As Elders, we know that it is unlikely that we will see the worst of the heat waves and storms that are being baked into the climate today. That is the unfortunate legacy for the youth.We may see the end of the coral reefs, the tipping point pushing the Amazon from forest to scrubland, a world in which only billionaires have a say in the halls of government, continents on fire, and the catastrophic die-off of the oceans’ phytoplankton. It is these disastrous possibilities, more probable by the day, that compel us to speak out as clearly and forcefully as we can. Continue reading

A 62% Gallup Poll majority wants a third major party. But the prevailing US single-member-district, winner-take-all election system produces an exclusionary two-party system. The Green Party will never become a third major party until we have fair ballot access, ranked choice voting for executive offices, and proportional representation in legislative bodies. These reforms will eliminate the spoiler problem and give the Green Party its fair share of representation and power that is proportional to its voter support. This workshop will present four election system reforms that Greens should support to create an Inclusive Multi-Party Democracy: Continue reading

As may of us are raising our voices and taking action in opposition to genocide, we are being labeled as "anti Semitic" and sometimes coming under scrutiny from school administrators or the government. Our government has always viewed leftist political activity as a threat and has taken measures to silence this activity. Sometimes those measures have been abusive and against the very laws that our government seeks to protect. By understanding our free speech rights we can help to protect those rights. Continue reading

The Green Party is largely a part of activists. While this may be one of our strengths, it has also meant that the party has long struggled to establish a coherent identity and politics. That is not because of a lack of clear transformational poliitcs in the party. There has always been a strong socialist current in the party, Murray Bookchin's social ecology came up alongside and inspired many early party members, and since 2016 the GPUS has been an explicitly ecosocialist party. As ecosocialists we seek to establish an "eco-socialist economy based on large-scale green public works, municipalization, and workplace and community democracy." But how did we get here, what does that mean in practical terms, and how does our ecosocialist orientation come into play in our local organizing? Continue reading

Proportional Representation has long been seen as the "gold standard" of electoral systems; among many American electoral reform advocates, it's primary appeal is it's ability to foster multiparty democracy. However, there's no straightforward path to adopting ProRep nationally, and in response to that challenge, a new generation of advocates is dedicating their time and energy to advancing reform at the state level instead. This workshop will: Continue reading

We Greens are often a rag tag group of volunteers who fight to get people on the ballot only to discover that Green Candidates garner thousands upon thousands of votes! Who are all those Green voters and how do you get them to join the Green Party and build its ranks? In this workshop, we will explore techniques to draw in those voters as well as the disaffected who are looking for a political home.  Continue reading

This workshop will include 7 speakers: One will play a short video called "Save the World: get real money!"  and 6 will speak live on zoom with short presentations. The presentation will include ways to end the current crises in our economy, obstacles to improving the economy for the common good; some successful past programs that been beneficial in overcoming economic hardship, and general information about creation of public money for the common good.  Printed materials in the form of PDF Handouts will be provided. Questions will be answered, and a general discussion will follow the presentations. Continue reading