Nicola Young: Green values put paid to stereotypes

Nicola Young

GREEN - what do you think when you hear that word?

If we play a word association game, it probably prompts things like nature, acting environmentally friendly, being inexperienced or even gullible, maybe the unattractive emotion of envy, and undoubtedly tree-hugging hippies.

For me, green usually has a capital G for the Green Party. But it is not synonymous with sandal-wearing, commune-dwelling greenies. There are certainly some who fit that description - and I respect them for their incredibly light footstep on the Earth - but there are lots of other types of members, too.

(I should admit that since I've had children the idea of a commune where families live together and help with each other's children has increasing appeal. The saying that "it takes a village to raise a child" would be nice in practice, not just theory!)

As a Green Party member, I've just put my hand up to help invigorate our network of business and professional Greens. I'm now co-convening a national network of people who own businesses or work in professional roles.

We had a gathering in Wellington two weekends ago and an architect, a barrister, an advertising guru, a rental property manager, a retired farmer, people working in the banking industry, two or three accountants, an engineer, an IT manager and at least one teacher joined me and a number of others who are keen to challenge the green stereotypes.

There may no longer be an archetypal Green Party member, but the values of the party are consistent. There's a Green Party charter that has four principles of ecological wisdom, social responsibility, appropriate decision-making and non-violence, in addition to recognising the Treaty of Waitangi.

Then there are the party's values, which include being cautious, thinking long-term, not making personal attacks and cherishing wisdom - sounds all a bit boring. Don't worry, there is some fun in there too - fostering a sense of humour is an explicit Green Party value and I love it.

I've been thinking a bit more deeply about what it means to be Green lately, as someone challenged me on what my personal non-negotiables are - where would I draw my line in the sand?

I found myself all but reciting the Green Party values. No, I haven't been drinking the Kool-Aid - as soon as I got actively involved with Greens three years ago, I found I just fitted in.

This week, someone else was quizzing me on my Green-ness and was surprised to hear that personally I'm a supporter of careful 1080 use to knock back possums, stoats and rats, and that I'd prefer fluoride in my water supply. I also shared that I've shot a couple of goats as part of a pest-control programme in Tongariro Forest, and worked as a sustainability adviser on road construction projects in Western Australia - lots of Greens have practical life experience.

One of the critical issues in the green movement is climate change, and Whanganui is fortunate to have the amazing and uplifting film based on Naomi Klein's book, This Changes Everything, coming to town next week.

It's being shown at the Embassy at 6.30pm next Wednesday as a one-off screening - book ahead as it's selling out. I've seen the film already and it's well worth viewing.

Klein puts it well: "What if global warming isn't only a crisis? What if it's the best chance we're ever going to get to build a better world?"

The chance for a better world - maybe that's my answer to the green word association game.

-Nicola Young has worked in government and private sectors in Australia and New Zealand, and now works in Whanganui for a national charitable foundation. Educated at Wanganui Girls' College, she has a science degree and is the mother of two boys.