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  • Greenheart

    Greenheart is a movement promoting environmentally sustainable principles and practices, personal evolution and social transformation.
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  • Casita Verde

    Situated in a beautiful valley near the village of San Jose in Ibiza, La Casita Verde is a model ecological centre that is operated by volunteers and open to the public on Sundays.
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  • Greenheart Music

    GreenHeartMusic is a music platform based in Ibiza, Spain. Presenting artists of different influences who express their connections to nature through their music.
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  • Guía Verde a Ibiza y Formentera

    A bi-lingual directory to Ibiza and Formentera of local groups, businesses and services that offer or use environmentally friendly practices.
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  • QL Studio › Websites Made Easy

    Quinta Linda is a low-impact living space and website design studio based in Portugal.
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  • Greenheart Resonancia

    An educational and fun programme of practical, stimulating experiences discovering sustainable and respectful habits in order to face the realities of climate change.
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  • Green Ibiza Tours

    Our Green Ibiza Tours provide responsible tourism holidays in Ibiza offering a full programme of eco activities and nature happenings.
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  • Greenheart Traveler

    With the aim of promoting the Greenheart message around the world, travelling members of the rapidly growing Greenheart family will write blogs and add photos of their travels.
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  • Ibiza Gold

    The Greenheart Carob project plans to rejuvenate an important traditional economic activity, as well as motivating many local land owners.
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  • Fundación por el Futuro
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  • Tienda Greenheart

    At the Greenheart Shop you can find out about responsible consumption and ecological happenings in Ibiza. Featuring our very own Greenheart clothing range made from ecological fabrics and with fair trade considerations.

Present Political Situation in Ibiza and the Balearics

An Update on the local Political Situation after the Elections

The result of the elections last May 27th is that there has been a turnover in political power, which means the main institution of the island, the Consell Insular de Ibiza, is now in the hands of the left-wing coalition PSOE-ExC. This is good news for island lovers, as the coalition’s programme is strongly based on policies for social wellbeing, and policies to defend the natural environment and local patrimony of this beautiful but mistreated island.

At a municipal level, Vila (Ibiza Town) remained in left-wing hands (PSOE-ExC) with significantly increased support, and for the first time in democratic history the municipality of Sant Josep changed from right-wing PP (whose mayor has been involved in various over-construction scandals, and is due to appear in court for them over the next months) to PSOE-ExC.

The other three municipalities of the island (Sant Joan, Santa Eulalia and Sant Antoni) have remained in PP right-wing hands.

The new president of the Consell Insular of Ibiza, for PSOE-ExC, Xico Tarrés (former mayor of Ibiza Town) has vowed to govern for all, and to cooperate in every possible way with every municipality, irrespective of their political colour. PSOE-ExC are very much aware of the fact that the people have voted them in as a cry for change, and that the small victory margin (only 37 votes!) means there is a lot of work to do ahead in order to put into place new and more respectful and sustainable policies, as well as effective work methods. Only that way will people support them again next time around.

In Formentera, our sister island, a new Consell Insular (island council) has been created thanks to the new Estatuto de Autonomía, and both this government body plus the local council have fallen in the hands of a new party, Gent per Formentera, which was formed in a similar way to ExC in Ibiza. They have achieved huge citizen support and now have the opportunity of carrying out sustainable policies in the interest of the residents of this little island.

As for the Balearic Government in Palma, although the PP had the highest number of votes, they were not enough to prevent all the other political forces from forming an alliance and obtaining the majority in the Parliament, naming Francesc Antich (PSOE candidate) as the next President of the Balearics (leaving out Jaume Matas from PP, who has now retired from his position of party leader).

These huge changes have left the PP party reeling, and in dire need of younger people as well as more sustainable and respectful policies. However, the person who has substituted Jaume Matas as now leader of the opposition, Rosa Estarás, has started the legislature with a very aggressive style which copies that of the PP at national level. They are carrying out an extremely hard, critical and destructive opposition in the hope of having a chance at winning the next national elections, which will happen in a year’s time.

The PSOE and other left-wing parties on the other hand, now have a huge responsibility to show the electorate that they can put into practice the policies they had been promoting when in opposition. The Spanish government is PSOE led by Rodriguez Zapatero, so all the ingredients are there to get a good result: for the first time in history, national, regional and local governments are of the same political colour. This is a chance that must not be wasted.

As for ExC, (the grouping of citizens and small leftist and ecologist parties) that was created as a result of the strong social opposition to the totally disproportionate roads and other infrastructures (eg. Marinas, golf courses, urbanizations etc.) that the local PP were pushing ahead, they are also in a delicate position. With quite a number of good people placed in strategic political seats, they must now learn to work within the constraints of governmental politics and bring into the political sphere the ideas that made people join up as ExC in the first place. Support teams of volunteers are being created at municipal and island level, and the participation of all citizens is welcome. This party wishes to bring the voice of the men and women on the street into the political arena, so if you have something to say you can do so by visiting their site and contacting them. If you feel you have something you can provide (ideas, time, effort…) then take action!

It's up to each and every one of us to create the future we wish for ourselves, our children and our island!

