Volume 2, Issue 5 – September 2019
Welcome to your Green Party of Washington State bi-monthly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to GPWAnewsletter@gmail.com.
Our hope is that this newsletter is published every other month on the odd months.
OUR NEWSLETTER NEEDS A NAME!
We asked and Wow! You guys really delivered! We had a bunch of suggestions for a name for our newsletter. Here they are, along with a poll using Ranked Choice Voting software from members of the Green Party of Whatcom County.
A Splash of Green, The Green Web, Grazing on the Green, The Greening of America, The Evergreen, Grazing on the Green, The EverGreen Report, and Green, Good News!
Please go to the poll and Vote for your favorites using Ranked Choice Voting: https://www.opavote.com/en/vote/4871043699179520
*** SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL FALL GATHERING. IT IS BEING PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, 2019 AND WILL BE IN THE SEATTLE AREA. WATCH FOR FUTURE E-BLASTS WITH DETAILS! ***
Green Party Campaign School
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon would like to co-sponsor a Campaign School with us in January or February of 2020. They would like to have it in Vancouver, WA. Our Coordinating Council would like to co-sponsor this with them, and we are looking for a few volunteers in Southwest Washington State (or nearby) who might be willing to be on this committee. Please send a message to hello@greenpartywashington.org if you are interested in helping to coordinate this.
Upcoming Events
Whole Washington is Walking the month of September to raise funds for another Universal Healthcare initiative campaign in 2020. Sign up to collect pledges and attend an organized walk, or walk at a time convenient for you. Check out the Whole Washington Website at www.wholewashington.org or click on the link below:
https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/whole-washington-walks
CODE PINK SEATTLE — Divest Seattle from War
Action planning meeting to divest Seattle from the war machine! Join the continuing conversation to divest our cities, schools, and pensions from the companies that make a killing on killing.
September 8, 2019 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
4001 9th Ave. NE, Seattle (University Friends Meeting House), Seattle, WA
Naomi Klein
The Burning Case for a Green New Deal
The Great Hall
Tuesday, September 24, 2019, 7:30PM
1119 Eighth Avenue, Seattle, WA (enter on Eighth Avenue)
Doors at 6:30PM
https://townhallseattle.org/event/naomi-klein/
Be Seen Being Green!
Local Chapter News
Come meet other Greens and find out how you can help promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your local government!
Green Party of the Mid-Columbia
This chapter generally meets on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7pm. Their September meeting will be held at the home of Frank and Laura Lockwood, 118 Rachel Rd., Kennewick, WA. Everyone interested in the Green Party is welcome! Find them at Green Party of the Mid-Columbia on Facebook, check out their new Website, and join the discussion at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia.
Recently Green Party of the Mid-Columbia helped support a protest in Pasco against the immigration camps and the separation of children from their parents. There was a pretty good turnout!
Green Party of the Mid-Columbia is also taking part in the Global Strike for Climate Action the week of Sept. 20 – 27. They are working with the local Citizens Climate Lobby and Tri City Democrats to organize the following events:
Sept. 14 – Mid-Columbia Electric Vehicle Assoc. – Electric Vehicle Show, Richland Library, 955 Northgate Dr. Richland, WA
Sept. 19 – 7 pm – Citizens Climate Lobby- A Talk: Public Health & Climate Change, Benton/Franklin Health Dept., 7102 W. Okanogan Pl. Kennewick, WA
Sept. 20 – 12 noon – Green Party of the Mid-Columbia –Sign waving/Climate Strike, John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland, WA.
Sept. 20 – 5pm – Citizens Climate Lobby – WSU Rally and Movie “Paris to Pittsburg”, WSU Auditorium, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland, WA.
Sept. 23 – 4pm – Tri City Democrats – Sign waving, John Dam Plaza, 815 George Washington Way, Richland, WA
Laura Lockwood is sending fliers out to 28 local schools with the above information and an invitation to join in, and there are plans for a poster making party in the near future.
Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula
Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula recently attended their All County Picnic to protest and organize against the spraying of Roundup near the city of Port Townsend’s water reservoir. Download the press release here, read the local news coverage, and contact Charles Law at clawthree@gmail.com if you are willing to help in this fight!
Green Party of Snohomish County
Snohomish County has changed their monthly meeting to a Zoom meeting, usually held on the 1st Monday of the month. In September it will be on September 8th. This meeting will be followed by a movie night later in the month at the Everett 1st Presbyterian Church. This chapter really needs help getting the word out! Please email Kathryn for more info and to see how you can help.
Green Party of South Puget Sound
Green Party of South Puget Sound is coordinating with and helping to support some of the student led Climate Strike events in September. On the 26th of September they will be hosting an event to plant trees in the area. They are also working on building a new website and are currently considering a name change. Their next general meeting will be on September 18th. Please contact Noah Martin for information on activities of this local chapter. You may also check out their Facebook group for updates!
Green Party of Southwest Washington
Visit the GPSWWA Facebook page or contact Bob Cone to find out more about chapter meetings.
Green Party of Whatcom County
Former Green Party organizer Chanan Suarez is running for local office in Bellingham. Visit his website or Facebook page to learn more about his campaign for Bellingham City Council and how you can get involved!
Also link here to the Bellingham Youth Climate Strike.
Green Party of Seattle
This chapter is reorganizing and will be supporting the Climate Strike events in Seattle. Please contact Jody Grage for more info and to get involved!
GPWA Current Issues on our website from the Media Committee!
The GPWA website has a page on Current Issues in Washington
State at https://greenpartywashington.org/current-issues/
We encourage you to use this page as a source of information
and a connection to groups to work with in support of your own priority
issues.
We would like to provide at least one link for every issue. To that end we are asking that you send us your recommendations for appropriate groups working on any of the following issues that you have found to be informative and helpful:
Clean up contaminated sites including Hanford and the Duwamish River
Oppose development and distribution of fracked gas, LNG, coal, and oil
Protect worker’s rights; support cooperatives, fair trade practices and unionization
Establish state-wide, well-funded, free public education through college
Stand up for immigrant rights and oppose discriminatory legislation
Oppose privatization of utilities, schools, prisons, and public communication networks/broadband
Thanks for your help!
Mary Ellen Knoop — meknoop@comcast.net
We are also looking for graphics for our Current Issues page. If you come across any appropriate photos, etc., please send them to Mary Ellen at the above email.
GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Interested in getting involved with our Tech Team or helping with Social Media?
Contact us at hello@greenpartywashington.org to let us know and ask how you can help with these efforts!
GPWA Volunteer Coordinator
We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator!
Our biggest asset is our people! There is much Green Party work to be done here in Washington state! We have supporters who are able and willing to work, but we need a Volunteer Coordinator to get them connected, directed and organized!
The Volunteer Coordinator will:
- Develop with GPWA committees and working groups a task list for their volunteers
- Remind people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
- Assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to help them be successful
- Encourage member use of the volunteer form and using information obtained from that to coordinate with volunteer members to connect them with committees and work groups in their areas of interest and skills.
If you are interested in further defining and clarifying the role of a GPWA Volunteer Coordinator or working on a Volunteer Committee, please get in touch with Jody Grage.
GPUS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
There are many committees of GPUS that need volunteers to help achieve their goals. Visit gpus.org/committees to find out more and see where you might lend your talents! If interested, please contact the GPWA Coordinating Council at hello@greenpartywashington.org to request being appointed to a GPUS committee.
GPUS News
NEWS from the ANNUAL NATIONAL MEETING
At the GPUS Annual National Meeting in July, Greens from Michigan gave a workshop on their successful work on Rights of Nature legislation. Jody Grage brought back several copies of a newspaper from the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF.org) on community rights organizing and a four-page handout titled Advancing Legal Right of Nature: Timeline. Additional resources and a toolkit on the Rights of Nature are available at wnpj.org.
