Boomer green teams
In its role as a community leader, The Dallas Foundation sought to identify an issue that would inspire baby boomers and positively affect the community. One area stood out as important to this group and critically important to future generations: the environment.
An array of questions emerged as a result of identifying this critical issue. For instance:
- Why is the environment important to the work of community foundations?
- How is the issue important specifically to Dallas?
- What makes the topic so interesting to baby boomers?
- Why has the issue become so important now?
The greening of community foundations
Environmental activism and leadership is emerging as a core value of community foundations. Since 1987, giving to environmental organizations has increased an average of 8.1 percent annually. Further, in the Foundation Center’s annual study of foundation grantmaking, the environment was one of two issues that showed the largest gain in funding.
The greening of Dallas
A national leader on environmental issues, Dallas is the number one municipal purchaser of renewable power in the nation, boasts the largest clean vehicle fleet of any city in Texas, and is the only pilot city chosen for the EPA’s Sustainable Skylines Initiative, whose mission is improving air quality. The city’s Green Dallas initiative is aimed at environmental responsibility and encourages public and private sector involvement.
The greening of boomers
40 million boomers in the U.S. are living “green”—that’s more than half of all baby boomers!
There is a prevailing attitude amongst boomers that they want to make the world a better place, and feel they have a responsibility to do so. Nearly one third of all boomers volunteer—the highest rate of any age group
Dallas boomers are younger
We learned through our Community Experience Partnership (CEP) assessment that Dallas has “younger older adults” than the national average. While most of our boomers are still working, they are generous with their resources and volunteer hours. They are also very interested in and concerned about environmental issues. This, combined with local government interest, committed program leadership through The Senior Source, and the national learning community of CEP, creates a powerful formula for success.
Partnership and planning
The Dallas Foundation actively pursues a role as community leader and convener, partnering with local nonprofit and government agencies to strategically think through ways to improve our city and benefit its citizens. For more than 45 years, The Senior Source has been working to cultivate the best quality of life for people over age 55 in the Greater Dallas area.
Together, we will plan and implement an environmental project aimed at engaging baby boomers as volunteers, and it will be housed at The Senior Source’s new office space—the first nonprofit green building in the city of Dallas.
Springing into action
As spring arrives in Dallas, the Boomer Green Teams Project has emerged as a new resource to address local environmental issues. After hiring a part-time coordinator, The Dallas Foundation and The Senior Source have recruited a planning group of environmental professionals and community leaders to discuss possible volunteer projects that will have a significant impact on environmental health and awareness in Dallas. Planning group members include: Garrett Boone, founder of The Container Store, and former Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher, both with Texas Business for Clean Air; Dallas city Council member Pauline Medrano; and representatives from the city of Dallas Mayor’s Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sierra Club, Dallas Social Venture Partners, the Texas Region C Water Planning Group, and Richards Partners. Projects may address one or more of the following concerns: waste reduction, water quality and use, energy conservation, neighborhood beautification, and clean air.
The Boomer Green Teams Project will be in full bloom this summer when the planning group, working with the team coordinator, will determine five to seven potential projects that will be both appropriate for volunteers to implement and have the potential of making a significant impact in Dallas. The team coordinator then will recruit boomer volunteers at work, through the media, and other venues, and these volunteers will select the specific projects for implementation. The whole experience will be participatory and hands-on, capitalizing on the volunteers’ experiences and viewpoints. We anticipate engaging 100 volunteers and will measure both the impact on volunteers as well as the impact on the community’s environmental health and/or awareness.
