The Green Party -- saving tomorrow, today

The Green Party -- saving tomorrow, today
Rebecca Temmer - Imprint staff


Green politics have been a long time in the making but it's starting to come into its own these days. The federal Green Party began in 1984 at Carleton University in Ottawa with just 52 candidates running in the election. By 2004 they had a member running in all 308 ridings in the country.

The UW Green Party Club was started in September 2004 by Darcy Higgins and Jeff Guthrie, an idea that came together while they campaigned for the party in the Sarnia riding during last summer's federal election.

The Campus Greens, as they're known, had their first major event on Tuesday, bringing Canadian activist and former politician David Orchard to speak at the university about his new campaign to keep Canada as a sovereign nation.

The Greens are different from other political clubs like the Young Liberals in that they co-operate and support the provincial, national and international Green Parties but they are not affiliated with them directly.

The reason for this comes from the 10 Green Principles, two of which are decentralization and grassroots democracy. These ten principles, which include sustainability, diversity, gender equality and social justice, are topped off by my favourite principle � that of ecological wisdom: Whatever we do to the earth, we do to ourselves.

The club also works with other UW clubs and organizations to promote sustainability. Last fall they helped the University of Waterloo Sustainability Project (UWSP) orchestrate a waste awareness demonstration in the SLC.

Like most of the other people I've spoken to for my column, Darcy Higgins, the president of the UW Green Party Club believes that campus should be a showcase of sustainability.

"It's important so that young people have a chance to see sustainability working," said Higgins. The entire green movement is gaining momentum and presence here at the University of Waterloo.

Perhaps this new Green club will lobby for environmentally sustainable measures on campus. Like Gregory Richardson who is urging for greener buildings at UW. There are many students interested in making the campus more environmentally friendly.

There are even courses dedicated to the topic � ERS 250: Greening the Campus requires students to form groups and undertake some kind of sustainability initiative on campus. Most of the projects don't get past the report stage but they're all kept on file in the WATGreen office and are a fantastic resource for future action.

The Campus Greens are an exciting new voice at the university. They have the ability to bring like-minded students together to address environmental issues from a political standpoint. This is another important front of the crusade to bring sustainability concerns to the forefront of public perception.

When I asked him what his one message to students would be, Darcy gave a practical and tactical response: "People should select at least two items of organic food when they go grocery shopping." Every little bit helps; you should do your part, too.

The Greens have come a long way from their roots 20 years ago and they have a long way to go to see their mandate completed. May the Force be with them.

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