I’ve been a Green Party member for many years. And in some of those years I remembered to pay my annual dues and in other years I was never sure when my dues were actually due. I must admit, my failure to remember is pretty much because of advancing age. My memory needs a tune-up from time to time.

And unfortunately, the Washington State chapter did not have my email address to remind me when the time came to pay up. Now they do!

As many of you are aware the Green Party does not accept corporate donations. We don’t want to be beholden to any corporate sponsor who expects political favors in the future. In essence we, the members, are our own PAC. I guess you could refer to us as the GPAC. And I’m sure you are also aware that running a political party is extraordinarily expensive.

And that leads me up to my Green Party challenge. I recently paid my 2022 dues of twenty-five dollars for this current year. And, as I said above, I have no idea how many years of dues I actually missed. With that in mind I recently donated one hundred and fifty dollars to the Washington State chapter of the Green Party. My challenge to the rest of the members in this state who may have also missed a few payments is to donate one hundred dollars between now and the end of October.

I realize that times are tough right now and that money is tight for almost all of us. And this is true for me as well. But though I am on disability I feel that the cause and our core values must be expanded to a wider audience. If we don’t get our message out and support the cause then we aren’t fulfilling the needs of the people who stand to gain from our efforts.

Please show your green heart and help fund our state chapter. Gaia needs us as well now more than ever. Her environmental needs are being dismissed and belittled. We can’t wait any longer to take action!

Thank you!
Bill Walker

By Keene Short, Whole Washington volunteer

Unlike most countries whose development has gone unhindered, the United States has an exclusively privatized health insurance industry. This means that private corporations are legally allowed to decide a patient’s fate based on the profitability of their continued existence through even the most inexpensive procedures, even in the most progressive states.

Fortunately, there are grassroots organizations, both local and national, working to overturn this unjust system from the ground up. Whole Washington currently seeks to establish the Washington Health Trust through a grassroots ballot initiative in Washington State, using the same political tool that led to the legalization of statewide recreational cannabis.

This is one of the most radical approaches to universal healthcare, but of course we need to frame this in the context of the nationwide healthcare justice movement. As advocates like Tim Faust, Bernie Sanders, and many Green Party candidates and organizers have intimated, and as countless Americans have testified, the for-profit health insurance regime is a form of relentless exploitation, bleeding people of financial resources and social and emotional security.

In other words, our fight is rooted in solidarity. Our fight is grounded in and necessarily tied to solidarity with others fighting against the private insurance regime. Whole Washington wages a battle that is politically specific but not ideologically unique, as healthcare justice advocates have fought similar battles from California to Maine, and similar movements have made strides in even the reddest of states like Idaho and Missouri.

Ours is not a fight of values, nor ideology, nor political leanings, but material conditions. We are fighting for what we need to survive, which is the freedom that healthcare justice will bring.

We need 400,000 signatures from Washington state citizens by December to put I-1471 on the ballot in November of 2023. This will give us a year between the Midterms and the Presidential election to focus exclusively on healthcare, giving us a chance to highlight the benefits of universal healthcare, ultimately giving us a chance to prove, not just locally but nationally, that healthcare justice was the way of the future decades ago.  

We can win this fight, but we need to win this moment first and foremost. We need all hands on deck to help us collect signatures. This is not a matter of political expediency or endorsement. This is the moment for solidarity. Please join us in our fight as a volunteer or a donor. Together, we can win one of the most crucial and current battles for healthcare justice in a country nearly ruined by privatized health insurance.

Here are three things YOU can do to help us reach our goal together.

1. Volunteer to collect signatures. This is THE MOST URGENT task right now. We have until December to reach 400,000 signatures from across the state. Right now, this is the name of the game!
2. Host a bin or host a petition at a business. We’re distributing blank petitions and receiving filled petition sheets in bins, which you can keep at your home, so volunteers can pick them up and drop them off as needed. Another alternative is to hold petition sheets at your business, if possible, so customers can sign as they come and go.
3. Spread the word! Take a petition sheet to work, or a family barbecue. Spread our posts on social media. Make sure your fellow Washingtonians know that Whole Washington is fighting for their freedom from the health insurance lobby, and we can only do this together.

Visit the Whole Washington Get Involved Page to find information about all the above and more. We can win this fight, but we need to act NOW more than ever.

Bi-Monthly Newsletter of The Green Party of Washington

Volume 3, Issue 2

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Welcome to your Green Party of Washington State bi-monthly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to evergreen@greenpartywashington.org

Our hope is that this newsletter is published every other month on the odd months.

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SAVE THE DATE! – Green Party of Washington Spring Gathering – May 23, 2020

Our Annual Spring Gathering will be held on Saturday May 23rd.

Tentative agenda:
Personal and community aspects of climate change
Civil rights, civil disobedience, nonviolent direct action
Earth Day event report
Local and Statewide Candidate presentations
* GPUS Presidential Candidate presentations
** GPWA CC, GPUS National Committee, and GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention delegate candidate introductions
Chapter reports and volunteer opportunities

Sliding scale registration and lunch order will be available soon.

