Green Party

The Alternative Political Party: The Green Party

The Alternative Party

It seems that with each United States government election, whether on the national, state, or local level, much attention is paid to two prominent groups: the Democratic and the Republican parties. While these two parties have existed for many decades, and are certainly the most well known among the American people, they are not the only option when it comes time to vote. A third party, the Green Party, which formed over twenty years ago, is an alternative option worth considering. Known for its dedication to the environment, nonviolence, and grassroots organizations, the Green Party seeks to promote social justice and provide a friendlier world for all people to live in.

How It All Began

The Green Party began as The Green Committees of Correspondence, in 1984. Over the next decade it evolved to The Association of State Green Parties, which arose during the 1996 elections. Then in 2001, the party adapted and condensed its individual parties into one Green Party as we know it today. Since its inception, the U.S. Green Party has almost doubled in size, with followers affectionately calling themselves “greens”. It has become increasingly more well-known thanks to its national conventions in 2000 and 2004. The party’s large goal is to gain enough support to become a viable competitor with the Republican and Democratic parties, and one day win the election.

The Ten Key Values of The Green Party

The U.S. Green Party is founded upon list they call the Ten Key Values, and they use these values to help guide their politics. While all ten ideas are rather complex and detailed, each one can be summed up in a one-word or one-phrase value. The list is ultimately comprised of: grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, non-violence, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, feminism and gender equity, respect for diversity, personal and global responsibility, and finally, future focus and sustainability.

The Green Party In Your State

While the Green Party seeks to promote an economically friendly and socially just platform across national politics in the United States, it is not merely limited to only national issues. There are Green Party organizations that run at individual state and local levels too. Though the party does have supporters throughout the country, it is most popular in the Northeast states, Pacific and west coast states like California, and the Northern Great Lakes area such as in Wisconsin.

Worldwide Green Politics

Additionally, the Green Party has a wide variety of international groups. The world’s first-ever green party was formed in 1972 in Australia, and “green politics” have since spread to nearly every part of the world. In fact, the term “green party” wasn’t even an American idea—it came from Germany. While the U.S. Green Party is based on ten values, most international green parties stand upon four pillars: ecology, social justice, grassroots democracy, and non-violence. All four pillars are placed in equality with one another, and the success of one pillar is directly tied to the other three; there is a balance which helps maintain consistent ethical practices within the political realm.