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COUNTRYFILE ASKS 'IS STROUD THE GREENEST TOWN IN THE WEST?' |
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15th November 2006
Cllr Martin Whiteside, the Green party Parliamentary candidate for
Stroud has been showing the team of the BBC's flagship Sunday morning
programme "Countryfile" around the local area after they contacted
Greens asking: "Is Stroud the greenest town in the West?"
Martin Whiteside said: "It is great that others are recognising
Stroud's green credentials. The area has a history of radicalism like
Paganhill's anti-slavery arch (1833), the Tolstoyan anarchists who
burnt the property deeds at Whiteway Colony (1898), demonstrations
against war, saving Stratford Park Trees from Tesco and in the 1980s
electing one of the countrys' first Green party councillors. Today it
is the only Town Council with a majority of Green party councillors -
and has had a Green Mayor for over 9 years."
Martin Whiteside continued: "Stroud's reputation as a “green centre” is
expressed in many ways - from exciting projects like the co-housing,
the award winning Farmer's Market, Bisley's Community Composting
project, the Coffee House Discussions, the Community Supported
Agriculture project, the award winning Green Shop, Stroud and
Nailsworth's Fair trade status, the energy company, Ecotricity,
Community Land Trusts and so much more."
Martin Whiteside said: "Stroud can claim to be green in many areas but
we do have a long way to go - infact many other districts are doing
better than us for example in recycling rates or putting renewable
energy on new developments. The District Councils new Environment
paper, however is a real opportunity to make Stroud more green. We
could be a leader in tackling climate change and building a sound
economic future for the area. I hope that Countryfile will return in a
couple of years to see real changes and that we can then claim we
really are the greenest."
The Countryfile Programme will be broadcast at 11.00 on Sunday 19 November.
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