* Presidential candidates recognized by the Green Party of the United States (GPUS) as of April 23, 2020 will be invited to present.

** Green Party members who can attend the combined ANM (Th-Fri) and PNC (Sat-Sun) meeting in July are encouraged to put themselves forward as candidates for our state delegation. The Green Party 2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention will take place July 9-12, 2020 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

Official information on the 2020 Green Party Presidential candidates.

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Green Party of Washington would like to run a statewide candidate in 2020!

In case you missed the call for statewide candidates in our last Newsletter, please click here to review and share with those who may be interested!

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Green Party Presidential Primary

As a minor party, the Green Party is excluded from the publicly funded Presidential Primary in Washington State. Because we did not get more than 5% of the presidential vote in 2016, we must use our own process to determine our Presidential nominee and choose our Presidential Nominating Convention delegates. We do this by a ballot to our membership right after our Spring Convention (May 23, 2020).

As you may be aware, on the publicly funded WA State primary ballot this year the major parties are making voters take a pledge, written by each party, that they prefer the Democrats or Republicans and will not participate in the nominating process of any other political party.

This is not a legally binding oath. It is not a registration with the party: we have no party registration in this state. The only actual “Democrats” and “Republicans” by state law are Precinct Committee Officers in each party and other Legislative and Statewide officeholders. Everyone else is a “sustainer” or a “supporter.”

These loyalty pledges on the ballot are an attempt to artificially “close” the major party primaries, and to give the major parties access to temporary data to build their voter lists. There is no expectation of enforcement of pledges except (and this is the key part) by the parties themselves.

For practical reasons the Green Party of Washington has decided it will not enforce loyalty pledges on behalf of the Democrats and Republicans in our presidential nominating process. You aren’t registering with the Democrats or the Republicans if you vote in the Democratic or Republican primary (there is no party registration in WA), and we don’t require a loyalty pledge (other than your Green Party membership in good standing) to vote in our Presidential Primary.

We have learned from a County Auditor that major party ballot pledges are kept for two months, where they are subject to public records requests, after which time they are destroyed. This means that all public record of these loyalty pledges will be destroyed before our Green Party nominating convention begins.

In order to vote in the 2020 Green Party Primary in Washington State, your Green Party membership must be current as of April 23, 2020 (for new members) or by May 23, 2020 (for renewing members).

Click here to make sure your Green Party membership is up-to-date!

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Earth Day Pledge Fair 2020

Save the Date: Saturday April 18, 2020!

Oxbow Park in Seattle

Earth Day is April 22 of every year. Wednesday, April 22, 2020 will mark 50 years of Earth Day! The theme this year is “Climate Action” and people all over our planet will participate. Many dramatic actions are planned to get the attention of economic and political world leaders that Wednesday. The scientific case for Climate Change is real, and action is needed. Join us the Saturday before Earth Day at our Earth Day Pledge Fair!

About the Earth Day Pledge Fair

Green Party of Washington State and Green Party of Seattle are planning a science fair in Oxbow Park in Seattle. Games and activities for elementary school aged children as well as adults are planned on the Saturday before Earth Day. Green Party of Washington and Green Party of Seattle are excited to host this event which is intended to inspire positive change and a pledge from attendees to protect and nurture our Earth and all who reside on her.  Topics and actions will include conservation, species preservation, clean energy, and confronting climate change through our Green New Deal.

We will challenge people to honor our Planet on actual Earth Day on Wednesday with simple but impactful action items. Orcas, salmon, trees, and bees are all PNW favorites. How can we better co-exist? A ranked list of simple pledges like “We/I will not eat meat on Earth Day”, “We will take the bus/not use the car on Earth Day”, etc. Action ideas will be based on the “Drawdown List” and posted prominently at the “Pledge Booth”. You can go to https://www.drawdown.org/solutions-summary-by-rank for the comprehensive list of personal and community actions.

Set Up

This will be a simple and fun event with 10×10 booths set up by volunteers. No food will be sold in the park and there will be no restrooms on site, or items for sale at this event. Literature and promotional giveaways are fine. This keeps us in compliance with Seattle Parks and Recreation, and keeps our other expenses low.

The Park

Oxbow Park is in the Georgetown Neighborhood of Seattle and is the iconic home of the “Hat & Boots”. Photo ops! The bus stops right in front and there is a Pea-patch in back. A “big toy” play area makes it good for families with young kids. There will be a giant cowboy hat to shelter us if it rains.

About Greens

The Green Party is a worldwide political party organized around the future sustainability of our planet. We are volunteer run, grassroots, and exist outside of the pay-to-play paradigm of the current U.S. political mainstream. However, more Green Party members are entering political offices all over the world. Check out the globalgreens.org website to learn more. Earth Day is a big deal to us Greens. Let’s Celebrate, Educate, and Dedicate to Climate Action. By the time Spring is here, there will be many doomsday political messages telling you what to be afraid of. Most will be manufactured divide-and-conquer tactics. Profiteers who work hard to keep people distracted while stealing resources from the future — we see you. We must nurture the youth coming up with positive takeaways at this event. The future must be empowered, because the future must win.

