Wendy Green:

And welcome to the Hey Boomer show.

Wendy Green:

The show for those of us who believe that we are never too old to set another goal or

Wendy Green:

dream a new dream.

Wendy Green:

My name is Wendy Green and I am your host for Hey, Boomer.

Wendy Green:

Today we're going to be talking about climate activism and we will be looking at it

Wendy Green:

through the lens of collaboration between generations.

Wendy Green:

Coincidentally, the IPCC, which is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,

Wendy Green:

it's the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

Wendy Green:

Has released a new report today.

Wendy Green:

And at 2:00, they are going to be live streaming a press conference to go over their

Wendy Green:

findings in that report.

Wendy Green:

And so I learned about this two ways.

Wendy Green:

My guests told me about it a few days ago, and I heard about it on NPR this morning.

Wendy Green:

So maybe it's not a coincidence that we have Samuel and Frances on Hey, Boomer today.

Wendy Green:

Samuel Rubin co-founded Yay!

Wendy Green:

Impact, a social impact agency rooted in the power of grassroots community organizing and

Wendy Green:

storytelling and the Hollywood Climate Summit, an international annual gathering

Wendy Green:

that fosters multigenerational and youth led, story driven efforts to showcase

Wendy Green:

environmental action in the entertainment industry.

Wendy Green:

Samuel was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, and he began producing films to ignite

Wendy Green:

positive change.

Wendy Green:

He has overseen campaigns such as Can You Hear Us?

Wendy Green:

For Hulu's I Am Greta Show, a documentary and previously youth v gov on Netflix.

Wendy Green:

Samuel is active in the film and TV industry and has been included in the 2022 Greatest 50

Wendy Green:

Fixers list for his role in flipping the script on climate change within Hollywood.

Wendy Green:

He also received the CoGenerate Innovation Fellowship for his intergenerational field

Wendy Green:

building with the Hollywood Climate Summit.

Wendy Green:

Frances Stewart is a physician, a retired US Navy captain and a veteran climate

Wendy Green:

campaigner. She serves as the co-chair of the Education Committee for

Wendy Green:

EldersClimateAction.org. She is a chapter chair and mentor for Climate Reality and the

Wendy Green:

policy director for Climate Action Now.

Wendy Green:

She is an EnRoads climate ambassador and an environmental voter project volunteer.

Wendy Green:

Francis is very much the scientist, and I look forward to hearing both perspectives as

Wendy Green:

we go into this show.

Wendy Green:

But before I bring them on, just a couple of things that I wanted to mention.

Wendy Green:

I want to invite you to the Boomer Banter.

Wendy Green:

The Boomer Banter is a monthly gathering that we get together as a community to talk

Wendy Green:

about topics that are of interest to everybody in the in the boomer community.

Wendy Green:

We laugh, we connect.

Wendy Green:

We share insights.

Wendy Green:

We have conversations.

Wendy Green:

We go into breakout rooms to have intimate conversations.

Wendy Green:

We come back to the main room and it meets monthly on the third Tuesday of every month.

Wendy Green:

So the next banter is going to be tomorrow evening from 630 to 730 Eastern Time.

Wendy Green:

And we look forward to inviting all of you to join us.

Wendy Green:

So if you're interested in becoming part of the banter, it is a membership group and I am

Wendy Green:

giving you the opportunity to join us at no cost this Tuesday if you'd like to try it

Wendy Green:

out. So just drop me an email at Wendy@HeyBoomer.Biz and I'll send you the

Wendy Green:

private link to our Zoom meeting and you can have a fun conversation.

Wendy Green:

Oh, we're talking about humor.

Wendy Green:

That's what we're talking about. Tomorrow.

Wendy Green:

Okay, one more thing.

Wendy Green:

I met somebody this weekend who is looking for a kidney donor.

Wendy Green:

Now, I have a cousin that received a kidney from a stranger because they just felt like

Wendy Green:

that was the right thing to do.

Wendy Green:

And the person I met, Adam Lough, is also looking for somebody who might graciously and

Wendy Green:

feel driven, whatever feel led to donate a kidney.

Wendy Green:

If you think that you might be interested in finding out more, finding out if you might be

Wendy Green:

a qualified donor for Adam, you can email kidney4Adam@gmail.com.

Wendy Green:

And we would all be very grateful, obviously.

Wendy Green:

But Adam, more than any of us, for him to find the kidney that he needs to continue

Wendy Green:

living a a healthy life.

Wendy Green:

So that's kidney4Adam@gmail.com.

Wendy Green:

Okay. And with that, I am going to bring Samuel and Frances on to the show.

Wendy Green:

And thank you very much for joining us today, Samuel and Frances, I'm so glad to

Wendy Green:

have you here.

Frances Stewart:

It's great to be here

Samuel Rubin:

Thank you for having us.

Samuel Rubin:

Yes.

Wendy Green:

So I mentioned that the ICC has just released their report.

Wendy Green:

And Samuel, you said you had had a chance to look at it.

Wendy Green:

Would you give us, without getting too technical, a brief overview of what we could

Wendy Green:

look for in this report?

Samuel Rubin:

Yes, absolutely.

Samuel Rubin:

And I want to also emphasize that the IPCC report in itself is the result of a making

Samuel Rubin:

collaborative process among hundreds of scientists and climate experts from all over

Samuel Rubin:

the world, some of them who have years of experience, decades of experience.

Samuel Rubin:

So the process in itself is also very intergenerational.

Samuel Rubin:

And today's assessment release is the sixth chapter chapter.

