My Past and Present:

From Guyana, South America, I emigrated to Canada in 1965 as a teenager, along with my mom and siblings for a better life here.

My higher education at the university and college levels was achieved in Canada. That was followed by a successful career in hospital healthcare (direct patient care and management) and later as a business owner in the medical devices and homecare industry. During the same period, I also presided and sat on several professional and industry boards. Giving back was always important to me and I still currently serve on the board of directors of a Canadian-based international charity called “Giving Health To Kids”.

After retirement four years ago, my wife and I and our two Siamese cats, Cisco and Karma moved to the unique Briar Hill/Green Briar community in Alliston, Ontario. Our three grown kids are married and living in other Canadian cities with their families. We now have four wonderful grandchildren ranging in age from four to fourteen and always enjoy time spent with them and witnessing their growing up. I constantly worry though about the climate crisis we are leaving behind for them and in fact for all lifeforms on the planet.

My current interests and activities include gardening, cooking, golf, music, travelling, and photography.

My Future: 

Along with other commitments, interests, and activities, a significant amount of my time going forward, will be spent in the movement to prevent global warming and climate change.

I was always conscious of how much we humans depend upon, take from, and abuse nature for our very survival and excessive needs…but I did nothing about it. We do so with disregard for the severe collateral damage inflicted upon the earth’s natural and necessary ecosystems. Furthermore, I did not realize and fully appreciate how much our excessive lifestyles and over consumerism contribute significantly to the production of increased greenhouse gases, leading to global warming and the potential existential climate change crisis.

I do not have an environmental or climate science background, but now being fully retired, I have the time to research and learn as much as possible about the causes and impacts of global warming and the resultant climate change. The decision was made recently to become part of the solution rather than ignoring and continuing to contribute to the problem. By adjusting my choices, daily routines, and lifestyle generally, I could significantly decrease my own personal and household carbon footprint thereby contributing less to the associated greenhouse gases produced. Then it struck me that if the majority of seniors like me can be persuaded to do the same, the results from our specific demographic could be powerfully amplified to make a considerable contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

This led me to the concept and formation of “Greys For Green” a seniors’ not-for-profit organization. The mandate is to create awareness, then engage and assists others, starting in our own Briar Hill and Green Brier communities to reduce our carbon footprint individually and collectively. The model we build here could then be adjusted if necessary and duplicated anywhere in the world.

Everyone can play a role in this critical issue by making even minor changes in lifestyles and routines. We cannot wait for the government and corporations to slowly react and rectify this problem. The main thrust has to come from the bottom up i.e. from everyday folks like us. As consumers, we must drastically reduce our demand for products and services that produce greenhouse gases, reduce waste, and take care of our delicate planet and its ecosystems. We owe that in the least as our legacy to our future generations and all lifeforms that habitat the earth.