With the environment and the mid-term elections on everyone’s mind, Lokvani had an opportunity to talk with the Green-Rainbow Party (GRP) gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein at this year’s Boston GreenFest. Jill has become synonymous with the GRP, which was formed in 2003, when the Rainbow Coalition Party joined with the Massachusetts Green Party. GRP is an affiliate of the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) which  is a federation of state Green Parties, committed to environmentalism, non-violence, social justice, and grassroots organizing. Their issues cover universal health care, corporate globalization, alternative energy, election reform, and decent, living wages for workers.

The organizers of the GreenFest had invited all three gubernatorial candidates to a debate.  Jill graciously and cheerfully accepted the challenge and spoke passionately, engaging the audience. She touched upon the environment, clean energy, sustainable and renewable energy, green jobs, and education, among other things, and outlined her goal of providing an alternative to the traditional two party-system, Afterward, she spoke with Lokvani.

You mention green jobs. What are green jobs? Are these related strictly to the environment? Would you mind elaborating on this?

 Green jobs are jobs that can be created in every town and city in the Commonwealth. Green jobs put people back to work at the same time they build infrastructure.  Jobs that are created mainly through locally-owned small businesses and cooperatives, jobs that are integral parts of communities. As such, they strengthen our local economies with profits that tend to stay local and re-circulate within the community. In other words, sustainable and renewable

What do you mean by sustainable and renewable?

 What I mean is that creating jobs that will generate other employment opportunities. In other words--jobs that will lead to other jobs. Jobs that can be sustained and jobs that can bring about new jobs, renewable in other words.   It is not enough to create just jobs for now. We have to make sure that the jobs we help crate today will not only last but will also have the energy to cause renewal in turn.

We also want the jobs created to be clean not just for the environment alone but also for our social communities. That is why we are against the governor’s proposal to build the casino.

Why are you against the Governor’s casino? It will create some jobs and revenue for the state – both much needed. In this economy, don’t you think any plan to do that can only help?

 On the contrary, no. Casinos may bring some short-term revenue but will bring long-term social problems that will cost the state more to tackle. We all know about the problems that go with gambling, what it does to people and lives. That will outweigh any little benefit that a casino may bring. Certainly, there will be no long-term benefits. Nothing sustainable or renewable. On the other hand, it will cost the State more--more tax-payer dollars, more resources to deal with the social problems that the casino will create.  So instead of creating jobs, casinos will take away from job creation.

What can your supporters do to make your campaign a success?

 A number of things. 

Get the word out.

Volunteer. We have a number of volunteer opportunities. If you are interested, call our offices.

Donate. We are asking our supporters to own this campaign. Make it their own. We do not accept any donations from lobbies and corporations. We are running a clean campaign and it is owned by the residents of the Commonwealth.

And finally, get out and vote for us in November!

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