The next North Texas Renewable Energy Group meeting will begin at 10 AM on Saturday, February 14. This will be a hybrid meeting held in person at the Dallas College North Lake campus in Irving and virtually over Zoom. Our in-person meeting location will be in building C, room C-243. See maps and DART travel details here;: https://www.dallascollege.edu/maps/north-lake/
Founded by Bill McKibben in 2021, Third Act is an organization of Americans over sixty year of age determined to change the world for the better. Older Americans are the fastest-growing part of the U.S. population. 10,000 people a day pass the 60 mark. That means there is no way to make the changes that must be made to protect our planet and society unless we bring our power into play. As a generation we have unprecedented skills and resources that we can bring to bear. Washington and Wall Street have to listen when we speak, because we vote and because we have a large share of the countries assets. And many of us have kids and grandkids and great grandkids: we have, in other words, very real reasons to worry and to work. This presentation will provide an overview on the Third Act as an organization, including national objectives, Texas objectives, and North Texas initiatives.
Speaker Bio: Al Hemmelgarn
My name is Al Hemmelgarn. I moved to Texas from Ohio in 1983, and went to work for a Dallas based organization by the name of Pollock Paper Distributors. I worked for this organization for 42 years, starting with the role of truck driver and warehouseman, performing various roles on the way to eventually becoming the General Manager of the company’s largest division and eventually Director of Operations. This experience allowed me to develop a strong understanding of many roles in the organization, including the importance of strong leadership and organizational skills. I retired from Pollock in May of 2025, which has allowed me to spend my time on a lifetime passion of mine, protecting our environment. My organization of choice was the Third Act as I could relate to the membership as I moved into the third act of my life. Due to the luck of good timing, I joined this group as it was developing it’s structure in Texas, and I was able to take the role as the lead Coordinator for the North Texas region. This has provided me the opportunity to use the skills that I learned in my business career and apply them as the leader of an activist organization, at a time when activism is needed more than ever.