Samuel Rubin:

So to say that they have released in 2018 and the IPCC report is not theoretical, is

Samuel Rubin:

very factual, is very practical, and it's a compilation of all the different scientific

Samuel Rubin:

findings that the group of scientists have located all over the world.

Samuel Rubin:

So for this release, the biggest highlight is that we are running out of time to make

Samuel Rubin:

sure that we save the planet and avoid the collapse of many different species that right

Samuel Rubin:

now are in risk of extinction.

Samuel Rubin:

It's not a positive headline.

Samuel Rubin:

It's unfortunate that human events and actions have taken us where we are right now,

Samuel Rubin:

but there is still a small fraction of opportunity to revert the current course.

Samuel Rubin:

Since the beginning of the century, according to the report, temperatures have

Samuel Rubin:

risen already 1.1.

Samuel Rubin:

And as we all know, we have to make everything we can to avoid exceeding the 1.5

Samuel Rubin:

degrees increase right now, according to the report that is expected and projected to

Samuel Rubin:

happen in less than ten years.

Samuel Rubin:

If we keep at the current pace, which is why we have to do everything possible to reduce

Samuel Rubin:

emissions and change the energetic supply.

Wendy Green:

Thank you. And I think that's the you know, I don't think I know that's part of the reason

Wendy Green:

I wanted us all to get together today as an intergenerational conversation, because, you

Wendy Green:

know, it can't just be the boomers or the older adults that are doing the work.

Wendy Green:

It can't just be the younger people that are making the noise.

Wendy Green:

So, Frances, tell me about your work and how this has been an intergenerational effort to

Wendy Green:

try and save our planet.

Frances Stewart:

A lot of the work that I do, although not all of it, is with elders, climate action and

Frances Stewart:

elders. Climate action is nationwide in the US and we do a lot of work that's

Frances Stewart:

intergenerational. One of our key partners in that is Moms Clean Air Force.

Frances Stewart:

That gives us an opportunity to work with with parents because their dads and moms

Frances Stewart:

clean air force to and with kids of all ages.

Frances Stewart:

The youngest child I've worked with so far was 18 months old.

Frances Stewart:

So did some advocacy up on the Hill with a advocacy team with two two

Frances Stewart:

moms on 18 month old to high school students and to members.

Frances Stewart:

So we made quite a team.

Frances Stewart:

But there are lots of opportunities.

Frances Stewart:

You know, when we have a college student intern to work with, when we are working with

Frances Stewart:

with with local groups, there are lots of opportunities for collaboration there.

Frances Stewart:

We also collaborate with groups through us.

Frances Stewart:

Can the US Climate Action Network and there are all sorts of groups in US can, but youth

Frances Stewart:

are very well represented in that and that gives us a lot of opportunities to do things

Frances Stewart:

like during COVID, it was difficult for people to do things like the Fridays for the

Frances Stewart:

Future Strikes and particularly that was a concern for elders who were going to be more

Frances Stewart:

susceptible to serious COVID infections.

Frances Stewart:

So we were one of the groups that did the shoe strike where you basically put out shoes

Frances Stewart:

to to represent the people who would be out there filling those shoes if it wasn't for

Frances Stewart:

social distancing from COVID.

Wendy Green:

Mm That's that's interesting.

Wendy Green:

I hadn't heard of that one. Samuel you've done a lot of work.

Wendy Green:

Co generational work, and that's why you kind of got this fellowship.

Wendy Green:

Can you tell us some about what your work has been focused on?

Samuel Rubin:

Yeah, well, I think I'm currently 27 and I grew up as a child actor, so since I was very

Samuel Rubin:

young, I always was surrounded by older folks.

Samuel Rubin:

And later on I started producing at age 16.

Samuel Rubin:

So I had to leverage those multi-generational relational skills to fund,

Samuel Rubin:

develop and get support for the projects and initiatives that I was involved.

Samuel Rubin:

And so for over a decade, I have been supporting various youth led organizations in

Samuel Rubin:

the entertainment industry with the aim of uplifting, diverse creators and equip them

Samuel Rubin:

with the tools and resources to distribute and create their stories.

Samuel Rubin:

And I think that that process in itself needs to be inherently intergenerational and

Samuel Rubin:

it needs to uplift and raise awareness of our environmental crisis and why this affects

Samuel Rubin:

all of us. And it's an intersectional issue that is interconnected with so many other

Samuel Rubin:

issues and themes that we so deeply care about, like gender justice, racial justice

Samuel Rubin:

and so forth. And so as a social impact producer, I specialize in leveraging the

Samuel Rubin:

power of storytelling, in activating and educating and mobilizing audiences for

Samuel Rubin:

different issues, including climate action.

Samuel Rubin:

But that wouldn't be possible without the use of intergenerational efforts and the

Samuel Rubin:

support of so many organizations who are bringing age diverse communities together,

Samuel Rubin:

like Cogenerate, which provided me with a research fellowship and a cohort with another

Samuel Rubin:

14 amazing individuals of all ages, many of them who have been in your show who are doing

Samuel Rubin:

various initiatives with the aim of improving social justice, improving social

Samuel Rubin:

impact with the use of intergenerational strategies.

Wendy Green:

So why do you Think it has been such a challenge to bring the different generations

Wendy Green:

together? The climate crisis affects all of us and and yet it seems like.

Wendy Green:

You know, there's there's there's blame going on on each from each end of the

Wendy Green:

generations. What what do you think is some of the challenges and how do we overcome

Wendy Green:

those? Francis, do you want to start?

