tiRichard Oldfield, Editor i Green 5 Spring A Journal for Decentralist Greens Issue No. Four THE BIOREGIONAL WASH THAT'S GREENER THAN GREEN? I was in San Francisco to attend the community politics. A supporter of the communicating the concept of bio- 6th Assembly of the Fourth World, the 4th World Foundation had kindly regions since 1974. Bioregionalism is 4th ,World being greatly concerned offered to help me with some of the sometimes called “The Politics of with issues of decentralisation, power travel-costs involved. However, more Place”, because it involves a deep relationships in society and radical of that Assembly and the 4th World commitment to living in, understand- (and indeed of the USA and the US. :t ing and becoming part of a speczfic Green movement) in another issue. and unique geographical area. Peter: This is the first of a two-part look at Fer whilst in the Bay Area, I also i “It means becoming native to places Bioregionalism. What is it? And called in to see Peter Berg, prominent again, to live in them as though you what is its relationship to the wider bioregionalist and a director of the were native to them to identify the Green movement? _ Planet Drum Foundation' (PDF). And native plants and animals, water- thereby hangs this tale. sheds, climates, soils, and to carry on Along the way, the criticisms made of your life in such a way as to relate to bioregionalists - and the criticisms WHAT IS BiOREGIONALISM? those things, to get work in those they make of the Green movement - The PDF has been developing and fields, to restore salmon streams as a will be brought together and assessed. way of life, to be engaged in perma- What positive lessons can Greens culture as a way of life. It’s defi- learn from bioregionalism, and what ~ NUCLEAR POWER ,No THANKS! nitely the case that the ecolOgical is best rejected as extravagant, mis- Almost half the population context is paramount for bioregional- taken or even dangerous bioregional is pre-‘ pared to pay more for electricity in ists.” hype? order to phase out nuclear power, according to an internal opinion “Reinhabitation” is a word coined .by The article stems from a recent visit by survey commissioned by the nuclear bioregionalists to describe this ap- Richard Oldfield to California and a meet- _ industry and leaked to Greenpeace. proach. People not actively involved ing there with bioregionalist Peter Berg of For the first time, the number of people with that which is ecologically sus- the Planet Drum Foundation. prepared to pay extra to get rid of tainable in their area are considered nuclear energy is greater than those tourists, just visiting. In his book, who favour it as a way of keeping Dwellers in the Land - The Bio— electricity prices down. Between regional Vision" (1985), Kirkpatrick THIS, ISSUE 1985 and 1987, the proportion of Continued on page 3 * THE BIOREGIONAL WASH those in favour of nuclear power THAT‘S GREENER THAN dropped by 10 percentage points to GREEN? - Part I. 43%, equalling the number who oppose nuclear energy. The number of those willing - * VIEWPOINT a comprehenisve to pay more rose by 10 points to 46%. Pro-nuclear support is weakest amongst strategy to radicalise the Green women, only 32% compared to 53% of men. Party - Mark Kinzley. * WHAT KIND OF DECENTRALI- SATION? - Adrian Atkinson. Without prompting, 31% of those questioned nominated nuclear power as the * IVYBRJDGE GREEN GROUP. nation’s worst environmental offender, and two—thirds think a Chernobyl-type PLUS LETTERS, NEWS—SHORTS accident could happen in Britain despite assurances from the industry. & "CONNECTIONS". Source: The Guardian, Feb. 29th ’88. Based In Glastonbury Six issues per year Green Options 1 ITALIAN NUCLEAR NO SWISS DEMOCRACY Italians were recently asked in a national Switzerland to follow suit in a forthcoming The people of Switzerland can directly referendum whether their existing and referendum next year. influence policy directions by conducting planned nuclear power stations should be an ”initiative”. 100,000 citizens have to abolished. It was held after Italy’s Green So in theory, the referendum means that sign a petition asking for a referendum on Party launched a petition in the wake of the Italy must shelve plans to build“ more a particular question (within one and a Chernobyl disaster. Two of the three main domestic nuclear power plants and with- half years). It must be witnessed by the parties, the Socialists and the Commu- draw from Europe’ 5 fast breeder reactor authorities. The proposed bill is then pre- nists, backed the referendum as well. programme. However, some believe that in sented to Parliament which must submit it practice the only casualty may be Europe's to the people’s vote in a referendum. This The public voted to abolish three laws that fast breeders. is a very costly and exhaustive (but com- have until now governed the country’5 Source: New Scientist, Nov. 12th; FoE. mon) process in