About Us | Support AARP Climate Action

We are a small team of AARP members (and future members) who are volunteering our time and skills to persuade AARP to make climate change mitigation a central component of its efforts to protect the health, financial security, and livable communities of its 38 million members. As perhaps the most broadly representative nation-wide organization in the USA today, with the largest circulation magazine in the country, and a powerful non-partisan lobby respected on both sides of the aisle, AARP’s acknowledgement and prioritization of the climate crisis would have tremendous impact and reach far beyond “the usual suspects” who are already concerned and active on environmental issues.

We began by launching a successful nationwide petition campaign to show AARP member support for climate action and our signatories are now volunteering to help launch pilot AARP climate initiatives at the state level—starting with the California AARP, which represents 3.8 million members. This initiative, a campaign called “Power Your Savings,” is designed to motivate AARP members to save money on energy costs and improve their health by electrifying their homes and vehicles with help from new government incentives. This is in effect a de-politicized call to climate action, as building electrification reduces carbon emissions and supports a faster transition to a clean energy economy!

We’re now talking with other state AARP offices about launching similar pilot consumer campaigns, with three aims in mind:

to demonstrate the financial, health, and community benefits AARP members can realize whether they live in red, blue, or purple communities
to learn what works best to motivate individual consumer action
to make the case for National AARP to take over the program for a much bigger impact!

Here’s our team:

Robert Loeb, Chief Strategist

Robert Loeb (Bob) had a 50-year career as a social entrepreneur who founded several national political advocacy and cooperative community organizations in the non-profit sector. When he and his friends began hearing from their millennial children about their fears for their young families because of climate disruption, one said, half-joking, “we ought to get AARP to use its vast influence to make a difference for our children and grandchildren—they’re AARP’s future members!” Though it sounded like a big lift, Bob and friends had been active together in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 60’s and weren’t done changing the world just yet. They started the SupportAARPclimateaction.org initiative—and the change has begun.

Brian Stewart, Electrification Expert

Brian Stewart, Co-Founder of Electrify Now, helps us hone our messages and builds and delivers persuasive presentations about how we can take action to create our clean energy future. A life-long innovator with a passion for the environment, Brian worked at Nike for more than 25 years in design and engineering roles including his role as Vice President of Sustainable Innovation. He is based in Portland, Oregon.

Anne-Christine Strugnell, Marketing and Communications

Anne-Christine Strugnell writes our materials and works with the team to strategize on our campaigns. When she woke up to the reality of the climate crisis in 2016 she knew she had to do something to protect the Earth, and as soon as she could she stopped her paid work as a marketing writer for tech companies to become a climate activist. She volunteers her communications skills for several small climate-focused nonprofits based near her home in Marin County, California.

Dan Auvil, Graphic Designer

Dan Auvil is a graphic designer afflicted with “boomer guilt” about the climate we leave behind. Dan joined this small, grassroots group in the hope of working with the AARP to increase both individual and governmental/corporate awareness on how to use less carbon. For more than 25 years, Dan was an art director and partner in an advertising agency working with clients such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Puma. Dan lives in Berkeley, California.

Bill Olson, Electrification Expert

Bill Olsen is a retired electrical engineer and MSEE who supports our work with his electrical expertise. Out of his concern for his grandchildren’s future, he has spent the past three years actively involved in building electrification initiatives. He is co-leader of the Contra Costa Chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby and lead of the Building Electrification Action Team. In going through the electrification process of his own home (in Alamo, CA), he has become deeply familiar with the myriad of state and federal incentives available to home owners.

Josh Okun, Digital Consultant

Josh Okun is our dedicated digital consultant. As a father of two young boys, Josh is deeply committed to climate action and his vision of leaving a brighter world for future generations. Josh contributed to the redesign of supportaarpclimateaction.org and provides guidance on various digital marketing initiatives. Today, Josh maintains the website, oversees our email communications, and offers consultation for web-related projects as they arise. During the day, he serves as the Associate Director of Website Development for an advocacy agency called RALLY while also lending his expertise to several small and medium-sized businesses.

Rick Moody, Former AARP Staff Member

Rick Moody contributes strategic insights gleaned from his previous job as Vice President and chief academic officer at AARP in Washington. He is passionate about preventing the worst impacts of climate change and walks his talk by helping small climate-focused nonprofits with fund-raising and marketing. Based in San Mateo, California, he also promotes “conscious aging,” produces a monthly “Human Values in Aging” newsletter, and edits a weekly newsletter, “Climate Change in an Aging Society.” For a sample copy, email Rick at hrmoody@yahoo.com

Hudson Ansley, Software Engineer

Hudson lends our team insights and expertise from his long career in technology, which includes extensive programming and design experience including in interactive games and children’s educational apps. A lifelong environmentalist, Hudson is dedicated to helping protect the environment for his grandchildren and all the creatures of the planet that humans have evolved with. He also enjoys gardening and raising endangered monarch butterflies to help increase their populations.