QUB Greens Blog

QUB GREENS JOIN STUDENT PROTEST AT STORMONT

2010-11-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

QUB Greens join with members of the South Belfast Greens along with the Green Party MLA Brian Wilson and Steven Agnew!

The QUB Greens braved the awful weather conditions, along with over 300 students from QUB, to bring our fight for justice to Stormont. We were proud to stand shoulder to shoulder to protect the right of everyone in Northern Ireland to have a university education - regardless of their economic background and we will continue this fight.

We are digusted by the level of debt that young people are expected to endure and believe that the economics of loading thousands of pounds worth of crippling debt on those who simply want to learn and contribute to our society is fundamentally wrong.

A big mention has to go out to all the Student Officers of the QUB Students Union who have organised the protests so far! Their dedication has been outstanding.

QUB GREENS PROTEST AGAINST THE THREATENED REMOVAL OF THE CAP ON STUDENT FEES

2010-11-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens with the Green Party's Steven Agnew at the protest

The QUB Greens took part in the QUB SU organised protest against the proposed removal of the fees cap.

The opportunity achieve one’s full potential by means of third level education should not be prevented by economic factors.

The Green Party in Northern Ireland’s spokesperson Steven Agnew also lent the party’s support to students and their families by today attending and addressing the peaceful protests with the QUB Greens.

Steven was the only local political representative to address the lunchtime protest meeting in Belfast. Mr Agnew said: "The proposed removal of the cap on student fees will result on a two-tier system where only those who can afford it will be able to attend the top universities. University selection should be based simply on ability, not ability to pay.

A NEW TERM BEGINS WITH THE QUB FRESHERS BAZAAR 2010!

2010-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens Stall at the Freshers Bazaar 2010! Signing up new members!

We had such a successful day at this years freshers bazaar! Many new members signed up and a huge number of students registering their interest in Green issues!

This year we will continue on our great record of activism and will be running campaigns on Youth Sexual Health, Human Trafficing Awareness, Campaign against Student Fees, SU Energy Efficiency Drive and more! We will also take part in our annual actions during Fairtrade Fortnight, World Aids Day and a Tree Planting ceremony.

If your interested in getting involved this year don't hesitate to send us an email to find out about our fortnightly meetings in the Students Union and to receive updates of campaigns, actions and events! qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

Keep It Green! =D

THE GREEN GENERATION!

2010-09-15T16:14:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More youth

The Young Greens have put together this publication highlighting the benefits of the Green Economy to students and graduates in Ireland north and south! This publication was put together by the Young Greens National Campaigns Officer 2009/2010 Mark McCormick who is also an active member of the QUB Greens!

Thousands of first years are starting off in universities around the island of Ireland this week, and the Young Greens will be at freshers weeks around the country to get them involved in the Young Greens. We will have copies of this publication. Have a read and email us with your comments or questions at info@younggreens.ie.

Keep an eye out for us at the QUB Freshers Bazaar on the 29th September!

QUB GREENS TACKLE YOUTH SEXUAL HEALTH ISSUES

2010-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:00

Throughout the summer members of the QUB Greens have been taking part in a project organised by St. Columbs Park House. The project involved the whole range of Youth Party's in Northern Ireland and through discussion came to write a policy statement that all could agree with on the issue of sexual health.

A few days ago, the Political Youth Wings met together to create a short video explaining what they've been up to, and why they believe this issue is so important. Visit the youtube site at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQczFH87ssQ .

SUMMER WITH THE QUB GREENS!

2010-05-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

The end of exams is nearing, term time is practicaly over, the Students' Union is nearly empty and Elms Village deserted but fear not, the QUB Greens will be having lots of fun events and activities for those left behind in sunny Belfast!

New Green Chair and the Twisted Hop Beer Festival...

After a brilliant year of activism both within and outside the confines of the university, it's time for us to say goodbye to our two co-chairs Mark and Lois. Their dedication and hard-work has brought us on leaps and bounds over the past year but Lois has finished her course and is preparing to head out in to the big, bad world of work. Mark is spending the first term of next year on the Erasmus scheme, studying in the prestigious University of Amsterdam and getting involved with the Deutsch Young Greens. He will be returning in the summer term to the QUB Greens. We wish them both the best of luck.

For the year of 2010/11, the Chair of the QUB Green's will be Robert McGarrell.

To celebrate this, and more importantly the end (or nearing of the end) of your exams the QUB Greens are heading to Custom House Square in Belfast's city centre to attend and enjoy the wonders of Twisted Hop Festival. On Thursday 27th May @ 6pm we will be meeting at the front of the Union in preparation for heading down to one of Belfast's newest and exciting beer festivals. Over 30 different types of beer will be available from nine of Ireland's independent breweries. In keeping with our Green Politics of buying local, independently produced products we believe this to be a very Green way of celebrating the end of this term!

Belfast Pride

Belfast Pride is Ireland’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans festival and is this year being held from the 24th July-31st July. QUB Greens will be heading down to take part in the festivities and will be also running a stand at the Community Fair! We certainly take pride in being part of Belfast Pride every year and we are always a visable and active contributer to the parade itself! If you would like to get involved, march in the parade with us or help us run the Green Party stand please let us know! :-)

A MESSAGE FROM CAROLINE LUCAS MP TO THE QUB GREENS

2010-05-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens supported Caroline Lucas in her bid to become the Uks first Green MP through a recycling fundraiser! We were absolutely delighted to hear that Caroline got elected and that we were able to play a small part. We were even more delighted to recieve an email from Caroline thanking the efforts of the QUB Greens during her election! :-) Below is the message from Caroline.

Dear Mark, Lois and all QUB Greens,

Firstly, thank you so much for your email, here at the Green Party HQ in Brighton, we were impressed and inspired by the actions of your group and your smart recycling/fundraising project.

So a huge thank you for your work -- and your money! Thanks to your support, you've helped play a part in making history and electing the UKs very first Green MP.

You've seen how we can succeed if we work together and I hope this victory inspires you to keep working hard, getting out that Green message of fairness for all and to keep coming up with great recycling and fundraising ideas.

Warmest wishes

Caroline

YOUNG GREENS CELEBRATE THE GREEN VOTE!

2010-05-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

Young Greens and South Belfast Greens with Adam at the vote count!

A big congratulations to QUB Green Adam McGibbon who stood for the Green Party in South Belfast at the General Election. Adam gained the Greens strongest performance yet in the constituency, winning 1036 votes and 3% of the vote! We are proud of you Adam!! :-) Looking forward to helping out in the local and MLA elections next year as well!

The Young Greens also did work in other constituencies including South Down, where Cadogan Enright gained 901 votes, North Down where Steven Agnew polled 1043 votes and in Strangford where Barbara Haig achieved 562 votes.

But of course the biggest celebration was in Brighton where Caroline Lucas made history, becoming the first Green Party MP in the UK! Congratulations Caroline! :-)

QUB GREEN ADAM FEATURES ON HEARTS & MINDS!

2010-04-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Delighted to see our very own Adam McGibbon being discussed on Hearts & Minds as the Youngest candidate in N.I! :-D

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT ADAMS CAMPAIGN!

As you may have noticed the posters have started to appear in South Belfast! As the posters are now going up, we're offering people the chance to SPONSOR A POSTER..

Sponsoring a poster is a great way to support the campaign - for a donation of £10 through Paypal (see here: http://southbelfastgreenparty.wordpress.com/join-us/ ), a poster is tagged with your initials and when the election is over, it's yours to keep... brilliant as a scarecrow! :-p

You can follow Adams campaign on the South Belfast Green Party website - http://www.southbelfastgreens.com/ or you can join and support his campaign on facebook! - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4892579997

ADAM MCGIBBON TO CONTEST THE WESTMINSTER ELECTIONS IN SOUTH BELFAST BECOMING THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE IN N. IRELAND!

2010-04-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

Adam McGibbon is the Green Party's candidate for South Belfast for the next general election, due on 6th May 2010.

Adam is a postgraduate politics student at Queen's University, and the youngest candidate in Northern Ireland in this election. He joined the Green Party in 2007 at the age of 19, becoming the youngest member of the Party's Executive Committee and is currently the Chairperson of the South Belfast branch. A founder of the Party's Queens University branch, he is currently Vice-President-elect of Queen's Students' Union.

STUDENTS REGISTER TO VOTE IN SOUTH BELFAST!

To vote in South Belfast, you need to be on the electoral register. This can be done quickly an easily by filling out an online form, printing it off and posting it. Go to: www.aboutmyvote.co.uk to find out more!

Information for students: www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/students.aspx

Best of Luck Adam!!! With all the Green love of the QUB Greens! :-D

QUB GREENS RECYCLE IN AID OF CAROLINE LUCAS AND HER BID TO BECOME THE FIRST GREEN MP!

2010-03-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens! from left to right, Fionnuala, Lois, Mark, Bob and Adam with the Recycle4charity collection box! Photography by Shannen Nugent.

The QUB Greens have been collecting used print cartridges this term to be recycled in support of Caroline Lucas MEP and her campaign to become the first Green MP at Westminster.

We have collected 100 print cartridges and a number of mobile phones which will be sent to Recycle4charity!

http://www.recycle4charity.co.uk/

Over four million used cartridges are thrown away each year and end up in landfill sites!

Not only is this a huge waste of resources, but the empty inkjets are worth £1 to charities and not for profit organizations when recycled. We have also seen an increasing need for mobile phone recycling which is also another item worth £££'s!

By supporting the Recycle 4 Charity campaign we will be helping the environment whilst also donating the proceeds to Carolines campaign!

According to recent polls the Greens in Brighton & Hove are well in the lead with 35% of the constituency's voters followed by the Conservatives on 27%, Labour on 25% and LibDems on 11%!

Supporting Carolines campaign also shows the Greens in NI's East-West links as well as our North South links.

The QUB Greens hope with our small contribution we can play our part in making Green history in the UK.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT 2010! FAIRTRADE IS GREEN!

2010-03-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

QUB Greens, from left to right, Bob, Ronan and Lois promoting Fairtrade in the QUB SU during Fairtrade Fortnight!

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

This year the QUB Greens decided to highlight the Green aspects of Fairtrade! Click on the image to see our poster explaining the green aspects of Fairtrade!

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ - for more information on the Fairtrade Vision!

UNCLE SAMMY SAYS GREENS ROCK!

2010-03-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

The South Belfast Green Party are holding a fundraising gig and the QUB Greens will be there! The gig is at Aunties on Tuesday 23rd March and there are four bands playing! The entrance fee will be £5.

The bands are....

Comply or Die

If it’s pretty melodies and booty shaking grooves you’re after, Comply or Die are not the band for you. However, on those wretched days when you feel like smashing your head through a wall, they ably provide an ideal soundtrack to your impending unconsciousness.

www.myspace.com/diecomply

Numskull

Think Screeching Weasel meets Your Mum. Back after a mysterious hiatus which probably involved jail time, this is the latest incarnation of the sing-along pop punk idiots who, apparently, “still don’t give a ****”

www.myspace.com/numskullrocks

Snitch

Faster than a spooked whippet, louder than Nagasaki, more punk rock than even Chris de Burgh, Snitch will deliver a wall of ballsy, poppy punk rock so fantastic, you’ll literally dance ’til your legs come off!
www.myspace.com/snitchband

Dolbro Dan

Bluesy home-made folk of the highest order. “It’s old music … but it’s actually new music … sounding like old music – but I like it!” – Gerry Anderson, BBC Radio Ulster.

www.myspace.com/dolbrodan

So come along and bring your friends!

QUB GREENS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SOCIEITIES ON CAMPUS?

2010-03-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

In the newest addition of the Gown newpaper the QUB Greens were surprised, amused and secretly delighted to be portrayed as one of the most influential socieities on campus!

Our influence was compared to that of the long established Law, GAA and Christian Union socieites at QUB even though as a society we have only been actively campaigning for just over 2 years and founded only in 2007! We have worked hard and have had a very visable presence in the Students Union getting involved in many SU campaigns as well as starting our own.

We strive to be an active, diverse and vibrant society and in its own way we think the Gown have captured our efforts quite well in the recent illustration by Niall Mooney!

Make sure you grab a copy of the latest gown edition which can be easily found in the SU, Library or in many other places around campus! Also visit their website - http://www.thegown.org.uk/

ADAM MCGIBBON ELECTED AS VP WELFARE OF THE QUB STUDENTS UNION!

2010-03-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Our fellow QUB Green Adam McGibbon has been elected as VP Welfare of the QUB Students Union with over 1700 votes!!

Adam was the founder of the QUB Greens at Queens and served as its Co-Chair for two years! Without Adam we wouldnt be the vibrant and active society that we are today!

