Grassroots Democracy
Greens believe in direct participation by all citizens in the environmental, political, and economic decisions that affect their lives. Every person deserves a voice. Therefore, we work to increase public participation at all levels of government. We also work to ensure that our government officials are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process. We believe there should be no barriers to stifle engagement in the political process, and encourage innovation to expand voter participation.
Social Justice
Greens find the worldwide growth of poverty and injustice unacceptable. All persons should have the right to benefit from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront barriers such as racism, sexism, class oppression, homophobia, ageism, and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law. We work for a world in which all people have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.
Non-Violence
Greens believe it is essential to develop alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence at all levels. We believe that state-sanctioned violence is morally wrong and ultimately self-defeating. For this reason, we advocate demilitarization and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, and we oppose the death penalty. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, as we work toward lasting peace in our local and global communities.
Ecology
Greens recognize that humans are not separate from nature, we are part of it. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the limits of the ecology and resources of our communities and our planet. We must be good stewards or we will reap the consequences. To this end, we advocate fostering a healthier relationship between city and countryside. We support sustainable agriculture which respects animals as beings and which replenishes the soil. We urge a move toward an energy-efficient economy and lessened dependence on fossil fuels.
Sustainability
Greens believe our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term thinking. Every generation should seek to leave the planet no worse off than when it was bequeathed to them. We must balance the impulse to seek short-term profits with our responsibility to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely dispose of or recycle all waste we create, and develop a sustainable economic system not dependent on continual expansion for survival.
Economic Justice
Greens believe extreme disparities in wealth and concentrated control of assets and resources are inherently undemocratic, and that economic insecurity destabilizes all levels of society. It is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system which provides a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful system must offer meaningful work with dignity, paying a living wage that reflects the real value of a person’s work. We support broad citizen participation in economic decision-making, while seeking to assure protection of the environment and workers’ rights.
Decentralization
Greens believe that centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. We seek to restore power to human-scale communities by restructuring social, political, and economic institutions. We believe that a more decentralized, democratic, and egalitarian system would yield a better quality of life.
Gender Equality
A social system based on rigid gender roles and status inequality is unhealthy for both sexes. Greens call for a more cooperative model, without typecasting, building respectful, positive, and responsible relationships that free all members of society to live up to their full potential.
Diversity
Greens believe that together, we can be greater than the sum of our parts. We value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious, and spiritual diversity and promote respectful relationships across these lines. We believe this diversity should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and so we support the leadership and voices of people who have been excluded in the past. In this way we seek to reclaim America’s finest ideals: popular democracy, the dignity of the individual, and liberty and justice for all.
Responsibility
Greens believe we must be the change we want to see in the world. We encourage individuals to take responsibility for the well-being of their households and their communities. But we also believe in global responsibility. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world in cooperation to foster peace, economic justice, and ecological balance.