We acknowledge the first people of Seattle, and honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe, past and present. This event is sponsored & organized by the Green Party in partnership with EarthDay.org. This is a community event. Participation does not imply a political affiliation with the Green Party.

Follow these links for more info:

https://www.gpsea.org/index.html

email: hello@gpsea.org

Green New Deal info: https://www.gp.org/green_new_deal

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Earth Day Pledge Fair Helpers 2020

Looking for Volunteers — Saturday April 18, 2020

We welcome like-minded organizations to participate in this event. We are not soliciting donations or memberships at this event and your participation does not imply a political affiliation with the Green Party. We all like the planet, and political parties will never have the power to legislate away the future rights to clean water, air and personal integrity. We are all citizens of Earth. Earth does not belong to us; we belong to Earth. Power concedes nothing to the un-empowered. We are inviting participants with the caveat that you do not solicit. Please inspire, teach, demonstrate, and interact in a positive way. Literature and promotional giveaways are fine. This keeps us in compliance with Seattle Parks and Recreation, and volunteers keep our other expenses low. There are businesses that sell food and have restrooms within a few blocks of the park. Share a game, show us an experiment or a model, give us a photo op. No single use plastics at this event.

Volunteers Needed for Set Up and Breakdown.

AM or PM? We need an AM group and a PM group of volunteers. The actual public event is from 10am to 4pm.

AM volunteers plan for 8am-1pm. Chalk marks and sign in between 8 and 9am. Set up starts by 9am and we should be ready to start games/exhibits by 10am. Help participants set up their 10×10 canopies and carry tables/ load out of their vehicles for set up. During the event help collect pledge forms, hang out and be friendly to the general public, run sound/music, play games with kids, give directions, make sure that we keep the park clean and safe, and take pictures for social media.

PM volunteers plan for 1pm-6pm. Help participants collapse their 10×10 canopies and carry tables/ load out of the park after the event. During the event, help collect pledge forms, hang out and be friendly to the general public, run sound/music, play games with kids, give directions, make sure that we keep the park clean and safe, and take pictures for social media.

Volunteers get Earth Day reusable water bottles, the satisfaction of making a positive impact in the community, new knowledge based on the current science about ways to honor Earth in our everyday lives, opportunity to meet nice people, and a resume reference from organizers. Follow the links below to volunteer!

Green Party of Seattle

https://www.gpsea.org/index.html

email: hello@gpsea.org

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Ranked-Choice Voting is on a Roll

You’ve probably seen that New York City Voters adopted ranked-choice voting by a margin of 73% to 27% back in November. Maine is using it in all their state and congressional elections. Twenty or so cities elsewhere in the country have adopted it. It’s going to be on the ballot in both Massachusetts and Alaska for voters to decide on next November.

It’s also happening in Washington State through non-profit, non-partisan FairVote Washington. Just in the last several months, the group has signed on well over 5,000 concerned voters across the state as supporters.

What is Ranked-Choice Voting

It is a way of setting up elections so that voters can vote for more than one candidate and rank their choices. The voters’ first choices are counted, and if someone has a majority that’s the end of it and that person is elected. If no one has a majority, the person with the fewest votes is eliminated and that person’s votes are transferred to the next choices on those voters’ ballots. There is a new tally. If someone now has a majority then that person is elected. The process goes around this cycle of tallying, eliminating candidates and reallocating votes until someone has a majority.

If ranked-choice voting is in place you can vote for the person that you really favor without fear that it will throw the election to some you really don’t want in office. It means that campaigns will tend to be more civil since candidates will want to get the second choice votes of voters who give their first choice vote to someone else. And it has the potential to make gerrymandering effectively impossible.

Ranked-Choice Voting is of Particular Interest to Greens

With ranked-choice voting third parties like the Greens no longer need to fear being labeled (or libeled!) as “spoilers”.  Especially if the system is adopted in its multi-winner form (sometimes called Proportional Representation) there is a much better chance that we’ll see Greens in single-winner offices like Mayor and on bodies like city councils, county councils and legislatures.

Many Local Politicians Support Ranked-Choice Voting

FairVote Whatcom organized a mock ranked-choice election for three of the local primaries affecting Whatcom County last summer. They also asked all the local candidates what they thought of ranked-choice voting. Here is what the candidates thought:

Whatcom-Area Candidates Who Supported Ranked-Choice Voting in the August 2019 Primary
Office	Supporters (*eventual winners)
Washington State Senate	Carrie Blackwood,  Liz Lovelett*
Whatcom County Executive	Karen Burke,  Satpal Sidhu*
Whatcom County Council	Brian Estes, Natalie McClendon (hedged)
Bellingham Mayor	April Barker,  Seth Fleetwood*, Garrett O’Brien, Pinky Vargas (these were all the candidates for Mayor)
Bellingham City Council	Lisa Anderson*, Dana Briggs, Dan Hammill*, Beth Hartsoch, Hollie Huthman*, Ashanti Monts-Treviska, Von Emeth Ochoa, Hannah Stone*, Raymond Straka, Chanan Suarez (these were all the candidates for City Council)

That’s 19 out of a total of 31 candidates in these races (61%).