Frances Stewart:

I think part of it is that there's so much going on that people who are, you know, aware

Frances Stewart:

of, of social and environmental issues may find it hard to to know where to start or

Frances Stewart:

where to focus.

Frances Stewart:

And then there are a lot of people of all generations, but particularly older people

Frances Stewart:

who just are focused on their day to day lives sometimes because their day to day

Frances Stewart:

lives are are very difficult.

Frances Stewart:

They're having health problems, financial problems, you know, a whole host of things

Frances Stewart:

sometimes just because that's what they're used to doing, that maybe they thought that

Frances Stewart:

when you got to a certain stage in life, that's what you did.

Frances Stewart:

So that helping people expand their horizons a little bit and also finding, you know,

Frances Stewart:

things that they can do because it's pretty easy to look at the state of the world and

Frances Stewart:

go, okay, this is totally hosed.

Frances Stewart:

I think I'm going to play pinnacle or hide under the bed.

Frances Stewart:

But to, you know, come up with things that, you know, will make a difference and that are

Frances Stewart:

practical and people to do them with that.

Frances Stewart:

No individual I don't care if you're Bill Gates or the Dalai Lama or the secretary of

Frances Stewart:

the U.N. or Joe Biden or whoever.

Frances Stewart:

No one person or no one very small group of people could possibly solve the climate

Frances Stewart:

crisis. But, you know, many of us together and it doesn't have to be anywhere near

Frances Stewart:

everybody. I mean, the certainly the data we have on social movements suggests that about

Frances Stewart:

maybe 3.5% of people, which is a lot of people, but that's a whole lot less than

Frances Stewart:

100%. That small percentage can make a huge difference.

Wendy Green:

Yeah. And you know, I'm sorry to hear you say that A lot of people feel like they can't

Wendy Green:

make a difference because that's a lot of what this show is about, you know, finding

Wendy Green:

ways to make a difference and I think being involved.

Wendy Green:

So, Samuel, what do you see as some of the challenges of bringing the generations

Wendy Green:

together to talk about climate, which is our issue today?

Samuel Rubin:

Yes, I think that, you know, intergenerational dynamics are challenging

Samuel Rubin:

because they replicate the power structure that we are familiar with.

Samuel Rubin:

I mean, we all in this planet have parents that is not a single person in this planet

Samuel Rubin:

that hasn't had, you know, biological parents.

Samuel Rubin:

And even if they don't have a traditional familial structure, they will see someone as

Samuel Rubin:

a paternal figure or even the lack of thereof will cause an intergenerational

Samuel Rubin:

dynamic that is unique.

Samuel Rubin:

And same with educators.

Samuel Rubin:

You know, the majority of us have been schooled by teachers who are of different

Samuel Rubin:

ages. And so there is a lot of studies that prove that when we when we think of

Samuel Rubin:

intergenerational dynamics, our relationship with our parents, our relationship with our

Samuel Rubin:

educators greatly influence and impact, how are we going to be able to cooperate with

Samuel Rubin:

different people of all ages throughout our lifetime?

Samuel Rubin:

And then that happens again in the workplace.

Samuel Rubin:

It happens again in community organizing, and we replicate and mirror some of the

Samuel Rubin:

behaviors and impulses and unique traits that we have developed in that regard.

Samuel Rubin:

And I think that I know that because I had a great relationship with my grandparents and

Samuel Rubin:

because I always like my first romantic partner, was way older than me.

Samuel Rubin:

Like there is a lot of unique life traits that definitely made me more flexible to

Samuel Rubin:

intergenerational cooperation, But I also know that that's not a perfect and smooth

Samuel Rubin:

process. And and a big example of that is, for example, as in regard to accessibility

Samuel Rubin:

and inclusion, I'm hard of hearing.

Samuel Rubin:

I have a 57% hearing loss and that also causes my speech to be impaired.

Samuel Rubin:

And, you know, when I show up to a lot of community spaces and I require accommodations

Samuel Rubin:

such as closed captioned, such as other, you know, if I'm in a physical event sitting in

Samuel Rubin:

the front, etcetera, I realize that, you know, that is something that is very

Samuel Rubin:

intergenerational in itself because 70% of people over 65 are going to have some kind of

Samuel Rubin:

disability. And so when we talk about intergenerational complications, it also

Samuel Rubin:

spaces that are not accommodating folks with disability.

Samuel Rubin:

It's also the patronizing and the invalidation of young people of any age not

Samuel Rubin:

knowing what the struggle, what the effort is behind someone, sustained movement.

Samuel Rubin:

And I think in the climate movement, to wrap up my thoughts, there is a tendency right now

Samuel Rubin:

to project the idea that, oh, Greta Thunberg is the only climate activist.

Samuel Rubin:

And I say that, you know, having done the impact campaign of Greta Thunberg documentary

Samuel Rubin:

the whole point of can you hear us and why the name of the campaign is Can you Hear Us

Samuel Rubin:

is because there is so many more people other than just one individual, one young

Samuel Rubin:

climate activist.

Samuel Rubin:

And even if one climate activist rises to the occasion is because it is doing so on the

Samuel Rubin:

shoulders of so many generations that came before to fight for clean air, for clean

Samuel Rubin:

water, and so many other human rights, like, for example, the civil rights here in the

Samuel Rubin:

United States. We wouldn't have, you know, the the different constitutional amendments.

Samuel Rubin:

Women wouldn't have the vote today if it wasn't, because so many folks who are, you

Samuel Rubin:

know, historically involved in so many different social movements.

