Welcome to Green Seniors

The static "welcome" post below is followed by many more you can look up using categories in the left column.  The Green Seniors site and Joyce's personal writing as Greengranny contain many posts on gardening (urban, organic-inclined, etc), permaculture, and sustainable agriculture that are relevant to hunger.

Comments are welcomed on all posts and come into Joyce's email inbasket at once.  You may also write her directly at [email protected]. 

While we are not adding new posts to this site at the present time, we will continue to safeguard and maintain its contents for the future.

If you want to check up on Greengranny's personal blog, go to www.greengranny.org.

Thanks for all you do,

                                   Green Seniors                                           

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Green Seniors is based on the belief that there are thousands of people in the world who care about the natural environment, have some time to spare, and want to do something to try and fix the problems that we have created.

We know that global warming is real; it has been made far worse by greenhouse gases building up in Earth's atmosphere; and the burning of fossil fuels, the loss of our forests and many other human activities are causing this.  Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, stays in the atmosphere for up to 200 years.  Right now the oceans and soil are absorbing much of the excess carbon, but in a couple of decades these "sinks" will be full, and we will still be pumping ever more carbon into the atmosphere. Other gases like methane and nitrous oxide are making the problem even worse, and it will get worse...

The people of Earth must do everything they can, as soon as possible, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help nature to protect us from the consequences.  Every nation. Every state or city. Every village. Every home. Every person.

What does that mean?  We will explain in simple terms what we can do, show what other people are doing, and put people in touch with others who feel the same.

People everywhere are learning what they can do and doing what they can.  Retired persons ("Green Seniors") have a special opportunity to make a difference for future generations.  Visit this site often and get going!  Your grandchildren will cherish you for it.  An inhabitable world is the most important legacy we can give them.

The good news is that we can make changes to our lives and those of people around us, and there are technologies that can help us make those changes even more effective.  People and their governments, businesses, and organizations are waking up to the challenge - the greatest challenge humanity has yet faced.

But the time for action is growing short - we may only have a few years to turn things around.

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What Are Green Seniors?

Green Seniors have always existed. They are the people who, regardless of age, fight for what they believe. They are the people who see the way that our natural environment is changing for the worse and want to do something about it. They are the people who are a pain in the neck of authority, in fact of anyone and anything that operates in a way that degrades the environment for no good reason.

We are entering a new age of global environmental awareness, and this is affecting all of us, not just in what we see and read in the media, but also directly in the form of extreme weather, changes in animal populations, changes in crop patterns. Our lives are changing due to the inaction of the generations that came before us, and the malicious activities of those people in power whose interests meant that people were not told the true scale of the damage that was happening to our world.

There are 36 million people aged over 65 in the USA; in the United Kingdom there are 9 million; in Germany, 16 million; in Canada, 4 million; in France, 10 million. National elections have swung on a just a few hundred votes.

There is a very large group of people who have time to spare, and the motivation to change things for the better. They are the Green Seniors, and you could well be one of them, just by having taken the time to read this.

We at www.greenseniors.org believe that all that time and energy can make an impact where it is most needed, whether that be as an individual writing letters and informing friends or simply, and very importantly, lowering the impact of our way of life; people acting together in small community groups to raise awareness of environmental issues, and changing the behavior of large numbers of people; networks of people and groups spread across a large area, working together to ensure that state and national governments or multinationals are no longer able to get away with the terrible activities they have for so many years. In fact there is no limit to the number of ways that people can work together or alone – if the message is clear enough then things will change through your actions.

So tell the world that there is a way that everyone - whatever their age, whatever their ability – can reverse the damage we have done. The Green Seniors are coming.

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About This Web Site

This web site is designed to provide a hub for anyone interested in being a Green Senior, or who just wants to know more about the kinds of work that is being done, and needs to be done to move humanity towards a better existence - an existance that has a future.

<< On the left hand side are links to resources on the Green Seniors web site itself - articles, information sources, news items and essays on other sites run by the Green Seniors authors. This information keeps being added to.