Congratulations Adam!!!

With lots of Green Love!!!! The QUB Greens!

QUB GREENS PLANT 60 NATIVE TREES!

2010-02-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

The QUB Greens travelled to Downpatrick on Saturday 13th Feb for a Tree Planting day!

On arrival in Downpatrick we were greeted by the South Down Green Party and Cllr Cadogan Enright and given a talk about local campaigns they are involved in.

We visited the Downpatrick Art Gallery which is currently featuring pictures of the beautiful East Down coastline which is being threatened with loosing its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty! For more information on this go to this link - Click here

We then travelled out to Killough were we planted a variety of 60 native trees including Blackthorn, Hazel, Ash, Downy Birch and Beech trees! Mabye in a few years we will revisit the area and see how our trees are getting on!

Many thanks to those who came along, and to Councillor Cadogan Enright for looking after us for the day!

The QUB Greens at work with veteran tree planter and retired Green Party councillor Bill Corry!

KEEPING IT GREEN IN FEBRUARY!

2010-02-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

QUB Greens Secretary Bob McGarrell working the stall at the re-freshers bazaar!

This week the QUB Greens took part in the Re-Freshers Bazaar (a chance for societies to sign up new recruits and interested students for the 2nd semester) on Wednesday and also in the QUB Students Union Green Day on Thursday!! :-D

We had a great time speaking to many students and signing up a few more people for our Tree Planting Day this weekend! Time and time again we hear from students that green issues are issues that they care for and are delighted to see a society willing to do something about it!

A special word must go out to Paul Courtney, Student Officers, the Student Union staff and volunteers for the successful Green Day and also on the huge success of the bun sale in which all of the proceeds went towards the Haiti Fund!

The 2nd semester is still young and we have many green events coming up that we would love for you to get involved in so send us an email and get active! :-D

YOUNG GREENS TREE PLANTING DAY ORGANISED!

2010-02-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday 13th February - 11.30am - 2pm
Downpatrick

The QUB Greens will be meeting at Belfast Europa Bus Station at 10.15am to get the 10.30 bus to Downpatrick. The day will include meeting up with some members of the South Down Green Party and the Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright. We will then make our way to the chosen area for planting the trees. A number of trees have been kindly provided by the Woodland Trust and more from the local Green Party. We will then be getting a vegan lunch provided by the local greens! :-)

If you wish to come along simply send us an email confirming so we can get an idea of numbers - qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk

Or you can RSVP on our Facebook event page! - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=310409608853&ref=mf

WEE GREEN MAN FESTIVAL!

2010-01-12T05:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday 24th January

Auntie Annies

44 Dublin Road

Belfast, BT2 7HN

The Wee Green Man Festival is a fundraising event for the Green Party and all proceeds will go towards their fortcoming Westminster campaign!

Featuring;

Not Squares (DJ set) - http://www.myspace.com/notsquares
Adebisi Shank - http://www.myspace.com/adebisishank
Axis Of - http://www.myspace.com/axisof

Doors open 8pm
Minimum donation £5

Join the Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=211933692763&index=1

The Young Greens will be there! Come along and bring some friends!

QUB GREENS TRIP TO STORMONT ASSEMBLY

2009-12-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

On the 9th of December QUB Greens went to Stormont! We were given a tour and then had a talk from Steven Agnew and Brian Wilson MLA. Brian spoke about how Green issues are worldwide and cannot be tackled alone. The same policies must be in place everywhere to deal with the challenge posed by climate change. He also mentioned issues faced within the Northern Ireland Assembly, for example designation. By refusing to class himself ‘Nationalist’ or ‘Unionist’ he is ‘Other’, but due to the need for cross-community support as stipulated by the Good Friday Agreement this gives you lesser powers. Furthermore, this reinforces the politics of the past, whereas the Green Party looks forward.

Gaining a seat in the Assembly was a crucial breakthrough but he is alone there and we want to change that! We put forward some questions to Brian about his vision for the next five to ten years, his views on Copenhagen and his opinion on the current Assembly position. Brian emphasised the need for more Green MLAs but what is most crucial is implementing the Green policies themselves.

Many thanks from QUB Greens to both Steven Agnew and Brian Wilson : )

WORLD AIDS DAY 2009

2009-12-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

QUB Greens Fionnuala (left), Bob (centre) and Mark (right)at the Green Stall, World Aids Day 2009, QUB Students Union.

http://www.worldaidsday.org/

Monday 1st December was World Aids Day and the QUB Greens took part in the global campaign to tackle the epidemic that is HIV/AIDS, raising awareness, and also the local campaign to increase awareness about sexual health as well as safe and sensible sex amongst students.

The QUB Greens along with Amnesty, Rag and the Students Union held an awareness day in the Union, distributing information on the situation here as well as around the world.

At the Green stall we handed out contact information for any students who have concerns about their sexual health, hundreds of condoms and booklets on sexual health.

The QUB Greens will also be writing to student officers asking for free, easy to access contraception to be made available on campus for students. In almost any other university around the UK this is available and the QUB Greens will work to get the same sexual health and welfare at QUB.

SEXUAL HEALTH GUIDELINES & SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS

Free and confidential sexual health helpline:

0800 567 123

Royal Victoria Hospital GUM Department

028 9063 4050 / 4054

Opening times:

Monday: 8.30am - 11.30am AND 1.30pm - 4pm

Tuesday: 8.30am - 11.30am AND 1.30pm - 4pm

Wednesday: 8.30am - 11.30am AND 1.30pm - 4pm

Thursday: 8.30am - 11am AND 1.30pm - 4pm

Friday: 8.30am - 11.30am AND 1.30pm - 4pm

Family Planning Association (free Contraception and Chlamydia testing)

The Bradbury Centre, Lower Lisburn Road
028 90 912 100

STOP HARE COURSING

2009-12-03T03:33:00.000-08:00

QUB Green Co-Chair Mark McCormick transformed into Harriet the Hare this week at QUB to campaign against Hare Coursing in Northern Ireland and full protection for the Irish Hare.

Mark, as part of the League Against Cruel Sports Society at QUB, took part in a demonstration outside the student union which coincided with the reintroduction of a temporary ban on coursing the Irish hare which came into place on 1 December 2009. The Special Protection Order prevents the killing, taking, sale or purchase of the Irish hare, but only at certain times of the year!

Harriet the Hare said: “I live my life in constant fear that one day I will meet my fate in a coursing event – it is terrifying. If only the department would permanently protect me then I could live my life without fear.”

For more information on the League Against Cruel Sports email - maryfriel@league.org.uk

Email the Environment Minister and ask him to implement full protection for the Irish Hare! -

doe.iemonitoring@doeni.gov.uk

QUB GREENS FEATURE IN EUROPEAN BLOGGING WEBSITE ON COPHENHAGEN

2009-11-24T06:44:00.000-08:00

Members of the QUB Greens at our fortnightly meeting in the Students Union

The QUB Greens have featured on the TH!NK2 Climate Change website for European Blogging!

Conor Slowey, a final year Law with Politics student who blogs about European politics and on Irish dimension of European politics, is blogging on 'TH!NK2 Climate Change' and recently was a guest at the QUB Greens fortnightly meeting last week.

To read Conors contribution to TH!NK2 Climate Change based on the content of the QUB Greens meeting follow the link below!

http://climatechange.thinkaboutit.eu/think2/post/ni/

TH!NK2 Climate Change is a 3 month blogging competition with a focus on UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP15) in December 2009. Some 90 bloggers from 40 countries, including all 27 EU Member states, India, China, Brazil and the USA, the world's biggest players in climate policy, will come together on the European Journalism Centre's thinkaboutit.eu platform, to exchange ideas and debate the issues of climate change.

Conors interest in the area of Climate Change is the politics behind it, especially in an European and an international context, and in energy politics. You can visit Conors main blog here - http://www.theeuropeancitizen.blogspot.com/

DEAR SAMMY... WHY ARE YOU MAKING OUR STUDENTS PAY RATES?

2009-11-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

The QUB Greens have called for clarification over alternative support for students if proposals by the Finance Minister to scrap the student rate relief scheme goes ahead.

The QUB Greens believe that although the rates relief system is far from perfect, Sammy Wilson should clarify what form of alternative student support he intends to replace the relief system. Is the Minister intending to go down the road that will increase financial pressure on students by increasing rents?

As students in England, Scotland and Wales are not required to pay council tax, it seems Minister Wilson would like Northern Ireland students to be saddled with more financial pressure in a time of increasing tuition fees and recession, when young people are finding it increasing difficult to find part time work.

We would also questions how this comment fits in with the comments of other DUP representatives recently, who lament the ‘brain drain’ – Northern Irish students going abroad to study – while the Finance Minister takes actions that will place extra costs on students studying here.

STEVEN AGNEW INTERVIEW!

2009-11-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

Steven Agnew with QUB Greens (left to right) Bob, Lois and Mark.

A few weeks ago we emailed our mailing list giving members and supporters an opportunity to ask Steven Agnew, the Green Party EU Candidate in the recent EU election, their questions! We selected 10 of these questions and Steven has kindly answered them below!

We hope to conduct similar interviews with other notable Greens in the future! :-)

STEVEN AGNEW ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

1. What was the highlight of your European Elections campaign and what was your worst experience?

I’ll give you my worst experience first because it led to my best experience.

There was a hustings hosted by the Northern Ireland Independent Retailers Trade Association in the Europa hotel that included guests from the Institute of Directors, CBI, and Federation of Small Businesses etc. Basically a cross section of NI’s business community.

I was nervous about this event for a number of reasons. Unlike other hustings hosted by the likes of NICVA, Amnesty etc when I knew I would have a sympathetic audience, I felt I was walking into a room full of people who wouldn’t take the Green Party seriously.

Also our message was around the Green Economy and creating jobs. If we were to get anywhere with this message we needed these guys on board.
Essentially I’d beaten myself before I went in. I was convinced I would fail and so I did. I stepped up to the platform to make my speech and one of the mics fell off. It went down hill from there. I blanked mid speech, which I never do – I couldn’t remember the term ‘environmental goods and services’ and probably said something like ‘the global market for environmental . . . . eh . . . . stuff . . . . is estimated at over £3000bn’. But by that point the message was lost, I’d choked and that was what people would remember.

What I needed to remember was that CBI are part of the Green New Deal Coalition. These people are already on board. I had the strongest message on that platform and all I had to do was deliver it.

Anyway, the next day was the manifesto launch. To that point I’d been reworking the same speech for each event. Two hours before the launch I tore it up. Stupid thing to do. Wrote a new speech. Was stressed, angry (with myself), but determined to go in and nail this. And did.

There were journalists from BBC, UTV and all the main NI newspapers.

I was on a platform with Doctor John Barry legendary politics lecturer, former GPNI leader, and the man who inspired me to get active in the Green Party. Doctor Mark Bailey, economics lecturer, new Chair of GPNI, and the font of all knowledge. And Alderman Brian Wilson MLA, a former economics lecturer, 30 years experience in politics, and my boss.

They couldn’t get a word in.

I delivered my speech as it was in my head. Each question that came, I batted it back. Job done.

Hearts and Minds was another high point because I love watching that show and it was a great feeling to be on there and to get my Ian Knox caricature. I didn’t know the questions in advance but was well prepared for them when they came. I was pleased with my answers as I delivered them as they were in my head. I found out about a week later that 70,000 people had watched the show that night.

2. How do you feel about your result in the EU election?

Delighted.

More people voted Green in NI than had ever done so before. We beat our own target for number of votes even though the number of people voted was way down (42% turnout compared to around 60% in the Assembly elections). I had even said privately that even though it was unlikely I’d love to get over 15,000.

When the vote came in at 15,674 I was well pleased.

3. What sort of advantages do you think the EU can bring to N.I directly?

Direction.

I hope this changes but the current Northern Ireland Executive are leading us nowhere. It’s great that the Assembly is up and running and we have local democracy but now our local politicians have to step up to the plate and govern.

Without the EU we’d have virtually no environmental protection. We’d still think the answer to our waste problem is to bury it. Renewable energy would still be seen as some hippy fantasy. And human rights would still be caught up in some Unionist/Nationalist stalemate.

In fact to some extent these things haven’t changed, but because of European directives they have to.

4. Alliance Party... Yay or Nay??

Good question. When I work out what they stand for I’ll let you know.

Obviously we work together with Alliance in the Assembly and we share a certain amount of common ground in terms of working for all the people of Northern Ireland. But we’re also a global party, one branch of a worldwide movement whereas Alliance are very much a party of ‘the Troubles’. I also see Alliance as being a fundamentally more conservative party than ourselves.

