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When Carmen Loiselle turned 60, she felt a sense of urgency.
“I realized I had 20 years, maybe 30 if I was lucky,” says the retired Canada Post worker.
What was she going to do with that time? Was there a way in which she could make a difference — for herself, and for others, in the last third of her life?
Loiselle’s self-questioning is common at 60-something, when there can be a lot of change, accompanied by a determination to make the most of it all. For many, the priorities become retirement, health maintenance (“aging well” is the current catchphrase), grandchildren and downsizing or moving elsewhere. It can be overwhelming to determine what to do, given the plethora of crises that dominate the news, demanding our action. How much energy should we put toward making a difference, and how much to devote to leisure, a personal passion or connecting with family and friends?
For Loiselle, that urgent sense led her to look around at the big, troubled world and to decide it was time to do something about her small part of it. That determination led to the start 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 centre to listen to a panel discussion with local environmental activists on topics including the federal government’s role in climate policies.
I was one of the people at that meeting, where I met Loiselle. I share her story because it’s instructive and inspiring; her goal isn’t to change the world, although that would be nice. Rather, Loiselle believes in taking small steps toward common goals — like protecting the environment — through compassionately connecting with others.
“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 connect with people, one at a time, it’s not going to be huge … but my goal going forward is to find common ground.”
Loiselle — whose career included work in the non-profit sector and as an English as a second language instructor — had always considered herself an “Earth advocate.” She had taken part in environmental demonstrations before, “but I’m not a protest-y kind of person.”
Somehow, writing letters to politicians (one of her go-to forms of action in the past) no longer seemed like enough. After she retired in 2020 at the age of 61, Loiselle looked into joining existing environmental groups in Edmonton, but found they were dominated by young people “which was wonderful, but they were all working and could only meet in the evenings.”
Noodling about on the internet for something to do with her peers, she discovered there wasn’t a specific organization in Edmonton that marshalled local seniors interested in climate action. Loiselle, a member of a Quaker group who also attends a Unitarian church, saw a niche that she could fill.
“I put out an announcement in February that I was going to hold a meeting and I also told some friends. Ten people came to the meeting, and we just kind of grew by fits and starts,” she recalls.
Working throughout the spring and summer, the small group organized a panel 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 take part. They put together snacks and drinks, printed up fact sheets and postcards. The night of the event saw a healthy gathering of concerned citizens, 57 of whom signed up to get more details of future action.
The night was a success; speakers were articulate and engaged and the room felt hopeful. But I wondered if Loiselle’s hard work and that of her group would end up paying off in a concrete way. Does anyone really listen to a group of seniors?
“In society, they say seniors don’t count anymore, but I don’t think that’s true,” says Loiselle. “We don’t have an axe to grind anymore. We don’t have to impress anybody anymore. We have more to say, and we vote more than any other demographic. And that’s what makes change.”
— Liane Faulder writes the Life in the 60s column. [email protected]