Green Politics

by Julie Devaud (Poland 91-93)

    We need to think green when we think global.  The environmental movement has been bipartisan ever since its genesis.  Republican Theodore Roosevelt tripled the size of the national forests, expanded the
national parks, and established the first national monuments.  Republican Richard Nixon took the
initiative to establish the Environmental Protection Agency and appointed strong leaders.  Democrat Ed Muskie fathered the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act, and Republican John Sherman Cooper co-directed the bipartisan effort to pass this legislation.
    If this bipartisan support had continued, the green movement might have been indifferent to the fates of the two parties.  Instead, to the double misfortune of environmentalists, the condition of our planet
has become a distressingly partisan issue.  We appear to have Republican leadership which is senselessly hostile to green issues with some of its leaders doing irreparable damage to the Earth.  The Democrats, however, now take environmentalists for granted.  Because the Republican leadership is so
anti-environmental, Democratic leaders feel they can safely ignore us because we are a captive constituency with no place else to go. (See article on the Green Party.)
    However, we have a few reasons not to write off the Republicans entirely.  First, Democrats have no monopoly on good ideas.  Second, many politicians ignore any constituency they can take for granted.  Third, environmentalists have a far broader base of support than the Democrats.  And last, we always
need both Republicans and Democrats to move effective legislation through the Congress.  Is this realistic?  Can we expect both Republicans and Democrats to take green issues more seriously?  With the candidacy of Ralph Nader for President with the Green Party, our issues may begin to become more
mainstream.
    Party politics is certainly a matter of leadership and definition.  Innovative types of environmentalism may certainly emerge from Republicans like Bill Weld and Jim Jeffords.  Their policies are sure to
be distinct from those of Barbara Boxer, John Kerry, and Bruce Babbitt.  But, like the green pricing proposals of the late Republican John Heinz, each of these leaders may offer creative new opportunities to cut through the current environmental confusion and legislative logjam.
    In a nation emerging from the divisive 1960s, the environmental movement offered a place for diverse people to come together to promote their visions of a better future.  The movement introduced a value system that still commands the support of 80 percent of all Americans. Unfortunately, many
well-educated environmentalists have the naive view that they live under a system of government where sound science automatically leads to sound policy.  We don't.  We live in a democracy.  Votes must be courted and won.  What the environmental movement needs most is a green political army, able and willing to do the hard work of winning in a democracy.
    And what is at stake?  The stakes are far greater than we may be able to imagine.  The same political forces uniting to squash environmental protection initiatives are also seeking to defund science, defund the arts and public broadcasting, and expand censorship.  They hope to control  Congress and the White House.  Current Congressional leadership has pulled the pendulum far to the right, and political pendulums only swing back when enough people pull on them.  It's time to re-strike the balance.
    Check out the voting records of your Senators and Representatives.  Go to the League of Conservation Voters Website and review their records.  If you are computer-free, use the one at your local library or contact the group directly and order a voter's guide:
League of Conservation Voters, 1920 L St., Suite 800 Washington, DC  20009 202/ 785-8683
http://www.lcv.com

Support environmental  groups and let every candidate in your area know that, in future elections, your votes will go only to politicians - from either party -who share your desire for a safe, healthy, diverse,
and sustainable environment.  This is green politics and the politics that just may preserve our Earth.

RESOURCES AND INTERNET RESOURCES

LOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION LISTSERV
    The Global Human Rights Education (HREA) listserv, an initiative of the University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center and HREA, is designed to keep the global human rights and education community informed about developments in the field.  The mailing list is open to anyone interested in
human rights education and training.     To subscribe, send a message to: mailto:majordomo@hrea.org with the following text in the message:  subscribe hr-education.  For more education, contact Kristi Rudelius-Palmer:  mailto:RUDEL001@tc.umn.edu or Frank Elbers:  mailto:felbers@hrea.org .
    Check out the Human Rights Education listserv archives for interesting courses and degree programs, including some on-line.  Visit their website at http://hrea.org/lists/hr-education/ and check their archives for a full list and more information.
NEW HUMAN RIGHTS BOOK
    Amnesty International USA, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), and University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center announce the publication of Human Rights Education Series, Topic Book 3:  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights:  A Human Rights Perspective.  This curriculum furthers thoughtful examination and responsible action about sexual identity issues by addressing these issues in the context of human rights.  The discussion focuses on human rights abuses around the globe and in our local communities and helps students understand their responsibilities around taking action to promote human rights and also to respond to abuse.
    Other publications in the Human Rights Education Series include: Human Rights Here and Now:  Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Economic and Social Justice:  A Human Rights Perspective Raising Children With Roots, Rights & Responsibilities:  Celebrating the UNConvention of the Rights of the Child. Contact Human Rights Resource Center.  Phone:  888HREDUC8.  Fax:  612625-2011.  E-mail:  mailto:humanrts@tc.umn.edu .  Web http://www.umn.edu/humanrts  .

WORLD WISE SCHOOLS PROJECTS
World Wise Schools, a Peace Corps program that seeks to engage American students in an inquiry about the world, themselves, and others in order to broaden perspectives, promote cultural awareness, appreciate global connections, and encourage service, is launching several exciting projects this fall.
    Look for Water in Africa on the World Wise Schools section of the Peace Corps website at  http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws  .  This project will help U.S. students explore the importance of water in every aspect of daily life, from personal usage, sanitation, water availability, and collection methods,
to sources of clean water, cultural celebration, and transportation.    Stay tuned for Put a Face on a Place project, being piloted by the World Wise Schools staff, which draws upon the expertise of Peace
Corps Volunteers as leaders in community service.  Using the videoconference forum, U.S. students consult returned volunteers for advice about service learning projects that they are working on in their own communities.
    Watch for new developments around CyberVolunteer also. With this project, one Volunteer can send an e-mail to many U.S. classes.  Educators and students can access the insights of Volunteers serving overseas. 

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