However I think it is important that we work together where we do share common ground to bring voters away from the old politics of division and increase the pool of votes that, come election time, we will be competing for.

I think we have more to offer than Alliance. Whereas their core is in not being sectarian, this is assumed within the Green Party, as is our support for other equality issues. We never needed to have a debate within the Party as to whether or not we would support gay marriage as equality is a core Green principle that is there for all to see.

We are also unique as a party in Northern Ireland in that you can be a unionist Green or a nationalist Green without there being any contradiction. As a party in support of cultural-diversity as well as bio-diversity we must realise that these cultural traditions have value and we are not here to simply whitewash over these traditions. However our members recognise that this does not necessarily have to result in division as we are united around our social, environmental and economic policies. The constitution of Northern Ireland is in the hands of the people and no party can or should look to change that.

5. How do you respond to people who think the Green Party is simply a single issue party?

People think that Green means environment but I don’t think they really think about what is meant by the term ‘environment’. Most people think of trees and green fields, but the environment is simply where we live and being Green is about how we live in every aspect of our lives.

Take energy as an example. Firstly we have to reduce the amount we use through energy efficient measures such as insulation, energy saving light bulbs etc. Then we have to lessen the impacts of energy production so we need to shift away from fossil fuels and use more renewable forms of energy production.

Of course these measures will help cut our carbon emissions which will help in the fight against climate change. But this type of shift will do so much more.

As well as reducing CO2 emissions we also reduce toxins that are released when we burn fossil fuels which will improve our air quality and have a positive impact on health. Energy efficiency measures will help householders reduce their fuel bills and help tackle fuel poverty. Producing energy locally will help create jobs providing a boost to the local economy. 98% of our energy is currently imported. So essentially every time you pay your electricity bill for gas bill you are sending money out of our economy. If the Assembly is so focussed on growing the local economy how can they not see that more towards renewables is an integral part of this?

So one Green Party policy will have an impact on the economy, social development, health, and climate change.

In fact when I joined the Green Party I was much more interested in issues of social justice than I was environmental issues, so if it was all about simply saving trees I don’t think I would have joined.

6. As a former student of QUB what are your recollections of political activism here?

I have very few recollections of student politics and that wasn’t simply because I was drunk all the time.

To be honest I wasn’t interested in politics back then. To me politics meant unionism versus nationalism and that never particularly interested me.

I do remember Simon Doyle who was then the editor of The Gown (now writes for the Irish News I think). He stood for Student Union President under the banner “Vote for me. I’m the only one taking the piss”. I think he came third.

I also remember there was this idea of a unionist chill factor in the Student’s Union, which I never understood. As someone from a unionist background I can’t say I ever felt ‘the chill’ but maybe that was due to the alcohol.

Instead I got involved with RAG which ties in with the whole social justice side of things. We raised quite a bit for local charities, but it was also a good way of meeting people some of whom I’m still friends with today.

7. In light of scientific consensus that energy consumption will continue to increase do you feel that the Green Party should adopt policies to promote more modern safer installations of nuclear power rather than renewables?

No. We neither need nor want nuclear power in Northern Ireland.

It would take 25 years to construct a nuclear power plant so it will not help towards the fight against climate change.

No nuclear power plant to date has been financially self sustaining; all nuclear power requires massive subsidies from the government, so there is no economic argument for nuclear power.

There is still no solution to the problem of nuclear waste though Sammy Wilson would have you bury it in your back garden if Gordon Brown offered enough money. But if we went full scale down the nuclear route there wouldn’t be enough back gardens in which to bury the waste.

The All Island Grid Study shows that Ireland as a whole can produce 42% of its electricity from renewables by 2020 and this is what we should be aiming for.

George Monbiot has not, as some have suggested, joined the nuclear lobby but has suggested that if the waste issue was addressed and all emissions from ‘mine to dump’ are taken into account then nuclear power could be considered. I think if we were to look at total cost and total emissions of nuclear power the case for nuclear just doesn’t stand.

www.monbiot.com/archives/2009/02/20/nuked-by-friend-and-foe

8. Hypothetically if the Greens gained more influence in the Assembly and were able to get one piece of legislation passed what would you personally wish it to be?

Only one!?!

I think it would have to be that Northern Ireland must meet specific CO2 reduction targets and renewable energy targets not just by 2050 but within each term of the Assembly.

Currently we are signed up to the UK Climate Change Act which commits the UK as a whole to cut CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. However we need year on year monitoring of our progress and interim targets. Targets for 2050 are grand but if you’ve an essay for June your unlikely to look at it until May. Similarly I’m concerned we won’t start to take action on climate change until it is too late. That’s why I think that each Programme for Government should commit the Assembly to CO2 reduction targets within the Assembly term. Then we would have something by which to assess our politicians’ performance and add some much needed urgency.

9. How do you feel about the renewed programme for government in the Republic of Ireland and the Fianna Fail coalition?

I remain positive about the Greens being in government and believe that the renewed programme for government represents a victory for the Greens. Obviously as the minority partner in government we cannot get everything our own way, but if you look at the measures on climate change, the guarantee their will be no third level education fees, 2:1 ratio spend on public vs private transport (in NI its 1:5 public:private), as examples, we are punching well above our weight.

Remember we have 6 TDs compared to Fianna Fail’s 77, yet we’ve managed to play quite a big role in influencing policy.

People will point out that we have suffered electorally but I believe that while the party vote has been damaged by the Greens being in government, Ireland is better off. I think you should get elected to change policy, not change policy to get elected.

10. With Copenhagen drawing near how do you feel Northern Ireland can play its part in tackling climate change?

We need to set our own targets, as I outlined above. Then we need to meet them.

But I think that the First and Deputy First Minister should show leadership by attending the talks in Copenhagen. However I don’t think they can or will lead on Green issues and that is why when people ask me why if we still need the Greens when everyone knows about climate change and what needs to be done, that I am more convinced than ever of the need for a strong Green voice. Even when the problem is blatantly obvious our political leaders delay on making the necessary changes. I’m just glad John Gormley will be in Copenhagen showing Sammy Wilson how a real Environment Minister can lead the way.

"The Green Party needs its younger members to drive it forward in Northern Ireland from its modest beginnings to a Green future." - STEVEN AGNEW SPEAKS AT QUB

2009-11-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

Steven Agnew speaks to students at QUB

Thanks to everyone who came along to the talk today by Steven Agnew. A QUB graduate himself, Steven recently stood as the Green Party candidate in the European Election. He polled 15,764 first preference votes, representing a 31.5% increase in the Green vote since the Assembly elections and a 228% increase on the last EU election.

Steven began by highlighting the progress of the Green Party in Northern Ireland, and comparison with other countries where the Greens have managed to achieve real influence. He also detailed some of the key issues that he works on at Stormont with the Green MLA Brian Wilson. For example renewably energy, issues around waste solutions, investment in public transport, concern for CO2 emissions and finally Copenhagen. The last of these is vital, but global issues should not overshadow local concerns and engagement with people in between elections. The Green Party needs its younger members to drive it forward in Northern Ireland from its modest beginnings to a Green future, a Green economy is what can create jobs and tackle environmental challenges! : )

Steven’s talk was followed by questions, regarding cynicism in politics, helping people understand the importance of climate change, engagement with all parts of society, the new Environment Minister (who at least recognises our role in creating climate change!), the role of livestock in emissions and the importance of engaging young people in politics generally.

Thanks to Steven for both an informative and inspirational talk : )

Steven with QUB Greens from left to right Bob, Steven, Lois & Mark.

GREENING IT UP AT THE BLESSINGTON LAKES!

2009-10-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

From l-r: Chris, Antonia, Justyn, Una, Bob, Mark and Lois

Seven members of QUB Greens went down to Blessington Lakes, Wicklow for the Young Green Convention, one of the most successful turnouts from a Young Green branch and a great turn out all round!

After a joyful six hours of travel by bus we arrived on the Saturday in time for some of the afternoon talks. There was a discussion between all branches on how to get involved in campaigns and what can work well when choosing to take on new projects. There is great potential for us to learn from each other, for example by what has worked well on another university campus.

Later in the day John Gormley, Environment Minister in the South, came and spoke to us all, noting the importance of looking forward and questioning where we will be in, for example, 2050. He emphasised that no one can dispute the fact that it is impossible to have ‘infinite growth on a finite planet’. For sustainability there is a need for ‘resource-ism’. Discussion was then opened to the floor and we had the valuable opportunity to ask the Minister questions, on areas from the new Programme for Government, the Lisbon Treaty, Copenhagen, Common Agricultural Policy, internal flights in Ireland and even a mention of Sammy Wilson!

This was followed by the election of the new National Executive Committee (NEC) for the following year – for the first time a Young Green from Northern Ireland was elected! Congratulations to QUB Co Chair Mark on winning the position of Campaigns Officer!

Discussions continued long into the night, it was a great experience making contact with our fellow Young Greens, thank you to everyone from QUB who went down and to our fabulous hosts : )

Mark, newly elected to the NEC and ready to fight to improve Green Campaigns!

QUB GREENS SUPPORT GREEN WEEK AT QUB!

2009-10-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

The 26th - 30th October is Green Week at Queens!

The SU Sabbatical Officers loved our Energy Saving Poster from Energy Saving Week so much that we were able to edit it to fit in with Green Week!

Take a look around the SU this week to see our poster in Action as part of the QUB Greens support for GREEN WEEK 2009!

Also look out for the SU Green Week poster to see whats on this week!

Click on the Poster Image to see the origional size!

QUB GREENS ENERGY SAVING WEEK

2009-10-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

19 - 25 October is Energy Saving week and to play a part in this the QUB Greens committee has created a poster & leaflet which will be distributed to students and put up on notice boards around the campus. After our meeting on Wednesday 21st we will be distributing these and need volunteers to help leaflet around the Students Union.

CLICK ON THE POSTER TO SEE LARGER SIZE!

QUB GREEN MEMBERS ATTEND PIPS COMMUNITY LIFEGUARD TRAINING PROGRAMME

2009-10-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

QUB Greens Adam McGibbon and Karly Greene at the Pips Meeting!

From the Young Greens hard work and important input in the cross party Political Youthwings organisation for the Youth Mental Health Strategy, Karly Greene and Adam McGibbon broadened their knowledge and skills by attending a training programme organised by Barry McColgan (Ogra SF) and ran by two highly trained Pips trainors!

The Pips project is a Northern Ireland organisation (formed in North Belfast) to prevent suicide and help beareaved families through the tragedy of loosing a loved one through suicide.

The programme was a 6 hour training event including group work and the LOOK-LISTEN-LINK idea on how simple it can be to save someones life and notice signs at early stages of suicidal thoughts.

A highly successful and interesting day!
For more info on Pips see http://www.pipsproject.com/

CAN CAPITALISM STOP CLIMATE CHANGE? QUB GREENS DEBATE SOCIALIST SOCIETY!

2009-10-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Adam McGibbon of the QUB Greens will be debating with a member of the Socialist Society at Queens this Wednesday!

Both speakers will have about 10 minutes or so to outline their position, then it will be opened up to the floor for discussion, before both speakers sum up at the end.

The debate will take place in Room 206 in the PFC at 1pm.

The debate will look at our environment in crisis and what solutions we believe are available! The Socialist Society have called the debate "Can Capitalism Stop Climate Change!" The QUB Greens certainly dont think so! We wonder do the Socialists!?! : P

QUB GREENS VOTE EARTH!

2009-10-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

QUB Greens sign the WWF petition in the QUB Students Union!

The QUB Greens have signed the World Wide Fund for Natures call for a Global Climate Deal and urge you to do the same!

Climate Change Affects us all - and we can all make a difference.

www.wwf.org.uk/voteearth

We need world leaders to sign a strong, fair global climate deal in Copenhagen this December.

In December, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen to agree how the world will tackle the growing climate crisis. We need your help to urge Gordon Brown to push for a deal which will secure a safe future for all. Add your voice by signing the WWF's petition below.

Add your voice to the call for Gordon Brown to urge rich countries to take on stronger carbon targets and provide finance to support developing countries.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN!

LEAGUE AGAINST CRUEL SPORTS QUB - First Meeting of new society on 21/10/09

2009-10-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

THE LEAGUE AGAINST CRUEL SPORTS HAVE ESTABLISED A SOCIETY AT QUB AND WE ARE ENCOURAGING YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH THEIR CAMPAIGNS!

We are delighted to inform you that the first League Against Cruel Sports QUB Society meeting will be held on Wednesday 21 October at 4pm in Club Room 2 on the 3rd floor of the Students Union. This is an excellent opportunity for you to meet people with similar interests, have a good time and to introduce yourself to the work and campaigns of the League.

