Albany--Around the state, 12 Green Party candidates appeared on the ballot this Fall. Liz Simonson was the only winner, taking a seat on the Woodstock Town Council. Simonson ran as the candidate of both the Democratic and Green parties. In another victory for the Green Party and progressives in general, the proposed constitutional convention was rejected by 61.8% of the voters. The Queens Green Party and the Green Party of N.Y. State had opposed the constitutional convention.
In Syracuse, Dania Vega received 13.9% of the vote in her race for County Legislator. Howie Hawkins, who ran for Mayor, got 2.5%. Vega and Hawkins were two of eight candidates who formed a progressive slate.
In N.Y. City, Errol Louis ran for City Council in central Brooklyn and Hank Bardel ran in a conservative district in southern Staten Island. Louis got 9.5% and Bardel got .9%.
Tamara Zwinak lost her race to become a Rockland County Legislator. Dave Menzies and Peter Healey lost their bids to become Ulster County Legislators.
Green Party of N.Y. State Affiliates with the Association of State
Green Parties
Troy--At a state assembly meeting on November 22, the Green Party of N.Y. State (GPoNYS) decided to affiliate with the Association of State Green Parties, a national organization of state parties. The GPoNYS was already affiliated with the other national organization, the Greens/Green Party USA.
The assembly elected Rachel Treichler of Park Slope as Treasurer and David Levner of Queens as Clearinghouse Coordinator. Craig Seeman of Brooklyn was re-elected to the Coordinating Council and Frank Carr (Brooklyn), Carol Holland (Westchester), Dave Menzies (Woodstock) and Tom Potts (Buffalo) were elected for their first terms. As Treasurer and Clearinghouse Coordinator, Treichler and Levner are automatically on the Council. The Council's main function is to make decisions between state assembly meetings.
In other business, the GPoNYS endorsed a statement to be presented by Green Parties and Federations worldwide to the Climate Change Conference in Kyoto, Japan.
GPUSA Adopts State-Based Structure But Unity Advocates Not Satisfied
Lawrence--At its annual convention in early September, the
Greens/Green Party USA (GPUSA)
agreed to change its structure to recognize state Green parties and local chapters. From a bewildering set of proposals, the delegates chose a compromise put forth by Guy Chichester (Rye, N.H.) that will enable dues-paying GPUSA members to elect next year's convention delegates from either their state party or their local chapter. This did not satisfy advocates of unity between GPUSA and its rival,
the
Association of State Green Parties (ASGP).
Another proposal, put forth by Howie Hawkins' (Syracuse, N.Y.), instructed the Green National Committee to develop a proposal to be considered at the 1998 convention to allocate 50% of the convention's delegates to local chapters and 50% to state parties.
Don Fitz (Gateway Greens, St. Louis, MO) wrote: "The GPUSA now has a state-based structure [that] preserves the right of locals to have direct representation...." Unity advocate Cris Moore (Green City Councilor from Santa Fe, N.M.) replied: "The GPUSA has an individual dues-based structure, exactly as it did before. The only change is a bit of semantics ...."
Socrates Sculpture Park May Close
Astoria--A developer is negotiating with N.Y. City to purchase Socrates Sculpture Park and replace it with luxury housing.
Fifteen years ago, Socrates was an undeveloped lot filled with garbage. Local artists cleaned up the site, installed sculptures by up-and-coming artists and made it into a world-class attraction. It became a city park in 1994.
The Queens Green Party is joining the growing movement to save Socrates. To get involved, call Gary Sandman at 718-728-7372 or e-mail him at
gary.sandman@juno.com.
Fast-Track Defeated in Congress
Washington--Congress handed President Clinton a major political setback by denying him the fast-track authority he had requested to negotiate free trade treaties. The fast-track authority would have severely limited the time that Congress could debate a trade treaty and would have prevented amendments.
Existing trade agreements, such as NAFTA, are being used by corporations to evade national laws. For example, Ethyl Corp. is using a NAFTA trade tribunal to sue the Canadian government for $251 million for banning the gasoline additive MMT. The use of MMT is opposed by health groups, and by automakers because it degrades catalytic converters.
