Rebecca Watts Hull, a small woman with a thoughtful face and kind eyes, waits outside despite the dark clouds looming above the Atlanta skyline. As I approach her, I am greeted by an eye-twinkling smile as an introduction. Naturally, we begin discussing the weather, yet the conversation quickly evolves to where she is from, where I am from (neither from Atlanta), and then the city of Atlanta and, of course, the awful smog that encompasses it for much of the year. Director Hull is the head of the program, Mothers and Others for Clean Air, as well as a mother, herself. Mothers and Others for Clean Air focuses on educating the public about the pollution problem as well as finding solutions to the dilemma. Rebecca, as she always signs her correspondences, is truly a caring, sensible mother who is using her knowledge and love for teaching to make a difference in the environment and the lives of others.
Now, we delve more into Director Hull’s background. She has always been interested in the environment but started off dealing with wildlife and species conservation. Eventually her love for education led her back to environmental education after she realized how little the general public actually knew about ecology. After living all over the world, including Uganda and Tanzania, and working in the Peace Corps she started a family and began to want to get more involved here in Atlanta. That’s when the opportunity in Mothers and Others for Clean Air presented itself. She remembers, “I was torn between wanting to do environmental work and education. How do we educate the next generation and how do we educate the public?” And Mothers and Other for Clean Air had a clear focus for both of these goals. Director Hull’s background, including her knowledge and humane compassion, seemed to have prepared her perfectly for the head position of this company.
Sitting there during the interview, I recall the last time I saw Rebecca. She had brought her daughter with her, due to a busy schedule, and set her up with her daughter’s favorite book and a snack before kindly sitting down to inform us about her program on a couch in a coffee shop. “Coincidentally,” she puts her hand on her chin and reflects now, “I had started having respiratory problems a few years after we moved here and my daughter has the same issues.” Even though her daughter’s problems were not too serious and have faded, she pauses with pursed lips before bringing up how it is very easy for her to empathize with parents whose children are not as fortunate and have developed more permanent problems such as asthma. With a somber expression and eyes focused in the distance, I learn that she is pleased to be a role model to children so they can see that adults are actively trying to solve the problem. Not many people could juggle the responsibilities of being a mother and running a small company successfully yet Rebecca makes it seem effortless.
Presently, Rebecca is in charge of Mothers and Others for Clean Air and is the only staff member. When asked about the program’s main goal, her mere manner of replying illustrates her interest in education. She moves her hands in a very matter-of-fact manner while stopping to clarify concepts in more details without even being asked. Explaining that Mothers and Others for Clean Air really has two interconnected goals, Director Hull describes how they really want to get air qualities to healthy levels as well as inform the public of the consequences to poor air. Rebecca works to reach these goals by collaborating with American Lung Association of Georgia, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Georgia Conservancy, Emory Rollins School of Health, Georgia PTA, and more. She runs her fingers through her hair and modestly claims, “I couldn’t do what I do without them.” In the environmental business, a person has to stay hopeful for the future health of the city in order to stay productive, and that is exactly what Director Hull does. Mothers and Others partnership has a plan for the next few years but is also relying on the general public making a difference. The personal change does not have to be big, just one thing, one choice as Rebecca explains it. Through a smile and squinted eyes she acknowledges, “Parents have less than zero time”. She of all people would understand this. Which is why takes the time to make sure she is direct and to the point in the newsletters and information sent out, which all include sections of exactly what readers can do to help. As the questions continue, Rebecca keeps her sense of humor, taking a jab at the poor set up of the Georgia Tech dormitories. She relaxingly shifts her body and laughs aloud before returning to her usual, direct eye contact and an expression of eagerness to tackle the next question we have for her.
Walking away from my meeting with Director Hull, I felt as if I had just learned mounds of information about Atlanta’s infrastructure and the environment without even realizing it. Easygoing and practical describe Rebecca completely. There was never a response she gave without first pausing to let it sink in then ponder how she would address it. It was truly as if you could see the wheels turning in her mind and when she gave her response you knew why. They were always open-minded and incredibly informative, not to mention the compassionate tone her answers often took when discussing children or those without access to reasonable transportation. Overall, meeting with Director Hull was a pleasure and I can only hope that there are many others out there like her, making a difference in the community.
Profiling Atlanta's Transportation 