Antelope, CA Nov. 1, 2009: Shelby Rodriguez of Antelope is featured in People Magazine for the week of November 9, 2009 on page 95 for her work to stop the tar roofing at The Arbors at Antelope, formerly Capehart Base Housing for McClellan Airforce base.
Healthy Child Healthy World, an Eco-child advocacy group, just named her their first annual Mom on a Mission. She was honored Oct. 28th at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills at a star studded event attended by Cheryl Crow, Jessica Capshaw, Amy Smart, Tommy Chong, Stephen Spielberg and more.
It was a yearlong campaign involving one woman fighting against a corporation. “The project went on for three years. I couldn’t sit by being a victim when my child was depending on me” said Shelby. The massive tar roofing project caused Shelby’s intermittent asthma diagnosis, nose sores, twitching lungs and nausea. “My daughter told me she had a sore throat, which was my first symptom too. That was what catalyzed my effort. My daughter is the reason I fought for a safer alternative”. By starting a petition, passing out flyers to her neighbors, writing and calling local government, filing complaints with SAQMD and getting help from the US EPA, she was finally successful in persuading the owners of The Arbors, the Carmel Partners, to switch to a safer, cost-effective, non toxic, and environmentally friendly alternative roofing method. The Mom on a Mission award for her work is “such an honor” she says. “It’s proof that positive changes can come to fruition. One person can make a difference. I am proof of that”.