Czech Greens in the capital city of Prague must contend with the region’s history and with conservative and pro-business forces when dealing with the core urban issues of housing and construction, as well as mobility. How can Greens then develop a positive and sustainable vision of the city that also resonates beyond its boundaries? Prague…
Turning Point for the Czech Republic? An interview with the Czech Greens Leader
Czechs are already bracing themselves for what will surely be a change in the political landscape of the country on the national legislative elections of the 20 and 21 October. Polls today put the new pro-EU and populist party ANO 2011 comfortably in the lead and could give them enough of a mandate to form…
My Czech Years: What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger
I still miss Prague and the life I had there. Maybe it was because I had put so much effort to overcome the difficulties I met in the beginning. Or perhaps it’s because living as a foreigner in Prague gets a much worse reputation than it deserves. It’s been almost two years since I moved…
The Cost of Making America Great Again
The feeling that something serious has changed after Trump’s election is palpable. The sombre mood generated by the election hasn’t been shaken off. Certainly, Europeans are also indulging in the entertainment value of the day-to-day surreality of Trump, but the unexpected triumph of a far-right politician is a bit too close for comfort. With Brexit…
What can the U.S. Green Party learn from Europe?
The upcoming US Presidential Election is historic on many fronts. Besides the profoundly meaningful feat that the US will now have their first opportunity to elect a woman from one of the two major political parties, they will also have the chance to choose between two of the least popular presidential candidates in history. Both…
Why Can’t We Keep It Clean, Czech Republic?
Originally posted on 24/05/15 on the Ecosprinter Imagine you live in Horní Jiřetín, a town of around 2500 people in northern Czech Republic that is set to be destroyed if the Czech government decides to remove its current limits on coal mining. The town sits upon reserves of lignite coal, similarly to many places in…
The Holocaust from a Floridian: An American hindsight 70 years later
Posted on 1/02/15 at the Ecosprinter It was 1998 and I was eight years old living in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. For a school assignment, we were to choose historical figures and give presentations and introduce ourselves as if we were them. I had chosen Anne Frank as I had just finished reading her diary and…
It’s About Time – The Case for Shorter UNFCCC Commitment Periods
The difference between five or ten years may seem trivial when you are talking about an issue with the gravity of climate change. So when it comes to UNFCCC commitment periods, it can be easy to think it’s more of a detail than a crucial point. What’s the difference between five or ten years anyway?…
The Anti Coal Human Chain
How do you get 7000 people together united against one thing? Try to build more coal mines on their homes. I recently joined nearly 7000 others from across Europe to make a ‘human chain’ between the two villages of Kerkwitz, Germany and Grabice, Poland. This Human Chain was assembled to protest the coal industry (brown,…
8 Days in Skaistkalne, Latvia with Sylwia
For the week of July 20-28, I along with 27 other participants from across Europe took part in a training course about Urban Green Citizenship, which is what I took to be as how to promote environmentally sustainable lifestyles in cities.
morgan henley 