Brookhaven Protestors Arrested at DOE
Washington--Four Long Islanders were arrested at the Department of Energy's (DOE) offices during a nonviolent sit-in on September 29. The protestors, members of the Long Island SHAD Alliance, tried to deliver a petition demanding that the nuclear reactors at Brookhaven National Labs be closed permanently.
The reactors are currently shut down as Brookhaven fixes past problems, such as a leak of radioactive tritium. The DOE is studying whether to restart the reactors.
The four people arrested were Ginny Levin of Manorville, Carol Denicker of Fort Salonga, Loretta Loguercio of Santa Moriches and Roger Snyder of Smithtown.
250 N.Y. City Public Schools Burn Coal
New York--Many ancient N.Y. City schools continue to burn coal for heating, including 75 in Queens. Coal is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels, creating far more particulates (very small particles) than oil or natural gas. These particulates can get lodged in the lungs and cause asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and cardiovascular disease.
The Environmental Bond Act passed in 1996 allocates $125 million to convert public schools to cleaner fuels over the next 30 years. Since it costs $1 million on average to convert a school, more money is needed to convert all of them.
The Queens Green Party has begun a campaign to educate parents by leafletting at schools that burn coal. To find out if there are any such schools in your neighborhood, call David Levner at 718-897-1448.
Mixed Paper Recycling Starts in Queens
Queens--Starting with this issue, you can recycle Greenmail together with the envelope that it came in. Also junk mail, gift wrap and even shoe boxes are acceptable. Mixed paper recycling came to Queens at the end of September. Previously, the only paper products accepted for recycling were newsprint, magazines, telephone books and corrugated cardboard.
Of course, you can still save paper by taking notes in the margins of Greenmail before recycling it.
Kyoto Conference to Consider Curbing Greenhouse Gases
Washington--President Clinton is preparing to go to Kyoto, Japan to participate in an international conference on global warming. At a recent meeting in N.Y. City in June, the nations of the world failed to agree on binding reductions of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause the warming.
The primary source of greenhouse gases is the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas. The only way to stop the warming trend is to change the majority of our transportation and industrial systems so they are no longer powered by these fuels.
If the warming continues, we can expect rising sea levels that will flood coastal areas, increasingly severe storms and disruptive weather patterns that will have severe economic effects.
by Dr. Frans C. Verhagen
Police Use Pepper Spray On Nonviolent Protestors in California
Eureka--Demonstrators staging a sit-in in Congressman Frank Rigg's office to protest logging in the Headwaters Forest were forced to leave by sheriff's deputies who rubbed pepper spray in their eyes. The police hope that this treatment discourages future demonstrators.
Agenda 21/New York City:
A Strategy for Greening the Big Apple
About 2,000 local agenda 21 (LA21) initiatives in 64 countries were started since 1992, most of them in England, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. The U.S., lacking a national campaign like the above regions, had less than two dozen LA21s (1% of the total according to a 1996 survey by United Nations and the International Council For Local Environmental Initiatives).
I believe that environmental groups, particularly the Green Party/Movement, should take the lead in their communities in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating local agendas 21.
Presently, a small committee of the Queens Green Party is working with a larger Task Force in Manhattan, most of whose members belong to the 50-year-old U.N. Committee of the Community Church of New York (CCNY) that is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association. I am the chair of that Task Force and vice chair of the Queens Green Party's LA21/NYC Committee.
We need more people to serve on the committee; as a matter of fact, I would like to see the committee evolve into a Queens LA21/NYC Network.
The CCNY Task Force is organizing a daylong Consultation on LA21/NYC on Thursday April 23, 1998 for 100 representatives divided into government--20%--, business--30%-- and civil society--50%. From this Consultation, a Stakeholders Steering Group will be formed to organize a Fall Organizing Conference for about 500 New Yorkers representing a cross section of the whole city. We are planning that, by the eve of the new millennium, the Mayor will be able to announce a realistic plan for the world's capital, a Sustainable New York. A 12-page Planning Document is available, free of charge electronically (send an e-mail to gaia1@aol.com), or one dollar with an SASE for hard copy.
