Leading UK Green Party member, Richard Lawson (see profile below) has donated 200 pounds sterling to the Permaforest Trust to offset his historical carbon emmisions. Permaforest Trust will be doing a 1000 tree planting as part of a LandCare funded restoration project in the river flat riperian zone of Pine Creek, the main watercourse on Permaforest's education centre property.

Richard blogs on http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/ and his website is at: http://www.greenhealth.org.uk

Thank you Richard for your support and your own great work in positive social and environmental change.

Profile:

Dr Richard Lawson was born in Hayling Island, Hampshire, UK in 1946,
qualified in medicine (Westminster Hospital) in 1969, and travelled overland
around the world in 1971-2 (sadly without crossing the Equator - bit of an
error there).

After seven years of hospital psychiatry he transferred to general
practice.He is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and has been
in general medical practice in Congresbury, North Somerset since 1979,
retiring to go part time in Autumn 2006. Medical interests include social
and preventive medicine, demand management, psychotherapy (cutting ties and
PTSD desensitisation), clinical ecology, acupuncture, hypnosis and
manipulation. Many letters have been pyublished in national papers, and he
has had occasional articles in the medical press, including the BMJ.

He has been a UK Green Party member since about 1975, holding various
national offices including Co-Speaker (one of two principal spokespersons
for the national party) in the 1992 General Election. He was elected to the
then Woodspring District Council in 1986, retiring after six years' service.
Received nearly 25% of the vote in the 1985(?) European election - one of
the highest ever Green votes in Europe, but was denied representation by the
profoundly undemocratic electoral system. Wrote Green Politics in a Nutshell
that sold out in green party circles. He held the post of Health Speaker for
the Green Party until 1999. He contributed an Overview to the first
International journal of Green Economics. He is a strong protagonist n the
current debate in green circles about carbon offsetting, being very much in
favour of ecologically and socially sensitive planting policies.

Married, with three children, he enjoys gardening, cycling, and treework,
and has in the past indulged in roller hockey, windsurfing, sand yachting
and scuba diving and hangliding, but not all at the same time. He plays the
flute, writes poems, short stories and songs.

He has a number of inventions, chiefly a double film, flexible aerofoil sail
which he has been developing steadily for a number of years. It performs
with great promise in high winds, and is ready for commercial adoption by a
sailmaker for to low wind speeds. He is at present involved with a promising
energy saving project.

He is also the author of a web based medical symptom assessment service
(although this is currently out of action due to technical difficulties with
the wizard that drives it).

He is a Quaker and a member/supporter of Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth,
Campaign Against the Arms Trade Sustrans, Survival International, Charter
88, Intermediate Technology, Shelter, Amnesty International, MEDACT, Medical
Foundation for Victims of Torture, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, New
Economics Foundation, Medical and Scientific Network, Free Tibet Campaign ,
British Scociety for Clinical Ecology, United Nations Association and was
active in the Campaign Against Sea Dumping. (NB some memberships may have
lapsed due to the passage of time)

At present, his most important role is as founder of and contact for the
Campaign for an Index of Human Rights in the UN. He is currently (2006)
joint International Coordinator for the Green Party England and Wales.