Focus on the Local Options Bill

The Washington State Legislature is considering a bill promoted by FairVote Washington called the Local Options Bill (HB 1722). If the bill is passed, local jurisdictions in Washington would have the option of adopting ranked-choice voting for their local elections in both the single-winner and multi-winner forms. HB 1722 has been in the state legislature for a couple of years. 40^th District Senator Liz Lovelett has just sponsored a companion bill in the state senate.

Wherever you live in Washington, you can inform your legislators what you think about the Local Options Bill at the state legislative website here, and we urge you to do that. The more constituents that legislatures here from the more likely they are to act.

Plan B is a statewide initiative in 2021. That will cost a pretty penny. If you can, please help us build up our war chest by donating here.

How You Can Get Involved

Let me count the ways. In addition to contacting your legislators about the Local Options Bill, you can:

Come to a Ranking Party

These are events at a local establishment where we sample their good things to eat and drink and then rank them. The tallying is done by moving our bodies around the room. It’s really fun for everyone involved – apart from making it really clear how the counting works in a ranked-choice election. We’ve held several already.

Here are the ones coming up in the Bellingham area:

Chocolate Necessities, 1408 Commercial	Chocolate, gelato	March 4	6:30 pm – 8:00 pm	RSVP
FrinGe Brewing, 5640 3rd Ave, Ferndale	Beer, snacks	March 12	6:00 pm – 7:30 pm	RSVP

Join Kit, Stoney, and Tina When We Go Tabling

As the summer comes on, we will be at more and more outdoor events. You can sign up for a two-hour stint at one of these. For example, we’re at the Bellingham Farmers’ Market most Saturdays when it is in session. Don’t worry if you’re unsure about how to talk about ranked-choice voting to people on the street. Actually being on the spot you’ll catch on quickly. We bring all the materials. Interested? Contact us at whatcom@fairvotewa.org or 360-920-8357.

Help Lobby for the Local Options Bill

Go here to register your views about the Local Options Bill with state legislators.

You can also contact your local city council and the county council. What they can do is pass a resolution supporting the Local Options Bill.

Legislative Update – February 28, 2020: If you’ve been following the Local Options Bill for Ranked-Choice Voting (HB 1722 & SB 5708) – we’ve learned that it won’t progress any further this session. This is an opt-in bill that mandates nothing — it simply allows cities, towns, and other local districts to use ranked-choice voting if they so choose. The Local Options Bill had a very encouraging run, with bi-partisan momentum. It WILL be reintroduced next session (with a new bill number) — so all the momentum continues to work to pass it! What can you do to continue advocating for the Local Options Bill? Ask your legislator to support it next year!

Sign on as a Supporter

Go to the FairVote Washington website to sign on as a supporter.  The more people sign as supporters, the more likely the legislature is to act on the Local Options Bill.

Stay Informed

Go to the FairVote Washington website for general information and then sign on to keep informed as things develop.

Go to the FairVote Washington Facebook page here and the FairVote Whatcom Facebook page here.

Donate

If time is at a premium, do your part by donating what you can here.

– Stoney Bird

Stoney has voted Green since 1996. He has been car-free for almost twenty years, and has been involved with numerous environmental, social justice and peace issues over the years. He ran for Congress as a Green in 2018.

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Local Chapter News

Come meet other Greens and find out how you can promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your local government!

Green Party of Seattle

This chapter recently reorganized membership meetings to the first Tuesday of the month, 6-8 PM in Seattle. Find out more at GPSEA.org or check out their Facebook page for meeting details. All Greens, as well as friends and allies for sustainability, are welcome to attend. Input and volunteers are needed!

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

This chapter generally meets on the 2^nd Thursday of the month at the home of Frank & Laura Lockwood, 118 Rachel Rd, Kennewick, WA at 7pm. Everyone interested in the Green Party is welcome. Check out their new Website, find them on Facebook at Green Party of the Mid-Columbia, and join the discussion at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia.

South Sound Greens (formerly Green Party of South Puget Sound)

This chapter is very active supporting youth working for climate change, homeless issues, and actively supporting local candidates for office. Please contact Noah Martin for information on meetings and other activities, and check out their Facebook group for updates.

Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula

Charles Law is working to form an active local chapter on the Olympic Peninsula. For more info and to get involved, email Charles or join their Facebook discussion group at Green Party Olympic Peninsula.

