Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment (SSAFE) is an environmental activist organization that seeks to prevent global warming. The organization began through a coalition of residents of Kendal Senior Living Communities in New Hampshire and continues focusing on Kendal residents and the larger senior community. SSAFE seeks to reduce carbon emissions through education and action initiatives such as writing letters, phone banks, and generating visibility in Kendal facilities. SSAFE advocates ending the use of gas stoves, gas fireplaces, and gas grills; planting a trillion trees; and increasing other government regulations.

History

Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment began in 2020 when residents at the Kendal Senior Living Community in Hanover, New Hampshire formed a group to discuss environmental issues. ¹ Residents in Hanover contacted the president of every Kendal Residents Council at Kendal’s 12 campuses across the country inquiring if residents were interested in forming groups to discuss the environment. ² By June 2020, the group had enlisted 50 residents across 8 Kendal communities to meet regularly to discuss environmental issues. ³ The group adopted the name “All Kendal Residents Climate Initiative (AKRCI).” ⁴

AKRCI formed three working project teams: greening our campuses, advocacy, and education. ⁵ In December 2020, 500 residents from eight Kendal communities signed a letter to the Kendal Corporation asking the company to fight global warming by cutting emissions at campuses by 50 percent by 2030 and zero net emissions by 2050. ⁶ The group changed its name to Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment and was granted nonprofit status in 2021. ⁷

Views

Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment’s mission is to create a model for seniors to educate retired people on the environment and to lend their time, financial resources, and experiences to fight global warming. ⁸ SSAFE states that global warming is the greatest challenge facing our planet and all SSAFE policies are designed to support the Paris Agreement on global warming. ⁹ Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment supports increased Environmental Protection Agency regulations to reduce emissions, planting a trillion trees by 2035, enacting a tariff on goods from countries that do not tax carbon emissions, and renaming the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to the Federal Renewable Energy Commission. ¹⁰

SSAFE advocates eating vegetarian to reduce carbon footprints. ¹¹ To reduce methane gas emissions, Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment wants people to stop using gas fireplaces, stop using gas grills, and replace gas stoves with electric. ¹²

Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment is a member of the left-leaning Declaration for American Democracy coalition. ¹³

Project Teams

Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment consists of three project teams to enable residents to focus on specific actions. ¹⁴ The Greening Our Campuses team seeks to increase energy efficiency, greening policies on campuses, recycling, and land management. ¹⁵ The Greening Our Campuses Team seeks to obtain utility records from communities and work with facilities departments to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and net zero by 2050. ¹⁶

The Advocacy Team forms alliance with other seniors’ organizations, educates Kendal residents and the public on environmental issues, tracks legislative and regulatory activity, and encourages citizens to act. ¹⁷ The Advocacy Team tutors members on how to write op-eds, join environmental campaigns, and join pro-environment phone banks. ¹⁸ The Advocacy Team meets monthly to discuss developments and action plans. ¹⁹

The Education Team seeks for further Kendal residents’ knowledge on environmental issues. ²⁰ The Education Team meets within campuses and across communities to share knowledge; examine global warming and its impact on social justice, economics, and political and legal matters; and collects, catalogues, and disseminates information to the Greening Our Campuses and Advocacy Teams. ²¹

Leadership

Mary Lindley Burton is chair of Senior Stewards Acting for the Environment. ²² Burton founded Burton Strategies in 1978, a job and career consulting firm. ²³ Burton has a bachelor’s from Smith College and a master’s of business administration from Harvard Business School. ²⁴ Burton has made campaign contributions to Joe Biden and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. ²⁵

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