December 2019

Greetings! When I first heard about Elders Climate Action almost five years ago, I decided to sit in on a few virtual meetings to see if the organization was a good fit for me. I really knew nothing about the science of climate change and hadn’t even heard of Jim Hansen! I was a complete newbie but determined to take action for the sake of my grandchildren. When an ECA leader asked me what I could offer, I answered that I thought I could inspire and engage other elders to get involved. Our mission has been to build a MOVEMENT of Elder climate activists and I like to think that I’ve been part of that, by inspiring you to take action.  After all these years of hard work, I’m pulling back a bit, thrilled to see that a small cadre of activists has turned into a well-recognized movement. I want to invite those of you who have been on the sidelines to consider getting more involved. You’ll find new friendships, a sense of purpose and create a lasting legacy. This is the best gift you can give to the young people in your life this holiday season.

We'll see you in 2020! For the grandchildren, future generations and all life,

Margo Frank Co-Chair Communications and Marketing Committee

At the end of the year it is critical that we ramp up our fundraising efforts to keep Elders Climate Action alive into 2020 and beyond. This month you will see an uptick in our fundraising requests. Please give if and when you can. We appreciate all of our ECA members, regardless of your giving status. We only ask because we want to keep our movement going and growing. Don't forget Giving Tuesday is Tuesday December 3rd -- set aside Black Friday & Cyber Monday this year and celebrate Giving Tuesday instead!

Get INSPIRED

Congrats to Hazel in Arizona! ECA Member and AZ Chapter Leader Hazel Chandler was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sierra Club Arizona in Phoenix, AZ on November 17. We are very proud of Hazel and grateful to her ongoing dedication and commitment to preserving a livable planet for our grandchildren, future generations and all life. Thank you to the Sierra Club Arizona for acknowledging one of our elders for a lifetime of dedicated action.

Hazel was also recently featured on The Not Old Better Show Inside Science Series (Podcast) hosted by Paul Vogelzang. Listen to the full interview with Hazel here.

Can we brag a bit? Our ECA Chapters are having an Impact on their communities This year was very busy for ECA's chapters. Not only have we more than doubled the number of chapters, our chapters have begun to focus on a number of critical issues and climate action opportunities within their communities. Although there are too many accomplishments to list, here are a few highlights we are especially proud of: Ann Arbor Area : Our chapter is continuing to work on our composting project. In addition we co-hosted the Carbon Neutrality Town Hall and a viewing of the film Paris to Pittsburg . Arizona : AZ has been busy! We hosted five Faces of Climate Action Town Hall Meetings across AZ, co-hosted AZ Environmental Day at the State Capitol, were a partner of Climate Strike AZ, have been texting & door-to-door canvasing for Elders Promote the Vote. We co-hosted a Katharine Heyhoe event and one of our leaders was asked to join the AZ House Climate Caucus. In addition we tabled at a number of events, presented at numerous meetings and are working with local partners to plan events in 2020. Florida : The chapter hosted its first meeting in September. We supported the Youth Climate Strike in September, and our Co-leader, Sue Blythe hosted a youth plaintiff from Our Children’s Trust / Florida on November 19 on Welcome to WE! Show with We, the World. Heartland:ECA's newest chapter! The Heartland chapter held our first meeting of the Chapter in November and our second meeting is planned for December. We initiated efforts to increase awareness and exposure, attended and voiced concern at a statehouse meeting of the 21st Century Energy Policy Development Task Force, attended Hoosier Environmental Council's “Greening the Statehouse” Conference, and participated in a Statehouse demonstration on a Redistricting Initiative which is critical to climate friendly representation. Maryland/DMV: We proudly participated in the DC Climate Strikes, we organized and participated in MSNBC interview during our Climate Strike preparations, and we've been attending FireDrill Fridays with Jane Fonda.In addition DMV members joined with Bob Yuhnke to meet with Congressional staff to discuss the need for a transition to all-electric vehicles by 2030 (from the Transportation Sector policy drafted for US Climate Action Network by ECA Member Bob Yuhnke) Massachusetts: ECA Mass participated in the Boston Climate Strike, we hosted an Elders Promote the Vote training for chapter members, and we hosted a presentation by Gilbert Metcalf, national expert on carbon pricing. In addition we are conducting ongoing education of legislative staff and members on sound policy principles for climate action. NorCal: NorCal Hosted a full day Elders Taking Action on the Climate Crisis event in September in Berkeley, CA, and participated in the San Francisco Climate Strike. We host monthly meetings, produce a newsletter and have been working to support the formation of other chapters in CA. Also, our Facebook and Instagram presence are growing quickly! There's no doubt that ECA is beginning to gain momentum at a national and local level! See a full list of our chapters in the Chapter Directory on our website or apply to start an ECA Chapter in your area.

Join Fridays for Future at the December 6 Climate Strikes On Friday, December 6 we will again rise up in a unified, global climate event and strike for climate action around the world. Our youth are calling on us to step up and stand alongside them. Let’s all join together with neighbors, co-workers, friends, family and go out onto the streets to make our voices heard and make this a turning point in our history. Learn more or RSVP Now ! As we get closer to the climate strikes ,  more local information  will  become available as events, actions, and strikes are planned  and Fridays for Future will be sharing them on Brightest. To search for nearby actions, visit the  search tool   and our  climate action map . To organize, list, or promote your climate strike or event on Brightest, sign up  here .

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 .

Get INFORMED

Climate change has adverse effects on children’s (and grandchildren's) health Have you been seeing the recent headlines? Here's an excerpt from a November 18 article in Contemporary Pediatrics by Cheryl Guttman Krader. "The climate crisis is affecting everyone, but no group has more at stake than children. That was the key message of Debra Hendrickson, MD, at the recent American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2019 National Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her talk, “A burning house: Children’s health in the warming world,” addressed conference attendees during the plenary session on Monday, October 28." Read the full article in Contemporary Pediatrics To learn more about the health effects of climate change on Elders click here to download our PDF infosheet.

Are you looking for gift ideas for your Grandchildren? Check the Books for Kids page in our With Your Grandchildren Section of our website. We've created a list of wonderful books that help kids learn about climate change and help you learn how to talk about climate action with them.

Get ENGAGED

Find more ways to take action in our Take Action with ECA Section of our website.

Are you an AARP Member? Sign the AARP Petition We’re calling on AARP to join the conversation about Climate Action. Add your name and demand AARP’s action! Sign the Petition

Elders Declare a Climate Emergency We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Climate Mobilization Project , Elders Declare a Climate Emergency. YOU CAN HELP your community declare a climate emergency. If your community has already declared a climate emergency, help it take the next steps toward climate action.

LEARN MORE

ECA National Call 4th Tuesday of Each Month National Call will be on Hiatus October - December 2019 We will resume Monthly National Calls in January.

Join Us for Climate Tea & Talk 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 Next Call - December 10 6:00 PM (ET) | 3:00 PM (PT)

Join Us for an ECA 101 for New Members Call Join our monthly call to learn more about the mission, vision and action opportunities at Elders Climate Action. Special Dates for the holidays December 23 5:00 PM (ET) | 2:00 PM (PT) RSVP Here Learn more about Upcoming Events Here

Help us continue to build programming, events and opportunities for Elders to get engaged and take action on climate change. We need your contribution to continue to provide you with the tools and information to amplify the voice of Elders on climate change. We cannot do it without you!

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