Next Steuben Greens Meeting

The Steuben Greens meet on the 3rd Monday of the month by conference call or in person. For info about the next meeting, email info@steubengreens.org or call 607-569-2114.

Join the Steuben Greens on Facebook

Don't want to see the Conhocton look like the Colorado River above? Join the Green Party in calling for a ban on hydrofracking in NYS.

Current Projects of the Steuben Greens

Regional Calendar

Consensus

The Steuben Greens and most other Green groups use consensus process for our meetings.

Green Party News

Annual Meeting, Sat., May 5

At the Annual Meeting of the Steuben County Green Party on Sat., May 5, 2012, new officers were elected:
Chair, Joseph Duffy, Hornell
Secretary, Rachel Treichler, Hammondsport
Treasurer, Darin Robbins, Corning
State Committee Representative, Neal Pritchard, Corning
Chair, Renaissance Committee, Susan Donderewicz, Savona

Colia Clark for US Senate from New York in Corning May 1

Colia Clark, the Green Party candidate for US Senate from New York came to Corning on May 1 and spoke at three Occupy events. The events received widespread press coverage, including: WENY (ABC affiliate), WETM (NBC affiliate), the Corning Leader, the Elmira Star-Gazette and YNN, most of which featured Colia's participation.

A long time civil rights, peace and women's rights activist, Colia received GPNYS's nomination as the party's 2012 US Senate candidate in March. Colia was the Green Party nominee for U.S. Senate in 2010 for the seat presently held by Chuck Schumer. She is a chair of Grandmothers for the Release of Mumia Abu Jamal. During the Civil Rights era, Colia was a Special Assistant to Medgar W. Evers, field Secretary for the NAACP. She later joined the Mississippi Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) doing voter registration work. Now a resident of Manhattan, Colia was the founder and Coordinator for Poor Women Against Vietnam War, and the former coordinator of the Social Justice Center in Albany. Visit http://www.coliaclark.org/ for more information about her campaign.

Occupy Corning/Elmira

The Steuben Greens support the Occupy movement. Click here to read our statement in support. A number of our members in the Corning area are participating in the Occupy Corning/Elmira general assemblies. Get updates about Occupy Corning/Elmira activities on the group's Facebook page.

Referendum Petitions for the City of Corning

Darin Robbins, a Green Party member from Corning, has developed two petitions for referenda for amendments to the Corning City Charter. The first petition is for a referendum to set up a participatory budgeting process. The second petition, which grows out of the work on the budgeting referendum, is for a referendum to add a formal referendum process to the City Charter. To sign the referendum process petition online, click here. To sign the participatory budgeting petition online, click here. Click here to download a PDF of the participatory budgeting petition. Click here to download a PDF of the referendum process petition. Return completed petitions to Darin Robbins, 78 Sterling Street, Corning, NY 14830.

Green Party Candidates for the 2012 Elections

Members of the Steuben County Green Party are working to get good Green Party candidates on the ballot for the 2012 elections. We will nominate candidates at our annual meeting on May 5, 2012.

Preparing a Steuben County Green Party Platform

We are working to prepare a Green Party platform for Steuben County. Please join our platform wiki and contribute your ideas. We will discuss the county platform at our annual meeting on May 5, 2012.

2011 Election Results

The Steuben Greens endorsed Joe Duffy's campaign for 10 Ward Alderman in the City of Hornell. Joe received 36% of the vote in a two way race. Good coverage of the race in the Hornell Tribune, Carbone, Duffy running for 10th ward alderman position.

Area Greens Host GP-US Annual Meeting at NY Green Fest 2011

NY Green Fest 2011 was held in conjunction with the annual national meeting of the Green Party of the United States. Both events were held Aug. 5-7, 2011, at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. NY Green Fest was organized by the Allegany and Steuben County Green parties. Steuben Greens Darin Robbins and Joe Duffy spoke at the event. Darin spoke on Courting the Anarchist Vote: Finding the Common Denominator of Autonomy, and Joe spoke at the press conference of Green candidates.

The Green Fest program included more than 30 workshops on politics, energy, media and ecology, four forums and great music on our solar stage. Many of these programs are available on videos posted on the Green Fest website. Presenters included Elizabeth May, Canada's first elected Green Party member of Parliament, David Korten, author of Corporations will Rule the World and co-founder of YES! Magazine, Tina Clarke from the Transition Towns Movement, David Cobb, 2004 Green nominee for President, Virginia Rasmussen from the Program for Corporations Law and Democracy (POCLAD), Gay Nicholson from Sustainable Tompkins, and Richard Grossman from Frack Free Catskills.