Green Party of Snohomish County

This chapter is currently inactive. We hope to be able to restart it when we have more active members in Snohomish County. For more info, check out their Facebook discussion group or email hello@greenpartywashington.org.

Green Party of Whatcom County

For more information, contact Stoney at whatcom@fairvotewa.org. You can also join their Facebook discussion group at Green Party of Whatcom County.

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in getting involved with our Tech Team or helping with Social Media? Please email to let us know!

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GPUS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help them achieve their goals. Members don’t have to be elected as a delegate to the National Committee to serve on these committees. You can go to gpus.org/committees to see where you might be able to lend your talents. Then send the GPWA Coordinating Council a short bio with your request to join the committee, and your request will be added to our next agenda.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(Views expressed in Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the Green Party of Washington State. Please note that letters may be edited for content, grammar and length. Letters should be signed by the person submitting the letter.)

No letters received this time…

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Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members:

Mary Ellen Knoop – Facilitator, GP Tahoma (Pierce County)

Jody Grage – Secretary, GP Seattle

Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP Whatcom County

Lisa Canar – Deputy Treasurer, GP Seattle

Charles Law – Member at Large, GP Olympic Peninsula

Kathryn Lewandowsky – Member at Large, GP Snohomish County

Richard Redick – Member at Large, GP Mid-Columbia

Local Chapter Representatives:

Alice Green – GP Seattle

Noah Martin – South Sound Greens

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each chapter on the State Coordinating Council. We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

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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.

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We hope to publish this newsletter every other month on the odd months. Send your Newsletter submissions to GPWAnewsletter@gmail.com.

Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA  98127

 #WeAreGreen

Bi-Monthly Newsletter of The Green Party of Washington

Volume 3, Issue 1

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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.

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REPORT FROM GREEN PARTY OF WASHINGTON FALL GATHERING

The Green Party of Washington State met in Seattle on Saturday November 9, 2019 for our Fall Gathering. Local chapter representatives from Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Snohomish County, Whatcom County, and the Olympic Peninsula attended.

Among the presentations, Jody Grage gave an overview of Green Party organizing in Washington State and nationwide, Stoney Bird reviewed and facilitated Ranked Choice Voting experiments, Scott Thompson discussed corporate media control and government secrecy, Noah Martin and Colin Bartlett presented an overview of Ecosocialism, and Charles Law presented Investing in Collaboration (networking with the youth movement).

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WHAT IS ECOSOCIALISM?

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RECOMMENDED READING ON ECOSOCIALISM

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INVESTING IN COLLABORATION by Charles Law

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Green Party Campaign School – February 23, 2020

We are co-sponsoring a Campaign School workshop with the Pacific Green Party of Oregon on Sunday February 23, 2020 in Portland, OR.

Sign up to attend and carpool here!

We have scheduled Zoom meetings on Sunday January 19 and Sunday February 2, 2020 for those interested in helping to organize this event. If you would like to help with this Campaign School, please email us for more information.

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SAVE THE DATE! – Green Party of Washington Spring Gathering – May 23, 2020

Our Annual Spring Gathering will be held on Saturday May 23, 2020 in Richland, WA. We will hear from GPUS Presidential candidates and choose our delegates and alternates to the Green Party Annual National Meeting (ANM) and Presidential Nominating Convention (PNC). Green Party members who can attend the combined ANM (Th-Fri) and PNC (Sat-Sun) meeting in July are encouraged to put themselves forward as candidates.

The Green Party 2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention will take place July 9-12, 2020 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

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Green Party of Washington would like to run a statewide candidate in 2020!

Are you someone who might be up to this task, either as a candidate or a campaign support volunteer? Keep reading and if you see yourself in any of these positions, please send us an email to follow up.

Content provided by Noah Martin, South Sound Greens, GPWA Campaign Committee member

There are multiple statewide executive positions up for election in 2020. I have listed most of them here. I particularly believe that GPWA would benefit from running someone for Commissioner of Public Lands, since it is a position that “fits” the Greens’ mission very well, there will be no incumbent running, and all of the Democrats who are running are “Green capitalists” from King County who have little appeal in places where the Commissioner of Public Lands’ actions are felt the most like Eastern and Southwestern Washington. In addition, it has directly translatable experience for a race for a conservation district, which are among the most winnable nonpartisan local races for Greens.

Benefits of running a statewide campaign

While GPWA is probably not yet able to win races at the state level, having a statewide candidate has several benefits for the state party:

• Raising key state-level issues that might not otherwise be mentioned in the race
• Linking the party to those state-level issues and leveraging them to grow the party
• “Filling out” the ballot so Greens are not just a top-heavy ticket with a presidential candidate, but are shown to have a real presence in the state
• Building out GPWA’s statewide campaign infrastructure so it can better compete in local races
• Researching policy positions, creating messaging, and collecting voter data that can be built on in follow-up local campaigns.
• Allowing a candidate to build name recognition and a statewide fundraising network before running for local office

Offices

Due to limited capacity, GPWA should probably pick one statewide office to focus on. However, there are several statewide offices that can have a watershed effect on down ballot races or leverage a particular issue.

