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Become an Advocate for the Environment
Joyce Emery, co-founder of GreenSeniors.org, says that baby boomers in the developed countries have experienced a period of phenomenal economic growth. We enjoy a lifestyle that people in developing countries strive to emulate, but this lifestyle is environmentally unsustainable. We are leaving a terrible legacy to our grandchildren, unless we show leadership in reducing our own impact, and actively encourage government and industry to do likewise.
Joyce says that many boomers who did not have the time to be active in their communities during their working lives, can do so in their retirement by joining local organizations working on interesting projects. She says boomers can also show leadership with their money by adopting new "green" technologies, and introducing them to others.
When Joyce retired, she searched the Internet, but was not able to find an environmental organization that she wanted to join. She found other people like herself who were searching for ways to leave the world in better shape for their grandchildren, so she worked with a partner to create GreenSeniors.org, to help link retirees to environmental causes.
She recommends joining organizations in the broader community, rather than organizations for "seniors", because most advocacy organizations are not age specific.
Joyce finds some people her age are uncomfortable about becoming activists, worried what their neighbours will think if they write letters to newspaper editors or politicians. In her experience, nothing bad has come of being an environmental activist, instead many good things have happened.
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