Samuel Rubin:

And that's why intergenerational lessons learned are essential in order to carry on

Samuel Rubin:

their legacy.

Wendy Green:

Yeah. And from my perspective, you know, I was very involved as a young woman in several

Wendy Green:

different areas of of our society.

Wendy Green:

And I love being around the passion of the youth that they bring to the movements, you

Wendy Green:

know, and they they're at least there's a belief that we can make a change, we can make

Wendy Green:

a difference. And I and I want to see that more in the like elder climate action and the

Wendy Green:

older organizations that are trying to make a difference.

Wendy Green:

So I think, yeah, I'm excited about that.

Wendy Green:

So so let's talk about some ways that people can make a difference.

Wendy Green:

I think you mentioned about the international the peace accords and what

Wendy Green:

you're seeing there. David asked about international cooperation.

Wendy Green:

So what are some of the things that we can do as as individuals, but also as part of

Wendy Green:

groups that we can do to make a difference?

Frances Stewart:

I think there's so many possibilities that no one's going to do everything.

Frances Stewart:

No one should even try to do everything.

Frances Stewart:

But they range from, you know, things in our, you know, in our homes, like for people

Frances Stewart:

in the United States with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, you know, there's a

Frances Stewart:

huge push to electrify buildings, electrify homes.

Frances Stewart:

That's extremely important in fighting climate change.

Frances Stewart:

Um, and you know, the tax credits.

Frances Stewart:

And for lower income people, the tax rebates are going to make a lot of things possible to

Frances Stewart:

make our homes more energy efficient, to get rid of old fossil fuel appliances and replace

Frances Stewart:

them with modern, more efficient, more effective electric appliances.

Frances Stewart:

Um, you know, lots of changes that we can make.

Frances Stewart:

Um, you know, in our own homes and our own daily lives.

Frances Stewart:

But, you know, going beyond that, if I had only one thing to do, I would say vote.

Frances Stewart:

This is an election year for most people, but voting is really fundamental.

Frances Stewart:

And also finding, you know, one or more groups that you feel like you can work with.

Frances Stewart:

It might be something through your church.

Frances Stewart:

It might be a professional group.

Frances Stewart:

I spent most of the last couple of days in a conference of medical professionals concerned

Frances Stewart:

about climate change.

Frances Stewart:

It might be people in your neighborhood.

Frances Stewart:

There are many, many possibilities.

Frances Stewart:

And then taking action as a as a group that could be something very public like going to

Frances Stewart:

a protest, but it could be emailing your congresspersons, your local representatives,

Frances Stewart:

your governor about, you know, the changes that you want to see them make and what your

Frances Stewart:

priorities are.

Frances Stewart:

Um, you know, a lot of is just learning.

Wendy Green:

What's Francis I just put something up the third act.org you mentioned they're doing a

Wendy Green:

protest tomorrow or action.

Frances Stewart:

Tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day of action and they're going to be about 50, at least 50

Frances Stewart:

actions across the country.

Frances Stewart:

I haven't checked the map since last week.

Frances Stewart:

As soon as I pop up at the last moment.

Frances Stewart:

And those are actions that are big enough that people submitted.

Frances Stewart:

Some people will be doing something in their own yard or in their own house.

Frances Stewart:

Um, but third Act is a organization that Eldridge Climate Action works with, closely

Frances Stewart:

organized by Bill McKibben, who many of you may know has been working on climate change

Frances Stewart:

for many, many years.

Frances Stewart:

Um, and for people 60 and older.

Frances Stewart:

And a lot of their focus is in getting moving money away from investing in fossil

Frances Stewart:

fuels. So what will be happening tomorrow for the day of action is targeting for the

Frances Stewart:

big banks. Citibank, Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo that have the biggest

Frances Stewart:

investments in fossil fuels and asking them to move their money out of that into more

Frances Stewart:

productive uses, things that are better for the environment and for society.

Frances Stewart:

That'll be done in a lot of different ways.

Frances Stewart:

I'm living right outside of DC, The big day of action in DC.

Frances Stewart:

In about 36 minutes the vigil will start.

Frances Stewart:

There's going to be a rocking chair vigil with 50 painted, rocking chairs in front of

Frances Stewart:

these four banks and there will be people there rocking and maybe rolling until 2:00

Frances Stewart:

tomorrow afternoon.

Frances Stewart:

Um, so there also will be more typical sorts of things, like there'll be a prayer service

Frances Stewart:

tomorrow, there'll be an interfaith walk, there'll be a rally, there'll be a march,

Frances Stewart:

there'll be, you know, big puppets and music and chalk art.

Frances Stewart:

And although this is very much a organized by third act, we're hoping and expecting

Frances Stewart:

there will be people, you know, of of all ages there, because this is not just an issue

Frances Stewart:

for people over 60, but it's a great opportunity for people over 60 to get

Frances Stewart:

involved. And we also have a very cool rocking chair.

Frances Stewart:

Rebellion shirts, I think still available.

Wendy Green:

Okay.

Samuel Rubin:

I will be at the Beverly Hills, uh, third act March tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Samuel Rubin:

if anyone is in Los Angeles, we are meeting at 10 a.m.

Samuel Rubin:

Pacific time.

Samuel Rubin:

But like Francis said, everyone can go to the third ACT portal and find another event

Samuel Rubin:

nearby. Um, it's on third act.org and then dash National Day of Action.

Samuel Rubin:

But you can find it on the landing page and I agree Francis people of all ages should be.