“The League Against Cruel Sports Society will be the first active animal welfare students group at Queens. I urge anyone who is passionate about animal welfare to attend our first meeting on Wednesday 21 October 4pm in club room 2 on the 3rd floor of the students union. Through the society you will have the opportunity to get involved with the League’s campaign on hare coursing, banning snares as well as others such as bullfighting.”

QUB Greens will no doubt do their best to support the LACS Society in their campaigns!

For more information on the League Against Cruel Sports - http://www.league.org.uk/

ASK STEVEN AGNEW YOUR QUESTIONS!

2009-10-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens are giving you the opportunity to put your questions to the recent EU Candidate of the Green Party, Steven Agnew!

Steven Agnew, the Green Party MEP Candidate in the recent EU elections, has agreed to do an interview with the QUB Greens! And we are letting YOU ask the questions!

So if you have any questions, whether it be about Stevens experience of the election, his future in politics, views about certain issues or what inspires him to be Green please send them on to us at qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk ! We will then select the best ones and try to cater for everyone, so this is your chance to find out a little bit more about Steven and the Green Party.

Steven Agnew polled 15,764 first preference votes. This is a 31.5% increase in the Green vote since the Assembly elections and a 228% increase on the last European election.

The European election results have proven to be of huge significance to the Green Party in Northern Ireland. It now looks likely that the Green Party could seriously increase its Assembly representation in any future election. One thing is for sure, the Green candidate Steven Agnew is most certainly one to keep an eye on in the future!

We will be compiling the best questions for the interview at the end of the week so you have until the weekend to send us yours! :-)

We will post Stevens answers to the questions onto this blog!

For more information on Steven Agnew - www.stevenagnew.eu

YOUNG GREENS CONVENTION THIS WEEKEND

2009-10-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Join the QUB Greens at the Young Green National Convention this weekend at the beautiful Blessington Lakes!

The annual Young Greens convention is here! Or rather nearly upon us. Only one week to go and we want you to come along and meet other Young Greens, discuss the issues that matter to you, and in general have de craic. This year the convention is taking place in the lovely surrounds of the Blessington lakes in Co. Wicklow!

We're providing accommodation, nourishment and a full timetable (to be announced this week) so really there's no excuse for you not to come!!

www.younggreens.ie/convention

Timetable will be posted at this space!

If you wish to travel down with QUB Greens please send an email asap to qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk

QUB GREENS VOTE FOR GREEN CHANGE

2009-10-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

The Young Greens celebrate the news that the party membership overwhelmingly endorsed the renewed programme for government at the special convention!

QUB Green delegates attended the Green Party special convention in Dublin's RDS to vote on the new programme for government negotiations!

Our delegates voted in favour of the new programme as it contained some of the most radical changes we have yet seen since the Green Party entered government in 2007.

Here are some examples of what has been gained and will be implemented by the government:

127,000 new jobs to be created in the green and smart economies over the next decade!
12,000 new jobs in locally-based rural enterprises between now and 2013!
No 3rd Level Fees in the Republic of Ireland!
500 new teaching posts at primary and secondary level over the next 3 years!
Protection for the Hill of Tara by designating such areas as Landscape Conservation Areas!
A Cap on Incineration capacity!
An end to corporate donations to political parties!
Transport will be 2:1 in favour of public transport over roads!
Ireland will become a GM Free Zone!
Fur-farming will be phased out over 3 years!
Stag hunting will be banned!
There will be no more culling of badgers!

You can read a summary of all that has been gained at this link.

A NEW TERM BEGINS!

2009-10-11T05:47:00.000-07:00

Our first meeting of the term began with talk from outgoing co-chair Adam McGibbon, talking about the Green Party in general and his involvement with them since 2007, a key year for the Greens in Northern Ireland.

We had an overview of our activities last year, mentioning World Aids Day, the Gaza and other peace protests, the campaign against then Environment Minister Sammy Wilson including the petition given in at Stormont, Fairtrade fortnight, Steven Agnew and the European election, student elections in March and the Green Party Annual Conference.

We then set out some plans for this year, welcoming the input of all members in deciding what we focus on in the coming months. We mentioned for October the Young Greens Convention; November a possible talk from Steven Agnew and John Barry, and a stall for Vegan Day. December would see a visit to Stormont, and some link with events at Copenhagen; in January Steven Agnew has some gigs planned that the Speakeasy could provide a good venue for; February Fairtrade Father Ted; March would see the student sabbatical elections and International Women’s Day and April would see the Westminster election. May is likely to be overshadowed by exams but nearer the time other events could also be included, and throughout the year other events like the peace protests will arise.

In addition to events each month, we would be interested in running some campaigns around areas that concern and motivate Green members! Some examples provided at the meeting were trident, Translink bus prices increasing and others spoke about and recycling facilities around Queens and Belfast in general. It was also decided to have an ink cartridge recycling drive which would also raise money for chairty. Members could also have the chance to become involved, if interested, in the South Belfast Greens.

Elections for the committee were held and the new committee for 2009/2010 is:

Co-Chairs - Mark McCormick & Lois Taylor
Secretary - Petrina Doyle
Treasurer - Rónán Kernan
Campaigns Support - Fionnuala Gray

It was emphasised though that everyone is usually involved in all parts of running the society!

The meeting concluded and off to the Speakeasy we went, with Mark selling the Young Greens Convention on the basis of past experience ‘you could end up in a church tower…!’

"A NEW TYPE OF POLITICS IS EMERGING "

2009-10-11T05:12:00.000-07:00

At the QUB Greens first meeting of the term outgoing Co-Chair Adam McGibbon gave a talk to the QUB Greens and new members in attendence about what his thoughts on green politics and the role of the Green Party in Northern Ireland! Here is an excerpt from Adams talk -

"I joined the Green Party in 2007 after the Assembly elections, when the Green Party got its first MLA in Stormont, Brian Wilson from North Down. I remember being completely inspired by the idea that a new type of politics was clearly emerging - something which had nothing to do with they legacy of conflict that we have here. Since then, we've been growing even more.

The Green society here has been going since 2007 and earlier this year, Steven Agnew, our European candidate, tripled the Green vote. I think we're on the verge of a major breakthrough come the next assembly elections, and certainly the party in Northern Ireland, as well as the Green Parties in many many other countries worldwide, are growing fast.

If you ask people what the Green Party is about, you might hear people say "the environment" - but that's not quite correct. If you ask me, what the Green Party is about more than that is holistic thinking - looking at an issue from every angle. I'll give an example of something that I'm familiar with - childhood asthma. I'm from East Belfast, which statistically is the worst parliamentary constituency in the UK for childhood asthma. You might ask,what kind of issue is this? Is it a human rights issue? Shouldn't it be a human right to be able to breathe clean air? Is it a health issue? Is it a transport and planning issue, because a major cause of air pollution is the huge amounts of cars we have on our roads? It's ALL these things, and that's what Green thinking is all about - all issues are interconnected and the best solutions come when you address all these things together.

Of course, it could be seen also, therefore, as an 'environmental' issue. The problem with that word - environmental - is, though, that people tend to view the environment as trees, grass, fields - when in fact all the environment is is the place where you live.

Another thing that I think the Green Party is about, is reforming politics, and this of course is very important post-expenses scandal.People who know me will know that I'm quite fond of quoting the famous German Green, the late Petra Kelly, who used to say that the Green Party was an "anti-party party" - that is, it is a political party that is capable of choosing between morality and power. We remain the most democratic party in the country - our members make all the key decisions - such as the one that the party in the South will make this weekend - whether to stay in coalition government.

We are the only party that doesn't take donations from business. A Green member of the European Parliament was voted the most ethical politician in the UK two years running. One of our party principles is "All social and economic decisions should be taken at the lowest effective level" - and this is keyto our message of bringing politics back to the people.

We're also a party that listens to its youth wing - I sit on the party's executive and the views of the young party members havealways shaped policy and debate... we aren't like some youth wings that I could mention which are effectively just grooming people our age into becoming old men in their 20s."

A GOOD GREEN DAY! FRESHERS BAZAAR 09!

2009-10-03T01:18:00.001-07:00

What a great way to start the new term! 108 new QUB students have registered their support and enthusiasm in getting involved with the QUB Greens!

Thank you to everyone who came along to say hello, members old and new! and a huge thank you to all Young Greens and Green Party members who came along and helped out at the stall.

We were delighted to have our EU Election candidate Steven Agnew along for the day, our favourite big young green! We hope to get Steven along soon to one of our meetings to speak to members about his election experience and the future of the Green Party in Northern Ireland! Aggie Aggie Aggie!

Unfortunately our green mascot the tree has been abducted however there have been reported sightings of our beloved tree in Galway and we will soon organise a rescue operation! Hold strong tree, we are coming for you!

We will have our first meeting next week and will email everyone details over this weekend so keep an eye on your inbox for details!

With Best Green Wishes!

YOUNG GREENS JOURNEY TO COLERAINE!

2009-09-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

This week the Young Greens had their first stall at the University of Ulster Coleraine freshers fair!

This was to support the setting up of a new Young Green Society in Coleraine and a means to support the North Coast Green Party! Much fun was had and many enthusiastic UU Students signed up and registered their interest in the Young Greens and Green Party!

The Young Greens are growing amongst the youth wings in Northern Ireland and our visit to Coleraine is a great step in getting people in all corners of Northern Ireland active and enthusiastic to campaign for people and planet!

The Coleraine Campus landmark feature is a wind turbine standing 56 metres tall - with a power output equivalent to that consumed by 425 homes its installation and operation now provides a 1074 tonne reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions emitted at local power stations. Woohoo!!

The Young Greens also ventured and explored Coleraine meeting some locals! Members new and old enjoyed brunch in the Ground Cafe on Kingsgate Street! The Ground Cafe is totally Fairtrade and serves one mean Mushroom soup! Try it! :-D

For anyone interested in getting involved in the new Young Greens group at Coleraine give us an email at QUBGREENS@HOTMAIL.CO.UK and we'll pass on details!

YOUNG GREENS SUPPORT TWENTY'S PLENTY CAMPAIGN

2009-09-09T05:52:00.000-07:00

The QUB Greens are supporting the South Belfast Green Party in their calls for the introduction of a 20 miles per hour speed limits on all residential streets in the area.

Green Party South Belfast spokesperson Adam McGibbon said: “I share concerns with the Ulidia Resident’s Association that more accidents are inevitable along busy side streets off the Ormeau Road if traffic speed is not reduced to twenty miles per hour. The ‘Twenty is Plenty’ campaign will not only help reduce road traffic accidents but will also reduce risk of serious injury.”

The Transport Research Laboratory has found that 20 miles per hour speed limits can decrease child pedestrian accidents by up to 70 percent. A pedestrian hit at 20 miles per hour has a 95 percent chance of survival compared to 50 percent at 30 miles per hour.

Mr. McGibbon said: "As 20 miles per hour speed limits are already in operation across towns and cities in other parts of the UK such as Portsmouth, Norwich and Newcastle, there's no reason why Belfast City Council can't explore a 20 miles per hour speed limit here too."

The QUB Greens will be working to support this campaign at the start of the new university semester this September!

YOUNG GREENS MARCH FOR GAY PRIDE!

2009-08-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Photograph shows Young Green and Green Party activists marching at Belfast Pride 2009

LGBT Community member and Green Party Activist Rob Evans said, "Pride is a time to celebrate diversity and be mindful of the journey that led us to the freedoms we enjoy today. Homosexuality was only decriminalized in Northern Ireland in 1982, and there are still those who would rather we went back to the days of invisibility and repression. Unfortunately, some of these bigots are elected members of the Assembly at Stormont."

Rob continued, "Marching at Pride with the Greens was a wonderful experience for me. It's essential to demonstrate the continuing strength of progressive, inclusive politics. By standing together against prejudice, we take a huge step forward in our quest for a diverse and sustainable future."

QUB Greens Co-Chair Adam McGibbon said, "I was proud to take part in todays parade and was even more proud to see so many Young Green / Green Party activists there with me. As the only political party with a stall inside the festival itself, we got a great reception from participants and signed up many new members interested in joining a party unashamedly based on human rights principles."

Save Student Journalism - Save The Gown!

2009-05-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Gown, the independent newspaper at QUB since 1955, is in financial trouble (damn credit crunch) and is in need of much-needed funds.

If you value an independent voice for journalism within the SU (The Gown recieves no Union funding), and want to save an historic publication that has seen many now-prominent journalists go through its ranks, then you should help SAVE THE GOWN by coming along to the GOWN QUIZ NIGHT this Wednesday 6th May, 8PM in the Bunatee Bar. There will be a quiz, raffle, an auction and a DJ.

