Preamble
Imagine a city that is a model for the rest of the world in sustainable, environmentally friendly living. A city that works not toward growth and sprawl at any cost but toward mutual support and quality of life for all its citizens. A city where all children have access to superb free public education that teaches not only the basic skills needed for living but gives them the incentive and confidence to become active, informed citizens of a democracy -- and of a peaceful global community. Imagine a city in which workers have the right to a living wage and where there is affordable housing and health care for all. A city of thriving neighborhoods, community-based small businesses and co-ops, and an economy weaning itself from dependence on fossil fuel. A city where buildings are lighted, heated, and cooled with renewable energy. A city where there is clean, low-fare mass transit night and day and where air and water pollution are things of the past. Imagine a city with a transparent and responsive government free of the corrupting influence of big money, with well-kept parks, scenic vistas, and streets free from violence and fear.
St. Paul can become such a city. It has roots beside the continent's greatest river. It has vital neighborhoods, a deep religious and spiritual life, powerful cultural institutions, and broad community consciousness. Since the 1850s it has been the gateway for wave after wave of people seeking new homes and new lives in Minnesota. It has truly great potential to become a green beacon for the rest of the world.
In the following pages we have outlined the main elements in realizing our vision. Those elements are based on the Green Party's four core values of Social and Economic Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Ecological Wisdom, and Nonviolence, localized to the unique character of our own home community. The main requirement is recognition that each step is not only the right thing to do but also practical and realistic, and that the long-term benefits are genuinely possible. We invite all citizens of St. Paul, no matter what their political affiliation, to join us in shaping this dream and suggesting the specific steps needed to make it come true by the year 2025.
Elements of the Vision
These elements are woven together like the threads of a tapestry, and they cannot be separated. Each rests on the others, just as the well-being of each one of us rests on the health of family, neighborhood, town, state, and the earth itself. St. Paul has already made some strides toward a Green future. Its comprehensive plan calls for careful land use, neighborhoods that are "urban villages," restoration of a healthy Mississippi River, and expanded public transportation. Its District Energy system has led the region in efficiently conserving resources and in reducing pollution that leads to global warming. These all point in the direction of our Green vision, but the existing plan assumes constant growth. In a world of diminishing natural wealth and imminent depletion of fossil fuels, perpetual growth is impossible. New visions and plans must address the need for sustainability within limits, and thus for broader community action, for equitable distribution of society's benefits, and for fair sharing of burdens. We recognize that some measures included in our vision will require not only action by the city but cooperation from the state and nation and from Ramsey County.
