Tasking Equality
Camden Green Party Councillor Maya de Souza has been appointed to a national cross-party taskforce that aims to increase the number of minority ethnic women local councillors across the country. Following a report by the Fawcett Society and the Councillors Commission, Government Minister of Equalities, Harriet Harman, set up the cross-party taskforce comprised of key local councillors from across Britain. The aim is to empower other women to get involved in local politics and to take this message of positive action and empowerment to Councils and political parties across the country. www.camden.greenparty.org.uk
Zero Emission Delivery
Green MEP Jean Lambert helped launch the world's largest fleet of zero emission delivery vehicles in May. The electric vehicles were rolled out in London and major towns in the UK as part of TNT's mail and express delivery service. TNT worked closely with Carbon Considerations, a management company that helps people develop low carbon cultures in their organizations. Jean, who has consistently campaigned to improve air quality, said: "I welcome this move from TNT and would encourage other businesses to follow suit. The next step is for the Government to ensure that the electricity generated to power these vehicles comes from renewable sources such as wind, solar and tidal energy. It's essential that we make this shift to combat climate change and ensure that such vehicles are truly green, within the context of reducing traffic overall." www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk
Greens Challenge Mayor Over Endangered Fish
Guests of the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Carol Theobald, found themselves gorging on endangered fish at a charity dinner in April. The Mayor served Atlantic Cod from a part of the ocean known as 'FAO area 27' at the supper, but the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation places cod from these seas in its 'worst' category, describing fish stocks as 'depleted'. Green Party councillors challenged the Mayor to switch to a tasty alternative at the planning stage of the event, pointing out that numerous alternatives are available, but the Mayor served the fish regardless. Green Party sustainability spokesperson, Councillor Paul Steedman, said: "The Mayor and her guests risked pushing an endangered species to the brink. They rightly wouldn't consider eating panda fillets or tiger steak - and they should feel equally horrified at the idea of eating uncertified cod." Leading sustainability charity, the Marine Conservation Society, suggest pollack and whiting as good options on their list of 'Fish to Eat', but describe Atlantic cod as a 'Fish to Avoid'. www.brightonandhovegreenparty.org.uk
Peace In Our Time
A Peace Ceremony cemented relations between Finchley, Japan and the Global Green Summit in Brazil during the May Elections Campaign. Dr. Shuji Imamoto, founder and Chairperson of Ecolo, the Japanese Green Environmental Group, visited London Greens to support the mayoral campaign on his way to the summit. The ceremony raised the profile of the Green Party's resistance to Nuclear Power, Nuclear Weapons and the War on Terror. Whilst in London, Shuji also met with Bei Li from the Chinese Green Party.
Members of Finchley Peace Campaign planted the Bird Cherry Tree in Victoria Park over thirty years ago to commemorate the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Being in full flower, it made the perfect setting for the ceremony. Like the ceremony Green Party member Gardi Vaswani usually leads on the 10th August - the Anniversary of Hiroshima - this Peace Ceremony linked our Community with Japan in celebration of Shuji's visit and allowed Peace Activists like Pat Arrowsmith to speak out against the evils of nuclear war. Dr Shuji Imamoto and Dr Shahrar Ali, of Brent Green Party, are both doctors of philosophy and it was a delight to hear them speak so simply and effectively for Peace. www.brentandharrow.greenparty.org.uk
Greens At Heathrow
Green Party members from across the country attended the demonstration against Heathrow's proposed third runway in May. Campaigners called on the government to "get real on climate change" in a colourful procession that included local residents. The march left Hatton Cross tube station and marched around the perimeter of the airport to Sipson, the village which will be destroyed if the 3rd runway goes ahead, where more than 3,000 people formed a giant 'NO' that was visible to passing aircraft. www.ealing.greenparty.org.uk
Green Reader
The University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) has appointed Green Party member Dr. Molly Scott Cato as the world's first Reader in Green Economics. Molly is Director of the Wales Institute for Research into Co-operatives and has been working as an academic economist for seven years. Molly said: "I am really excited about the development in the field of green economics, which is growing rapidly, as there is wider understanding of the link between climate change and our economic activity. The need to build a sustainable and just economic system is increasingly pressing and I am glad to be able to play a role." www.uwic.ac.uk
