Politics
& Government The State of
Things
.
.. The
State of Things: The Earth Charter
Town by town, people are working to get a new
'international Bill of Rights' on Town Meeting agenda  | The
Ark of Hope at State Capital this past summer |
First
there was Caroline's famous cranberry cake. Then Andrea Morgante,
owner of the Siteworks landscape design firm, Hinesburg selectwoman, and
one of the creators of the Ark
of Hope Project began by telling the group a little about the Ark of
Hope. Caroline announced that Gwen
Hallsmith , one of the statewide co-ordinators of the Town Meeting
Campaign, had called to say she couldn't make the meeting but was
available by phone in Plainfield. The purpose of this group
was like that of the many others in more than 60 towns in Vermont.
In order to put an issue on the Town Meeting agenda, 5% of registered town
voters must sign a petition. Once the issue is "warned,"
the town can then discuss and vote on it. The planning group agreed
that the discussion itself would have tremendous value. "Town
Meetings offer a great forum for discussing these issues and raising
awareness about the principles the Charter recommends," said
Hallsmith in an early December interview. What
is the Earth Charter? *******
*******  | Gorbachev
at Urbino |
In
1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development
called for the creation of a new charter to establish principles for
sustainable development. Since that time, there has been an
international initiative to create such a document. The initiative
began somewhat slowly, but found its stride in 1994 with the guidance of
Maurice Strong, Secretary General of the Earth Summit, and Mikhail
Gorbachev, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and President of Green
Cross International. It also garnered the support of the Dutch
government. Subsequently, over the
course of a "decade long" process, the Earth Charter was
developed by groups and individuals from all over the world. The
drafting of the Charter was co-ordinated by Steven Rockefeller, Professor
Emeritus of Religion at Middlebury College, and was launched in June of
2000 as an initiative to "establish a sound ethical foundation for
the emerging global society ... " The
Charter is a detailed articulation of these ethical principles, covering
four major areas:
- respect and care for the community of life;
- ecological
integrity;
- social and economic justice;
and
- democracy, nonviolence, and
peace.
It is these guiding principles that are at the heart of
the Vermont Town Meeting campaign, which Earth Charter supporters all over
the State are working on, and which they hope will be among the topics for
discussion in towns all over the State come March. At
the Hinesburg meeting, the group discussed the question of whether
Hinesburg would find the Earth Charter too idealistic, too lofty to live
by. Sally Reiss, who, with her husband Chuck, has created the
Hinesburg Community Theater, pointed out that many people in town are
already following the charter's guidelines by recycling, engaging in
community service, and by working with stewardship organizations
like The
Lewis Creek Association. "How do you
answer the objection that the earth charter is too general, too
idealistic?" asked Hallsmith, who
serves as the pastor for the Williamstown United Federated Church.
"So was the Bill of Rights," she continued. "The
Charter is the same kind of document -- a Bill of Rights on the
international level ..." She noted that the reality of
international government has already been well-established, particularly
by groups such as the WTO -- the World Trade Organization. But
a more immediate relevance for the Earth Charter has emerged since
September 11. Since then, the Earth Charter has been receiving
increasing attention as a potentially valuable tool in eradicating
terrorism at its roots -- social, economic, and political .
Rockefeller, among others, has pointed to this relevance, and he has given
strong support to the Ark of Hope , a Vermont-initiated project that
specifically applies the Charter to the September 11th attacks. *******
******* As the rainy November evening
stretched past 10 p.m., peoples' long days began to catch up with
them. The group turned its attention to identifying priorities, as
well as a general plan of action. Dick, Caroline's husband and the
one who plays the huge organ in the center of their living room, outlined
the steps that needed to be taken. It was agreed that getting the
signatures would probably not be too hard, but all agreed that it
was critical that the whole town become familiar with the Charter before
Town Meeting, and that they understand it, and what it will mean to
endorse it. They decided that a town forum -- with speakers and a
town art show -- could work. The suggestion was made that Burlington
Mayor Peter
Clavelle might be a good choice for speaker, since Burlington had
already endorsed the Charter. The tasks were divvied up. There
people to contact before the next meeting. Andrea
promised to talk more about the voyage of the "Ark" from
Burlington to New York City. Caroline was preparing to
make her presentation to her Sunday morning women's group on When
Corporations Rule the World, by David
Korten. Sally announced a parenting forum at CVU. As
the group was gathering to depart, someone wondered if focusing on just
the town of Hinesburg could really make a difference in the world. "This
could be a model for other towns or states," someone suggested.
"An epicenter." Gwen Hallsmith rang the final note, at
least for now: "If Vermont towns endorse the Earth Charter, it
will send a strong signal -- to the U.S. administration and to the United
Nations -- that this is a treaty that the people want. It will add a
credible democratic affirmation to a document created with democratic
principles at its core. World leaders need to hear what people are
saying." There was a brief pause before she added, "I can’t
think of a better way to get them to listen." lbw
. *******
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