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When Carmen Loiselle turned 60, she felt a sense of urgency.

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“I realized I was 20 years old, maybe 30 if I was lucky,” says the Canada Post retiree.

What was she going to do with that time? Was there any way she could make a difference – to herself and to others, in the last third of her life?

Loiselle’s second-guessings are common at age 60, when there can be a lot of change, accompanied by a determination to make the most of it. For many, the priorities become retirement, maintaining health (“aging well” is the current slogan), grandchildren, and downsizing or moving elsewhere. It can be difficult to determine what to do, given the plethora of crises dominating the news and demanding our action. How much energy should we devote to making a difference and how much should we devote to hobbies, a personal passion, or connections with family and friends?

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For Loiselle, this sense of urgency led her to look around at the big, troubled world and decide it was time to do something about her small part of it. That determination led to the creation of a new group called Edmonton Seniors for Climate Action. The group held its first event earlier this month, under the national umbrella of Seniors for Climate and on National Seniors Day, when some 90 citizens showed up at a community center to listen to a table round with local environmental activists on topics such as federal government policies. role in climate policies.

I was one of the people present at this meeting, where I met Loiselle. I share his story because it is informative and inspiring; its goal is not to change the world, although that would be nice. Instead, Loiselle believes in taking small steps toward common goals, like protecting the environment, by building compassionate connections with others.

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“I learned a long time ago that the only control I have is my own thoughts, feelings and actions,” says Loiselle.

“So if I can continue to communicate with people, one at a time, it won’t be a huge deal… but my goal for the future is to find common ground.”

Loiselle – whose career has included work in the nonprofit sector and as an ESL teacher – has always considered herself an “earth defender.” She had already participated in environmental protests, “but I’m not the type to protest.”

Somehow, writing letters to politicians (one of his favored forms of action in the past) no longer seemed enough. After retiring in 2020, at the age of 61, Loiselle considered joining existing environmental groups in Edmonton, but found that they were dominated by young people “which was wonderful, but they were all working and could only meet in the evening.

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While searching the internet for something to do with her peers, she discovered there was no specific organization in Edmonton that brought together local seniors interested in climate action. Loiselle, a member of a Quaker group who also attends a Unitarian church, saw a niche she could fill.

“In February I announced that I was going to have a meeting and I also told friends about it. Ten people came to the meeting and we grew in fits and starts,” she recalls.

Working throughout the spring and summer, the small group organized a roundtable discussion as an inaugural effort. They found compelling speakers and invited other environmental groups – including Solar Alberta, Climate for Kids and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment – ​​to participate. They prepared snacks and drinks, printed information sheets and postcards. The evening of the event saw a gathering of concerned citizens, 57 of whom signed up to get more details on future actions.

The evening was a success; the speakers were clear and engaged and the room was full of hope. But I wondered if Loiselle’s hard work and that of her group would ultimately pay off in real terms. Does anyone really listen to a group of seniors?

“In society, we say that elders no longer count, but I don’t think that’s true,” says Loiselle. “We no longer have any interest to defend. We don’t need to impress anyone anymore. We have more to say and we vote more than any other demographic. And that’s what makes the change.

— Liane Faulder writes the column Life in the 60s. [email protected]

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