NY State Green Party Wins 2010 Victory, Reclaims Ballot Line

The more than 58,000 votes cast for Howie Hawkins and Gloria Mattera have secured the Green Party a ballot line for the next four years. Support for all the Green candidates was strong. Unofficial figures show Comptroller candidate Julia Willebrand receiving almost 98,000 votes, and US Senate candidates Colia Clarke and Cecile Lawrence receiving about 40,000 and 34,000 votes respectively. Each of our candidates came in third in their races..

"This is the best showing ever for statewide Green Party candidates. It is the culmination of months of hard work on the part of many party members, and the candidates themselves. Voters are fed up with Democrats and Republicans taking their votes for granted, and are open to hearing ideas from a party not beholden to Wall St. and special interests. Howie Hawkins campaigned tirelessly to promote the idea of a Green New Deal, funded by progressive taxation on the wealthy, and using the stock transfer tax we already collect to fill the budget gap. Voters who heard the message understood that Howie's platform made sense, and that it's the austerity plans of Cuomo and Paladino that are nonsense," said Peter LaVenia, co-chair of the NY State Green Party.

"This is a building block for the future. We are going to use this victory to elect Greens statewide, starting at the local level and moving on up to the state," stated Eric Jones, co-chair of the NYS Green Party.

Howie Hawkins on the Economics of Hydrofracking

Howie Hawkins, the 2010 Green Party candidate for governor of New York spoke at Pollywogg Holler in Allegany County on August. 8, 2010, about hydrofracking and his campaign.

Greens at the EPA Hearing in Binghamton

Susan Donderewicz from the Steuben Greens at the anti-drilling rally outside the EPA hearings in Binghamton on Sept. 15, 2010, with Green gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins and hydrofracking activists from across the state. Photos by Joe Armstrong.

Green Party Candidates Call for Ban on Hydrofracking

"We're for a ban on hydrofracking because there are better options for energy. What this really does is privatize the cost and socialize the risk," said Howie Hawkins, Green Party Candidate for Governor said in Vestal on June 30. Cecile Lawrence, Green Party candidate for US Senate, said organizing for a ban on hydrofracking is a key issue for her campaign. Click for link to WICZ Video.

Greens Nominate Hawkins, Mattera, Clark, Lawrence and Willebrand

Syracuse labor activist Howie Hawkins was nominated for Governor and Gloria Mattera, a long time peace activist from Brooklyn, was nominated for Lt. Governor at the Green Party state convention in Albany May 15, 2010. Colia Clark was nominated for the US Senate seat presently held by Chuck Schumer. Cecile Lawrence was picked to fill out the Senate seat previously held by Hillary Clinton. Julia Willebrand from Manhattan, who received amost 118,000 votes for Comptroller four years ago, was chosen to run for comptroller again. Videos of the nominating speeches of the candidates are at www.gpnys.org.

Steuben Greens support Gas Drilling Moratorium Legislation

The Steuben County Green Party has issued a memorandum in support of the Englebright (A10490)/Addabbo (S7592) bill that would establish a moratorium on conducting hydraulic fracturing for the extraction of natural gas or oil in New York State until 120 days after the EPA finalizes a report on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on groundwater and freshwater supplies. Click here to read our memorandum.

Steuben Greens on YouTube

Meet members of the Steuben Greens on YouTube talking about politics and the Green Party. Recorded at our April 28, 2010 meeting in Bath.

Susan Donderewicz from Savona on the Paralysis of Convenience
Darin Robbins from Corning on Why I'm Voting Green in 2010
Charles Rola from Savona on My Hopes for Our Country
Mark Quinby from Bath on Politics
Joseph Duffy from Hornell on Why I Joined the Green Party

Steuben County Green Party Joins Call for Gas Drilling Ban

Signs at DEC Hearing in Corning, Nov. 18, 2009. Photo by Eric Wenzel, Corning Leader.

Acting on our concerns about the extensive environmental and health damages that are likely to be caused by drilling gas wells in the Marcellus Shale if horizontal drilling and high pressure hydrofracturing are allowed in New York State, the Steuben County Green Party adopted a resolution November 16, 2009, calling on the state legislature to adopt a ban on permitting gas wells that use these techniques. In so doing, the party joins the Green Party of New York and 70 other groups across New York State calling for such a ban.