Samuel Rubin:

I mean, I participated last year in a very similar event that was organized by youth led

Samuel Rubin:

organizations. And it literally was like exactly the same type of format and, you

Samuel Rubin:

know, organization like Third Act and Elder for Climate Action were in there because they

Samuel Rubin:

didn't even know they could join, you know?

Samuel Rubin:

And so now I think it's very important that this type of effort happen to make sure that

Samuel Rubin:

we build intergenerational coalition because we are going to be so much more powerful if

Samuel Rubin:

we all show up at the same time.

Samuel Rubin:

And to your point, Wendy, about action taking action, yes, collective action is

Samuel Rubin:

imperative to solve the climate crisis, but we are all individually going to be doing

Samuel Rubin:

that differently because we have different skills, different capacities, different

Samuel Rubin:

abilities. And so one of the specific goals of the Can You Hear Us campaign was to

Samuel Rubin:

provide people with resources that they could customize and better understand how

Samuel Rubin:

their skills and interests could untap the most impactful action items that they could

Samuel Rubin:

take in the climate movement.

Samuel Rubin:

And so we put together a three question action quiz that anyone can go to.

Samuel Rubin:

Can you hear that or and take and it will ask you briefly, how much frequently can you

Samuel Rubin:

engage in climate action A few hours a week, a few hours a month, every day.

Samuel Rubin:

Not everyone is going to have the same capacity.

Samuel Rubin:

What are the issues that you care most about?

Samuel Rubin:

What are some abilities that you have that you are most expertise that you have the

Samuel Rubin:

biggest expertise in?

Samuel Rubin:

In my case, storytelling, communication that can be leveraged for many different specific

Samuel Rubin:

purposes. So I encourage anyone to visit the Take Action quiz and also the Y actions like

Samuel Rubin:

Tomorrow are so important is because of what the IPCC is telling us today is that we have

Samuel Rubin:

to divest. We have to stop funding current and future fossil fuel projects.

Samuel Rubin:

I don't know if people know that in the United States by then, just approve the

Samuel Rubin:

Willow project, which equals to 60 coal plants in the Arctic in Alaska.

Samuel Rubin:

You know, energy independence is super important and anyone who brings that up as an

Samuel Rubin:

issue is rightfully doing so.

Samuel Rubin:

But precisely because we need to be energetically independent, we need to have as

Samuel Rubin:

much clean energy available here in the United States solar, wind, hydrogen, all of

Samuel Rubin:

the above, and stop creating new projects like the Willow in Alaska.

Samuel Rubin:

So anyone that can call their congressman, that can call the administration and advocate

Samuel Rubin:

against this type of fossil fuel expansion is also taking very productive steps in

Samuel Rubin:

climate action.

Wendy Green:

Yeah, and there's a comment here that says even if you can't come in person, if you can

Wendy Green:

share that this is going to happen on your social media posts, in emails to friends that

Wendy Green:

you think might be able to come in person or write letters or reshare.

Wendy Green:

I mean, this is urgent, people.

Wendy Green:

This is not just, you know, a conversation that we're having.

Wendy Green:

This is our lives.

Wendy Green:

This is the lives of our children.

Wendy Green:

And yeah, it's super important.

Wendy Green:

So.

Samuel Rubin:

Yeah. I also want to say that I think the person that put that comment is Sherri Stark,

Samuel Rubin:

who is actually behind the scenes helping with the action tomorrow.

Samuel Rubin:

So absolutely.

Samuel Rubin:

I mean, there are so many amazing volunteers and team members who come together to make

Samuel Rubin:

these opportunities happen.

Samuel Rubin:

And it is also about celebrating the joy and the movement.

Samuel Rubin:

Of course, we don't want those banks to be funding fossil fuels, but we also want to get

Samuel Rubin:

to know each other, make new relationships, build bridges and create resilience so that

Samuel Rubin:

we can get through this together.

Wendy Green:

You know, and can I just say how important that is, too?

Wendy Green:

Because, you know, we know as elders, adults, whatever you want to call us, that

Wendy Green:

loneliness is an epidemic and being part of a movement building those bridges.

Wendy Green:

But we also know now with the young people, particularly with the isolation that happened

Wendy Green:

in the pandemic, mental health issues are huge.

Wendy Green:

And part of that is the loneliness that they're experiencing.

Wendy Green:

So coming together in groups like this and feeling the power of a movement, I mean,

Wendy Green:

there's nothing like it.

Wendy Green:

I've been involved in this.

Wendy Green:

And what's more important right now than saving our planet before we get close to the

Wendy Green:

end, Samuel, I wanted you to talk about the Cogenerate fellowship that you received.

Wendy Green:

What is the work that you'll be working on with that and does that tie in with can you

Wendy Green:

hear us or is that different?

Samuel Rubin:

Well, I actually discovered Co-generate in the first place, thanks to.

Samuel Rubin:

Can you hear us? Because the Can you Hear Us campaign had one of the main desired outcomes

Samuel Rubin:

to fostering intergenerational movement building and we obviously had to go and meet

Samuel Rubin:

some of the frontline organisation who are already doing that and Co-generate has been

Samuel Rubin:

doing that for many years.

Samuel Rubin:

People might know Co-generate by their former name Encore.

Samuel Rubin:

But basically Encore Co-generate supports a lot of community members.

Samuel Rubin:

Researchers, innovators like myself and so many others develop their community projects

Samuel Rubin:

and initiatives in a way that brings changemakers and people from different

Samuel Rubin:

generations together to fix social issues that affect everyone.

