Dear Climate Friend,
When Older Americans Month was established in 1963 by President Kennedy, there were only 17 million Americans who aged 65 or older. Today there are an estimated 95 million people over the age of 55 with 48 million of those over the age of 65.
Each year, Older Americans month is designated as a celebration of the contributions of elders. This year the theme,
Connect, Create, Contribute
, encourages elders and their communities to:
- Connect with friends, family, and services that support participation.
- Create by engaging in activities that promote learning, health, and personal enrichment.
- Contribute time, talent, and life experience to benefit others.
Communities that encourage the contributions of elders are stronger! By engaging and supporting all community members, it is clear that elders play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhoods, networks, and lives. That is exactly what Elders Climate Action provides with the primary focus on climate change. We are a community of elders contributing to preserve the planet for future generations. Older Americans Month celebrates YOU the elders who connect, create and contribute for future generations.
Thank you for all you do for the grandchildren, future generations and all life,
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Co-Chair, Elders Climate Action
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Thank you to all who gave for Earth Day
Your Generosity Helped Us Reach & Exceed Our Goal of $2019 in 2019!
Your Gifts Totaling $2165 will support ECA's effort to mobilize elders and take action on climate change
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Register Now for the Spring Into Action 2019 Webinar Series - COMING SOON!
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May 2
Crystal Chissell
Let's dive into climate solutions in this webinar with special guest Crystal Chissell, Vice President of Operations and engagement at
Project Drawdown.
Project Drawdown is the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming.
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May 16
Robbie Orvis
On this webinar Robbie Orvis will guide us through designing
climate
solutions
through
policy
and
innovation
. Robbie is Director of Energy Policy Design at Energy Innovation, where he works on the firm’s
Energy Policy Solutions
and
Power Sector Transformation
programs and is co-author of Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy.
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May 30
Youth Climate Activists Panel Discussion
Join us for this special opportunity to hear from our youth climate allies working with iMatter, The Climate Reporter, the Sunrise Movement, Our Children's Trust and Zero Hour.
Together we can amplify the urgency through immediate intergenerational action on climate change.
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Did You See ECA in the USA Today?
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Published 9:24 a.m. ET April 23, 2019
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A special Thank You to Ben & Jerry's Foundation for a small grant award of $1000 to help ECA continue to build upon our mission.
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The Spring issue of Elders Action Network's Turning Point Journal is now available!
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This special issue features Poetic Reflections on engagements with nature by Elders Action Network members.
We invite you to reflect alongside these authors on perspectives that
encourage our awakening to the next level of self-awareness and connection to all life.
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Please share this journal with others who might enjoy the conversation by forwarding this email with a personal note. They can receive notice of future issues directly by signing up under the
Subscribe
tab on the Journal website.
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Tell us what you have been doing for climate action. Send a 150 word (max) summary of what you've been doing and we'll share it in a future newsletter. Send to
info@eldersclimateaction.org
.
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Elders In Action: Mendocino County, CA
by Margo Frank
A little over a year ago a group of ECA members living in Mendocino County, California initiated the formation of Climate Action Mendocino, a local grass roots group. The devastating fires of the past few years have awakened our community to the reality of climate breakdown. We have had a number of successes over the past year but our greatest one is an example of how powerful a group of Elders can be.
Our group has been collaborating with local environmental and climate activists to push for our county Board of Supervisors to create a Climate Action Advisory Committee that will develop a plan for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience. The Board unanimously approved this in March and is now working closely with community members to develop the structure to move forward.
When Elder climate activists partner with others, we build a strong grass roots movement that can affect change at the local level. While change hasn't happened overnight, our local group is growing, building partnerships and becoming a visible and respected force.
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Did You Know?
New York City passed the #GreenNewDeal4NYC — landmark legislation to reduce New York’s carbon emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 that is being billed as the largest mandated pollution reduction bill in any city in the world
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Elders In Action: Encourage the Switch, A Simple Request for My Dentist.
By Geri Freedman
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At least once a year I visit the dentist and go home with a little plastic gift bag containing some goodies - a toothbrush, toothpaste and some other dental samples. When I get them home I take out the contents and am left with the dreaded plastic bag. Do I throw it away or save it for some other use, only for it to eventually end up in a landfill?
I decided to encourage my dentist to re-think the plastic bag and
he did!
Instead of plastic goodie bags he has switched over to beautifully designed paper bags.
Perhaps that does not seem so significant but here's some numbers. My dentist estimates he distributes about 20 goodie bags per day. That translates into approximately 5,200 less plastic bags per year that no longer go into the landfill. There are 13,000 dentists in the state of Florida, if they stopped providing plastic bags it could potentially translate into 67,000,000 less plastic bags per year. Imagine if dentists throughout the country switched over to paper goodie bags. In 2015 the CDC estimated that there were almost 200,000 dentists in the US. My dentist has committed to taking this idea further than his practice and he will propose switching from plastic to paper bags in dental practices far and wide.
I encourage each ECA member to ask your dental practice to switch from plastic to paper. Imagine the number of plastic bags that will not end up in a landfill and the impact this
simple change could make.
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Elders in Action: From Maryland ECA Member, Nina Beth Cardin
A healthy environment is a fundamental right for all. It is not a privilege reserved for some. Neither is it a discretionary good that can be traded away in the name of “growth” or “economic development”. True progress is enduring progress - built upon an economy that works for all and grounded in a healthy environment. Which is why Maryland is seeking to create a constitutional provision that asserts the right of every Marylander to a healthy environment. Constitutional provisions confer the strongest legal status provided by law, and we are seeking to write this one into our Declaration (Bill) of Rights. It would create a ‘gold standard’ of protection, promoting environmental and public health and erecting a strong defense against major environmental degradation. This amendment would make the State the legal trustee of the State’s natural resources on behalf of all its residents, and empower Marylanders, local communities and the State to enforce these rights. Moreover, it would contribute to the creation of a renewed attitude toward nature – one in which we understand that nature is an essential component of any thriving civilization and as such it deserves our respect and protection. Even awe. And Maryland is not alone in this effort. We are part of a budding national movement,
https://forthegenerations.org
, designed to assist every state to secure such rights. For information about our work, and how to join us, contact Nina Beth Cardin
field@mdehn.org
.
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SAVE THE DATE: C
alling all Elders - Join Us!
Mark your Calendar and Join us July 10-12 for Elders Climate Action Day & Play-In with Moms Clean Air Force.
The Elders are headed back to Washington, D.C. We hope you will join us July 10 for Dinner and Lobby Day Training with Moms Clean Air Force; July 11 for an intergenerational Play-In at our nation's capitol and Congressional Visits with Moms Clean Air Force; and we'll finish off on July 12 with Elders Climate Action Day. Come celebrate intergenerational climate action with us.
Bring your children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to the Play-In!
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Next EPTV Orientation Training Calls:
April 30 - 6:30 PM (ET)
May 9 - 2:00 PM (ET)
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National Call will be on hiatus in May.
Our next National Call will be
June 25
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Join Us for Climate Tea & Talk
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Join us for monthly casual climate conversations and talk with other elders about the climate issues, solutions and strategies that matter most to you.
Second Tuesday of Each Month
6:00 PM (ET) | 3:00 PM (PT)
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