Up North Green Party

A Local of the Green Party of Michigan

We are a group of individuals interested in the Green Party in northwest lower Michigan.
(Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim counties).
We held our first meeting on August 18, 2000
and decided to become a local of the Green Party of Michigan.
We are active in the local issues of Northern Michigan, as well as national political and societal issues.

Anyone interested in Green Values is welcome to join us at our meetings.

We support the Four Pillars of the Green Party:

Ecological Wisdom

Social Justice

Grassroots Democracy

Non-violence

We subscribe to the Four Pillars of the Green Party of Michigan. They are the basis of the party, and the only requirements for the movement. These values are inseperable from each other, and in fact, sometimes overlap. Every chapter of the Greens - indeed, every Green - will have a slightly different interpretation of these values, so no version should ever be considered the final or definitive statement of the Greens. They need to be spelled out clearly, though, because Greens exist to promote these values, and not to gain influence or fame or fortune. At the root of it, Greens want to see happy, healthy, dignified people, living in sustaining and sustainable communities, on a thriving planet.

Ecological wisdom

More than stop-gap solutions like recycling, this means living in harmony with our surroundings. Humanity is not separate from nature, nor do individuals live in isolation from each other. Our actions and lifestyles inevitably have an impact on our human and natural environment. We seek to minimize our negative impact and maximize our positive impact on both. We must live as Thoreau did: deliberately.

Social justice

The promises of our Constitution and society are meant for all people, regardless of our superficial differences (including economic disparity). Everyone deserves the chance to live a healthy, meaningful life. Greens help individuals reach for that life. Further, we oppose efforts by business or government to infringe on the human rights of citizens of other nations, whether they are in the United States or at home.

Grassroots democracy

The legitimacy of government is derived from the voluntary consent of the governed. The closer the decision-makers are to those who be affected by the decision, the more effective, efficient, and accountable government is. This value is based on Greens' unshakable conviction that people everywhere have the right to, and capacity for, self-determination.

Non-violence

Violence is morally wrong and logistically ineffective, because it treats the symptoms of problems, not the root causes. Greens acknowledge the need to take desperate measures in self-defense in life-or-death situations, but non-violence to us means actively working to build a world where this is unnecessary. We also categorically reject the death penalty.

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Thanks to Stele Ely for the lovely graphic used in the background of this site.

This The Greens Webring site owned by Up North Green Party.
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