Parish Power
Kirkburton has become the first Parish Council in the country to use new powers under the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006. Greens have a strong minority control on the Parish Council and have exercised new powers under Section 20 of the act to promote microgeneration. In the absence of any government guidance the Parish produced and passed a policy supported by an action plan that included establishing a £10,000 per annum Microgeneration/Energy Conservation Fund for community buildings. The first installation - 3kWp of Solar Photovoltaics - was installed on Burton Village Hall in May. www.kirkleesgreenparty.org.uk
Fullabrook Wind Fuelled
North Devon District Council lost their High Court case to block a 22-turbine wind farm at Fullabrook Down. The Judge threw the case out on the first day, meaning the council had delayed a green energy project by three years and wasted £119k of North Devon taxpayers' money. Fullabrook could now be built and operational by 2010, and it will be the South West region's leading wind farm. The positive outcome is in no small part thanks to a massive team of local green activists, led by a green party team including Cllr Ricky Knight - lead Green Euro-candidate for the South West - Cllr Mike Harrison, Cllr Micky Darling and Cllr Rosemary Brian. www.northdevongreens.org.uk
Culture And Heritage
Green Party Councillor Dave Taylor has been appointed as York city's first heritage champion. As a member of the Castle Area Campaign Group, Dave was instrumental in preventing the building of a £60million shopping centre extension that would have had an impact on the city's famous Clifford's Tower. In his new role he will be promoting the city's architectural and cultural heritage. www.york.greenparty.org.uk
Euro-Parliament Identifies Environmental Causes Of Cancer
The European Parliament has passed an important resolution on combating cancer, with an overwhelming majority of Euro-MPs agreeing to amendments proposed by Green MEP Caroline Lucas to highlight the environmental causes behind the disease. Drawing on scientific evidence showing that cancers can be caused by environmental factors including toxic chemicals found in household goods, pesticides and poor air quality, South East MEP Caroline Lucas proposed significant changes to a Parliament resolution seeking to establish an EU Cancer Task Force to fight the disease more effectively.
Caroline said: "This landmark decision by the European Parliament means that MEPs now officially recognise that environmental causes like pollution and chemical contamination must be considered in any strategy to combat cancer." www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk
Depleting Uranium Weapons
Members of the European Parliament have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a groundbreaking resolution that calls for negotiations with a view to enacting a global ban on depleted uranium weapons. Jean Lambert MEP and Caroline Lucas MEP led the vote that made the resolution possible. www.greenmeps.org.uk
Safer Roads In Hackney
Hackney's streets will be safer places after Hackney Council passed a motion tabled by Green Party Councillor Mischa Borris. The Council pledged to extend 20 mph speed limits on its roads across the borough, and to engage Transport for London in dialogue to put 20 mph limits in the town centres of Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Hackney, Clapton and Homerton. The original motion called for a default 20 mph speed limit across residential roads in the borough, but was amended to an extension of existing 20 mph limits at the prompting of Labour Party councillors. "I am disappointed that Labour were not prepared to accept a default limit, as I had pressed for this to be introduced as soon as possible," Mischa said. www.hackney.greenparty.org.uk
New Nuke Proposals For Oldbury
Greens have condemned plans for a new nuclear power station at Oldbury. An American-Japanese consortium is bidding to construct two new £2.8bn nuclear power stations at Oldbury in Gloucestershire and another in Essex on land owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the government agency responsible for cleaning up Britain's existing nuclear facilities. Energy Solutions, a nuclear services firm based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is working on the plans with Toshiba-Westinghouse, a supplier of reactor technology. Cllr Philip Booth, Stroud District councillor and campaigner for renewable energy, commenting on the proposals, said: "This is an astonishingly foolish move. We haven't sorted out the existing nuclear waste that remains dangerous for up to a million years, let alone all the new waste that will be produced.
"Nirex, Britain's nuclear waste management agency, has said Oldbury is at "high risk of flooding". Climate change can only add to future problems. It will also establish new targets for terrorists, keep the threat of a reactor accident, and risk the proliferation of weapons-grade plutonium." www.glosgreenparty.org.uk
