What Eco-Elders Are Up To
I’d like to share a few vignettes of folks who use their years collecting Social Security in eco-elegant ways. To me “retired” sounds like you’re used up and useless. No! We have graduated.
Ravella Torres volunteers at the SOJA Thrift Store in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Her motivations include raising money for the Sierra Joint Office on Aging and “seeing people happy.” She says, “You can really look sharp if you shop at a thrift store. These are places for finding something you didn’t know you were looking for.” Ravella was a florist in an earlier life. Now she is part of the circular economy.
In the wake of professional careers in the Washington D.C. area, Laurie and Ross Huber moved to a new home in rural southern Virginia. “We built the house for ourselves but wanted to share it with others willing to learn.” The basic structure was custom designed and prefabricated. This included eco-features such as a centrally-located water heater, generous insulation, tight construction, a much smaller than normal heat pump, and minimal on-site waste. The project was a collaboration with Adam Cohen who was starting up a company that became Build SMART of North America. Adam has gone on to prefabricate eco-friendly structures ranging from tiny houses to multifamily housing.
Before Annette Mills and David Eckert moved across the country to their Corvallis Oregon home, they contacted local activists to see how they could help. That precipitated a meeting to set up a local network to communicate and collaborate in creating a sustainable community. Forty people attended! And the Corvallis Sustainable Coalition was formed. Annette has helped lead the coalition for some eighteen years. One of their projects facilitated a cooperative solar electricity project physically located atop a local brewery. David tends the coalition’s portfolio of reclamation projects. Example: The barren property of a high school was transformed into a native plant arboretum and riparian (stream side) recovery zone – with the help of teachers, students, and local landscapers. “We’ve probably done about a hundred years of soil development in ten years.”
Joanne Scudder taught for 38 years with the Cleveland (Ohio) Public School District. Now she is Director of Sustainability for the Cuyahoga County Fair. In that role Joanne – and a few dozen folks she inspired – brought a 262 foot tall wind turbine to the fairground. That turbine is a surplus Vesta V-39 from Europe. Now it is the centerpiece for the Sustainable Energy Center on the Fairgrounds. Now thousands of people, young and old alike, get a visceral feel for the energy of the future. Besides, the windmill generates $50,000 a year in revenue for the fairgrounds.
Pat Wartinger of Henrietta, New York, also “retired” from teaching. With grandkids off doing other things, Pat helped found Color Henrietta Green. See that story here.
For my part, after leaving my work as energy efficiency program manager at Bonneville Power Administration, I participated in Portland Oregon’s Village Building Convergence. We helped create community-friendly cob benches and tiny homes for otherwise houseless people. Later I joined the Compassionate Earth Walk along the proposed Keystone XL pipeline route. Meanwhile my wife Willow and I transformed our lawns into food forests, and we eco-remodeled our home. All of the above became grist for my two books about sustainability.
Dr. Harry (Rick) Moody has a PhD in gerontology; he was a vice president of the American Association of Retired People (AARP). Rick recently published Climate Change in an Aging Society which highlights case studies of “eco-elders.” He also e-mails a weekly newsletter with the same title. Rick inspired me to write this blog article.
Some 90,000 members of the over-sixty crowd have joined Third Act. Among other things, these folk engage legislators (and candidates), utilities, banks (and their credit cards), and insurance companies. Working Groups across America are linked by affinity (educators, faith, union…) or geography. Third Act Tennessee is part of a coalition challenging Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to build eight methane (“natural gas”) power plants. Members of the Third Act Texas provide public comment relating to LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) exports and proposed utility commitment to natural gas power plants. Third Act Oregon is part of a statewide grass-roots effort to support community-based electrification that is powered by renewable energy. Third Act Creatives are creating an on-line gallery which will support other Third Act Initiatives. We have power when we choose to use it.
The evening I left my day job, my wife Willow said, “Now your income is separate from what you do.”
I’ve heard that one quality of an elder is putting the needs of the community ahead of your own. The world needs those of us who have graduated from “employment” to embrace our current responsibilities as crew members on Spaceship Earth.
Bio:
This article is adapted from Jon Biemer’s book, Our Journey to Sustainability: How Everyday Heroes Make a Difference. Jon is registered as a professional Mechanical Engineer in the state of California and a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists. He is also the author of Our Environmental Handprints: Recover the Land, Reverse Global Warming, Reclaim the Future. Both books can be purchased from on-line booksellers. His website is www.jonbiemer.com.
