GB No. 5-6, summer-fall 1991
A controversial Rainbow Peace and Healing Gathering took place in July in Tworylne valley in Bieszczady Mountains. The controversies were about the sensibility of organizing such a meeting of hippies, rastafarians and shamans, but above all the problem was the localization in a valley which is still wild. The communists have expelled the Lemki-people from this territory - a population related to the Ukrainians, and were therefore accused of favouring the anticommunists ukrainian guerrilas. It is worth to pay more attention to this nation, which somehow was during the festival left almost unnoticed. For example, there was much talk about Hopi Indians, while it appears that in the XX century, in the middle of Europe there exists a tribe which nether really knew Christianity, who named the trees in their neighbourhood! What seems most interesting, the Lemki are believed to have their own serpent-charmers and stormconjurers!!!
But, returning to the Rainbow itself. About 5 thousand people were gathered,most from USA and Germany. As on the previous meeting the strongest harm to environment was threaded grass. On the other hand one could collect a big amount of money for buying about 10 km of the Tworylne valley (it was to be sold for private lots and hotels). The Ecological Education Station will be situated there.
The Service Office for Environmental Movement started working in September - grassroot initiative to improve cooperation between ecological groups Poland.
Address:
Biuro Obsługi Ruchu Ekologicznego
Szara 14/34
00-420 Warszawa
tel. 48/22/296433
It is led by Jolanta Pawlak from the Social Ecological Institute and the work is supervised by a temporary council gathering the representatives from ecologic movements elected on all-Polish meeting in February this year (about 150 persons).
There is a new legislation about animals being prepared right now. Unfortunately, the animalistic groups do not have the opportunity to inspect all of the projects (the important authors of the projects do want their approval, but do not wish to show what ought to be approved of). Fortunately, they prepare the project on their own. We would be grateful for sending in any information which could be helpful in our work. The address:
Paweł Listwan
Robinii 16
02-495 Warszawa
In April this year our government suppressed a reduced tax rate for enterprises connected with the protection of the environment.
Trials of Workshop for All Beings for creating the Ecological Education Station, in Wapienica valley in the administrative area of Bielsko-Biała city, seemed to be successful. Ministry of Environmental Protection agreed on it.
Fully democratic elections took place on 27 October this year. According to the research done by the Center for Research of Public Opinion, the Polish Ecologic Party will gain 40% votes, more than most important parties in Poland! This doesn't only prove that people are tired of hitherto let politics of the government and their interest in ecology, but it proved their lack of knowledge of the subject. Since 1989 when Polish Green Party was established by members of the Polish Ecologists Party no one acted behind PEP name. But the result of the research forced the leader of PGP to register PEP which came into alliance with PGP. Except that there are new parties appearing, new agreements, confederations, with ecology and green colour in name. Now two exist, other then PGP+PEP alliance, "green" lists. One connected with Confederation of Independent Poland - anticommunist organization, which does not work in the area of the ecology. Second one created by the Environmental Protection League - old organization from the times of communism in Poland. All the new coalitions have as the members car producers, hunters, anglers. The only real green list which I know, which could have been created in Bielsko-Biała voivodship was thrown into disarray by the resignation of one of the members of the list moving to the PGP+PEP list. Stupidity or sabotage?
As a result, none of the "green" candidates didn't get to the Parliament. The lost of the "green's" popularity has been achieved "thanks" to unclear programmes and poor moves during the campaign, by which these "greens" have discredited themselves.
June 24, the symbolic funeral of the Ministry of Environmental Destruction was performed. Our main objections aimed at the highest organ responsible for ecology in Poland were related to scandalous water management (that's incredible, but the land reclamation and dam-building are considered to be a part of ecology in Poland) - drainage of marsh lands on the banks of Biebrza and Narwia river wild rivers in north-east area of Poland (so called Green Lungs of Poland), regulation of the central part of Vistula river (the last so big wild river Europe) and after all dams with that one in Czorsztyn. Thus concreting of rivers to and fro. A happening was organized in front of the Ministry building. The ecologists were welcomed by the police and steel bariers all around the building. Fortunately gusticks were not used. The Minister appeared outside of the ministry building for talks, which only proved many divergences and did not bring us closer.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection invited entries for the second competition for establishing an Ecological Education Center by one of the ecological foundations (there are a sight more then 100 of them in Poland). For the first competition there was only one proposal prepared by the governmental National Fund for the Protection of the Environment and Water Management.
Fates of Poles from across the ocean are very different. as everybody knows the rather unknown Stan Tymiński almost became the President. But very few people know that a few months earlier, three academies in Warsaw refused a Polish ecophilosopher, well-know in the West, Henryk Skolimowski, who proposed the opening of an faculty of ecophilosophy in his own land. In the end it has happened this way, that the Polish school of ecophilosophy will radiate to the world not from Warsaw, but from ŁódĽ. This is where from, starting in February 1992, prof. Skolimowski will be lecturing on his philosophy, at the University of Technology, humanizing this technical faculty.
We have prepared a 12 page issue for our Russian-speaking friends. This issue contains the famous ethics for those working in animal rights, and the list of Polish and north american groups working in this area. We ask for orders (we propose exchanging ecological information from your countries as a way of paying).
ZB 7-8/91
10 x Andrzej Żwawa
translation: Darek Szwed,
Iwona Maksymowicz, Olgierd Dilis
& Oskar Krupa
In the fertile land of Ukraine, the average salary amounts to 150-200 rubels (about 3$). With such pay in your hand you can buy monthly: 12 kg of cabbage or 25 kg of new potatoes or 5 kg of peeled wall-nuts or 20 bottles of vodka.
Not that difficult a choice... (the above list has been based on the black market prices, as the shops are empty).
Eryk
ZB 6/91
translation: Agnieszka Lis
In Poland out of every 1000 newborn children 10 die. That is three times more than in the countries of highest coefficient. In the county of Katowice of 40,000 births 18% are prematurely born, because the pollution of environment is so high that considerable genetical changes occur in the ovum cell of the future mother.
In ŁódĽ every third woman lauds in pathology division when she is pregnant.
"Nazajutrz" 4
translation: Olgierd Dilis
Environmental Club - Nisko has the video-tape "Tarnobrzeskie - ecological disaster" showing the destruction caused by Siarkopol sulphur mines in Tarnobrzeg Province. The movie lasts 17 min. (English version). Everybody who wants the movie can send video-tape to copie it, to:
Janusz Sikora
Szopena 31
37-400 Nisko