Green Party leader and Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas has been awarded the Red Hot Woman of the Year Award in the ethical/Eco category by Red magazine in association with Calvin Klein.

The Red Hot Women of the Year Awards, which were held last night, aim to celebrate the success of women in all fields of work.

Sam Baker, judge and editor-in-chief of Red magazine, which is the UK’s highest-selling glossy monthly for 30-something women, said:

“Caroline has devoted her life to environmental issues and this year achieved something that nobody thought possible – and did it in a landmark way.”

Katharine Viner, also on the judging panel and deputy editor of The Guardian, said:

“Caroline did something incredibly groundbreaking this year and made a real breakthrough in the area of green politics.”

Judges for the awards also included Elisabeth Murdoch, CEO of TV production company Shine Limited, entrepreneur and Channel 4 board member Martha Lane Fox, and Karen Brady, a TV broadcaster who was also the first female managing director of a top English football club.

On receiving the award, Caroline Lucas said:

“I am delighted to receive this award from Red magazine – and feel honoured to have had my work and that of the Green Party recognised in this way.”

See earlier posting about travel arrangements if you would like to join me there.

Andy

I was very pleased that I got there too. The evening was in a cosy venue at Sustainable Wales HQ in John Street.
There were about 20 paying (£3) customers, and there would not have been room for many more!

Nonetheless, the evening was extremely enjoyable. ‘Stainless’ Steve Garrett, guitar playing singer songwriter, accompanied by a highly talented violinist, was the ‘headline act’, and great entertainment. Local writer John Barnie read a few extracts from his latest book, a collection of essays on things that have worried him over the last 10 years. This provoked very lively debate on issues like terrorism, the oil industry and religion. Those that know me well will appreciate how much I relish these topics! (These topics and much more feature in my own collection of essays which should be published in 2011).

All this was accompanied by Fair Trade wine and other beverages and stimulating conversation. In particular, I enjoyed talking to ‘Stainless’ Steve about his day job as the director of Farmers’ Markets in Cardiff. He runs one in Riverside every Sunday apparently. He is going to pass on his handbook for setting up such markets and I will be canvassing views on whether we should look into helping promote a regular Farmers’ Market in Bridgend.

Let me know your thoughts.

Andy

Drop me an email or call/text me on 078 1066 3241 if you intend to come.

Do not forget, our next meeting is now on Tuesday 21st, Haywain, 7.30pm.

Andy

http://www.globalgreens.org/officeholders

EVERY DAY in the UK, 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 sanitary towels and 700,000 panty liners are flushed into our sewage system. Every year, in Britain alone, we would need to dig a hole 300 feet across and 300 feet deep to bury the used sanitary pads and tampons that women throw away.

The UK sanitary protection market is worth in excess of £267 million. As a Mooncup user, you can spend your money on something else!

The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup, around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too. The Mooncup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising.

Surveys suggest a lot of initial resistance to the idea amongst women, but the vast majority of those that give give it a go are very pleased, as this site shows:

www.ethicalsuperstore.com/reviews/mooncup/mooncup-reusable-menstral-cup

At about £18 this may seem expensive, but compared to the average of £5 to £10 a month most UK women spend (source: BBC website) it could save you over £1000 in its reputed 10 year lifespan!

Perhaps it would make for an interesting and unusual Christmas present! (Just so long it is not the only thing you get her!)

Welsh students who go to university in 2012-13 will therefore be paying the same in real terms as students who go to university in this academic year, i.e. £3290, plus living costs. This is a huge relief from the appalling increases facing English students, but it is long way short of what the Green Party would provide.

Under a Green Government there would be no student loans as there would be no tuition fees and living costs would be met by Citizens Income. In the short term we will reintroduce student grants to meet living costs. Higher Education is essential in developing a civilized society. Education should be treated as a process and not a product. It should enable a democratisation of knowledge and skills which are available to anyone who wants to study for a degree regardless of their age or background.

How do we pay for all this and the rest of our progressive programme? Check out our election manifesto details of how we would manage the economy to make this all possible AND reduce the deficit in a manageable way.

Today sees an Opposition Day debate on school sports funding and then tuition fees (1). Labour leader Ed Milliband has put forward what the Greens regard as a weak motion (2) calling on the government to publish its education plans in detail and expressing concern over student debt. The Green Party leader, together with MPs from the Scottish and Welsh nationalist parties, has tabled an amendment (3) spelling out a much tougher critique of the government, noting Labour’s role in introducing tuition fees in the first place, and calling on Lib Dem MPs to honour their pledge to oppose rises in tuition fees.

Caroline Lucas commented this afternoon from her constituency, where she was taking part in a student-led protest against tuition fees and education cuts:

“Given that 90% of MPs went to university, mostly without having to pay tuition fees, it’s completely unacceptable that the Tories and Lib Dems are getting away with this.”

“Liberal Democrats are breaking the promises that helped them get elected, and meanwhile Labour is failing to provide the real challenge the country wants to see.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_phillips_creative_houses_from_reclaimed_stuff.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2010-11-30&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Watch now:
http://www.ted.com/talks/birke_baehr_what_s_wrong_with_our_food_system.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2010-11-30&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email