If you would like to have a copy of the CELDF newsletter and the handout, contact Jody at jody@greenpartywashington.org.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Next Charging Station is how Far?
I have a feeling that most people are like me when they consider buying a new electric car. They really want to do their part in removing fossil fuel and it’s multiple harmful pollutants from the atmosphere but running a battery dead is a bit different than running out of gas.
The reason of course is because charging stations in many parts of the country are still far and few between. Another big reason is because many people use their cars for vacation traveling and long weekends. On the vacation one, electric car manufacturers and dealers could easily solve this problem.
Let’s face it electric cars are expensive but I don’t see any reason why dealers and car companies can’t reasonably build the cost of a rental car, of say fourteen days a year for three or four years, into the cost of buying an electric vehicle. And let the car buyer use those rental days in any way that he or she likes. If I wanted to take a few long weekends over the course of a year, fine, or use all two weeks at one time for a longer vacation, also fine.
This would take a huge amount of stress out of peoples minds that would rather own an electric than a gas powered car. It would also give the country a few more years to get smart and start adding charging stations where ever they were most needed. And most importantly for people who go electric it would take their green house polluting machines off the roads fifty weeks of the year. And it would also be a business boom for rental car companies to boot.
OK, car manufacturers and dealers, this is a pretty simple fairly cheap fix and our atmosphere desperately needs it!
Received from
Bill Walker of Maple Falls, WA
From GP Member, Kurt Kriebel:
Green Party fellow members,
Like many democrats and some republicans, we realize that the two party system has left our nation bankrupt, a fact many dems including Bernie Sanders know. As Greens we support all Americans- socialists, democrats, republicans, communists, and independents and we are being honest to the electorate as many dems pick up on ideas that are green. Go green!
We are unlike our opposition, building on a radically progressive vision while maintaining a proper balance between conservative values- “that government that governs best, governs least”. (see Henry David Thoreau and new Deal polices of FDR such as Bernie promotes) We are building on a foundation of interfaith and multicultural values while respecting the wisdom of writers like George Orwell and Maxine Kingston. We have become the standard bearers as have the socialists, democrats, and some in the communist party of our nation making and demanding that the two dominant and often corporately controlled parties remain honest. Many of our democracy colleagues get the point and realize that the marriage between corporation and the state is fascism.
Whether we win or not, we are credible and could win, and also we are already making a difference as we galvanize the dems to be more honest and transparent while championing native rights and African American rights and Asian American rights as we see beyond the color and really see the content and character of our fellow Americans. As for climate change and endangered species and environmental racism, we have been at the forefront, and the two dominant parties are getting on board late. I do still like the style of Jill Stein and stand in solidarity with all my Green party members in that we are doing more than leadership but building on a foundation of true care, often risking imprisonment for our values. As for dems, I do like Buttigieg and Sanders and particularly Williamson. I have though voted for Stein and still do.
Kurt Kriebel
Go Green
Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council
Mary Ellen Knoop – Co-facilitator, GP Tahoma (Pierce County)
Kathryn Lewandowsky – Co-facilitator, GP Snohomish County
Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP Whatcom County
Lisa Canar – Deputy Treasurer, GP Seattle
Jody Grage – Member at Large, GP Seattle
Charles Law – Member at Large, GP Olympic Peninsula
Richard Redick – Member at Large, GP Mid-Columbia
Bob Cone – Local chapter representative, GP SWWA
Noah Martin – Local chapter representative, GP South Puget Sound
Liam Turnmire – Local chapter representative, GP Spokane County
Don’t see a report from your chapter? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Council conference calls at 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.
Contact Us
https://greenpartywashington.org
hello@greenpartywashington.org
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyWA
Green Party of Washington State: Grassroots Organizing & Discussion Group
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/GreenPartyWA
The End!
But wait! No, it’s not! There’s plenty of room for more!
Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWAnewsletter@gmail.com.
Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA 98127
#WeAreGreen