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Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What do the Greens stand for? Those values are 1) Ecological Wisdom; 2) Grassroots Democracy; 3) Social Justice; 4) Peace and Non-Violence; 5) Decentralization; 6) Community Based Economics; 7) Feminism; 8) Respect for Diversity; 9) Personal and Global Responsibility; 10) Future Focus on Sustainability. Greens across America have expressed these values in a variety of ways, if you want to see what that looks like see Green Values. Q. How can the Greens make a difference? As a party, we are organized to serve as an electoral expression of the movement for peace, justice, democracy and sustainable prosperity for all people. As Greens we make a difference in lots of ways. And not just by participating with Party Building Activities with our membership, material contributions and volunteer energy. We also promote our children's health and wellness, mediate conflict, get active with our neighborhood associations, get to know our neighbors, support our community's cooperatives, watch less TV, monitor local streams, insist on homes that are safe for women and children, participate in our local government, honor our community's elders and the people who are native to our land, drive less, support the issue driven campaigns that change public policy, support and democratize our unions, grow our own food, challenge racism and (hetero-) sexism in our schools, on our jobs and in our communities, feed the hungry, work for workplace safety, register to vote, read more, visit the imprisoned, walk and bicycle, look out after our neighbors, eat poison-free food, spend our money consistent with our values, raise healthy, conscious children, support local, organic and biodynamic farmers and gardeners, protect the trees, educate voters in our community about the issues and candidates, volunteer at a local school, hug more, network across our county, state, country and planet, practice non-violence, mentor young people, root their lives in their communities, . . . There are as many ways for the Greens to make a difference as there are Greens. With your help, we will. Q. How do I get involved?
Q. Some say voting for a third party is a wasted vote. What
does my vote mean? Single votes have changed history. Even if we don't win the Presidency in 2000, it only takes 39,094 votes in November, 2000 to leave us on the ballot for the 2002 election, allowing us to spend our energy on party building, instead of petition circulating. 5% of the vote will mean that the Greens can share in the limited public financing available at the Federal level to build the Party for the next election. But something else is possible, as well. What if people everywhere got tired of the lies? What if people were ready to embrace the possibility of their own power? What if instead of more bombers, we collectively decided we'd rather fund universal access to health care? What if we saw our liberty and democracy as more important than the sit-coms on evening television? What could happen if we contributed the money we'd spend on the second six-pack towards building the Party instead? We have choices before us every day. When we own our power to choose our future, our vote is just one of many ways we have to bring that future into existence. Our vote has as much meaning as we give it. Q. But how can I give my vote meaning when the corporations
own the media and control the campaign funding? When Ralph Nader addressed the Green Party delegates gathered in Moodus, Connecticut in June 1999, he pointed to the power of word-of-mouth. "Remember the Clinton jokes?" he asked. Our success will be built on the creation of a culture of participation -- where we engage our neighbors on the issues and candidates and make our preferences known. The last presidential election was won with the votes of only one-quarter of the registered voters. Only 52% of those registered showed up at the polls. Our success hinges on this: Greens don't let Green friends not vote on Election Day. Its time we create a public dialogue that breaks the spell of the two-party coma and secures the blessings of liberty to our children and their posterity. Q. So what is a political party? It takes a lot of people to party. It takes a lot of candidates -- including candidates for local sheriffs and municipal court judges, Council or Commissions, legislators and members of Congress, and chairs of their County's Green Party local. It takes a lot of volunteers -- collecting signatures, distributing literature, asking friends to join, contribute, help, vote; hosting house parties, staffing tables, listening to neighbors, building principled alliances rooted in community, supporting the leadership of others, sharing their own leadership. It takes a lot of contributors -- small contributors and large. Folks who can donate resources, skills as well as money. Q. How can I help?
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