Don't want to see the Cohocton River look like the Colorado above? Join us in calling for a ban on gas drilling in NYS.

Susan Donderewicz and Terry Gerych testing TDS levels in the Cohocton River, Feb. 6, 2013.

Darin Robbins speaking about the Occupy Movement in Bath, NY, Oct. 6, 2012.

Current Projects

Getting Green Party Candidates on the Ballot in 2013

Members of the Steuben County Green Party are working to get good Green Party candidates on the ballot for local elections this year and to support their campaigns.

Supporting Darin Robbins for Mayor of Corning in 2013

Darin Robbins announced his Green Party candidacy for mayor of Corning on Feb. 21, 2013. We are working to support Darin's campaign.

Protecting Local Water Bodies

We are working to protect local water bodies. Five members of the Steuben Greens are participating in the NY Water Sentinels program, monitoring local streams and rivers.

Promoting Small Local Solar and Wind Projects

We work to promote small, locally-owned clean energy projects and stop the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power.

Working for a Ban on Hydraulic Fracturing

Acting on our concerns that extensive environmental and health damages 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 many other groups across New York State calling for such a ban. Our resolution lists the reasons why we are 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

Supporting the Occupy Movement

The Green Party of Steuben County supports and stands in solidarity with the Occupy movement, that began with Occupy Wall Street on September 17th and has grown to hundreds of cities across the United States and 950 cities across the globe. The Green Party is based on principles such as grassroots democracy, community economics, and decentralization of power. We find a congruence of the principles with the Occupy movement.

Gigantic income inequality, the inordinate power of corporations on our democratic process, and calls for austerity that push more people into poverty with less economic rights reveal that the status quo is untenable. What is also vital to this movement is the internal democratic process practiced by the General Assemblies. This process offers a new political model for our society as well as developing a method for the movement to articulate its grievances, demands, and solutions. This is in marked contrast to the Tea Party that has been consistently backed by corporate funding and supplied with a prefabricated agenda and talking points from such corporate organizations as Americans for Prosperity. The range of concerns of Occupy supporters is shown by the posting on the tumblr, We Are the 99%.

The internal democratic process of the various occupations is coupled with the formation of food distribution systems, medical services, and libraries at each protest site, further showing that this is something quite new in the political and economic landscape. With its many unique characteristics, the movement also does have historical precedents such as the Bonus Army of the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960's, and the worldwide protests during the Spring of 1968.

The Green Party is the only existing political party that is able to fully comprehend the political and economic context that has resulted in such harsh conditions for our fellow citizens. What the movement has been driving home through nonviolent civil actions, the Green Party has been talking about for decades. As the Occupy movement has grown and garnered more media attention, there has already been inclinations for it to be coopted by the two-party system, but the movement is structured in such a way as to avoid this weakening. The Green Party has been the only political party that has shown actual support through actions rather than mere talk, and we hope that through prolonged cooperation the members of the movement will see that the Green Party and the Occupy movement are naturally aligned not by political gain but by a vision for a better future.

Working for Demilitarization and Peace

In 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.

Building Local Economies

On May 29, 2008, the Steuben Greens held a panel discussion on grassroots strategies for building Bath’s local economy. The Steuben Greens have been active in the Bath NY Group, which is working to build Bath's local economy. The group believes that many small local businesses will provide a much healthier long-term economy for the area than chain stores and big box stores. Steuben Green member Darin Robbins is the author of our flyer on How to Build a Local Economy.

Promoting Participatory Democracy

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.

Creating a Locally-Grown Food Network

The Steuben Greens initiated the formation of Farm to You, a network of consumers, farmers, food producers and food markets whose mission is to build markets for local grown food in Steuben County and the surrounding Southern Tier area. For information about our goals in setting up this project, click here for the CSA proposal prepared by Lisa Chacon. We are now promoting the program through the Friends of Steuben County Farmers Facebook page.

Supporting State and National Green Party Candidates

Members of the Steuben County Green Party worked for Jill Stein's campaign for President of the United State and Colia Clark's campaign for US Senate from New York.

Working to Promote IRV and Proportional Representation

The Steuben Greens are working to support the adoption of IRV and proportional voting in local elections. Darin Robbins is working to get the Corning City Coucil to conduct a nonbinding referendum to ascertain voter support for these voting methods.

Opposition to Electronic Voting

Members of the Steuben Greens are working on issues relating to the use of electronic voting machines by Steuben County and elsewhere in New York State.

Editorial Campaign

The Steuben Greens have a campaign to write letters to the editor on a regular basis. In this way, we keep the Green Party and our values in the public discourse. At election time, we write letters in support of our Green candidates.

Living Wage Campaign

Members of the Steuben Greens are working for the adoption of a living wage ordinance in Corning.

Peace and Justice Issues

The Steuben Greens work on peace events through our local, which is a member of the Finger Lakes Peace Coalition, and through other local peace groups, including the Bath Peace and Justice Group, the Corning Peaceful Gatherings Group and the Elmira Peace Studies group. We have organized programs, local demonstrations and local participation at demonstrations in New York City and Washington, DC.

Medical Marijuana

On April 2, 2004, the Steuben Greens sponsored a community forum on medical marijuana. Dr. Jennifer Daniels, from Syracuse, spoke on the medical properties of marijuana, their efficacy compared to legal drugs, and a current bill to legalize medical marijuana in New York .

Bill of Rights Defense Resolutions

Members of the Steuben Greens helped get a Bill of Rights Defense resolution passed in the Town of Urbana, and are working on resolutions in the Town of Bath, the City of Corning, and the Steuben County Legislature.

Steuben County Green Party Bylaws

In November 2004 we formed a county Green Party organization in accordance with the state Green Party bylaws to facilitate our participation in the state platform process. Click here to review our bylaws.

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.

Green Party of New York State Platform

The Steuben Greens have submitted a number of suggested planks to the Green Party of New York for inclusion in the state Green Party platform. A 2006 state platform was approved at the May 20, 2006 meeting of the Green Party of New York state committee.

Supporting the Green Party of New York State

We work to support the state Green Party. Five of our members are supporting members of the state party. Darin Robbins is our state committee representative, and has been elected to serve on the state party executive committee.

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