Tickets are £3 for students and £5 for non-students, with a free drink with every ticket! A cheap night out and for a good cause too - what more could you ask for??

Tickets available on the night at the door, in The Gown office (top floor of the SU) and from members of The Gown team.

You can email THEGOWN@HOTMAIL.COM for more information.

Please spread the word!

QUB GREENS AWARD STUPID CERTIFICATE TO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF BELFAST CITY AIRPORT

2009-04-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

Photo shows from left to right: QUB Greens Karly, Adam, Neil, Mark and Lois with the Stupid Certificate awarded to Brian Ambrose of Belfast City Airport!

This year the Young Greens decided to leave the Green Wash Award with Sammy Wilson for the second year running as he has outdone himself this year with his Environment Minister role. At the Green Party Northern Ireland AGM 2009 the Young Greens decided instead to award a stupid certificate to whoever has been acting the stupidest towards the environment in Northern Ireland.

Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport, was the winner for proposing a runway extension that is unsustainable, inconsiderate of long-suffering residents and economically unbeneficial to Northern Ireland.

Runners up included:

Rose Energy, for their plans to build a waste incinerator plant near Northern Ireland’s beauty spot Lough Neagh, locking us in to a future of unsustainable waste disposal.

David Ford, the Alliance Party Leader, For abstaining on the Stormont Environment Committee’s Vote of No Confidence in Environment Minister Sammy Wilson.

QUB GREENS CAMPAIGN FOR MENTAL HEALTH

2009-04-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

Photograph shows representatives from the Youth Wings of all main political parties in Northern Ireland at the official launch of the Youth Mental Health Strategy. QUB Green Co-Chairs Adam McGibbon and Karly Greene are both on the far left.

The QUB Greens have been campaigning for Mental Health in Northern Ireland through the Youth Mental Health Strategy.

The main political youth wings in Northern/North of Ireland have united to campaign and lobby for an effective youth mental health strategy (YMHS).

Young political activists have been working together in the past months, alongside St Columbs Park Derry, to bring the broad issue of mental health to the fore, particularly targeting suicide prevention and drug and alcohol awareness.

The group comprising youth from Sinn Féin, SDLP, Green Party, Alliance, UUP and DUP launched their campaign for a youth mental health strategy at Belfast City Hall today (Monday 6 April).

Spokesperson for the youth wings and QUB Green Co-Chair Karly Greene said,“The young wings have been working closely together over the past number of months identifying the key issues of mental health, and drawing up a plan on how we can best tackle these issues from a youth perspective, ensuring it is relevant and effective.”

“We have written to every Assembly member, and are arranging a meeting with the Health Committee, we have engaged with a number of voluntary and community groups who are at the coalface in dealing with mental health. We are also arranging for our members to undertake the ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) programme, and are producing a short film, that will be launched at a youth forum on mental health. The youth forum aims to bring young people from all communities together, spark debate and formulate ideas on how to deal with this common issue.”

“Mental Health affects everyone regardless of age, race, sex and religion, and it is a progressive step forward that the young political activists are demonstrating unity and leadership to other young people on such an important issue.”

GREEN MEP CANDIDATE SPEAKS TO QUB

2009-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Prospective Green Party MEP for Northern Ireland Steven Agnew made a visit to QUB last week to speak to the QUB Greens and Students interested in his campaign and his thoughts on the European Parliament and current issues.

Steven spoke about the Green Deal, the idea which was born in the UK with the help of the Green Leader of England & Wales Caroline Lucas, which even Barack Obama is now fighting for!

"A Green Industrial Revolution can create a new Northern Ireland where our indigenous industries will thrive once more, harnessing our unique natural resources and the manufacturing skill and industrial entrepreneurialism of our people."

"We can already see it happening here at Harland and Wolff. We see the skills, developed during the Industrial Revolution being adapted to meet the challenges of this new era. The Yard, once regarded for its ship building is now assembling turbines for new wind farms and last year assembled the first prototype wave turbine the SeaGen to generate tidal energy."

Steven spoke about the European Green Party and 43 Green MEPs in the European Parliament from 14 different countries.

"We have played a major role in the creation of legislation that has helped to protect our environment, set ambitious targets for renewable energy,increase social protection and protect biodiversity. I want to join that team and continue the great work that the Greens are doing in Europe."

Steven took several questions from the floor and also spoke about the Lisbon Treaty, Sammy Wilson, Incineration in Northern Ireland, Mechanical Biological Treatment and his thoughts on the fact that Paddy Power has the Greens and the Alliance Party on the same odds to win the European Election!

It was a great talk from Steven and we hope to have him back in the not so distant future! Hopefully as the First ever Green MEP for Northern Ireland!!

Dont forget to join Stevens Campaign page on Facebook! Click Here!

LEZZ EMMISIONS MISSION TO GREEN YOUR HOUSE

2009-03-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Lezz Emmisions mission is to Green Your House - today he meets Robert... You're next!

More clips can be found on the YouTube channel: GreenPartyIreland

SAMMY MUST GO!

2009-03-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

The Green Party and Young Greens have presented the ‘FIRE SAMMY PETITION’ to the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister

The Minister’s ranting about climate change has also inspired 2,551 people to join a Facebook group call REMOVE SAMMY WILSON AS ENVIRONMENT MINISTER

Speaking from the steps of Stormont Neil Halliday, a Young Green who set up the group said: “Minister Wilson's censuring of advertisements and his attitudes to climate change are incompatible with his role as Environment Minister. Not only are his opinions on the issue contrary to the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, but his decision to ban the adverts is tantamount to censorship and is an affront to democracy in Northern Ireland. His arrogant dismissal of a no-confidence motion by the Environment Committee undermines democracy and makes a mockery of ministerial accountability.”

Some of the comments left on the FIRE SAMMY WILSON PETITION included:

James McLarnon

While Sammy Wilson is Environmental Minister, I agree Northern Ireland will never be taken seriously, however I also believe that Northern Ireland will never have the much needed public debate on future energy production it desperately needs. We have great potential resources for tidal and wind which could be utilized at a local and national level. Projects to take advantage of these resources could create employment and pave the way for a renewable future. Unfortunately men like Sammy Wilson have their head firmly stuck in the sand.

Mags Adams

NI politics has a reputation for ignoring real political issues and blatant climate change denial does nothing to encourage me that much has changed. This man should not be in public office in the new NI.

Morgwn Trolinger

Disputing scientific evidence with one's own opinions is not appropriate if in a public office representing a country

Jonny McCormick
I don't understand why this appointment was made in the first place when he clearly either really doesn't know anything about the environment, or just doesn't care.

Shauna McCollum

silly man!

S Crook

Censorship at it's most ignorant.

Barbara Groves

He is a national embarrassment.

Paul Conlon

A minister is supposed to represent the electorate, the people who put him in office. He/She is not supposed to go on continuous rants derived from his own personal opinions.

Dear Dissidents, Hear Our Plea - Please end the Killing Spree

2009-03-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

Marcus MacCormaic of the Young Greens (r) with Steven Agnew Green Party MEP Candidate (c) and Karly Greene QUB Greens Co-Chair (l)

QUB Greens spokesperson Marcus McCormick sent a message to dissidents responsible for the murder of a policeman and two young soldiers at a massive peace rally held in Belfast city centre today.“Dear Dissidents, hear our plea – please end the killing spree.”

Green Party MEP Candidate Steven Agnew joined the Young Greens with thousands of others on the streets of Belfast today in a huge Peace Rally called by the trade union movement in protest at the three recent murders.

Mr. Agnew said: “I am heartened that so many people have come here today, to show solidarity with the families of the policeman and soldiers murdered and to send a clear message to the gunmen that they are not wanted, are not supported and are not needed in new Northern Ireland. This rally today should give people hope and send some comfort to those grieving that they are not alone. The gunmen do not represent me nor anyone one else."

Marcus wrote a short account of the days protests at another blog which can be read by clicking here.

QUB Young Green elected to Green Party NEC

2009-03-09T08:24:00.001-07:00

At the Green Party's convention in Wexford, Karly Greene, Co-Chair of the QUB Greens, was elected to the Green Party's governing body, the National Executive Committee.

Incredibly, Karly (pictured in an entirely unrelated photo) was elected on the 3rd count out of 12, surprassing many other well-known figures, elected representatives and long-time party stalwarts.

Karly, with her squeaky-clean record, will enchance the exemplary reputation of the Young Greens on the NEC... ;)

The Young Greens takeover of the Green Party continues...

Congratulations Karly - we love you!

CUP OF TEA FATHER?

2009-02-26T05:45:00.001-08:00

Fairtrade Fortnight is well underway and the QUB Greens played their part by organising Fairtrade Father Ted!

What better craic than a good cup of Fairtrade Tea with a couple of Father Ted Episodes! There was plenty of laughs and plenty of Fairtrade Tea, Coffee and Biscuits!

A special word of thanks to Fergus McAleavey Vice President Welfare of the Students Union for helping us to organise the event and for providing the Fairtrade Tea, Coffee and Biscuits!

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.

http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/ for more information on the Fairtrade Vision!

SECOND SEMESTER OF ACTIVISM BEGINS

2009-02-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Growing QUB Greens Group!

Qub Green Events – Semester 2

WEDNESDAY 25TH FEB - FAIRTRADE FATHER TED – clubrooms

TUES 3rd and WED 4th – SABBATICAL ELECTIONS

WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH – Trip to Stormont – Meet Green Party MLA (TO BE CONFIRMED)

WEDNESDAY 25TH MARCH – Talk from the Green Party Northern Ireland Euro Candidate Steven Agnew – Clubrooms SU (TO BE CONFIRMED)

WEDNESDAY 1st APRIL – APRIL FOOLS DAY – SAMMY WILSON DAY

WEDNESDAY 29th APRIL – VOTER REGISTRATION DAY – students union

For more information on the upcoming events stay tuned to this blog or email us on qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk

It's Crunch Time!!

2009-02-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Finally the newsletter of the Federation of Young European Greens is here and available for download!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD!!

This is the Winter 2008 / 2009 Issue and contains many great and green articles including articles on Green Activism, Green Economics, Green Politics, Poverty & Starvation in Africa, Green Technology, The Recession, The Poznan Talks, The 'Stop Clowning Around on Climate Change' Campaign, an Interview with Ska Keller the German Young Green standing for the EU Elections and more on the EU Elections! - Read and Enjoy!

SAVE THE TREES - DOWNLOAD, DON'T PRINT!!!

NORTHERN IRELANDS OWN OBAMA

2009-01-30T04:49:00.001-08:00

Gone are the days where the Bush regime was able to veto every effort to tackle the threat of global warming.

Obama has only entered the White House yet we are already seeing how Obama isn’t just the first black US President in history, but also the first ‘Green’ US president in history! We are seeing the change he so passionately promised the world.

Outlining his energy priorities he has stated that he will not let his country fall victim to the growing threat of dwindling resources and a warming planet.

He has promised that in just THREE years he will DOUBLE the capacity for Green Energy in the USA from wind, sun and bio fuels.

When California tried to implement legislation to implement its own stricter vehicle emission and fuel efficiency standards it was vetoed by Bush with no reasonable reason given. Now Obama has asked the Environment Agency to review this decision and is ordering the transportation department to come up with new short-term rules on how carmakers can improve fuel efficiency.

With all this in mind it is even more important to have a ‘Green’ Europe! It is vital that Green MEP’s are elected to the EU to push for the same Green measures and work with Obama. We already have 43 Green MEPS, lets add more to that number!

For this reason it is even more important to vote for Northern Irelands very own Barack Obama, Mr Steven Agnew of the Green Party!

JOIN STEVENS CAMPAIGN PAGE ON FACEBOOK! CLICK HERE

VOTE GREEN VOTE AGNEW VOTE CHANGE

YOUNG GREENS SUPPORT GREEN EURO CANDIDATE STEVEN AGNEW

2009-01-26T06:02:00.001-08:00

Young Green Co-Chairs Karly Greene and Adam McGibbon with Green European Candidate Steven Agnew.

The Green Party announced it's European Election candidate as 29 year-old Steven Agnew at Harland and Wolff on Thursday 22nd January.

Harland and Wollf is currently being given a new lease of life from the manufacture of wind turbines and other green technologies. The idea of a "Green Economy" to create jobs and help the environment will be a key part of the Greens' campaign.

Steven was born and raised in East Belfast, and educated at Grosvenor Grammar School and Queens University Belfast. He worked as a support worker with the homeless in West Belfast and went on to work for the Simon Community in their hostel in Lisburn.

