M Houlding raised several points worth debating on the Green movement and Green politics in last week's Sun.
The Green movement puts the environment first, because without it we will not have a functioning human ecology.
The principle that the environment is subservient to human aims and activities and can look after itself may have applied in a pre-industrial era. But the human-carrying capacity of our planet is now an issue of urgent concern.
The Green position on energy is that it should be sustainable and renewable. Coal and nuclear are strenuously opposed.
With large-scale solar energy now within our grasp, along with geothermal and tidal power, further hydro development and even wind power are becoming less appropriate for energy generation.
As a practitioner and teacher of environmental management with 30 years of experience both locally and internationally, I offered skills and experience that are rarely available in local politics. Environmental management is a key role of regional council.
Had I been elected to Bay of Plenty's regional council, I would have expanded the skill set around that table. Perhaps even M Houlding's mokopuna (children) would have benefitted from my contribution.
Dr Ian G McLean,
Green Party,
Tauranga.