Baltimore City Green Party Supports Proposed Bottle Tax

The Baltimore City Green Party supports Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed 4-cent-per-bottle tax increase, and urges City Council members to support this and other ecologically-sound revenue generators for the city of Baltimore.

"The city ought to be cutting taxes on things that are valuable to city residents, like home ownership, re-structuring city taxes to provide incentives for other valuable things like home-based renewable wind and solar power and public transportation," said party chair Brian Bittner, of Westport, "and raising taxes on things that are valuable to beverage corporations and other corporate interests, including oil and energy companies."

The Baltimore City Green Party also urges the Baltimore City Council to seriously consider a plastic bag ban, or pass a plastic bag 'tax' similar to Washington DC's 5-cent-per-bag fee.

According to research published by the Washington Post, in the first month after the District of Columbia imposed a 5 cent fee on plastic shopping bags, the city increased its bag fee revenue by $150,000, even though plastic bag usage went down over 75%.

"We can do more with less," said Bittner. "More revenue to fund city programs with less plastic waste from bottles and shopping bags."

The Baltimore City Green Party recently endorsed the 'Think Outside the Bottle' campaign, which urges Governor O'Malley and other state officials to shift investment from purchasing bottled water for state employees to making Maryland's public water infrastructure more safe and reliable.

The Baltimore City Green Party can be reached at 443-449-4159 or baltimoregreens@gmail.com.

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Press Advisory - Maryland Green Party Assembly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 16, 2010

Contact: Robb Tufts 443-370-6857, robb.tufts@yahoo.com

PRESS ADVISORY

Kathy Phillips, Keynote Speaker for Maryland Green Party Annual Assembly;
Panel discussion to feature Maryland Green Party 2010 candidates

WHAT: The Maryland Green Party Annual Assembly is the annual meeting for registered Green Party members in the state of Maryland. Maryland Green Party members from across the state will meet to elect officers for the organization and participate in panel discussions. The keynote speaker Kathy Phillips will speak at 1:15 pm and will be followed by a panel of Maryland Green Party candidates running for office in Maryland this year. The event is open to the public regardless of party affiliation.

WHO: Keynote Speaker: Kathy Phillips, Assateague Coastkeeper. The Assateague Coastkeeper organization recently made headlines after filing a suit against Perdue Chicken in an effort to enforce the clean water act on the Eastern Shore.

Introducing Speaker: Fred Tuttman, Patuxent Riverkeeper

MD Green Party candidates: George Gluck - candidate for Montgomery County Council; Mike Shay - candidate for County Executive, Anne Arundel County; Natasha Pettigrew - candidate for U.S. Senate; Maria Allwine - gubernatorial candidate for Maryland

MD Green Party representatives (10:15 am panel discussion): Shanna Borell - Baltimore City Green Party; Tim Willard - Montgomery County Green Party; Ken Eidel - Frederick County Green Party; Karen Jennings - Anne Arundel Green Party

WHEN: Saturday, May 22nd 10 am (doors open at 9:30 am)

10:15 am - Panel discussion of local Green Party representatives discussing the previous year's accomplishments and short and long term challenges facing the Maryland Green Party

11:15 am - Election of officers

1:15 pm - Keynote Speaker Kathy Phillips

2:45 pm - Maryland Green Party candidates panel

WHERE: Maryland Inn, Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, Maryland


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British Parliament Goes Green – Congress is Next

from the Green Party of the United States:

Last week the leader of the Green Party of the United Kingdom - Caroline Lucas - was elected to Parliament. Greens around the world celebrated this historic victory.

We need your help to follow suit and elect a Green to Congress.

After her election, Caroline Lucas noted that the British people have "shown that they are prepared to put their trust in the Greens, despite the overwhelming national media focus on the three largest parties and a voting system that is fundamentally undemocratic".

Canadian Green Party leader Elizabeth May noted that "Caroline Lucas' historic victory proves that Greens can win...The UK has been the only nation in Europe where Greens had been shut out."

Despite some of the same barriers faced by British voters, we continue working to break through the media silence and elect Greens to office on every level.

With your support, we can elect Greens to Congress.

The 200th Green candidate just declared their run for office here in the United States. Check out all of our 2010 candidates and find a candidate near you.

Please support our Green Party candidates on the county, state, and federal levels by making a contribution to the Green Party of the United States. With your help, we can follow the British lead and elect a Green to Congress!

P.S. If you have already shown your support for the Green Party of the United States recently, we thank you. Consider supporting the Green Senatorial Campaign Committee as well. This committee is devoted to collecting resources to support Green candidates for U.S. House and Senate.


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Petition Drive is in Full Swing!

The Maryland Green Party has launched its 2010 ballot access petition drive. To stay ballot-qualified, the party must collect 10,000 signatures from registered voters by the end of the year. Baltimore Greens have stepped up to the challenge and have been collecting signatures for several weeks.

Last weekend, Greens were at the Baltimore Eco-Fest collecting signatures and spreading the word about the Green Party in Druid Hill Park.

On April 20th, Ralph Nader - the Green Party's 2000 candidate for President - will be speaking at Maryland Institute of College of Art's Favley Hall at 7pm. Greens will be outside the event collecting signatures from attendees.

Help the Green Party stay on the ballot! Get involved in the petition drive today!

E-mail baltimoregreens@gmail.com for more information.


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Maryland Green Party Assembly to Be Held May 22

The Maryland Green Party will hold its annual assembly on Saturday, May 22, 2010 in Annapolis. The event will be held at the Maryland Inn from 10am-4pm.

All members of the Green Party (and any curious non-Greens) are invited to hear a keynote address, meet Green Party candidates, elect party officers, participate in workshops, and more!

You can RSVP (via Facebook) here.


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Newest Issue of Green Pages is Online

Green Pages is the national newsletter of the Green Party. The February 2010 issue is now online, featuring stories on Green opposition to nuclear industry development in Florida, a federal court victory for the Arizona Green Party, a profile of the Green City Council majority in Fairfax, California, and much more!

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Next Meeting Sunday - Stay Tuned for Changes!

The next monthly meeting of the Baltimore City Green Party is scheduled for this Sunday, February 14th, from 4-6pm at 1323 N. Calvert St. If the meeting has to be canceled due to weather, it will be canceled by noon on Sunday. You can find out one of three ways:

1. an announcement will be posted to the Baltimore City Green Party listserve.

2. an announcement will be posted to www.baltimoregreens.org

3. an announcement will be placed on our hotline, 443-876-8522.

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