Switzerland. A forthcom- Supporter’s activities in nuclear power. One of these Newsletter, Winter ‘87 ing referendum' asks whether Switzer- allowed the national electricity utility land should be constitutionally forbidden (ENEL) to build power plants without to have armed forces of any kind whatso~ obtaining approval from regional govern- ever. It has little chance of a majority vote, ments. Local authorities will now be given GREENHAM WANDERERS I but is being used as a consciousness- a power of veto. A second law allowed MoD 0 raiser. A referendum on nuclear power is ENEL to pay ”compensation” to commu- planned for 1988, when there will be nities with nuclear plants. Parliament Women camped around Greenham Com- strong pressure on the Swiss to follow the mon are wandering freely into and around must now write new laws to replace these, ””non-nuclear example of Italy, Austria, V the US air base following a court with officials saying these should reflect judgement which ruled they were not trespassing be- Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, the voter’ 5 wish to reject nuclear power. cause the Government’5 bylaws forbidding Greece and Portugal. _ them access had been invalid since their Source: Peace Magazine (via Simply Living Although Italy only has 3 commercial introduction by Michael Heseltine in magazine). reactors, supplying just 1% of its power 1981 . Judge Lait made his ruling because the ' needs, 80% of its energy is im- Détails from: Gruppe fur eine Schweiz ported, much more than other ohneArmee,Postbox221, Ch-8307Effre- European countries. So although tikon, Switzerland. _ all three major parties backed abolition of these laws, they may reen WOMANCHIEF engineer replacements that could arias]... ' allow domestic nuclear plans to proceed. 1892 Military Lands Act states that no bylaw Turkey, an overwhelmingly male-led, Muslim made under the act shall authorise the Sec- country, has appointed its first woman head of a The 3rd law voted down permitted ENEL retary of State to take away or prejudice any districtpolice station. SuperintendentNazliSenlik to common land. is in charge of three deputy superintendents to participate in foreign nuclear program- right and 48 officers. mes. At stake here is Italy’5 one third stake The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is deciding Source: Guardian, Dec. 12th ’86 in Superphoenix, the world’s largest fast whether to appeal to the Divisional Court. breeder reactor, at Creys-Malville in Hundreds of women havebeen convicted of France. Italy was also to contribute a third trespassing on the base. If the ruling is not FATHER FACILITY of the cost of SNRZ, W.Germany’s pro- overturned, theycouldhave their convictions quashed and could claim damages, A special father and baby room has been opened posed fast breeder, espe- whose future was al- cially since some women were sent to prison in a men’slavatory in Birmingham citycentre after ready uncertain. _ The future of the next for refusing to pay the fines imposed. requests by the council’s Women's Committee. generation of fast breeders in Europe is Source: The Guardian, March 3rd. ’88. Two similar rooms have already been opened at also in question after the vote. women’s public toilets. Source: Guardian, Nov. 27th '87 However, the legal nightmare of extricat- NUCLEAR POWER FROZEN OUT ing Italy from Superpheonix - involving complex patent-sharing agreements with @reenQDptions The World Resources Institute in the USA France and other partners in the project - reports that if all the US fridge-freezers Editor: Richard Oldfield could lead Italian politicians to give ENEL were replaced with the more efficient Ira-house critics: Stephanie Leland, David back its foreign nuclear projects in replace- Taylor & Mark Kinzley models availablein the market, the energy ment legislation to be drafted next year. Published by Green Options, Lockyer’s Farm, saved from this alone would equal the Dundon, Somerton. Somerset. output of 18 large nuclear power stations. Subscription rates: see back page. If the Printed 01110096 recycled politicians stick to the referendum Energy efficient technologies paper by Jimas Print, result, Italy would thus join Austria, Swe- '~ Unit 8, Morlands Ind. Pk., Highbiidge, Somerset. could halve the demand for power in Computer typeset by GRIP - Glastonbury Re- den, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Portugal Western countries. sources & Information Project, The Assembly and Luxembourg as ”non-nuclear” na- Source: “Challenge” - Newsletter of the Liberal Rooms, High St., Glastonbury. Tel. 0458-34677 tions, adding to the strong pressure for Ecology Group and SDP Greens - Winter ’87. 2 Green Options Bioregionalism washes greener than Green? Continued from page 1' the more academic thinkers and Sale writes of bioregionalism in es- “paradigm shifts” theorists of the sence as a bid to “know the earth Green political world: “Bioregionalists fully”.