Governor — This is the primary executive of Washington State, and it touches pretty much every state-level issue. This would be a particularly good position if someone wants to raise issues that have more to do with the legislature and/or the governor’s legislative priorities, or if there are issues that the Democratic administration needs to be pushed on.

Good qualifying professions: Administrative positions of various stripes, lawyers, workers…

Almost any profession can make a case for Governor if the messaging is done right.

Possible Issues: Legislative dysfunction, dam removal, dirty energy, carbon fees, ecosocialism

Local Races that Benefit: Most of them, particularly legislative races

Superintendent of Public Instruction — The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction is one of the largest executive departments of Washington State and oversees the execution of education policy. Maintaining education is THE fundamental constitutional duty of the State of Washington, and our current legislators have been making a mess of it. Much of the game of chicken in the legislature every year is around the education budget, which means this position could be a great opportunity to discuss the budget, charter schools, curriculum, child poverty, and other pressing issues in WA.

Good qualifying professions: Teacher, school administrator, childcare worker, pediatrician, artist, school bus driver, and other professions that work directly with children

Possible Issues: Budget, charter schools, curriculum, education conditions, child poverty,

Local Races that Benefit: School boards

Secretary of State — The Secretary of State’s primary role in WA is to oversee elections. This is a great position for people with election or administrative experience in general, especially in a high-paced environment.

Good qualifying professions: Election worker, campaign manager, programmer, auditor, public administrator

Possible Issues: Voting reform, election technology, transparency,

Local Races that Benefit: All of them, particularly partisan races like County Auditor.

Commissioner of Public Lands — The Commissioner of Public Lands is an increasingly important position that is charged with overseeing both the state’s relationships with extractive industries like fishing, logging, and farming and the state’s management of state parks, conservation efforts and forest fires.

Good qualifying professions: Biologist, ecologist, farmworker, firefighter, fisherperson, park ranger, emergency management, surveyor

Possible Issues: Effects of climate change like forest fires, pesticide use, land use, and other ecological issues

Local Races that Benefit: Conservation District boards

Auditor — The State Auditor is charged with overseeing efforts for government transparency and accountability at the state, county, and local levels. This is constitutionally supposed to be the most “independent” position, which makes it a good office for a third party to run for “to keep the fox from guarding the henhouse,” so to speak. Independents tend to perform better running for this position.

Good qualifying professions: Financial analyst, ombuds, journalist, human resources, lawyer, accountant

Possible Issues: Government transparency (particularly Senate Bill 6617 and its subsequent iterations), corruption, partisanship

Local Races that Benefit: All of them, particularly County Assessors and County Auditors

Treasurer — The chief financial officer of the state of Washington. This position is currently held by an incumbent Republican, and Democrats will be hungry to win it back. This means there will probably be more space on the left for Greens to find a niche.

Good qualifying professions: Accountant, financial planner, actuary, worker in the financial sector

Possible Issues: Taxes, the budget, public banking

Local Races That Benefit: City Council and legislative races, County Assessors

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Local Green Party Chapter Ideas

Did you miss the list of Local Chapter Ideas from Laura Lockwood (GP of the Mid-Columbia) in our last Newsletter? If so, click here to review.

Be Seen Being Green!

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Local Chapter News

Come meet other Greens and find out how you can promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your local government!

Green Party of Seattle

This chapter recently reorganized membership meetings to the first Tuesday of the month, 6-8 PM in Seattle. Find out more at GPSEA.org or check out their Facebook page for meeting details. All Greens, as well as friends and allies for sustainability, are welcome to attend. Input and volunteers are needed! GPSEA is supporting the Seattle Die-In with allies for health as a human right to be staged in Seattle on January 9, 2020:

Also, this April 2020 marks the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, and GPSEA plans to host a fun and educational community event on Saturday April 18th with a ‘Climate Action’ theme! Please contact Alice B Green for more info and to get involved.

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

This chapter generally meets on the 2^nd Thursday of the month at the home of Frank & Laura Lockwood, 118 Rachel Rd, Kennewick, WA at 7pm. Everyone interested in the Green Party is welcome. Check out their new Website, find them on Facebook at Green Party of the Mid-Columbia, and join the discussion at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia.

South Sound Greens (Green Party of South Puget Sound)

This chapter is very active supporting youth working for climate change, homeless issues, and actively supporting local candidates for office. Please contact Noah Martin for information on meetings and other activities, and check out their Facebook group for updates.

In October 2019 the South Sound Greens hosted Green Party Presidential candidates Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins. See below for a link to the videos!

Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula

Charles Law is working to form an active local chapter on the Olympic Peninsula. For more info and to get involved, email Charles or join their Facebook discussion group at Green Party Olympic Peninsula.

