On Friday December 9 2011, Professor Kate Auty, Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, launched our COTA (Vic) Green Sages Environmental Legacy Statement at ‘The Barn’ Collingwood Children’s Farm.

Climate change and the ageing population are two of the most important challenges facing governments around the world today. In Australia, little work has been done to look at climate change issues from an older person’s position. Nor to reduce the economic and social impacts on those that are vulnerable.

 

Are you concerned about climate change? 

Do you want to make a real difference but don’t know what to do next?

COTA believes that senior Victorians have an important role in:

• responding to climate change and its impact both on themselves and future generations
• supporting and taking action to reduce these impacts and
• talking about climate change impacts on older people:
  • in any group, club, church or organization to which they belong, and
  • when in contact with local councilors, state & federal members of Parliament

COTA wants to hear from you on climate change issues :

• What environmental legacy do we want to leave future generations?
• What will be the biggest impact of climate change on us and our way of life?
• What is the most useful action we can take to cope with the effects of climate change?

 

 Click here for a Green Sages flyer.  If you belong to a seniors group tell us what you think about the impacts of climate change on older people. Contact John Lawrence on 9655 2139 for further information or email consumers@cotavic.org.au.

Become a Green Sage

At COTA we believe that senior Victorians should take a lead: 

• to assist each other to build their resilience and their community’s capacity to reduce and cope with the effects of climate change
• to help identify those most at risk to the effects of climate change
• to share their knowledge and wisdom on climate change issues with others.

 

A Green Sage is a senior Victorian who:

• is or would like to be involved in a community group or action which is working towards decreasing the impact of climate change, and / or
• will play a leadership role by talking about the impact of climate change on older people, and /or
• is prepared to share climate change information with other seniors. 

Much is happening now in the COTA ‘Green Sages’ space. Green Sages is a project funded by the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability and designed to provide her with recommendations for managing the impacts of climate change on older Victorians in a report due 31 December 2011. Green Sages is also a continuing COTA initiative enabling senior Victorians to share ideas and support action on climate change and related environmental issues.

You can participate in the Green Sages Project and Initiative NOW by:

• Registering as a Green Sage to receive the monthly newsletter,
• Completing the ‘Green Sages Three Questions’ Survey by requesting a copy from John or by visiting the Green Sages pages on the COTA Website www.cotavic.org.au; or
• Registering to participate in the events listed above.

If you are a Victorian senior interested in becoming a Green Sage Leader or finding out more, contact John Lawrence on 9655 2139 for further information or email consumers@cotavic.org.au.

Or click here for the Expression of Interest form. You can return the completed form by email, or print, complete and mail to John Lawrence, COTA Vic, Level 4 Block Arcade, 98 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 3000.

COTA’s 2010 Seniors Conference  – Climate Change & Older People -

 One hundred senior Victorians came together at  the Seniors’ Conference in November 2010. The theme of Climate Change & Older People was both topical and a call to action for all attendees. Click here for more…

From a young person’s perspective       

For a young person’s perspective on the Green Sages Environmental Legacy by Genevieve Stewart National Grassroots Support & Co-ordination, Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC).