Tom Kessler of Austin joined Third Act's inaugural Texas group late last year. Courtesy of Tom Kessler.
A new environmental advocacy group is making use of the wisdom that comes with age.
Third Act is a group of 70,000-plus Americans over the age of 60 — aka the Boomer generation — who want to use their knowledge and skills to protect the planet and society.
The nonprofit was founded in 2021 by veteran environmentalist, journalist and leader of the climate campaign group 350.org, Bill McKibben.
“Third Act started up because we recognized the latent power of this huge cohort,” says McKibben. “We knew older Americans wanted to fight for the America they'd always known against these new threats, but they needed a place to help focus that work.”
Third Act is structured into working groups organized by affinity or geographic locations.
Now, Third Act has a Texas connection, launching its first Zoom meeting in June last year.
TEXANS STEP UP
Tom Kessler, an Austin-based environmentalist and longtime journalist, joined the inaugural Texas base late last year. As a 60-something himself, Kessler appreciates Third Act’s mission to utilize seniors to change the world for the better.
Kessler is a co-facilitator for Texas, along with Nora Mullarkey Miller, who served as manager of Water Contracts and Conservation for the Lower Colorado River Authority for nearly 30 years. She currently is an environmental advocate with Citizen’s Climate Lobby and Moms Clean Air Force.
Kessler says there are working groups in nearly all states and eventually he believes Texas may add two or three more.
Everyone in Third Act is a volunteer. The working groups organize events, such as here in Texas, the Power Up Texas campaign, which focuses on building up renewables. They also work with established environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club and Texas Campaign for the Environment.
With the new Texas Legislature in session, Kessler says Third Act is tracking bills based on their environmental impact — are they a positive or detriment to the environment? The Texas Working Group will lobby for and against these bills and will encourage the community to let elected officials know how they feel.
Texas is a low-regulation state, notes Kessler, which is a concern when environmental issues are at stake.
“We don’t want to see new laws that make it harder to build wind and solar,” he says. “Another issue is battery storage.”
The environment has been at the top of several local North Texas discussions. Recently, as reported in The Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Equity Report added environmental justice as one of its indicators. The report measures how the city reduces racial disparities among residents. Jalonne White-Newsome, former director of the Environmental Justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, participated earlier this winter in a discussion with Kathryn Guerra Bazan, chair of the Dallas Environmental Commission. White-Newsome talked about the importance of residents getting involved at the local and state levels to advocate for better environmental policies.
“With environmental justice, sometimes you don’t see the benefit immediately. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” White-Newsome said. “We have laid the groundwork for policies and resources that I hope will serve communities not just in this administration’s ship but for years to come.”
Third Act is guided by a volunteer advisory council led by Akaya Windwood, president of Lockwood Leadership Institute, a provider of leadership training for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. But each of the groups have their own agenda.
“One issue we want to fight [in Texas],” says Kessler, “is the coal plant in South Texas. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) may renew its pollution certification. Our Third Actors are letting TCEQ officials know we oppose this.”
Third Act is looking to grow membership. Currently, they have a monthly Zoom meeting for the Texas working group. Their funding is based on grants and donations.
Recently, journalist Adam Chandler penned a piece in Time magazine on a “third life or third place,” stating:
“Whether it’s through a noble commitment to volunteering, talking to new people or the steady building of regular social outings, creating a framework that is safe from the reach of obligation or the temptation of performative busyness is a higher calling for this polarized moment.”
Many of us are ready for our Third Act.
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