Samuel Rubin:

Like, for example, the one you mentioned, isolation, which obviously is an

Samuel Rubin:

intergenerational issue, everything mental health related.

Samuel Rubin:

And we have so many different understandings of mental health as you add different people

Samuel Rubin:

in generation, which is why this type of intergenerational collaborations are so

Samuel Rubin:

important. But yeah, my role in the Co-generate Fellowship and for anyone who

Samuel Rubin:

might be interested in checking it out because they have a lot of opportunities for

Samuel Rubin:

people who are doing this kind of work like yourself or anyone in the audience who might

Samuel Rubin:

be listening right now, you can go to co-generate dot org Co-generate.

Samuel Rubin:

Actually, I don't know if it's co-generate that org or.com.

Samuel Rubin:

I think.

Wendy Green:

That. I think it's dot org.

Wendy Green:

Yep. Yes.

Samuel Rubin:

Um, and check out the innovation fellowship cohort members.

Samuel Rubin:

There is 15 of them.

Samuel Rubin:

I'm representing the Hollywood Climate Summit and other initiatives in the

Samuel Rubin:

intergenerational climate space.

Samuel Rubin:

Like can you hear us?

Samuel Rubin:

But basically it's an eight month program where every month we get together for three

Samuel Rubin:

hours, the entire cohort, we have speakers, we solve problems in a cogeneration

Samuel Rubin:

collective fashion.

Samuel Rubin:

We learn how to navigate the challenges that usually come up when you try to do that,

Samuel Rubin:

which is quite often.

Samuel Rubin:

And most importantly, we inspire each other and create that resilience and togetherness

Samuel Rubin:

that is so important not just in climate, but in any social justice movement.

Wendy Green:

All right, thanks.

Wendy Green:

We're seeing a lot of comments here of people that are feeling passionate about this and

Wendy Green:

are sharing. So thank you, Doris and Josephine Martha, for sharing out about some

Wendy Green:

of this and for listening today.

Wendy Green:

And David. So Frances, what are your like biggest concerns with where we are

Wendy Green:

with the climate crisis and the climate movement?

Frances Stewart:

I think in terms of the crisis, I mean, we're behind If we had when people first started to

Frances Stewart:

really understand this crisis and, you know, the first things that you see knowing about

Frances Stewart:

carbon dioxide in the air, increasing temperature go back to the 19th century.

Frances Stewart:

But 30 to 40 years ago, actually, the fossil fuel industry scientists were some of the

Frances Stewart:

first to actually see this.

Frances Stewart:

But unfortunately, instead of bringing it forward, they covered it up and actually

Frances Stewart:

pushed in the opposite direction.

Frances Stewart:

So for that and for many other reasons, we're about 30 years behind in trying to

Frances Stewart:

solve this. And the carbon dioxide we put into the air today will be most will be there

Frances Stewart:

hundreds of years from now.

Frances Stewart:

So last time, this is a little bit like you're trying to fill up, like you have a

Frances Stewart:

bathtub that's overflowing.

Frances Stewart:

You know, the more that goes in, the bigger mess you've got.

Frances Stewart:

So we really have to turn this around relatively quickly.

Frances Stewart:

But I used to be a naval officer.

Frances Stewart:

I know you can't change, say, the course of a battleship or an aircraft carrier very

Frances Stewart:

quickly. Society, the whole world is takes even longer.

Frances Stewart:

But that's not a reason not to do it.

Frances Stewart:

It's a reason to try to to move faster.

Frances Stewart:

Also has some concerns in the US and and probably in other places that I'm not as

Frances Stewart:

intimately familiar with with some of the, you know, the pushback from the fossil fuel

Frances Stewart:

industry, from the amount of polarization that we see in climate politics in the US,

Frances Stewart:

which is more so than in a lot of other countries, and that limiting some of the

Frances Stewart:

things that we can do and people getting discouraged thinking, you know, this is just

Frances Stewart:

a hill we can't climb, this is something that we that we can't do.

Frances Stewart:

And I really I understand that there are days that I get discouraged, but I think there's

Frances Stewart:

so much we can do if we work together, if we understand that this is something that we're

Frances Stewart:

going to be doing for the rest of our lives in one way or another.

Frances Stewart:

This is not something that is going to be solved next week.

Frances Stewart:

This is something that if Samuel has grandchildren, they'll probably still be

Frances Stewart:

dealing with in one way or another.

Frances Stewart:

That and that's not a terrible thing.

Frances Stewart:

I mean, human beings have faced all kinds of challenges we've overcome in the past.

Frances Stewart:

This is just the latest one and maybe the most important one.

Frances Stewart:

And I really believe we can do it.

Frances Stewart:

But. It's you know, we have to believe that and we have to not just believe it, but we

Frances Stewart:

have to take action on a continuing basis.

Wendy Green:

Mm. Thank you.

Wendy Green:

Samuel, what are your biggest concerns with Both where we are in the climate crisis and

Wendy Green:

with the Climate action movement?

Samuel Rubin:

Yeah, I echo what Frances has said and and I'm so grateful for this conversation so far.

Samuel Rubin:

I think that, you know, concerns is come a lot of time from the unknown and the

Samuel Rubin:

uncertainty, you know and I think that that's why the work I do as a storyteller and

Samuel Rubin:

you know, the entertainment industry is very important.

Samuel Rubin:

Now, this weekend I saw Extrapolations, which is a new TV show on Apple TV.

