta Cooper, Moms’ National Manager for Health Justice, spoke with Black Press USA about the link between air quality and child health, noting that Black children live with disproportionately high rates of asthma.
• Lani Wean, Moms’ West Virginia Field Organizer, gave a powerful testimony at the West Virginia Public Service Commission regarding proposed rules meant to attract data centers. Her remarks are covered by The Inter-Mountain and Charleston Gazette-Mail.
• Lani Wean, as featured in Oil and Gas Watch, also spoke at a community meeting about the Clean-Seas Chemical Recycling facility and the dangers it poses to families’ health.
• Wisconsin Field Organizer Jayne Black sat down with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, warning that We Energies’ proposed natural gas plant could increase air pollution and cause respiratory health problems, particularly for children and older adults.
• Moms Clean Air Force was featured in Washingtonian for the Inaugural “Power of Moms Award” Luncheon at Marcus DC, honoring Jon Batiste’s mom, Katherine Batiste, for her environmental advocacy.
• Elizabeth Hauptman, Moms’ Michigan Field Organizer, was interviewed for MeidasTouch Network about how the Trump administration’s rollback of pollution protections endangers her son.

Honorable mentions

Over the last few weeks, Moms earned mentions in Clean Technica, Daily Caller, Earth.com, and EcoPortal.

Tell Congress: Hold Zeldin Accountable for Corrupting EPA’s Mission