Green Grannies (and Grandpas) Unite!
I caught an interesting BBC article today about widespread environmental concern/interest among seniors (here and abroad).
In fact according to a UN World Environment Day poll last year (cited in the article), seniors are the most eco-friendly demographic in the UK!
I found this really interesting and somewhat surprising to be totally honest. I guess I’ve always assumed that younger people would be more concerned about environmental matters just given the fact that it’s our generation (and all future generations) who will be dealing with the fallout from all the environmental harm thats been inflicted by humanity.
There are however some interesting points raised in the article that make a lot of sense.
…”Younger people are so focused on getting ahead financially, on keeping up with expectations of what it is to be successful. Older people realise there is more to life.
I can totally relate to that statement. Even with my renewed passion for environmental matters I still find myself thinking a lot about financial success and related concerns. Luckily I’ve never been one to worry about ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ so that helps me stay somewhat grounded.
I’m also a big supporter of the idea of ‘eco-capitalism’, and truly believe that earning a decent wage and helping the environment are definitely not necessarily mutually exclusive.
Other reasons for environmentalism amongst seniors (mentioned in the article) include the increase in free time, and of course concern for children and grandchildren. Perhaps there is even a feeling of responsibility amongst some of the older crowd. ie ‘we messed it up for you so now we’ll try and help fix the problem’. That is just speculation on my part however.
Not surprisingly, there are even websites geared towards the older eco-crowd.
A site called GreenSeniors.org recently launched to help connect environmentally-minded seniors in the US and UK and looks to be an excellent resource regardless of your age.
One of the founders of Green Seniors, Joyce Emery, also writes for a blog called Green Granny. I actually came across this blog a little while ago and have been meaning to write a post about it.
Anyway, I encourage everyone to check out the BBC article: Never too old to save the Earth
As a somewhat ‘younger’ person, it was inspirational to learn that concerns for the earth’s future weigh heavily even on the minds of those from an older generation. In fact, from the sounds of things, us ‘youngins’ really need to start pulling our own weight a little more!
Technorati Tags: seniors, green seniors, environment, activism, climate change, global warming
Written by Bentley on January 15th, 2007 with
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