Wider Green Party policies do encourage us all to consume far less meat and dairy, more fruit and vegetables and less foods with high levels of sugar, salt and fat. These are very likely to have beneficial outcomes for both the environment, our own health and our household costs.
Each local authority in England has a Local Plan. The Local Plan sets the strategic direction for change in the borough over the next 25 years. From a Green point of view, it can be used to judge whether the borough of Hounslow is doing its fair share of addressing the environmental and social crises that we face.
We are well over what earth systems can tolerate. Extinction rates are estimated to be running at 100 times the natural rate in the absence of humans. And we must not just reserve particular parts of earth for nature but must allow for natural and semi-natural habitats everywhere.
Our existing homes are predominantly heated by gas. Burning gas creates carbon dioxide (CO2) which accumulates in the atmosphere. In the context of Hounslow, it is advised to have Air Source Heat Pumps, powered by renewable electricity in better insulated homes.
The Hounslow Green Party has long campaigned in opposition to many aspects of the Heathrow Airport operation. The Green Party position is clearly for a drastic reduction in flights, no Heathrow 3rd runway and no night flights to help us get a better nights’ sleep.
Hounslow Green Party’s set of values and policies can also inform us as to what the party should campaign for in the London Borough of Hounslow. Sometimes there are clear win-wins for our immediate advantage, sometimes it is to protect future generations, other countries or the diverse web of life across the world.
We, as a party, push for particular housing outcomes but we have to be aware where we are starting from. Questions we explore in this blog, along with remedies we provide –
Is it possible to get from where we are to where we would like to be? Does local government have the power to move us to where we want to be? Does this have to rely on central government and / or wider societal change?
In the Hounslow Green Party we have been concerned about water pollution in the Thames and the Brent / Grand Union Canal for some time. This has been associated with the recent wider awareness of the national issues highlighted by the likes of Feargal Sharkey and our very own Green peeress Jenny Jones.