LATEST NEWS ON GNN: GNN has been going for over 6 years and is under review as we are prioritising our energy into producing 'Green Around Stroud': our first newspaper in the District with it's initial run of 7,000 copies. This has already been delivered widely across the District and will soon also be on the web. We have now also established a RSS feed: this will allow you to receive an email when we add news release to the website. It is easy to join from the bottom left corner of our website and will give you the info when it is published.

Thoughts on GNNs future would be welcomed - please email: press@glosgreenparty.org.uk

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NEWS

Here is a flavour of this months news plus below some interesting events planned and what's in the blogs this month - for the full stories, reports and background go to our website:

GREENS POINT TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST OVER DURSLEY SUPERMARKET PLANS: BBC You and Yours cover Green party comments.

STROUD PROTESTERS JOIN DEMO OPPOSING GOVERNMENT PLANS ON NUCLEAR: Stroud protestors joined others at Hinkley for the announcement of Governments decision on nuclear. Read about that plus other news releases and letters on the nuclear decision.

HUNTS GROVE: Read Marjorams presentation to the Public Inquiry and his letters to the press.

STROUD: NEARLY A CLONE TOWN: Read about concerns that show STroud nearly qualifies as a Clone Town.

ANGER AT CHELTENHAM SCRUTINY OF AIRPORT EXPANSION: Cheltenham Greens write to papers regarding failures of Scrutiny to look at arguments.

Plus corporatising our education, nearly 70 people for waste discussion (plus under reports our waste strategy), 100 to hear Palestine talks, why Slad brook flooded again, Stroud set for country's second largest solar system, Councils Budget is Business-as-Usual with no urgency on climate change, Corse decision welcomed, battery cages, back-to-work schemes that bully and calls for real investment in health prevention and railways.

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PLUS THE BLOGS

Read Ruscombe Green: http://ruscombegreen.blogspot.com/
Cllr Philip Booth with 66 entries this month - here's a few: Bhopal,  Paganhill Slavery Arch, Camelford, Vanishing Bees, Thermal imaging homes as a way to improve energy efficiency, a proposal for Open eco homes and gardens, ban bottled water and the bulb, Painswick Library, Nuke decision, Parkour, Naughty Bristol Airport and even worse C'ham scrutiny of Staverton Airport, are natural medicines really threatened, latest floods, questions on Emergency Procedures, the nuke decision, did oil canals worsen Katrina, recession, file swapping, local biofuel protests plus other local and Council stuff.

Read Molly Scott Cato's top Green UK blog and this months posts on 'What is the cost of a child?' and 'Making Good Use of the Things that we Find'
http://gaianeconomics.blogspot.com/

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QUOTES OF THE MONTH

"This... is the great humanistic and historical task of the oppressed: to liberate themselves and their oppressors as well. The oppressors, who oppress, exploit, and rape by virtue of their power, cannot find in this power the strength to liberate either the oppressed or themselves. Only power that springs from the weakness of the oppressed will be sufficiently strong to free both."
Paulo Freire, 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed'

"Every time is a time for active citizenship. If we want to protect any part of our quality of life we have to fight for it. You can always tell where the communities of activists are because the places in which they live are still habitable. Where people live who have given up and don’t fight, it will be inhospitable and uninhabitable."
George Monbiot

"Fellowship is life, the lack of fellowhip is death."
Blake

"Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion and adoption."
John Stewart Mill

"He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetrate it."
Martin Luther King

"It is time to speak your truth,
Create your community,
Be good to each other,
And do not look outside yourself for the leader."
Hopi Indian advice

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ONLINE FILMS:

JOANNA MACY - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LwlXTAT8rLk
In less than six minutes, Joanna Macy describes the three dimensions of the Great Turning. A great introduction to the concept. For more about Joanna Macy, see her website at http://www.joannamacy.net

DAVID KORTEN - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=33JC0lZ2xgA
"The key to changing the course of the human future" says David Korten, in this half hour talk, "is to change the stories by which we live". David Korten's book The Great Turning is an important text outlining the choice point wecollectively face. This talk introduces some of its core themes. For more about David Korten's work, see his website at http://www.davidkorten.org/

RICHARD HEINBERG - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DHXdS9XYVs8
This is the best short introduction to peak oil I've seen, from one of the world's leading authorities. For more about Richard Heinberg's writing and work, see his website at http://www.richardheinberg.com/

ROB HOPKINS - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XFPp7l1GLzo
Rob was invited to speak at the International Forum on Globalisation, but as he's given up flying, he sent this video instead. Here he describes the development of the Transition Movement. For more on this, read his excellent blog at http://www.transitionculture.org

CHRIS JOHNSTONE - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XFPp7l1GLzo
Exploring how we cultivate empowered responses to global issues, Chris Johnstone describes drawing inspiration from adventure stories.

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EVENTS:

Wednesday 6th February - Stroud District Green party AGM - 7pm (please note not 7.30) at the Old Town Hall, Shambles, Stroud with business executive John Meadley, who has spent most of his working life in developing countries, giving a talk entitled 'A Business Perspective on Green Issues'. There will then be a break with refreshments, and the meeting will follow.

Friday 8th February - one woman play 'Breaking the Silence' about Rachel Carson - at The Space - tickets 762361

Saturday 9th February - SW Green party AGM in Cheltenham 11.15 to 4pm

Thursday 14th February to Sunday 17th February - Green party conference in Reading

Friday 22nd February 2008. 'What to tell the kids about their environmental future'  Open to anyone - 7.30 to 9.30pm at Star Anise Arts Cafe at the Painswick Inn, Gloucester Street, Stroud.

Sunday 24th February - Seedy Sunday - Bring along your collected and unwanted seeds vegetable or flowers and any plants you wish to swop and come away with something different to get your garden/allotment blooming with new things. 2-4pm The Long Room (downstairs)the SPACE Lansdown, Stroud Tea coffee and delicious cakes for sale. Donation box, suggest £2 Contact  Clare Sheridan 01453 827286

Details of Gloucestershire Green party meetings can be got from John Marjoram on 01453 751189. This Green news service first established on 13th November 2001. To subscribe or unsubscribe to GNN visit the Gloucestershire Green party website and to contribute to this news service contact the editor Philip Booth on  press@glosgreenparty.org.uk