Campaign Materials for Beaches East-York

It is important to achieve the goal of visibility without sacrificing our light environmental footprint principle in this election.

The signs we use this time at Beachs East-York is made by cardboard, with a biodegradable plastic coating. It is printed on vegetable ink. It is more expensive than the non-biodegradable bag or corrugated plastic signs, but I believe we must walk the talk. There are 107 ridings in Ontario, each with at least 4 candidates. If each candidate uses between 200 to 1000 non-biodegradable signs, we are talking about 85,000 to 400,000 signs that will go to the landfill after this election, and it will take hundred of years for these signs to disappear in the landfill.

This is the same for our printed materials. The Green Party of Ontario postcards are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper that uses vegetable ink. We use waterless printing technology that reduces the use of water and pollutants that go into our water. They are also printed by using wind power. If each of the 107 riding has 4 candidates, each produces between 50,000 to 70,000 pieces of printed material, it is a small forest being cut down this election if we use paper from non-sustainable forest.

Meeting Ralph Nader

I was very glad to have the opportunity to have met with consumer advocate, political activist and former US presidential candidate Ralph Nader to discuss green politics last week in Toronto.

Caroline In the Chinese Media

Ming Pao, Sept 4, Page 2
http://www.mingpaotor.com/htm/News/20070904/tbg1.htm

Fairchild Radio, Sept 4, News Beat, 6:30-7:00
http://www.fairchildradio.com/fairchild_main.asp

Caroline Law is the Provincial Green Party Candidate for Beaches East York

Caroline Law has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Political Science from McGill University, and a Master’s degree specializing in Human Rights and Democracy from the University of Sarajevo in Bosnia and the University of Bologna in Italy. Since emigrating from Hong Kong ten years ago, Caroline has worked in the public, private and non-governmental sectors in the Balkans and Canada. Currently, Caroline is the Special Assistant to City of Toronto Councillor A. A. Heaps. Prior to that, she was Director of Research at Corporate Knights Magazine, overseeing sustainable development-related research projects including Canada’s annual Best 50 Corporate Citizens Ranking and the first Sustainable City Ranking. Caroline has held various positions in the peacekeeping, democratization and human rights monitoring fields in Bosnia, Canada, Croatia and Greece. In her spare time, Caroline serves on the Board of the youth mentoring agency Youth Assisting Youth and as a speaker at local schools under the Canadian International Development Agency’s Youth Speaker Programme. .

Green Party at Pride Parade

The Green Party's involvement at the Toronto Pride Festival this year was a great success. We managed to have a zero-emission contingent with our leader Elizabeth May in a rickshaw, a Zem Bike that fits a family of four, a tandom bike from the Beaches-East York candidate Dave McMillan, and the rest of us dress up as the green superheros. We even got great coverage at Maclean Magazine.

http://forums.macleans.ca/advansis/?mod=for&act=dip&pid=60264&tid=60264&ref=rss&eid=30
http://forums.macleans.ca/advansis/?mod=for&act=dip&pid=60263&tid=60263&ref=rss&eid=30

http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20070709_107098_107098 (scroll down)

What's Your Idea on Taking Green Platform Local?

As the prospect of a spring federal election is looming, and the Green Party is going 12% at the poll, we are moving full steam ahead in election preparedness. We would like to hear your idea on how you think the Green Party platform can improve our local community at Beaches-East York.

Elizabeth May seeks Green Party nomination in Central Nova Scotia

Green Party leader Elizabeth May returned to her personal and political roots in the province of Nova Scotia today to announce that she will seek the party’s nomination for the seat of Central Nova in the next federal election.http://www.greenparty.ca/en/news/03.18.2007

Beaches East York Federal Green Party Association Nomination Contest

We are holding a nomination contest to choose a candidate for the next Federal Election. All are welcome to attend. To be eligible to vote in the contest you must be a member in good standing of the Green Party of Canada at least two weeks prior to the nomination meeting.

Location: The Beacher Cafe, 2162 Queen St East between Glen Manor Dr and Maclean Ave (two blocks east of the Main bus stop at Queen and Wineva)
When: Tuesday March 27, 2007 at 7pm
Contact: jeff.johns@greenparty.ca

To see the profile of the three contestants, please go to www.greenbeaches.ca

Elizabeth May goes One On One with Peter Mansbridge

Watch Elizabeth May on Peter Mansbridge's One on One
http://www.cbc.ca/mansbridge/2007/01/elizabeth_may.html

What are your thoughts?

Happy New Year!

Hopefully the nation-wide unseasonal weather has strengthened your determination to a greener new year resolution. Getting fit by having a healthy, organic, and low food mile diet, use your car less, and participate in an election campaign (canvassing is by far the best weight loss programme in town). Save money by saving energy, water, by reuse and recycle. Spend more time with family and friends and be socially active.

Global warming is taking some people by surprise—traditional wisdom says the environment is the business of the environmentalists. Not anymore. It is now also the business of the economists, farmers, financiers, actuaries, the home owners, store owners, the consumers. Everyone. Environmental degradation is going to cost a lot more money and lives than terrorism, but hadn’t occurred to a lot of people yet. This week, we saw how global warming hits home—1300 people got laid off in Blue Mountains. And this is just the beginning. Climate change is more than just ski hills not having snow, it is about pest and flooding that damage homes, insurance companies changing their policy to climate change related damages, volatile demand of certain products affected by weather (for example, this year winter jackets, snow boots and skates are tough sales, and Ed’s ice cream will be more demanded). Some political scientists are predicting the next era of global conflicts will be resource rather than ethnic based. Climate change is affecting biology. Although it is not clear how unusual temperature change is affecting human health, it is certainly waking up hibernating animals. But we all know that sickness caused by poor air quality, toxic industrial chemicals and unhealthy lifestyle -- all related to global warming -- are costing our tax dollars to foot the sick care bill.

All our actions have consequences. The next time when our car is producing greenhouse gas, when we throw out non-biodegradable garbage, or when we waste our water on our lawn, when we wish that it will be warm forever, think how that is affecting the economy, our earth, and children.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you will have making good economic sense and sustainable living your new year resolution.