Samuel Rubin:

I recommend anyone watching it if you are interested in what we have been discussing so

Samuel Rubin:

far. It's actually a great example of intergenerational narrative storytelling,

Samuel Rubin:

too, because it's a show that every episode happens a year in the future in the climate

Samuel Rubin:

crisis. So the first episode is 2038, then it goes to 2043, 2047, and it will go all the

Samuel Rubin:

way to 2070.

Samuel Rubin:

Meryl Streep is on Diane Lane and Don Cheadle.

Samuel Rubin:

I mean, the characters A-listers is amazing.

Samuel Rubin:

It's directed by Scott Burns, who did Contagious, the movie about the pandemic that

Samuel Rubin:

everyone was watching at the beginning of COVID thinking, Oh my God, how did they know

Samuel Rubin:

they were going to happen? So it's a great TV show and why I think it's important and to

Samuel Rubin:

your question about the challenges is that we need to know what's coming.

Samuel Rubin:

We need to prepare ourselves.

Samuel Rubin:

We need to unpack and understand that this is an issue that is very multifaceted, very

Samuel Rubin:

multi-layered, and it's not going to be one solution fits all.

Samuel Rubin:

And that, like you said, you said anthropologically is in the human condition

Samuel Rubin:

to struggle about that and figure out how to grasp it.

Samuel Rubin:

But why I'm so optimistic and hopeful about climate crisis is that and I want to cop27 in

Samuel Rubin:

Egypt this last year and I'm planning on going to Dubai this year, and both countries

Samuel Rubin:

are countries that homosexuality is not legal, didn't recognize, you know, gay people

Samuel Rubin:

like myself, but go into those countries and advocate together with the local communities

Samuel Rubin:

and figure out how do we actually save the planet is what is going to bring us together

Samuel Rubin:

as human race and therefore human rights.

Samuel Rubin:

You know, I think that I really think that the climate crisis is the most important

Samuel Rubin:

issue, and it has the potential to advance gender justice, to advance social justice and

Samuel Rubin:

so many more issues alongside with it.

Samuel Rubin:

So that's why it's worth it.

Wendy Green:

think I think you're right.

Wendy Green:

I hadn't really thought about that as much until we started talking about this and I

Wendy Green:

started researching it. I mean, absolutely.

Wendy Green:

There's overlaps in all of this.

Wendy Green:

Yeah, The show is called Extrapolations.

Wendy Green:

Extrapolations.

Wendy Green:

Okay.

Frances Stewart:

Wendy, if I could mention one piece of short term good news that we don't usually think

Frances Stewart:

about. You know, most of the climate crisis is coming from burning fossil fuels.

Frances Stewart:

Fossil fuels create all sorts of different air pollutants that are huge problems for our

Frances Stewart:

health, lots and lots of different things.

Frances Stewart:

And they cause a huge range of problems, everything from poor pregnancy outcomes to

Frances Stewart:

probably Alzheimer's disease.

Frances Stewart:

That's the only cause, but that's something that contributes.

Frances Stewart:

And so that whole range of life for huge, huge numbers of people, but those air

Frances Stewart:

pollutants actually have a much shorter time in the atmosphere than something like carbon

Frances Stewart:

dioxide, which is going to be around for a very long time.

Frances Stewart:

But so we stop emitting, say, or we significantly reduce our emissions of soot,

Frances Stewart:

which is a big climate pollutant, but also a big air pollutant.

Frances Stewart:

Things will be better in two weeks in terms of the quality of the air.

Frances Stewart:

That's how long this stuff actually lasts in the air.

Frances Stewart:

And so we could see long before we see a big change in the climate, you know, big

Frances Stewart:

improvement in the climate.

Frances Stewart:

We could see a huge improvement in the quality of the air and a huge improvement in

Frances Stewart:

health because of that.

Samuel Rubin:

And we saw that during the pandemic, by the way, during the pandemic.

Samuel Rubin:

Like, it's not like we actually don't know at this point that that's true, because when

Samuel Rubin:

the first and now that is March, it's like the two year, three year, three year

Samuel Rubin:

anniversary. And those two weeks that people did stay inside worldwide, then you start

Samuel Rubin:

realizing that natural habitats all over were flourishing just because we let them be,

Samuel Rubin:

you know, as simple as that.

Wendy Green:

Yeah. And we have an organization here called Trees Upstate, where it's all about.

Wendy Green:

Planting more trees to get some of that carbon dioxide out.

Wendy Green:

So yeah, there are things we can do.

Samuel Rubin:

I don't I don't want to say apologies, though, because I we mentioned the pandemic

Samuel Rubin:

and see, someone just said, didn't we see some good effect during the pandemic?

Samuel Rubin:

I yes, we did.

Samuel Rubin:

And actually, 2020 is the first year in many years that carbon emissions went down.

Samuel Rubin:

The problem is that immediately after the fact that everyone pick up the pace, right.

Samuel Rubin:

And obviously we've seen that with supply chain and everything.

Samuel Rubin:

But I just don't want to give the impression that the pandemic solved things because it

Samuel Rubin:

just was a hiatus.

Wendy Green:

Right. It was just a moment in time there.

Wendy Green:

We're about we're running close to the end.

Wendy Green:

So if you can give me 1 or 2 takeaways, either you know, something that you feel like

Wendy Green:

is important for ways for people to get.

Wendy Green:

Ways for people to get involved, things that we can do right now to make a difference.

Wendy Green:

I would really appreciate that.

Wendy Green:

So, Francis, would you start?

Frances Stewart:

Well, I'm sure I'd be remiss if I didn't mention for the elders in your audience, we

Frances Stewart:

would love to have you join EldersClimateAction.org.

Frances Stewart:

That's as simple as going to our website and filling out the form.

Frances Stewart:

You know, it's there are no dues.

Frances Stewart:

You don't have to promise your first born grandchild, But we have about 25,000 members

Frances Stewart:

across the country and ten active chapters, but not certainly many of our members are not

Frances Stewart:

in chapters.

Frances Stewart:

So we'd love to have you involved and send you a newsletter every month with actions you

Frances Stewart:

can take. So definitely that and I think the other takeaway is to realize that it's not

Frances Stewart:

hopeless and you're not powerless, that there's a lot that we can do together.

Wendy Green:

That's important. Thank you.

Wendy Green:

So it's the website is eldersclimateaction.org.

Wendy Green:

and to reach Francis you can email her at Francis.Stewart6@gmail.com.

Wendy Green:

Okay and Samuel what are a couple of takeaways from you?

Samuel Rubin:

Well, I think that, you know, one of the takeaways is that there is a lot of things

Samuel Rubin:

that you can cover in less than an hour about intergenerational climate movement

Samuel Rubin:

building. So please, if you are interested in in this issue visit CanYouHearUs.org and

Samuel Rubin:

find an intergenerational discussion guide in the take action section.

Samuel Rubin:

It's an amazing resource that has several different types, including how to navigate

Samuel Rubin:

challenging intergenerational conversations and packing time and ageism.

Samuel Rubin:

It has an interactive intergenerational game called Guess When, which is kind of like an

Samuel Rubin:

alternative version of Guess Who?

Samuel Rubin:

And you have to guess in what time, either past or future is the person that you are

Samuel Rubin:

role playing with is based on.

Samuel Rubin:

And you can say, Oh, I think you are in the 2050s or I think you are in the 1940 and kind

Samuel Rubin:

of like empathize and improve our ability to not take.

Samuel Rubin:

Things for granted and to know that every age comes with different perspectives,

Samuel Rubin:

different knowledge, and it's all valuable and priceless.

Samuel Rubin:

And so I think that anyone will find this guide useful as well as a map directory where

Samuel Rubin:

you can find a lot of different local organizations to get involved.

Samuel Rubin:

Elders for Climate Action is one of them.

Samuel Rubin:

Because the campaign has over 65 partners, Co-generate, Elders for Climate Action are

Samuel Rubin:

among them. So feel free to check out some of the resources that are already going to be

Samuel Rubin:

there and most importantly, get involved with the organizations in the front line who

Samuel Rubin:

are doing this work day to day.

Samuel Rubin:

And of course, I hope to see many people tomorrow joining the third act day of action

Samuel Rubin:

here in l.a. We're going to be in beverly hills.

Samuel Rubin:

And i finally saw a comment asking for the source of the climate report.

Samuel Rubin:

And that's coming from the IPCC.

Samuel Rubin:

So if you go on Google and you put IPCC climate report, you will find the very long

Samuel Rubin:

and scary and filled with graphic version.

Samuel Rubin:

And that's why the role of journalists and storytellers and communicators like myself

Samuel Rubin:

and so many others is important because not everyone will have the capacity or ability to

Samuel Rubin:

understand the report, and we all need to share and make the knowledge accessible to

Samuel Rubin:

everyone.

Wendy Green:

Thank you, Samuel.

Wendy Green:

Because I was calling it the wrong thing.

Wendy Green:

I called it ICC, and it's the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,

Wendy Green:

which is from the United Nations.

Wendy Green:

And and if you'd like to reach out to Samuel, you can email him at

Wendy Green:

Impact@SamuelRubin.net. Wow.

Wendy Green:

I'm going to have to have you guys back.

Wendy Green:

I mean, this there's just so much to talk about.

Wendy Green:

You're right. And thank you.

Wendy Green:

Thank you for giving me this time today.

Wendy Green:

I know that you guys have so much on your plate, so I really appreciate the time.

Wendy Green:

Um, before we go, let me just invite all of you back for the banter tomorrow.

Wendy Green:

Um, we might need it.

Wendy Green:

We're talking about humor and after the the scariness of this conversation.

Wendy Green:

But as Francis said, there is still hope.

Wendy Green:

And Samuel in his stories also shows us there is still hope.

Wendy Green:

We just need to be involved.

Wendy Green:

But join us for the banter if you're interested.

Wendy Green:

Email me at Wendy@HeyBoomer.Biz to get the link for that.

Wendy Green:

Um, and then the if you are interested in seeing if you or someone you know might be a

Wendy Green:

good kidney donor for Adam Lowe, you can email kidney4Adam@gmail.com and hopefully we

Wendy Green:

can find something for Adam real quickly.

Wendy Green:

Next week is me doing a solo show and I'm going to talk about the importance of taking

Wendy Green:

a pause.

Wendy Green:

We all are so busy and so impacted by what's going on around us all the time that

Wendy Green:

sometimes it just is necessary and we need to give ourselves permission to take that

Wendy Green:

pause. And so I'm going to be talking about that next week.

Wendy Green:

I hope you all will join me for that.

Wendy Green:

And I always like to leave the audience with the belief that we can live with passion,

Wendy Green:

live with relevance, and live with courage.

Wendy Green:

And remember that you are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.

Wendy Green:

Samuel and Frances, thank you for the work that you're doing and thank you for joining

Wendy Green:

us today.

Wendy Green:

Speaker6: Yeah. Thank you.