Speaking at the launch Mr. Agnew said: "Everyone knows the problems - the triple crunch of job losses, fuel poverty and of course climate change. I offer a solution that will tackle all three, a solution that has the potential to create tens of thousands jobs here in Northern Ireland. I offer a solution where new green techologies will bring energy security to Northern Ireland and ensure we play our part in the fight against climate change. I offer a Green Industrial Revolution."

Young Green Co-Chairs Adam McGibbon and Karly Greene welcomed Steven's candidacy, and , at 29, the youngest candidate going into these elections.

The Young Greens are planning an ambitious voter registration campaign leading up to the elections.

MARCHING FOR PEACE IN GAZA

2009-01-12T09:31:00.001-08:00

The Young Greens took part in the Gaza Peace March on Saturday 10th January in Belfast. We marched to express our horror at the level of civilian deaths especially the depressing figures of near 300 dead children in Gaza.

We carried the white flags of peace and joined the thousands of people in Belfast in calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence that has killed so many innocents.

This was a peace march attended by thousands yet a small group of fanatics seeked to hijack the march. The Young Greens have criticized the actions of a small group who burned the Israeli flag during a rally in Belfast city centre.

The Green Party Youth Co-ordinator, QUB Greens co-chair Adam McGibbon said: “The actions of a few fanatics will distort the message of peace, which the rally was supposed to send out. Glorifying violence and burning flags, while it may give some people a cheap rush of adrenaline, only exacerbates the problem in the Middle East. You'd think that after 30 years of violence in our own country, all of us would know that political violence doesn't solve anything."

Among the speakers at the rally was Mieread Corrigan Maguire, founder of The Peace People and Nobel Laureate.

Speaking after the rally Mr. McGibbon said: “The vast majority of the people at the rally were there to represent a peaceful, principled stand for an end to the violence. However, a small minority took it upon themselves to burn Isreali flags and chant slogans such as "Victory to the Intifada" through a megaphone. Not only is this unhelpful and one-sided it is completely contradictory to the aims of the rally, which was a call for a ceasefire, not for more violence. I am very concerned at reports that Israelis who work in the city centre found the experience very intimidating. Remember these people came to Northern Ireland to escape violence.”

The QUB Greens do not wish to be associated with those groups who took part in these acts and hope that the thousands of peace activists voices are heard over the chants of those who wished to hijack the march.

A SEMESTER OF ACTIVISM

2008-12-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Some committee members at the last meeting of the semester, from left to right Lois, Jason, Sarah, Karly, Adam and Mark.

Well everyone this has been our most active Semester since our creation last year! We have achieved so much in such a short period of time and it has been the best of craic the whole way!

Heres a summary of what we have been up to and achieved this academic year so far:

Our first activity was taking part in the annual Belfast Pride Parade. QUB Greens and Green Party members took part and showed our support to the gay community and to express our belief that the bigotry and hate of the DUP and the wicked witch of the north is completely unnaceptable in todays society.

At the Freshers Bazaar we managed to sign up 67 interested students! We met so many people that day and once again we could see that Green Issues are top of the agenda in many students books and shows the need for a progressive, environmental, activist society at QUB, the QUB Greens!

We took part in the Irish Language Rally and Parade in Belfast in October. The Young Greens believe that an Irish Language Act is long overdue as a result of the shortcomings of the Stormont Assembly. The Irish Language has become a political football at Stormont, it needs to be depoliticised because it is not a political issue, it is a Human Rights Issue, that can only be solved by an Irish Language Act. We marched to express our support to the Irish Community and Irish Language and to express our belief that the racist trollings of certain Ministers in the Stormont Assembly should not be accepted in a just and forward society.

For the first time the QUB Greens have a full committee made up of two gender balanced Co-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer and 5 non-portfolio officers. We have become a strong and dedicated team becoming one of the most active political and campaign based societies on campus.

Four QUB Greens were elected onto the Student Council and two of our members managed to get elected onto the Environmental Committee and also the Equality Committee.

We hosted a talk from the Sustainable Energy Association in which the SEA Project Manager gave us a presentation on the SEA's campaign for Green Energy in Ireland.

The QUB Greens have been actively involved in the newly formed Youth Mental Health Strategy which is campaigning to bring about a change of attitudes and opinions towards mental health in Northern Ireland.

Monday 1 December was World AIDS Day, part of the global campaign to tackle the epidemic that is HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness about it. The QUB Greens worked together with the Students Union, Rag, Oxfam and Amnesty International to raise awarness of the issue and also to provide sexual health information to the student body.

At our last meeting of the semester the QUB Greens looked over our successes to date and also we looked forward! Next semester we hope to continue our momentum and hope to organise a voter registration campaign on campus coming up to the European Election. We will also continue our Sexual Health campaign, Our mental health campaign and will be involved in many more campaigns throughout the campus!

The QUB Greens would like to send a very special and green farewell to Sarah Tansey! Sarah came to QUB for this semester as a politics student from the USA. Sarah gave a helping hand during our campaigns and we were all gutted to see her have to go back home after the first semester! Good Luck Sarah! We hope you enjoyed Greening up the campus with the QUB Greens!

We would like to wish everyone as happy and wonderful time of year! Good luck in your January exams!

Adam and Karly
QUB Greens
Co-Chairs

FIGHT BELFAST CITY AIRPORT'S RUNWAY EXTENSION

2008-12-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

George Best Belfast City Airport have applied for planning permission to extend their runway by 590m.

The QUB GREENS, Green Party, including Green Party MLA Brian Wilson, along with a number of residents' groups are opposing this extension and are calling for a public enquiry because of these factors;

i. Noise Pollution - residents close to the airport and under the flight path have been experiencing annoyance from ever increasing noise levels.

ii. Poor Economics - the aviation industry is in decline, there is no increase in demand to necessitate this extension.

iii. Air Quality - the airport intends to expand it's operations to service more long distance flights, meaning bigger jets with more fuel and more pollution and a greater impact on health of those in the area.

iv. Wildlife - the airport is culling birds in Victoria Park and has requested that trees be cut down though so far this has been resisted.

v. Safety - the is an EU designated City airport and due to its proximity to residential housing should not be restricted to small planes for domestic flights.

The QUB Greens sent a delegation to the public meeting on 8th December to show their support to the community groups leading the campaign against the proposed runway extension. The QUB Greens delclared their full support to the Belfast City Airport Watch Campaigners and are planning to actively support the campaign on campus.

Photo on right shows Mark McCormick of the QUB Greens looking over the planning application for the proposed runway extension with Fiona McKinley of the Belfast City Airport Watch.

See http://www.belfastcityairportwatch.co.uk/ for more info.

GREEN ENERGY TALK

2008-12-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

John Hardy of the SEA with members of the QUB Greens. From left to right - Lois, John, Karly, Adam and Mark.

The QUB Greens hosted a talk from the Sustainable Energy Association on Wednesday.

John Hardy, the SEA Project Manager, gave the talk and covered topics such as the establishment of the SEA, its Campaigns and its aims! John gave a very interesting presentation showing us the need for Green Energy in Ireland and the opportunity we could gain from it!

John Hardy said, "I would like to thank the Young Greens for giving me the opportunity to speak to them, and to show how a local campaign can grow into a national organisation. Renewable energy is the economic driver for the future, which the Greens have always promoted as a clean, cheap alternative!"

http://www.sustainable-nrg.org/

Take a look at the SEA website to see the work they do!

GREENS CAMPAIGN ON WORLD AIDS DAY

2008-12-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Green Stall! From left to right - Roger, Lois, Adam, Mark, Jason, Karly and Sarah.

Monday 1 December was World AIDS Day, part of the global campaign to tackle the epidemic that is HIV/AIDS and to raise awareness about it.

The QUB GREENS along with Amnesty, Oxfam, Rag and the Students Union held an awareness day in the Union, distributing information on the situation here as well as around the world.

At the Green stall we handed out information on HIV/Aids and booklets on sexual health for students. We also handed out hundreds of condoms to the students population in an effort to encourage save and sensible sex!

For more information visit http://www.worldaidsday.org/

Sustainable Energy Association Talk

2008-12-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

The QUB Greens will be hosting a talk by the Sustainable Energy Association (SEA). The Sustainable Energy Association was established to give a voice to the interests of the Renewable Energy Industry in Ireland.

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ASSOCIATION TALK
QUB Students Union
Club Room 1, Third Floor
Wednesday 3rd December
2pm

John Hardy, the SEA Project Manager, will be giving the talk and will cover topics such as the establishment of the SEA, its Campaigns and its aims! You will then have the opportunity to put your questions to John!

John is a graduate of QUB and also an active member of the Green Party. It was a small local Green Party campaign in Johns local area that lead to the foundations of the SEA so his talk will not only be of interest to people wishing to learn about Green Energy, but it will also be of interest to those wanting to learn how acting local but thinking global really works!

http://www.sustainable-nrg.org/

Success & New Committee

2008-11-19T07:54:00.001-08:00

Four Greens were elected to the Student Council this year! Thanks to everyone who voted for us! The inaugural meeting of council is next week. Unlike the other political parties in the council, the Greens do not treat the council like a "Fisher-Price Assembly," and attempt to take seats just for the sake of having them - Student councillors are there to represent YOU, the ordinary students. So if you would like anything brought to council (as is your right) by your Green councillors you can contact us at QUBGREENS@HOTMAIL.CO.UK and we'll be happy to do that for you!

NEW COMMITTEE-

The new QUB Greens committee for 08/09 is:
Male Co-Chair: Adam McGibbon
Female Co-Chair: Karly Greene
Secretary: Jason Gamble
Treasurer: Mark McCormick

Officers Without Portfolio:
Lois Taylor
Sarah Tansey
Fionnuala Gray
Jason Barnes
Conor Clerkin

The Greens will have a stall for World Aids Day, 1st December - stay tuned!

VOTE GREEN Student Council Elections 2008

2008-10-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Several QUB Greens are standing for election in the upcoming SU council elections.

Unlike several other political groupings who merely obstructed workings in council last year, the Greens opposed the stale nationalist vs unionist way the council was operating and helped "green" the campus by setting up an SU Environmental Committee and assisted in the drive to install recycling around the campus.

With your votes we could do even more this year!Our candidates are:

JASON GAMBLE - Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences

KARLY GREENE - Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences

CONOR CLERKIN - Arts, Humanities And Social Sciences

MARK MCCORMICK - Engineering And Physical Sciences

ADAM MCGIBBON will also stand in the "Open" constituency, for which elections will be held on TUESDAY 28TH OCTOBER.

You can vote on Queens Online on TUESDAY 21ST OCTOBER, BETWEEN 10AM AND 6PM. You can vote according to your university faculty.

Click HERE to go to Queens Online. When you are logged in, you can vote by choosing "Online Voting."

Keep it Green!

QUB GREENS

MARCHING FOR THE IRISH LANGUAGE

2008-10-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

Young Greens Claire Nic Innreachtaigh (l), Mark McCormick (c) & Méidhbhín Ní Rúiséil (r)

The Young Greens took part in this years Irish Language Parade in Belfast. It was a colourful rally and we, like all other groups taking part, demanded official status for the Irish language!

Leading the Young Greens on the day Mark McCormick said, "The Green Party is a global party firmly based of a Human Rights approach, dedicated to respect for diversity in all its forms and opposed to discrimination in any way.

We support the Good Friday Agreement, the European Convention on Minority Languages and other HR legislation at European and UN level, not just abroad, but in the UK and Ireland too.

Irish has the same status as Welsh under EU and UK law and the GFA is now ten years old!! Young Greens feel this issue is long overdue for resolution and I feel this should have been recognised just as Gay Rights have been recognised in NI.

It was promised in the St. Andrews Agreement over 2 years ago and this type of legislation is already rooted in Scotland, Wales and the South of Ireland, why should N. Ireland be the odd one out?"

GREENS AT FRESHERS BAZAAR 2008!

2008-10-08T09:24:00.002-07:00

The QUB Greens Stall. Mark, Karly, Adam and Jason.

Freshers Bazaar 2008 was a great day for the Young Greens! We managed to sign up 67 interested students and made good contacts with many.

It was great to see such a diverse range of people show interest in the society and our environmental and green principles. I spoke to people from all over the UK and Ireland, Europe and as far away as Canada who all signed up and hope to get involved during the year!

And ofcourse the 'Tree' graced the SU corridors with its presence giving free hugs to all! Even some enthusiastic boys in speedos got a hug.

With such a positive start I am really looking forward to the events and campaigns we have in store for you all in this new academic year at Queens.

Our first meeting of the year will be Wednesday 15th October in the Students Union Club Room 1, Third Floor at 2pm. I hope to see some of you there! We will be outlining our plans and also electing our new committee for the year.

Keep it Green!