Green Party of Snohomish County

Snohomish County has changed their monthly meeting to a Zoom meeting usually on the 1^st Monday of the month. For more info, check out their Facebook discussion group or email Kathryn.

Green Party of Whatcom County

For more information, join their Facebook discussion group at Green Party of Whatcom County.

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Presidential Meet & Greet featuring Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins

In case you missed it, Green Party Presidential candidates Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins visited Olympia WA in October 2019.

Click here to watch videos of Q&A with the candidates.

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in getting involved with our Tech Team or helping with Social Media? Please email to let us know!

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, and we need a Volunteer Coordinator to get them connected, directed and organized!

The Volunteer Coordinator will:

1. Develop with each GPWA committee and work group a task list for their group of volunteers
2. Educate people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
3. Assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to be successful
4. Encourage member use of the volunteer form and use this information to connect volunteer members with committees and work groups in their areas of interest and skills

If you are interested in being a Volunteer Coordinator or working on a Volunteer Committee, please contact Jody Grage.

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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 to request being appointed to a GPUS committee.

---

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

(Views expressed in Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the Green Party of Washington State. Please note that letters may be edited for content, grammar and length. Letters should be signed by the person submitting the letter.)

---

No letters received this time! Where are you? Hopefully you were busy enjoying the Holidays with friends and family!! -Kathryn

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Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Mary Ellen Knoop – Facilitator, GP Tahoma (Pierce County)

Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP Whatcom County

Lisa Canar – Deputy Treasurer, GP Seattle

Charles Law – Member at Large, GP Olympic Peninsula

Jody Grage – Member at Large, GP Seattle

Kathryn Lewandowsky – Member at Large, GP Snohomish County

Richard Redick – Member at Large, GP Mid-Columbia

Alice Green – Local chapter representative, GP Seattle

Noah Martin – Local chapter representative, South Sound Greens

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each chapter on the State Coordinating Council. We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

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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.

---

We hope to publish this newsletter every other month on the odd months. Send your Newsletter submissions to GPWAnewsletter@gmail.com.

Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA  98127

 #WeAreGreen

Bi-Monthly Newsletter of The Green Party of Washington

Volume 2, Issue 6

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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.

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OUR NEWSLETTER HAS A NEW NAME!

Here are the poll results copied from the Opavote.com website. We had a total of 15 votes when the poll was closed on October 19, 2019.

The winner is “The Evergreen”. 

Check out OpaVote.com to see how you can use their software for your next chapter election!

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Green Party of Washington Fall Gathering – Saturday November 9, 2019 in Seattle!

Join the Green Party of Washington for our Fall Gathering!

Meet Green Party supporters from across the State!

Saturday, November 9th, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

We will be meeting at:

IntraSpace
3100 Airport Way South, Suite 24-108
Seattle, WA 98134
(at the north end of the old Rainier Brewery, behind the Tully’s)

We hope all local chapters will send representatives to attend this statewide Gathering of Greens.

Registration will be on a sliding scale. No one will be turned away due to financial hardship.

Sign up to attend here!

All Green Party supporters are welcome, regardless of membership status or level of activity.

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Green Party Campaign School

The Pacific Green Party of Oregon will co-sponsor a Campaign School with the Green Party of Washington in January or February of 2020. It will take place in Vancouver, WA. We are looking for a few volunteers in Southwest Washington State (or nearby) who are willing to help organize this event. Please email us if you are interested!

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Global Climate Strike

In September our chapters were busy supporting Climate Strike activities around the state! 

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia took part in the Global Strike for Climate Action during the week of September 20-27, 2019:

Green Party of Snohomish County was proud to support 350 Everett with their Die-In at the Snohomish County Courthouse Plaza on September 20^th, the day of the Climate Strike!

The South Sound Greens showed up at the Washington State Capitol on September 20^th to support the Youth Climate Strike:

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Local Chapter organizing

Here are some ideas that Laura Lockwood from the GP of the Mid-Columbia sent in for suggestions for Local Chapter activities. She states, “These are some ideas to share. Some we have done or are doing or plan on doing. I am wondering what other ideas different WA chapters have come up with.”  (Now that sounds like a challenge to me)

[ ] Have these ready to answer when people ask.

[ ] “What is the Green Party?”

[ ] “How many members do you have?” (Use worldwide numbers + growing).

[ ] “What things do you do?/have you done?”

[ ] Make a notebook of photos & notes of things your chapter has done.

[ ] Order pens, pins, cards to use as giveaways for interested people.

[ ] Create business cards with your GP logo and contact info. for your members. $10 membership fee will get you some discounted cards at Vistaprint.

[ ] Wear GP pins/hats/shirts when shopping or running errands. Carry a few cards in your purse/wallet to give to interested persons.

[ ] Put together folders with fliers and info for each new member who attends your meeting to take with them.

[ ] When new members will be attending your meeting, set out info, snacks on table for them.

[ ] Don’t just have meetings, hold occasional social events/activities also. It helps keep interest and attendance up.

