December 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 29

Kärin Kupka pilots a class that educates
older adults about threatened species
and the need for conservation.

believe that nature, over time, will
simply take care of itself. However, other older adults are concerned
about the environment and, over
time, develop an interest in conservation. It was noted that older
adults are especially concerned
about the environment when government agencies seem to not adequately meet the community's
needs. Small groups of older adults
are likely to engage in personal action if they believe others in the
group would do what is needed to
protect the environment.
Learning strategies, as well as
motivations to change behavior,
are different for older adults. New
behavior needs to be as easy as
possible; it should be easily remembered and replicated. By participating in a classroom setting with
opportunities to come together
to share behaviors and learn new
ones, older adults are more motivated to change. Research shows
older adults prefer less hands-on
learning and more time for selfreflection and sharing their personal stories. Older adults learn best as
a collective group, learning from
each other as well as from facilitators. Building rapport between
teacher and participants is key and
drawing from personal experience
in the room enhances that rapport.
Class participants at first seemed
appropriately appalled at the statistics regarding threatened species
and were eager to learn ways to
help. An introductory activity engaged participants and promoted
lots of sharing. It led pairs of older
adults to discover the diet and feed-

ing location and method of some
marine animals and what types of
plastics in our oceans these animals
are likely to think is a meal. Individuals commented that they had
never thought about the type of
plastic being consumed by certain
animals, depending on where they
forage for food. Examples of environmentally friendly products were
showcased, and a discussion ensued about other ways to conserve
at home. One item that proved popular was bamboo toilet paper, especially when participants were able
to feel the softness. The class was
lively, positive and could have gone
on much longer. The pre- and postclass data collected showed older
adults do have a genuine interest in
helping to save threatened species
and recognized the importance of
a behavior change. All participants
committed to take at least one personal conservation action step after
attending the class.

Analyzing the Data
After piloting the class, the curriculum is now available for senior center staff to use for hosting their own
classes. To locate the curriculum as
well as other opportunities for older adults to engage in volunteerism,
activism, and citizen science, visit
conservationforseniors.com. I hope
that the curriculum will be used at
senior centers throughout San Diego County and beyond, inspiring
older adults to engage in personal
conservation action. Even seemingly small changes can add up to big
results. Confucius once said, " The
man who moves a mountain begins
by carrying away small stones. " All
it takes is one small stone - one
change by an older adult - to move
that mountain!
Kärin J. Kupka, LCSW, is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with
more than 20 years of experience working with older adults at
the VA San Diego Healthcare System, and is also a Master of Arts
in Biology Student through Miami University in conjunction with
San Diego Zoo Global (kupkakj@miamioh.edu).

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Parks & Recreation

December 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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