By Julie Thibodeaux    
    
How many baby boomers does it take to change a light bulb? Susan Grundy, the coordinator for Boomer Green Teams, has the answer. It’s three: one to remove the old incandescent bulb, one to screw in a new compact fluorescent and one to explain to the homeowner why it’s the environmentally friendly thing to do and the proper method of recycling it.

The explanation is a joke but it’s also a reality for an eco-friendly volunteer group, geared to volunteers age 47 and up, called the Boomer Green Teams.  The program was launched in 2009 by the Senior Source in Dallas, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of life for older adults. Organizers were looking for ways to engage baby boomers, the generation born between 1946-1964. After surveying the age group, they found a passion many boomers shared, the environment.

Grundy, a 65-year-old boomer who drives a Prius and holds a master’s degree in environmental science, was hired to oversee the Boomer Green Teams program.   “I’ve personally been ‘green’ for some time,” said Grundy. “I know everybody has to do their part for the survival of the planet.” To enlist volunteers, Grundy visited the local Sierra Club, neighborhood associations and churches who had shown an interest in environmental issues. Today she oversees more than 100 volunteers, who help plant trees, work in community gardens and offer green consulting for nonprofits.

    

One of the most popular Green Teams program is called the SwitchOut. That’s where teams of boomers go into the homes of low-income seniors and replace all of their incandescent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. The seniors are residents who have already contacted the Senior Source for support, typically for help on their utility bills.      Since the program was started in 2009,  Boomers have installed more than 10,000 CFL bulbs for 700-plus low-income seniors. Grundy estimates they’ve saved seniors more than $500,000 on their electric bills while keeping 9 million pounds of CO2 out of the air.

Boomer Green Teams volunteer John Beverage, a 60-year-old Carrollton resident and Dallas Sierra Club member, has been volunteering with the SwitchOut program since it was started.   He said he’s found many of the seniors they encounter have left burned-out bulbs in fixtures because they were unable to change them or have unscrewed bulbs wanting to save money on their light bill. The boomers solve both problems.  “We tell them there’s no reason for them to have a darkened bathroom or living room,” said Beverage. “More than anything, we bring light to people.”

With the success of the SwitchOut, the, Boomer Green Teams will be expanding its programs. This month, members will be counting birds for the Trinity Bird Count, a project of the Trinity Commons Foundation. The group is also partnering with the nonprofit Texas Stream Team to help with water quality monitoring and Habitat for Humanity, working in its ReStore resale outlets.  

Jane Ramberg is a a 60-year-old Boomer Green Teams volunteer, who works as a scientist for a dietary supplement company by day and is also certified master naturalist.  She said she immediately recognized the Boomer Green Teams as an ideal way for her to help the community while helping the environment.    "It seemed like a great cause and it was something I could do in half a day,” said Ramberg. “You get a lot of bang for your buck.”  

For more information on the Boomer Green Teams, see theseniorsource.org.     For project times and details,
and information about  joining, contact Susan Grundy at  214-525-6134 or sgrundy@TheSeniorSource.org


Julie Thibodeaux is former writer and editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Contact her at julie@jthibodeaux.com.