Together: economy and environment

We've been sold a bill of goods that the economy and environment are in opposition. Part of my job as the Green Controller is to prove that wrong. There are many examples.

FOOD

The importance of food to both the economy and environment (not to mention our children's health and learning) has not been given the focus it deserves. Eating locally grown food from family farms helps keep local jobs – here, in Mexico, and around the world -- and is much better for the environment. Agribusiness is very oil-dependent in its use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and fuel for transportation. Food on our dinner tables has often traveled 3,000 miles, in contrast to food we buy at the growing number of farmers markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture, where you get a box of produce every week). It takes an effort to create a habit of eating in-season, locally grown food, but it's worth it in taste and health and a good economy.

FORESTS

We can log forests by picking and choosing the trees so that the forest remains – that's called sustainable forestry. Or we can cut the forest to the ground – that's called clear cutting. With sustainable forestry we have more jobs for PEOPLE, better quality wood, and at the end of the day we still have forests, looking beautiful and giving off oxygen to help clean the air. With clear-cutting we have more jobs for MACHINES, inferior wood, and the forests are gone.

NATURAL RESOURCES

When I look at our state lands and waterways, I see forests instead of standing timber; mountains instead of mining; oceans instead of offshore drilling, clean air instead of smog. The way out of this environmental mess we've gotten ourselves in is to reduce our use of resources. Every one of us can look around at what we're doing right now, right here, today, and come up with ways we can do things better, more happily, more cheaply, and use fewer resources.

TRANSPORTATION

Years ago Green Party activists and other environmentalists warned of global warming. The cautions were often dismissed as alarmist. Apparently those dismissive remarks were intended to prevent people from changing their individual choices, and challenging the consumption-driven economy.

We can shift gears and enjoy life more, with available solutions, not with hydrogen fuel cells or other expensive and far-off solutions. See "Who Killed the Electric Car" documentary. When we look at the facts, we can see that the public is much more interested in driving cars with good gas mileage than the Detroit automakers are interested in making them. It's as if the automakers pumped up their profit margins by pumping their cars with steroids. Then they filled their car lots and car commercials with trucks and SUVs, all in an effort to persuade drivers to turn away from the fuel-efficient cars drivers had started buying a few years back.

The public has been open to alternatives, while big automobile, tire and oil companies have been driving in the wrong direction. The way to save at the gas pump is to drive vehicles with better gas mileage. Even better, drive less, use mass transit, car-pool, bicycle, and walk. The best renewable energy is often muscle-power.

INDIVIDUAL AND GOVERNMENTAL EFFORTS

Often major problems -- like saving the environment -- require both individual and governmental solutions. Governmental zoning and land use planning can make it easier for individuals to use less energy by arranging to live, shop, work, and play, closer to home.

GREEN CONTROLLER

The Green Party has been committed to finding and implementing solutions like these. As a Green Controller, I can lead the way by ensuring that we implement healthy alternatives that have already been developed – and save our public lands for open space and parks. We can learn the "3 Rs" of reduce, reuse, recycle – in that order: reduce, reuse, recycle.