Mark McCormick
QUB Greens Co-Chair

YOUNG GREENS AT BELFAST PRIDE 2008

2008-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Photograph shows Ed Davitt, Eoin Wilson, Mark McCormick, John Hardy, Adam McGibbon and Karly Greene carrying the QUB Green banner at the event.

The Young Greens once again took part in the annual Belfast Pride Parade. Over 7,000 people made Saturday 2nd August Belfast’s Gay Day making it the biggest and most successful year of Pride yet!

QUB Green member Karly Greene recently sent much correspondence to the Strangford MP, but recieved no reply.

Mark McCormick said, "Iris Robinson and her DUP colleagues witnessed thousands of people from all backgrounds turn out to show their opposition to her bigoted and dangerous remarks. I hope Iris Robinson takes into account how much her comments have shocked and upset not only the Gay community but people from all sexual orientations."

"Iris' comments just add to the DUP's track record in hateful remarks against the Gay Community. In the past it has been well-publised that DUP representatives have shown a consistent anti-gay streak. Maurice Mills, Ballymena DUP councillor, commented a few years ago that Hurricane Katrina was sent by God to punish the gays of New Orleans. Arthur Templeton, a Newtownabbey DUP councillor, was thrown off his local policing board and widely condemened for verbally abusing a gay man. Paul Berry, a DUP MLA, was kicked out of the DUP a few years ago for an encounter with a gay massuese. Last year, Ian Paisley Jr said that he was repulsed by gays, and that they "harm society". The list just keeps growing."

Pride, year after year, continues to send out the message, louder and louder, that such bigotry is not welcome in the 21st Century.

Young Greens Slam Robinson over homophobic comments

2008-06-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Young Greens have condemned Iris Robinson MP for her disgraceful comments on NI radio last week. Robinson claimed that homosexuals could be "turned back" with psychiatric help, referring to homosexuality as an "abomination", hot on the heels of a homophobic assault on a man in Newtownabbey.

QUB Greens Co-Chair Adam McGibbon said: "Iris is in a very fortunate position, because I doubt that she would get away with her comments on any other part of these islands. The DUP are attacking one of the only communities in our society that they (sadly) know they can still get away with persecuting - our LGBT community.

"One has to wonder if Iris would ask that the same "help" be applied to Jews, Muslims and Buddhists, in order that they too could be 'turned.' It's a sad state of affairs when in the 21st century, the chair of the Assembly's health committee believes that homosexuality is an illness."

Mr McGibbon urged an even bigger turnout for Belfast Pride this 2nd August, in order to send a message to the DUP that this attitude will not be tolerated.

The Birth Of The Magee Greens

2008-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Young Greens are expanding into UU Magee in Derry in time for the new university year in September 2008.

If you or anyone you know would like to be involved in helping to set up a new Young Greens branch, drop us an email at QUBGREENS@HOTMAIL.CO.UK. QUB Greens members will be assisting in setting up the new society - no previous experience required!

We look forward to hearing from you :)

End Of The Year - A Green Year At Queens

2008-04-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, exams are now coming up and the uni year is drawing to a close - the Greens will now slow down for the exam period.

We've had a great first year at Queens - we'd like to thank everyone who made it possible and helped us along the way. For a small society, we've done a lot and we hope to do even more this year with the experience we've all gained, and the people who have now joined the original two that formed the society in September.

This year we: -

Made our debut at the Fresher's Bazaar, signing up 136 people, more than any other political society.
Elected the first four Greens to the Student Council.
Established the first environmental committee through the council to look after the SU's environmental affairs.
Worked with the SU and Belfast City Council to roll out a proper recycling system for Queens.
Held movie screenings and events, including the Fairtrade-promoting "Fairtrade Father Ted" and the Chernobyl movie "Heavy Water".
Awarded Sammy Wilson with "The Green Wash Award" at the Green Party's annual conference, (for his dangerous pro-nuclear vision for NI) leading to him mentioning it on the floor of Stormont, and subsequently asking to recieve the award in person, highlighting the irrationality of nuclear power.
Publicised the failings of the Vice-Chancellor's sustainability programme.

A special thanks also needs to go to Jason, Petrina, Conor, Ciaran and Michelle for their dedication. :)

The QUB Greens will still be having a few events during the summer, though - we plan to join Green Party members for the annual participation in the Belfast Pride march in August.

Have a great summer and hoping to see you all at Belfast Pride, or in time for Fresher's '08! :-)

All the best wishes!

Mark McCormick
Adam McGibbon
QUB Greens Co-Chairs

Earth Day Cycle!

2008-04-21T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Green Party in North Down organised a cycle from Holywood to Bangor, on Saturday 19th April 2008, to mark Earth Day.

The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970 and has become an annual event for people around the world to celebrate the earth and renew commitments to building a safer, healthier and cleaner world for all. April 22 is now viewed as the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement.

The cycle involved the QUB Greens, the North Down Green Party, members of Sustrans and the NIKPA Lifecycle (An organ donation charity). The cyclists biked between two Green Party stalls in Holywood town centre and Bangor town centre.

Watch us in action!

Taking it Local! The Young Greens Fight Against Nuclear!

2008-03-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Mark McCormick and Cllr Cadogan Enright at St. Johns Point Lighthouse where a Nuclear Power plant is being proposed.

Mark McCormick, QUB Green Co-Chair, lives within the Bright Parish in Down District Council. Recently there have been proposals to build five nuclear power plants in N.Ireland, one of which would be at St. Johns point in the Bright Parish.

Mark, along with Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright have spoken out against such plans to the local Down District Council.

Mark said "Myself and residents at Saint John’s point have expressed concern at such proposals to build a nuclear plant at St. Johns Point. Some local councillors have spoken out in support of such plans but I think their position here is more about trying to get their faces in the local papers rather than offering real solutions to the pressing problems of climate change"

"I have spoken to many local people and not one of them has said they would like a nuclear power plant on their doorstep. For years we have had to face the threat of Sellafield in Cumbria, now the very same threat is on our doorsteps and even the thought of nuclear power has to be challenged."

The Down District Green Party, of which Mark is an active member, will continue to oppose the threat of nuclear power at all levels of government.

Greens Welcome Recycling Committment

2008-03-07T09:37:00.001-08:00

The QUB Greens have, in co-operation with the Student's Union, assisted in a rolling out of proper recycling facilities to the university. Deputy President Sarah McCaffery hailed "our own great Greens" in the last issue of the SU Magazine when announcing the roll-out of the scheme. The Greens, with SU officers and volunteers from Belfast City Council, participated in a week of publicising the scheme.

An over-enthusiastic student recycling!

Finally, the university has proper, colour-coded recycling for plastic bottles, paper and aluminium cans. According to the last People & Planet survey, recycling at Queens stands at a dissapointing 16%. With recycling now installed in the MBC, the SU and the PFC, and expected to be rolled out throughout the campus by the end of the academic year, thanks to the Greens QUB can be expected to leap a few places up the People And Planet "Green League" towards the top spaces.

Recycling reduces strain on the environment by providing sustainable and re-useable materials for development, while reducing the amount of space given over to ugly, wasteful landfill. However, the university must adopt a more holistic approach (involving renewable energy and sustainable travel) if it's serious about sustainability.

Upcoming Event - Fairtrade Father Ted!

2008-02-26T08:11:00.000-08:00

As part Fairtrade Fortnight 2008 the QUB Greens Society will be hosting 'Fairtrade Father Ted'. So if you want free fairtrade food, fairtrade coffee or fairtrade tea and also want abit of craic in the form of two Father Ted episodes feel free to come along! We will also be giving a short presentation on the merits of supporting Fairtrade and also abit of information on fairtrade fortnight.

Date: Thursday, February 28, 2008

Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm

Location: QUB Students Union, Club Room 1, Third Floor

Everyone is welcome! Bring a friend!

For more information on Fairtrade visit http://www.fairtrade.ie/

Sammy Goes Nuclear at the Greens!

2008-02-19T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Young Greens Society at Queens University, Belfast today presented the Green Wash Award to DUP MLA Sammy Wilson for his pro-nuclear vision for Northern Ireland.

The Green Wash Award is annually presented to anyone who threatens the local environment.

Mark McCormick, from Downpatrick presented the award to Sammy Wilson at Stormont today (Tues 19th Feb, 11am) and asked the MLA: “Which Northern Ireland community does Sammy Wilson have in mind for a nuclear power plant?”

Mr. McCormick said: “I think it’s great that Sammy Wilson is actually recognizing that climate change is a problem, after all it is the single greatest issue facing society today. However what Sammy Wilson needs to realize, is that nuclear power is not the solution to the climate change problem. Even if nuclear power production was doubled by 2050, we would only see a five percent reduction in global green-house gases. This is less than one-tenth of the reductions scientists say we require in order to tackle the issue.”

Calling on the Northern Ireland Assembly Executive to support renewable energy instead of nuclear, Mr. McCormick said: “Renewable sources can provide all our necessary power. The untapped wind resources, north and south of the border, are equivalent to many times the total output of our current power suppliers. We could lead the way in Europe simply because of our geographical location. We should be following the example of Scotland who has ruled out nuclear and is fast becoming the most successful wind energy countries in Europe.”

Asking Sammy Wilson to look at the true meaning of sustainability, Mr. McCormick said: “Uranium used to power nuclear power stations is a depleting resource. Nuclear power producers in France already acknowledge that uranium is a vastly depleting resource and could disappear by the middle of the century.”

The Greens at Queens said: “By indorsing nuclear power Sammy Wilson is not solving the problem for future generations. He is instead distracting us from implementing the real solution in the form of clean, green, sustainable energy.”

Mr. McCormick also presented Sammy Wilson with the Green Party document entitled, Previous Generation, ten reasons why nuclear power makes no sense for Ireland.

John Barry talk + Movie screening

2008-02-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

This Thursday the QUB Greens will be hosting a short talk by Dr John Barry, Co-Leader of the Green Party in Northern Ireland, entitled "What is Green Politics?" This is intended to be an interesting explanation of Green Politics for the uninitiated - John is an entertaining and intelligent speaker and in a short speech he will outline the case for Green policies and how they are beneficial to both people and planet - how they hold the key to prosperity without costing the earth.

Following John's speech we will be screening the short film "Heavy Water - A film for Chernobyl," which tells the story of the worst nuclear disaster in human history through the eyes of the people that were there - the unprepared, ordinary firemen who were first on the scene, the nuclear plant technicians, the soldiers, and their families.

Both these events will take place in Club Room 1, on the top floor of the Students Union, on Thursday 7th Feb, 3pm - 4pm - admission is free - bring a friend!

Why Nuclear Makes NO Sense

2008-01-16T17:11:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of buzz in both British and Irish media in the past month or so about "going nuclear." Britain has recently committed to a new build of nuclear power plants, "to fight climate change."

Reasons why nuclear makes NO sense:
1: Supporters of nuclear often make the case that nuclear power doesn't produce C02 emissions. This is not true. This ignores the emissions created through uranium mining, the transportation of materials two and from plants, the provision of facilities to store waste and the emissions created through reprocessing. In addition to this, uranium is a finite resource, and research undertaken at UCD indicates even at current levels of usage, current supplies will run out in a few decades. Imagine how fast it will run up if we increase our number of nuclear plants?

Uranium Mining

2: Renewable energy is cheaper. According to 2002 figures from the UK Department of Trade & Industry, off-shore wind power cost is rated at 2-3p per KiloWatt Hour, compared to 2-5p per kW/h for nuclear. This makes nuclear more expensive than offshore wind power and therefore more expensive than on-shore wind and other renewables. Nuclear is unnessesary and expensive, especially in the context of renewable energy becoming cheaper and cheaper. Last December, a company called Nanosolar in America created a highly efficent, powerful new kind of solar panel that doesn't require silicon to construct, is as thin as a newspaper and brings the cost of solar production down to about that of coal. Consistent advances in renewable technology are making nuclear useless.

3: Nuclear power will NOT solve climate change, especially in Ireland - NI and the ROI combined have a total generating capacity of around 6,000 MegaWatts. Electricity grid operators need to have back-up power they can fall back on, in case a power station fails. This is called "spinning reserve." An efficent nuclear power plant is around 1,000 MW in size. If a nuclear power plant was built in NI or the RoI then we would need several other power plants (perhaps gas-fired or coal-fired, producing even more C02) built to run on standby, thus making the whole reason behind building a nuclear plant redundant.

