Introducing the Green Economy Network (GEN): Letter from Tony Clarke

Today, April 22, is Earth Day. All over the world, people are celebrating Earth Day in a myriad of ways, drawing attention to the ecological threats that plague the planet and what can be done to prevent this disaster. In Cochabamba Bolivia, for example, following the failure of the climate summit in Copenhagen last December, over 20,000 people from around the world have come together to chart a new course for climate justice and Mother Earth in a three-day assembly organized by the Bolivian government.

Here, in Canada, the Polaris Institute is proud to mark Earth Day 2010 by co-sponsoring the launch of a new initiative called the Green Economy Network [GEN]. The GEN is an alliance of most of the country's leading labour unions, environmental associations and social justice organizations, uniting around a common cause of building a green economy in Canada. It is based on the premise that the economic model in this country has to be fundamentally transformed if Canada is going to measure up to the ecological challenges of our times, including the threats of climate change and global warming.

For more information on this newly formed Green Economy Network, check out the vision statement and initial program activities on the GEN website at www.greeneconomynet.ca, along with the list of the 20 member organizations [French version at www.reseaueconomieverte.ca]. As the backgrounder section of the website notes, the Polaris Institute played a key role as a catalyst in bringing these unions, enviros, and social justice organizations together to form this Green Economy Network. We will continue to make this work a priority!

Tony Clarke
Director
Polaris Institute