Clinton Hill Resident Announces Run for Towns' Seat

Environmentalist and author Colin Beavan this week announced his candidacy for Congress, joining Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, D-Fort Greene, and Councilman Charles Barron, D-East New York, in the in Congress.

Amongst his campaign issues are:

• A constitutional amendment making the right to vote inalienable
• Massive voter registration and civic engagement promotion
• Massive shift of military spending towards education
• U.S. leadership on climate change mitigation and adaptation

"We have to face up to climate change, the end of oil, and the failure of consumption to make people happy," said Beavan in a press release announcing his candidacy. "Robust local economies help solve all these problems."

Beavan, 48, was born and raised in Manhattan and has been a resident of Clinton Hill for a little more than a year, according to Ryan Harbage, Beavan’s campaign manager.

On employment, affordable housing and crime, "[Beavan] believes the more support and resources to local economies, the more jobs and less crime there will be," Harbage said. "What he’s trying to do is help foster healthier and happier communities, and there are a number of ways to do that."

Beavan, an author best known for his book, "No Impact Man," about a self-experiment to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year, has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Liverpool. He sits on the board of directors of Transportation Alternatives, and is on the advisory councils of Just Food and 350.org, a global organization dedicated to solving the climate crisis.

Beavan has never held a public office, but he is uncontested so far in the 8th Congressional District's Green Party primary next month and will go straight to general election in November. He has chosen not to open a campaign office.

"We’re all volunteer, and we’re trying to keep expenses low, so we’re doing it out of our homes in the neighborhoods," Harbage said.

His next public appearance will be at the Brooklyn Food Conference at Brooklyn Tech on Saturday at around 3:30 p.m.

Beavan’s team will also host listening parties inviting community dialogue and will hold a voter registration drive on June 6 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to Harbage.

"We don’t have the other venues nailed down yet for the listening parties, but we’re looking at community centers and senior centers, places like that," he said.

For updates on Colin Beavan and his candidacy, you can join his newsletter on his site, votecolin.org, or email him directly with questions and concerns at info@votecolin.org.