>> On the right hand side are links to other web sites that we think are relevant and helpful in the effort to improve the state of the natural environment through effective action. Links can be added on request (see "About Us" for contact details)

The items below are from the Green Seniors Blog archive. Some of the posts are (like some of us) getting on a bit but are all still very relevant.

For monthly news about Green Seniors, our partners and the world in general, please sign up to the Bulletin via the link on the left.

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Comments

[Chris Bradshaw]

I am trying to get more seniors involved actively in the Green Party of Canada. I am a former party leader and former environmental-business owner (shared car ownership, or carsharing).

Some of the names for our group, offered by others at our biennial convention last August, are: 'Legacy Greens,' 'Sage Greens,' 'Grand Greens,' and 'Old Growth.' Or how about 'Grumpy and Green Grampas and Grandmas?'

I think the survey that suggested that the oldest generation is the one making the most personal effort to be green is not surprising to me.

Chris Bradshaw, 62, Ottawa, Canada

[Keith Farnish]

Sorry we took the name Green Seniors, Chris. Sadly we can't link to the Green Party, as we are politically neutral, but we certainly support the wonderful environmental consciousness raising that the Green Party has done worldwide, throughout the years.

Good luck with your campaigning.

Keith.

[sally shepherd]

I currently do whatever i can to not be fossil fuelish. if i had $15,000. my house would have geothermal. i make and run on biodiesel, and started the WVBiodiesel/Renewables Co-op at WVState U in Charleston WV. But 4 weeks ago i learned about an enterprise that will enable homeowners to Go Solar THIS fall 2007 without investing in a single piece of equipment. Any homeowner that lives in a state that has netmetering [all but 7 states] can sign up to rent an array of pv solar panels that will be configured to fit each owner's home and energy use. The homeowner "pays" the rent by paying for the kwhours produced by their panels at the same per kwh rate they currently pay the local power company for 'dirty' electricity.
i truly believe this could revolutionize energy in this country as 100,000 homes Go Solar this year and hundreds of thousands next year... with no investment in equipment, no installation or maintenance worries. please take a look and sign up to "Reserve Your System" at www.jointhesolution.com/solarenew and help me spread the word. i know this sounds like a commercial, but i see it as a huge step toward taking solar from "alternative" to mainstream. get your whole block or condo to "Panel Up"!
sally shepherd
sissonville, WV

[Keith Farnish]

Hi Sally

I like this idea - solar energy is far more "green" than biofuels, which are growing hugely in volume, potentially at the expanse of cropland, forests and even other renewable energy sources.

I have linked to your project from the Reduce3 blog (see Renewable Energy Leasing link) as Green Seniors doesn't post commercial links.

Good luck.

Keith

[jack greene]

For all you grandparents, check out the www.cnaturenet.org website. We need to get our grandchildren outdoors to explore, plant a garden, go fishing, etc.! The case was well made in Richard Louv's book "Last Child in the Woods".

[Keith Farnish]

Thanks Jack - I have added the link to our USA Networks section.

[Jane Ennis]

I would like to be active in the Green Seniors movement. I would like to ask if any other UK members are going to the Green Party (England and Wales) Conference in Swansea next month? If so, perhaps we could arrange a Fringe Meeting or something.

[Keith Farnish]

Hi Jane

Although Green Seniors is non-political, it doesn't stop fringe attendance at political events, and I would be very surprised if the Green Party conference does not warrant a Green Seniors presence. Please contact me on the listed e-mail address and I will put you in contact with some people I know, and may even attend myself!

Keith.

[Sissy Danninger]

With your permission and still hoping for your support I dare to repeat my message sent to you last January:

Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I just came across your new website I remembered my inefficient attempt to work for the abolition of European Summertime as one measure to mitigate climate change. Maybe you could consider supporting my petition to the EU:

http://www.petitiononline.com/sd197306/petition.html

Best wishes in any case,
Sissy Danninger

[ProfDon]

Getting Up To Speed:

Two weeks ago I joined Green Seniors and already I can feel myself getting off the dime. Using the list of Groups and Networks in North America I dropped in on the Sierra Club and found two likely spots where I might volunteer some time. The Cool Cities program offered one opportunity but on further investigation I found it was primarily geared to larger cities and since I live 'in the sticks' that didn't pan out. But then I discovered that there are many state organizations and I found my 'home state' of Oregon is broken up into 'groups'. The geographical area I live in is covered by the Many Rivers Group (how appropriate for a kayaker, eh?) so I got busy announcing my presence. First thing I did was dash off a few notes to local politicians urging movement on an important piece of legislation concerning Toxic Mixing Zones (whereby industries are permitted to dump untreated waste into our rivers, if you can believe that), but once that was done things seemed to stall out for a time. I received no replies to the notes I sent to listed officers of the group, so I tried the 'shotgun approach', writing to everyone who had an email address. Bingo! Finally got a response from someone who promised to forward my note to an 'active' officer.

The tattoo on my left shoulder reads: "It's Not Easy Being Green" and brother that's the truth. It takes a little bit of work, a lot of persistence. But I sense the rewards (in green terms) will be more than worth the effort. I'd sure like to hear from other members with their tales so all of us can benefit from the shared experiences.

Happy Greening!
ProfDon

[Keith Farnish]

Good work Don. It's been nice communicating with you - that kind of energy and determination is what is needed throughout the world.

Keep it up.

Keith

[Martha Harrison]

I currently do what I can to save/protect the environment and that is by using environmentally safe products. This is a small part but if more people would do this, it could become a big part in saving/protecting the environment. Not only that but it is better for mine and my husband's health. We are no longer inhaling harmful products.

Go Green!

[Seniors Community]

Seniors community refers primarily to retirement communities where seniors can live out their lives among other seniors with dignity and in most instances while maintaining their independence. There are many different types of seniors’ communities. They can be broken down into two broad headings: Residential, and Non-residential A residential seniors community can be further broken down into categories depending on the living arrangements.

[Alison]

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/the-great-green-con-labours-climate-measures-mainly-hot-air-1671051.html

Any comments or ideas? How do we stop the greenwash? How do we stop the resistance of the ordinary person?

Love the name 'Grumpy Green Grandparents' but we need to include the childfree too.

[monica munch]

I am a danish grandmother who will retire from my work at the end og 2009. therefore I want to revitalize my engagement in ecologicals way og living and fightings against pollutions og the air, the earth and the water.
I want to join green senior worldwide network and start a nordic group of seniors. How is that possible?
kindly regards from denmark
Monica Munch

[Keith]

Dear Monica

By using this web site you have shown that you are a Green Senior already. We don't have membership, but we do offer lots of advice that you can follow (see the "How To..." articles on the left hand side, and links to networks and groups you can follow. I think a Nordic group of Seniors would be an excellent idea, and we can help you - if you would like to write a short article requesting help and ideas (we are happy for it to be in any language you like) then we will post it here.

Please contact me by clicking here.

Kind regards

Keith

[ricardo alcos]

I approach as a novice. I've been encouraged to start a Facebook account and create a blog. I found your listing on Facebook and it seems to apply to my circumstances. I'm 76, soon to be 77. This is my first tentative step toward letting the world know who I am and what it is that I have to offer. Hopefully we can be of mutual benefit.

Ricardo

[Joyce Emery]

Ricardo, the world has never needed your help more than it does right now. We hope you will visit the Green Seniors site often and explore the additional major environmental sites in the left column, and the extensive lists of resource sites in the right column.

Please also sign up for the monthly Green Seniors Bulletin (scroll up/down till you see the Bulletin box in the left column of this page). Thank you for taking part!

[Andrew Radford]

Hi I am Andrew Radford, 63, Bristol, England. I am in year two of a Masters at University of Bath & my final project is all about engaging the Baby Boomer generation in climate change & green issues generally. I have started GreyandGreen.org.uk - do visit the blog/website to find out more. Maybe GreyandGreen.org.uk and Greenseniors can collaborate to get this movement really moving?

[Joyce Emery]

What an excellent topic for study and action!  Thank you Andrew for contacting Green Seniors, and we hope to look at your website and respond in a private email very soon.  I have been out of town on business and just returned.