Climate Change:

In February 2005, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, gave a strong endorsement of green politics. Climate change is the greatest threat that we face, yet it hardly features in political debates. The actions needed to combat climate change are clear, but the major political parties seem uninterested with it. It will take real political will at every level to tackle the problems we face. Only the Green Party have the policies and will to make this happen.

While climate change deniers continue to get oil company backing to spread uncertainty and mistrust, we have a clear message that is backed by very clear scientific evidence: Climate change in happening and it has been caused primarily by human actions, it is therefore within our power to stop it. For those still uncertain, the Royal Society has produced a useful paper dispelling the myths: here

Our borough council has issued a plan to become a carbon neutral council, which is excellent news, yet what progress is really being made? The council are investing little time and effort in ensuring their premises are energy efficient and they are delaying moves to get higher standards of housing efficiency. Without real investment this plan is just greenwash. The council must not just set its own house in order it must reduce the carbon footprint of the whole town.

Sadly, the council's policies are increasing our carbon footprint. Road expansion, the rapid expansion of our housing stock with houses that are less than 'excellent' rated for efficiency, the continued increase of chain stores shipping food and goods in from around the world, and the lack of investment upgrading the efficiency of our existing houses all combine to show the real face of our councillors. The environment is not at the heart of our council, there is only greenwash. Green Party policies take the environment seriously.

Penny Kemp, former Chair of the Green Party and Green Party Environment Speaker as well as political advisor to the National Executive said, “Even Kofi Anan and David King, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government recognise that climate change is a more serious threat than global terrorism. Yet the only response we get from politicians is more greenwash, more papers, more rhetoric but no real action.  Action has to be taken on every level and we are especially vulnerable in the South East."

Waste Management:

With waste management being seen as another key issue for the future, reducing our waste through the the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) becomes ever more important. Maidstone has one of the worst recycling levels in the country with many areas not having recycling collected from their houses at all and those that do are limited in the types of materials collected. Recycling is the worst of the three R's, it is far better to reduce or reuse waste. We have always opposed the Allington Incinerator, incineration is seen by some as the an easy way of generating electricity and getting rid of waste. This is simply wrong - more energy can be saved through recycling than created through incineration. As for shipping waste in from other parts of the county to burn in Maidstone - it is complete madness.

Maidstone Greens support the Freecycle network which offers items to others for free (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MaidstoneFreecycle/).