Good luck everyone! A change is what voters have asked for, and it’s what our planet needs!
***

Before the elections for the regional parliament, island government and local councils on May 27th this year, Greenheart provided the following swift overview of the political situation in Ibiza and details the political parties people could vote for.

Political Choice and the Path of Least Resistance.

Let the world around you be your guide to the decisions you make when you accept the responsibility of choice, and embrace the changes that your decisions create!

One of the many benefits of the rapidly changing world which we live in is our freedom of choice, at least for those fortunate to be part of a democratic society, free from oppression and tyranny. A fair political system therefore should also reflect the will of the people that it represents and if used in the right way can be a very powerful tool designed to bring about positive change which benefits the whole population. It should never be dominated by a small minority who often abuse that system for their own selfish gain and refuse to accept responsibility for the poor decisions that they make during their term as paid public servants. Politics must be honestly transparent and should always include the full interaction of the constituents at every stage of the evolution process. It is becoming ever less acceptable for politicians to run away with the funding given into their hands for public works, any more than it is for the rest of us to steal food from the supermarket, or to park illegally on the highway and disturb the rest of the traffic. It must be time to change, it must be time to ‘rethink politics’, giving the power back to the majority of the local and regional population, with every care taken to represent all members of the public, irrespective of their origin.

Greenheart Ibiza would like to invite all our friends and supporters to seize the opportunity in the next local elections to bring about the necessary changes we all need in order to step confidently into the future. It is still a beautiful world and the time has come to play an active part in something which will bring each one of us closer to realising our personal dreams on the planet Earth.

If you can vote at the next elections, please do so. If not, then you can always help in some way to spread the word about what’s now on offer from the following political groups presenting candidates and political programmes in the four municipalities of the island.

Below are the political parties you can vote for in Ibiza, and links to their websites:

Partido Popular (PP) - http://www.pp.es

PP is the party that presently governs the Consell Insular, the Govern Balear, and three of the four municipalities of the island (except Ibiza Town). They are the ones carrying out the present development, infrastructures and growth plans (they aim for an island of 300,000 residents, with various new golf courses, new sports marinas, more urbanisations and highways to serve such an increase).

PSOE - http://www.psoe-eivissa.org

This is the socialist party, who are presently governing Ibiza Town in coalition with smaller parties, and who are governing the Spanish state, with Zapatero as president of the country.

Eivissa Pel Canvi (Ibiza for Change) - http://www.eivissapelcanvi.org

This new party, created from a manifesto made public in May last year, includes hundreds of independent citizens who decided to take action and enter the political sphere after witnessing the development that the present government is working towards. They were joined by with Izquierda Unida-Els Verds, Esquerra Republicana and Esquerra Nacionalista Ecologista.

Due to the electoral laws (Hont Law), which are quite unfair to small parties and favour large ones, the left-wing parties on the island, Eivissa pel Canvi and PSOE have decided to join forces for these elections, creating the coalition known as PSOE-ExC, in order to stand a good chance before the right-wing PP. The people working within the two groups make up a hugely varied, young, professional and enthusiastic force. This is their mission statement:

- Election statement in the ExC info pack (PDF)

Visit the website created by PSOE-ExC especially for the elections, to inform the population of all aspects related to them:

You may also have seen or heard of another political group, Grupo Verde Europeo who are presenting lists to Ibiza and Santa Eulalia, as well as the Consell and Govern. Although they have illicitly and without asking put a green heart, very similar to our beloved (and trademark registered) symbol, on their electoral propaganda, we would like to emphasize that we have nothing to do with them. A few years ago Greenheart team members worked with the leaders of Grupo Verde Europeo, only to discover that not only are their work methods very shady, but also we do not share by any means the same visions about ecology, the world and the island. We would not wish our supporters and friends to be fooled by the greenheart on their electoral poster: these people are not ecologists except by name. In fact, no-one really understands why they are presenting themselves: they have appeared three months before they elections, have no programme except making very obvious statements to the press, and will only serve to divide the left/ecologist/foreign vote, at a time when these votes should be unified if a new alternative to the present government is to succeed.

Inform yourself, make your choice, and go vote on May 27th! On this day we will be choosing:

- the Ibiza deputees for the Govern Balear (government at Balearic level, based in Palma)

- all 13 councellors of the Consell Insular of Ibiza (island government, based in Avenida de España 49, Ibiza Town)

- all the local council members for all municipalities (Ibiza Town, Santa Eulalia, San Jose and San Juan).

On this occasion, for the first time ever, Formentera will go separate and choose both its council members, and also the councellors of their new Consell Insular de Formentera (which means they will no longer be dependent of the Consell Insular of Ibiza).

To find out where you must vote, go to your local council and find your name on the list, where it will indicate the electoral school you must go to. Don't forget to take your valid ID!

Until May 23rd, you may also send your vote by post - although if you have not by now filled out the necessary paperwork, you will have to vote in person. It's worth making a lightning trip to the island to exercise your right! (don't forget that, if you have already asked to vote by post, they will have erased your name from the electoral tables and so you will NOT be allowed to vote in person - send your vote in before the 23rd!).

Follow your heart on this one.... this is the path of least resistance!