CHN Member Spotlight: Cindy Haag, LM, CPM

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I am an East Coast transplant from New Jersey (exit 9 if you must ask). I currently live in Berkeley, a 3 block walk to the birth center where I work.  

What type of healthcare are you involved with?

I am a midwife.  I am the cofounder and director of Pacifica Family Maternity Center, a free-standing birth center that provides full spectrum midwifery care through pregnancy, birth and postpartum for the person giving birth and the newborn. It is a beautiful space if you want to come visit.

Was there a specific event or experience that caused you to become concerned about climate change?

Well, I didn't even know about climate change until Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” came out.  I try not to torture myself with thinking about where we might be today had he been president.  Since then I have been overwhelmed by the changes I have seen in the 20 years I have lived in the Bay Area.  

When and how did you become involved in climate advocacy?

Since I was a child my family and I have been environmentally conscious.  I have long been an advocate for decreasing single use plastic.  I wash and reuse plastic bags for vegetables until they are disintegrating.  It is much more recently that my focus has been on the climate crisis. 

I was telling someone that if I were not a midwife I would be a climate change activist and she asked me why I did not do both! CHN is my first real entry into doing this work.

Who inspires you to do this type of work?

My daughter Elia and all the nearly 1500 babies I have helped into this world. 

Are you working on any environmental justice projects currently?

At the birth center we are doing many things to decrease our use of plastic and to have a gentler imprint on the planet.  I am always happy to swap ideas with others.  I would like to keep working on supporting Sutter in their decarbonization, but it is hard from outside the system.  I am excited to work with my team with our projects through the Climate Health Organizing Fellowship!  

What do you do to recharge?

My daily yoga keeps me sane.  I love hiking and dancing (COVID safe, of course).  Playing with our 3 cats Ernie, Bert and Macy Gray reminds me of the importance of playfulness.  Daily Wordles in English and Spanish are a fun distraction.

What are two books that left an impact on you?

I am currently reading Active Hope by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone.  I find it helpful during this crazy and scary time.  Over the years I continually revisit all of Eckhart Tolle’s work and also find it soothing.