The resolution lists the reasons why the party is calling for a ban:

Because of our concerns that environmental and health damages lasting long beyond our lifetimes will extend across New York State if gas drilling is permitted using horizontal drilling and high pressure hydrofracturing,

Because damaging economic consequences to residential and commercial property values, tourism, agriculture, forestry, wineries, colleges and universities will result from damaging health effects,

Because the infrastructure costs of building and repairing roads, water treatment facilities, and other public services needed by the gas drilling industry will exceed the economic benefit to local communities,

Because New York State has no laws restricting industrial scale water withdrawals from our rivers, lakes and aquifers,

Because the citizens of New York are not protected from the toxic effects of oil and gas drilling by Federal and New York State environmental laws that apply to other industries,

Because the subsidies granted to oil and gas drilling promote the use of fossil fuels and undermine the development of conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy sources, and

Because the global warming effects of the methane in natural gas are many times greater than the global warming effects of carbon dioxide,

Be it resolved that the Steuben County Green Party calls on the New York State legislature to adopt a ban on permitting gas wells that use horizontal drilling and hydro-fracturing to release gas from tight sand and shale formations.

Sign the Ban Petition

To sign the petition calling for a ban on hydrofracking in New York State, go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NY-Statewide-Ban-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling

Recent Events

2009 Election Results

Green Party candidates in New York had some of their best results ever this year. Mary Jo Long who won re-election to a seat on the Town Board of Afton in Chenango County. Lynne Serpe, Howie Hawkins and Joe Duffy had excellent showings in their races for NYC Council, Syracuse City Council and Mayor of the City of Hornell. They won 44%, 41% and 34% of the vote in their respective races. Click here for non-offical returns for all NYS Green Party Candidates.

Reconsidering the Property Tax, Thurs., June 18, Bath

A public forum considering whether taxes based on property are the best way to raise public money was held Thursday, June 18. The forum is one of a series of public programs on the local economy sponsored by the Steuben County Green Party. This year’s program, entitled “How Property Tax Has Shaped Our Economy (and look at the shape we’re in)," was introduced by Susan Donderewicz, a Green Party member from Savona. We discussed problems inherent in the property tax and alternatives to it. Click here to read the text of Susan's remarks.

Presentation on Living Green

Suzanne Miller from Hornell spoke about simple green lifestyle changes you can make at the May 2009 meeting of the Steuben County Green Party. in Hornell. She described simple lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your carbon foot print.

Presentation on Humanitarian Mission to Gaza by Local Doctor

On March 16, 2009, the Steuben Greens and the Hornell Alfred Unitarian Universalist Society sponsored a presentation in Hornell by Dr. Ismail Mehr about his recent humanitarian mission to Gaza. Dr. Mehr led a team of 9 physicians and 2 non-medical personnel on a ten day medical mission to Gaza in February 2009. Dr. Mehr is an anesthesiologist at St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell. The trip was sponsored by the Islamic Medical Association of North America. It was the first US medical mission to Gaza this year. Photo from the Buffalo News. For more information about Dr. Mehr's trip, visit www.ammgaza.com

Showing of Rural Impact

On Nov. 5, 2008, the Steuben Greens joined with the Bath Peace and Justice Group to sponsor a showing of a documentary film on the impacts of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in Colorado by Two Cent Films and Crestone Media. The documentary features Dr. Theo Colborn, an environmental health analyst who has studied the chemicals used by drilling companies in their drilling and hydraulic fracturing fluids. Dr. Colborn's website, http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/, gives the results of her studies of the health effects of the products and chemicals used in drilling, fracturing (frac'ing, or stimulation), recovery and delivery of natural gas. She has analyzed chemicals used by gas drilling companies in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Washington and Wyoming. Her research provides a glimpse at the patterns of possible health hazards for those living in proximity to gas development.

Building Bath’s Local Economy

On Thursday, May 29, 2008, the Steuben Greens sponsored a panel discussion on grassroots strategies for building Bath’s local economy. Three Green Party members from the Bath-Corning area, Susan Donderewicz, Darin Robbins and Rachel Treichler, discussed how developing a more community-based, decentralized local economy could change Bath. The speakers looked at Bath’s economy today and showed how a micro-lending program, a local currency, local food production, promotion of local businesses, removing regulatory barriers and alternative healthcare, schooling and transportation systems could create more sustainable ways to live in Bath as the world economy changes.

Citizen Power Alliance

The Steuben Greens have joined the Citizen Power Alliance. The Citizen Power Alliance is a coalition of independent groups organized to promote sound energy and environmental policy. The mission of CPA is to hold public officials and regulators accountable, while seeking the protection of the public interest. The group belives that ecological preservation requires fiscal responsibility and viable technological solutions.

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