It was a veritable phenomenon of cooperation among environmental groups in 1989 when over one hundred groups worked together to present Environment 89 to the mayoral candidates. Mayor Dinkins responded to this unified effort in his electoral campaign, and, less so, in his mayoralty.
Developing, implementing and monitoring a local agenda 21, as London, Seoul, San Francisco and other cities have done, is an enormous but necessary challenge. I hope that the readers of Greenmail are able and willing to become catalysts in this process and work together in the Queens Green Party's LA21/NYC Committee or in the larger Queens LA21/NYC Network.
Upcoming Events
Sat. December 7: Demonstrate at Brookhaven National Lab. 516-265-9430 (Roger Snyder of L.I. SHAD)
Mon. December 8: Queens Green Party general meeting, Jamaica. Future meetings are on the second Monday of the month. 718-897-1448 (David Levner)
Mon. January 5: Discussion of Local Agenda 21. 718-275-3932 (Frans Verhagen)
Sat. January 10: Wild Food/Mailing Party. 718-291-6825 ("Wildman" Steve Brill)
Fri. January 23: Winter cheer party, Fresh Meadows. 718-969-8082 (Evelyn Stephens)
Help Wanted
Candidate--Well-spoken, well-groomed activist sought w/2+ years experience. Public speaking & media skills essential. Wit a plus. No pay. No chance of being elected.
Agitator's assistant--Street-smart publicist wanted. Good writing & computer skills. Aggressive style preferred. Long hours. No pay.
Green TV
Mondays, 6-7 P.M., channel 56, and Thursdays, 8:30-9:30 P.M., channel 35,
Ecology in Queens. Frans Verhagen discusses the fundamentals of
environmentalism.
Tuesdays, 6-7 P.M., and Fridays 9-10 P.M., channel 56, The Enquiring Naturalist. "Wildman" Steve Brill covers all areas of environmental science and conservation, focusing on hands-on activities that the public can participate in.
Because of a shortage of trained crew, we haven't produced new episodes of The Enquiring Naturalist in two years, and Ecology in Queens can usually be seen in its time slot. If you would like to receive video training to help the Wildman get back on the air, please call him at 718-291-6825 or Frans Verhagen at 718-275-3932.
Puzzles
1. What is the only way for a political party in N.Y. State to become officially recognized with a ballot line?
2. Which borough of N.Y. City will suffer the most flooding from rising seas if global warming continues?
3. What is the dollar value of the tax breaks (corporate welfare) that N.Y. State gives to corporations each year?
Give up?
About Greenmail
Greenmail is published quarterly by the
Queens Green Party
in paper
form and as a part of our World-Wide Web site. The Queens Green Party
home page is http://www.panix.com/~levner/greens/ and this issue of
Greenmail is http://www.panix.com/~levner/greens/gmail/v2n4.htm.
Publisher: Frans Verhagen Ph.D., 97-37 63rd Road, #15E, Rego Park, N.Y.
11374, 718-275-3932,
gaia1@aol.com
Editor: David Levner, 63-36 98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374,
718-897-1448,
levner@panix.com
An annual subscription costs $8. You can also receive Greenmail by
joining the Queens Green Party for $15. Make your check payable to the
Queens Green Party and send it to David Levner, 63-36
98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374.
Copyright Queens Green Party, 1997. You may reproduce articles from
Greenmail as long as proper credit is given.
Make your check payable to the Queens Green Party and
send it to David Levner, 63-36 98th Place, #5J, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374.
Copyright Queens Green Party, 1997.
2. Queens (source: NYPIRG)
3. $2 billion
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Answers to the Puzzles
1. A party must run a candidate for governor who receives 50,000 votes.
Back Issues
September 1997 (Volume 2, Number 3)
June 1997 (Volume 2, Number 2)
March 1997 (Volume 2, Number 1)
December 1996 (Volume 1, Number 2)
September 1996 (Volume 1, Number 1)
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