4: Nuclear power is still not safe. The Chernobyl accident created a large uninhabiitable area, forever poisonous to human life. A city of 50,000 people, Pripyat, had to be evacuated and lies empty, abandoned and silent, to this day. How can we envisage a power plant that could potentially do the same to London, to Manchester, to Belfast, or Dublin? In 2005, during anti-terror arrests in Britain, detailed plans of Sizewell B, a nuclear power station in Suffolk, were found in the possession of a terror suspect. The potential for a terrorist attack at a nuclear facility is frightening - if there had been an attack on Sizewell B, public outcry would have destroyed any plans for a new nuclear build - we would be highlighting the dangers of nuclear power while mourning the victims of the "Sizewell attack."

The abandoned city of Pripyat.

5: The waste issue has never been resolved. In the USA alone, the Department of Energy has reported that there are "millions of gallons of radioactive waste" as well as "thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel and material" and also "huge quantities of contaminated soil and water." over half a century after the inception of commerical nuclear power, there is STILL no way to deal with nuclear waste apart from storing it somewhere, where it will remain poisonous for thousands of years. An increase in nuclear power will only lead to more waste, and problems with where to store it, and risky "fuel reprocessing" procedures.

THORP reprocessing plant, Cumbria, England, the site of a radioactive accident in 2005

The German Green Party, Die Grunen, while in coalition government in Germany, managed to secure a deal to phase-out nuclear energy in Germany. The Scottish SNP administration with support from the Scottish Greens have refused to put nuclear power on the table in Scotland. Eamon Ryan, RoI (Green Party) minister for Energy has refused to allow uranium mining to occur in Ireland. An attempt by the RoI government to build a nuclear plant in Carnsore Point, Wexford, in the 1970s sparked such fierce resistance that the government was forced to back down. Ironically enough, Carnsore Point is now home to a wind farm. Brian Wilson, Green Party MLA has asked the executive to declare whether it is pro-nuclear.

Nuclear power is an expensive 'white elephant' that will not solve the problem of climate change and will give us more problems to worry about. Electricity generation should never be a threat to public health. A Green solution would be to pour the money wasted in nuclear power into renewable energy.

In Northern Ireland, we have massive potential for clean, green renewable energy. Planning permission is underway for a power plant near Glenavy that will be powered by chicken litter. A tidal turbine that will power up to 1,000 homes is due to be installed in Strangford Lough. Wind generation capacity is quickly expanding. Electric supplier Airtricity currently has 360MW of wind power in the pipeline in NI. Solar energy is becoming more advanced every year.

An all-renewables approach would create thousands of jobs, as well as facilitate all our energy needs in a clean, innovative way. Already in NI hundreds are employed in renewable energy, and this is growing. The Green Party opposes plans by Energy minister Nigel Dodds to cut the Reconnect renewable energy grants scheme. The minister will destroy a growing industry in it's infancy and jobs will be lost in a short-sighted move that will make it more difficult for us to cut our C02 emissions.

The Green Party has convened a lobby group of NI's renewable energy businesses to oppose these plans. Click here

In the new semester, the QUB Greens will be showing a free screening of "Heavy Water", a film about the Chernobyl accident and the people that must now live with the consequences. Details to follow :)

Greens recognised as official society + pass motion to establish Environment Committee

2007-12-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

At the meeting of the QUB Student Council on 5th December, Green councillors formally proposed the recognition of the QUB Greens as an official university society - this was passed with little objection.

This was then followed by a Green motion to establish an SU environment committee, made up of student councillors, to advise and work with students, the university estates services and the union executive to make the university a cleaner, greener place.

Earlier, at the union's environment debate as part of political activism week, Martin Doherty of Belfast City Council and the University's environmental officer, Adrian Davis, pledged their support for the creation of such a committee.

This motion was also passed by the Student Council. There will now hopefully be a permanent committee to look after environmental affairs in the SU. Elections will be held for this committee sometime in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who supported our motions. As the first Green Party university society in Northern Ireland, we've made our own small bit of history, and in 3 months at Queens we've already come so far and learnt a lot - here's to further years and continued growth at QUB!

Christian Aid, Trócaire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation invite you to ring the changes on climate chaos

2007-11-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

From 3 – 14 December 2007 the UN Climate Change Conference will take place in Bali, Indonesia. World leaders will meet to discuss the roadmap for future global action to avert the worst ravages of climate change. The outcomes of this conference will have implications for everyone on the planet.

To coincide with the conference, an international day of action on 8 December has been announced. Marches and demonstrations will be taking place across the world, including in the UK and Ireland, which will illustrate the demand for strong action to be taken by governments on climate change.

In Northern Ireland Christian Aid, Trócaire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation Ireland have teamed up to organise “Sound the Alarm for Climate Change.”

On 8 December activists will gather at St Anne’s Cathedral in central Belfast, bringing alarm clocks with them to compensate for a lack of bells, which will be set to go off at 2pm, to represent the 2 degrees temperature rise limit that cannot be exceeded if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change. We hope to have members of the clergy from each of the four main Churches at the gathering, as well as a diverse range of activists and members of different congregations from across Northern Ireland.

We would like you to help to make this event a real success. Please try to come along to St Anne’s from 1.30pm on Saturday the 8th December and bring an alarm clock or your mobile phone. Bring along anyone else you can persuade to come and get them to bring something with an alarm too.

The QUB Greens will be heading along - watch out for the banner - and we urge as many people as possible, from all groups, to all political societies to come along to this. The NI executive refuse to discuss a climate bill - our heads of state won't be going to the UN summit in Bali. Our environment minister doesn't have a clue about the environment... please come along to St. Anne's and help them wake up!

Green Success!

2007-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

In the recent Student Council elections, Adam McGibbon, Mark McCormick, Petrina Doyle and Conor Clerkin became the first Greens on the Student Council ever. Thanks to everyone who voted for us - 4 out of 5 in our first election isn't bad at all

On the student council your Green representatives will be working for a fair ethical union, increased environmental soundness and will be available to ALL students to represent them on the council. The Greens want to work with other non-sectarian and independent candidates to promote a more ethicial, tolerant and sustainable union. We will be happy to support any candidates who support these ideals. Please contact us!

John Gormley visits the QUB Greens

2007-11-09T04:14:00.000-08:00

Green Party leader and Irish Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited Belfast on Thurs Nov 1st to meet the first ever Greens Society at Queens.

Minister Gormely said: "I'm delighted that the QUB Greens Society has proved so popular, recruiting 134 members in its first year, is really quite amazing and goes to show that young people in Northern Ireland understand and feel connected to Green politics."

QUB Greens spokesperson Mark McCormick said: "We are so pleased Minister Gormley took the time to come and meet us today and if we do as well as we expect in the University's Council elections, then it will again prove, that for young people, the future is the Green Party, it just doesn't carry the shackles of ethnic tensions which burdens the other main parties, it is not territorial but instead thinks globally and acts locally, it is the future."

The QUB Greens members spoke to Minister Gormley about the upcoming student council elections and how the Student Council has been plagued by 'party politics' in the past. They also discussed what plans they have for the year and how they will campaign to improve QUB's environmental performance. Before Minsiter Gormley left Queens to travel to Stormont the QUB Greens presented him with a QUB Teddy Bear to thank him for his visit!

Minister Gormley then went on to meet Green Party MLA Brian Wilson at the Stormont Assembly. The main focus of this meeting was the discussion of the Sellafield Nuclear Plant which poses a great threat to humans and the environment.

Minister Gormley said: "I note with concern reports that the THORP nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield may restart operations. The Irish Government has consistently made clear to the UK Government its concerns regarding Sellafield. Our long held view is that it operates at an uneconomic, environmentally damaging level. That coupled with its poor track record in safety has been conveyed to the UK on a regular basis. The re-opening of THORP will merely contribute further to the continuing discharge of radioactive material to the Irish Sea. That is a concern for the people of the Irish Republic and I expect to the people of Northern Ireland."

For more information on Sellafield Nuclear Plant visit this link:
http://greens-in.org/article/952

Vote Green!!

2007-10-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

On the 30th - 31st October, the student population of QUB will go to the (online) polls to elect a new student council.

In our first term of existence, the QUB Greens are putting up 5 candidates for the elections.

At present, the council is being somewhat abused - the council is dominated by two 'camps' - nationalists and unionists. Councillors have complained in the past about this - the two sides regularly engage in political 'point-scoring', egging each other on in an immature way, attempting to pass motions to annoy each other - hunger strikers are regularly brought up, as are motions such as one attempting to make all councillors sing God Save The Queen.

Regardless of one's political stance, it should be clear that these kinds of motions aren't just a waste of time or a sectarian headcount, it's also a sign that the council is being abused - the immaturity of the nationalists and unionists is sadly matched by the immaturity of their representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The council is a representative body of the students at Queens. Student councillors should represent all the people in their constituent areas. The council should be used for REAL student's issues - education, finance, welfare, questions to the union executive, etc.

The QUB Greens are standing 5 candidates in the elections - we want to reduce sectarianism, oppose this 'two-camp' governance of the council, and bring a relevant agenda to the council - proposing environmental improvements at the university, and properly representing ALL students. Our councillors promise to be available to ALL students to put motions and questions to the executive - just contact us. The five candidates are:

Mark McCormick – Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Stage 1

Janine Diamond - Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Stage 1

Adam McGibbon - Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Stage 2

Conor Clerkin - Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Stage 2

Petrina Doyle - Postgraduate

We would really appreciate your No. 1 vote or a high preference.

You can vote at http://www.qol.qub.ac.uk/, under 'online voting' - you can only vote under your faculty so this time around only humanities and postgraduates can vote Green... but join us next year and hopefully we can stand many more candidates and make even more of a difference!

Thank you for your support!

Mark and Adam
QUB Greens

Think Green
Act Green
Young Green

QUB Greens in University Challenge!

2007-10-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

This is the press release that followed a letter the QUB Greens Vice-Convenor sent to the President/Vice-Chancellor of Queens University:

Queens University, Belfast must improve its environmental performance and increase awareness of environmental responsibility among staff and students according to the newly formed QUB Greens Society.

In a letter to the Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson, the Society, which boosts 134 members, has been particularly critical of the low number of recycling bins available on the campus and have called for the restoration of the Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Spokesperson Mark McCormick said: “Universities can be clean and green and if we need an example of best practice Trinity College, Dublin is leading the race through the e3 project. There is no reason why Queens can’t do something similar here. The affect is amazing, Trinity has managed to reduce its energy consumption by 7.2%, while we’re still arguing about recycle bins here.”

Mr. McCormick said: “If proper recycling facilities were introduced in Elms Village, The Students Union and the Campus we could easily match Trinity Colleges recycling of 44% total waste rather than the QUB figure of 17%.”

The Society’s spokesperson went on to say: “Students go through a lot of materials during a semester, we want all recyclable material to be sorted here before leaving the campus. That includes paper, dry recyclables, card board, glass, beverage cans, packaging, electronic equipment, toners and ink cartridges, batteries, mobile phones, timber and organic waste”.

Congratulating the QUB Greens Society’s initiative, Green Party MLA Brian Wilson said: “I sincerely hope the University listens to these young people who are showing great visions. If young people respect their environment then other social problems will become easier to eradicate.”

We have yet to recieve any reply from the Vice Chancellor regarding the universities environmental performance. Soon we will re-send the letter and if still we recieve no reply we will than take to more public forms of campaigning.

Our Activities So Far

2007-10-28T16:11:00.001-07:00

The QUB Greens are a new society at Queens University Belfast. We are still in the process of setting up but already we have been busy!

Freshers Bazaar 2007!

We had our first appearance at the QUB Freshers Bazaar. This proved to be a huge success as we signed up 134 interested QUB students. This shows that Green issues are of high importance to QUB students and thus gives us the mandate to be their voice and work to improve the campuses environmental performance. We also signed up more than any other political society! A sign that young people are tired of the usual politics that has dominated QUB over the years!

Greens March With Pride!

The Green Party with members of the QUB Greens also took part in this year's annual Belfast Pride march on Saturday 4th August in Belfast City Centre. The party joined with a diverse range of participants - from a wide range of businesses and interest groups to the PSNI, to support the message, as participant group Amnesty International put it, that "love is a human right."

QUB Green representative, Adam McGibbon said: "In the wake of homophobic comments by Ian Paisley Junior in Hot Press magazine in May, and with the ongoing problem of abuse and attacks on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community, the Green Party views their participation in the Belfast Pride march as a chance to show their solidarity with members of the LGBT community, and to demonstrate that these issues are important, whatever your sexual orientation."

QUB Greens Blog

2007-10-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

We have created this blog as a way for those interested in getting involved with the Young Greens and QUB Greens to see what sort of activities we have been involved with. We want to show people how we can make a difference and the different aspects of Green Politics and Activism. So if you feel that you wish to get involved and make a difference please get in contact with us!

www.qubgreens.bebo.com/

qubgreens@hotmail.co.uk

Think Green

Act Green

Young Green