When British Columbia’s Green Party revealed their campaign platform on April 13, I was disappointed to find their website in tatters, still covered in the cobwebs of the 2001 provincial election with the new platform nowhere in sight. But I’m happy to report that they have since given it a much-needed a facelift and the new website is a much more friendly place. And it even includes a news feed.
I’ve read through the 2005 Green Book to get a better understanding of the party’s platform, but the key points are well-summarized on their (new) site:
- Sustainability
- Social Justice
- Grass Roots Democracy
- Non-Violence
- Community Based Economy
- Gender Equality
- Diversity
- Decentralization
- Personal and Global Responsibility
- Ecological Wisdom
Sustainability is really the crux of the platform and what attracts me to this party. We really need to take a long-term view to ensure that quality of life is not only improved in the short term but also for generations to come.
The Green Party is worth checking out prior to casting your vote on May 17. They offer a refreshing alternative to the union-backed NDP and the pro-corporate Liberals (whose spending policies seem to make no sense whatsoever). Unfortunately the Greens’ poor communications have left them in the shadow of these two giants. The media hardly acknowledge their existence and fail to take them seriously when they do, despite winning a popular vote of 12% in 2001.
BC-STV, anyone? (explanation from CBC)
I took the car in for regular maintenance yesterday and they laughed at my odometer reading. It appears that we’ve only driven about 2000km in the last 8 months! This is pretty significant and has been part of our plan to reduce our environmental impact while improving our health.
In fact, there are only a few reasons we ever use the car:
- getting out of city for hiking & canoeing,
- transportation for Scouts & Guides,
- and occasionally lugging stuff around.
The car is almost a permanent fixture in the parking garage and if it weren’t for the above reasons it would probably be sitting on a used car lot somewhere.
So how do we get around? First of all, we planned the location of our home very carefully to be close to everything we need. I think the premium we had to pay for location is easily offset by fuel savings — and far more importantly — time savings, health benefits and reduced stress from not having to endure a commute. I work from home and Agnes’ lab is only a five-minute walk away, but we could easily commute to anywhere in greater Vancouver via public transit or by bicycle if this were to change.
Don’t let gas prices get you down. After all, they’re only going to go up.
Well, it’s official: the proposed natural gas-fired power plant to be built in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island was approved today. The Duke Point power plant makes poor business sense and even worse environmental sense. It’s a strange decision that’s certainly linked to ulterior motives and the proposal’s long and checkered history. (more...)