SSAVE
Scottish Senior Alliance for Volunteering in the Environment
Scottish Charity No: SC032575

Mobilising the energy, expertise and commitment of older people to protect and care for our environment, for present and future generations.

SSAVE - Help the Earth and help yourself.
Until recently, the idea that the future health of our planet depends on the way that you and I use its natural resources was considered largely irrelevant to most people's everyday concerns. Compared to unemployment, poor housing or health, 'the environment' came way down the list of priorities for all but a minority.

Today the situation is changing fast. Both the Prime Minister and the First Minister of the Scottish Executive will be attending the second World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg this year. Jack MacConnell has spoken recently on how 'environmental justice' must become part of Government policy in Scotland towards disadvantaged communities. The concept of 'sustainability' as a continuous process giving equal priority to social, environmental and economic goals at all levels of society has recently been described by broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby as 'the most important big idea confronting mankind'.

The formation of a new Scottish voluntary sector partnership - the Scottish Senior Alliance for Volunteering in the Environment - is therefore timely. SSAVE's mission is to mobilise the energy, expertise and commitment of older people to protect and care for our environment for present and future generations. SSAVE is a registered Scottish charity, and already has important international links with similar initiatives in the USA and elsewhere. RSVP is a founding partner in SSAVE, alongside Age Concern Scotland, REACH and Volunteer Development Scotland, with Scottish Natural Heritage also having observer status on its Committee.

Why does this matter? The demographic 'age shift' in Scotland's population means that by 2030 nearly half of Scotland's population will be aged over 50. This in turn will lead to far greater emphasis on involving older people in all forms of community based volunteering. Working through existing organisations, SSAVE aims to overcome the feeling many older people have that they cannot contribute anything useful to the work of environmental bodies - a reflection of the current emphasis on youth in the media.

Critically, SSAVE aims to create new learning and training opportunities for older volunteers, recognising that they can help our young people care about making our local neighbourhoods cleaner, safer and more attractive. Older people can contribute key resources to intergenerational volunteering in the form of time, skills, experience and commitment, bringing wide ranging but often unseen benefits. As the concept of the traditional family changes, new ways of building links between generations are needed to ensure that the knowledge and experience of the over 50s is available to younger age groups, and that older people recognise their own value to society. Creating and supporting new volunteering opportunities for them is essential to this process. Currently, many volunteers often work only within their own age group, and too often 'old people' are seen merely as recipients of social care or other services - often provided by volunteers. There is a need for more opportunities for volunteering activities which, by combining older and younger participants in creative and inter-active work, can thereby release an untapped resource.

SSAVE has been established to meet this need through all forms of community based environmental action. Public understanding and awareness of what constitutes 'the environment' is developing and broadening all the time. We are realising everyone has a role to play in sustaining the natural resources of our planet Earth if we want future generations to enjoy the same quality of life we do, and that there is a cost to pay if we don't.

If you would like more information on current SSAVE activities please contact: