One other outcome developed by the GreenerAge project was a policy booklet. This contains recommendations based on desk research and on 15 interviews with policy-makers, environmental associations, and activists, across the five partner countries. This booklet aims to inform stakeholders and policymakers to rethink their policies for climate change. GreenerAge focuses on the valuable assets and role of citizens 55+, that can contribute to a greener planet. Their qualities and active citizenship must be considered while approaching new legal and governmental policies.
The GreenerAge project focuses its recommendations on the five thematic areas regarding sustainability, namely sustainable transportation and mobility, sustainable water consumption, recycling, sustainable energy consumption, and sustainable food consumption.
What can you find in this policy booklet? For each one of the sustainability and climate change literacy topics, we named multiple good practices that can be implemented. These were identified at a local, regional, national, and European level.
For example, what can we implement towards greater sustainability regarding transportation and mobility? Some suggestions are to promote more sustainable forms of transport and alternatives to using a private vehicle, like the development of bicycle lanes and car sharing. But how do you engage older citizens in this process? We recommend promoting its usage in a comprehensive and accessible way so that its benefits can be properly understood.
While implementing these recommendations for policies and practices, the engagement, and characteristics of older citizens should be considered. Older adults can offer valuable life experiences and unique motivations for altering their behaviour, namely grandchildren that may make them want to live on a greener planet. There are specific aspects that can be adjusted and considered to achieve this goal. The first step is to know your target group, and their interests, and find effective ways to make them feel more engaged while considering the focus of the policy.
In order to successfully reach our target demographic, we suggest a study on age-friendly cities in The Hague, The Netherlands, done by researchers from The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). This study categorized older adults into clusters based on their environmental beliefs, financial status, environmentally driven behaviours, and behaviour motivated by financial gains. Each cluster serves to display in which aspects, the older citizens may benefit from certain policies. This way, the dissemination of certain information and measures is recommended to enhance their engagement.
You can learn more about our policy recommendations here