"I suppose that I'm like a mama grizzly — when somebody threatens my cubs, I'm going to respond defensively," she says. "That's really how all of us are in the group. We're raising awareness and we hope that we make people angry. It's unacceptable to have sewage spilling into the streets and it should be the same with our air."

Cherise and her Utah Moms have met with the governor several times, and they're working on an extensive ad campaign outlining large and small ways that we can all make a difference.

If that doesn't work?

"I hate to even go there," says Cherise with a sigh. "If we don't clean things up, people are going to want to move somewhere else, myself included." We need to work together, she says, to ensure that every day is a "green alert" day.

For more information, go to utahmomsforcleanair.org.

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