[ ] Talk to people in the grocery line about their day. Show interest (wearing GP pin/hat). It gives a good impression of the GP and may start a conversation about it – if it does, hand out card and give them your name, invite them.

[ ] Make small/med. sized table tent sign. Put together a few items (fliers, giveaways, etc.)  to hand out. Wear some GP items and go have coffee somewhere where there’s a lot of people. Or take a fellow GP member with you and go visit coffee shops in neighboring towns in your area. Set the table tent sign up. Smile and greet anyone who looks your way or talks to you. Hand out a pen or card or something to someone who shows interest.  Listen to distant conversations for talk about the Green Party. Get yourself noticed. Give people some reason to talk positively about you.

[ ] Send out a handwritten, personal invitation to a GP social event to members who are not active. Make handmade invitations at a meeting.

[ ] Take an inventory of your members interests and put them to work doing what they enjoy most.

[ ] Think creatively, outside the box. Don’t be afraid to be outlandish. You’ll get noticed.

[ ] Make a list of online event calendars in your town and the smaller surrounding towns, also newspapers, TV stations, radio stations, reader boards, etc. When you plan an event inform everyone on the list you think would welcome the news.

[ ] Take photos of every event you do. Print them up and put them in the chapter notebook for new members to see.

[ ] Design and create a banner for your chapter. Put it up at events and outside at meetings.

[ ] Make GP wallet cards with 10 key values and 4 pillars. Possibly laminate them. Use for handouts.

[ ] Have pins made that say “Ask me about the Green Party”.

Be Seen Being Green!

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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 2^nd Thursday of the month at the home of Frank & Laura Lockwood, 118 Rachel Rd, Kennewick, WA at 7pm. Everyone interested in the Green Party is welcome. Check out their new Website, find them on Facebook at Green Party of the Mid-Columbia, and join the discussion at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia.

South Sound Greens (Green Party of South Puget Sound)

Recently the South Sound Greens hosted Green Party Presidential candidates Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins for a joint Presidential meet and greet. See below for the full article and videos!

The South Sound Greens are supporting Helen Wheatley for Port of Olympia. Remember to vote and turn in your ballots by November 5th!

Please contact Noah Martin for information on meetings and other activities, and check out their Facebook group for updates.

Green Party of the Olympic Peninsula

Charles Law and Jody Grage recently attended a Naomi Klein event in Seattle and distributed Green Party fliers showing the differences between the Democratic Party’s watered down green new deal and the original Green New Deal from GPUS. The information was very well received by attendees. For more info and to get involved, email Charles or join their Facebook discussion group at Green Party Olympic Peninsula.

Green Party of Snohomish County

Snohomish County has changed their monthly meeting to a Zoom meeting usually on the 1^st Monday of the month. For more info, please email Kathryn.

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 a candidate for Bellingham city council! Please remember to vote and turn in your ballot by November 5th! Visit his website or Facebook page for more information.

Green Party of Seattle

This chapter is reorganizing. Please contact Jody Grage for more info and to get involved!

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Presidential Meet & Greet featuring Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins

Recently the South Sound Greens hosted Green Party Presidential candidates Dario Hunter and Howie Hawkins for a joint Presidential meet and greet! Attendees enjoyed informative Q&A with the candidates and heard about their ecosocialist platforms and visions for change.

Click here to watch videos of Q&A with the candidates.

Dario Hunter is a member of the Youngstown, Ohio Board of Education, a former environmental lawyer, former teacher, and an anti-fracking activist. Black, openly gay, the son of an Iranian immigrant and Jewish, The New Republic has called Hunter “as diverse as candidates come.” As an ordained rabbi, Hunter has attracted national and international attention for his stance against Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people. His campaign advocates for an eco-socialist Green New Deal that will transition the country to 100% renewable energy, and his Green Path Forward aims to bridge international divides to save our planet. Hunter’s platform covers everything from single-payer universal healthcare to ending privatization in our school districts and includes a ‘People of Color Bill of Rights’ to tackle the many ways People of Color continue to experience unequal treatment.

Howie Hawkins is the original Green New Dealer, the first US candidate to campaign for a Green New Deal in 2010. This original Green New Deal would create an economic democracy based on social ownership and democratic administration of key sectors of the economy, allowing the transformation to 100% clean renewable energy with zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. He is also one of the original Greens in the United States, having participated in the first national meeting to organize a US Green Party in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the Green Party’s candidate for governor of New York in 2010, 2014, and 2018, each time he received enough votes to qualify the Green Party for a ballot line for the next four years. In 2014, he received 5 percent of the vote, the most for an independent progressive party candidate for governor in New York history, except for Socialist candidates who received 5.7% in 1918 and 5.6% in 1920. (Howie has just received the nomination of the Socialist Party USA for 2020.)

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How GPWA participates in the nomination of the Green Party Presidential Candidate

By Jody Grage, GPWA Coordinating Council and Campaign Committee

From GPWA Bylaws:

Section 5.2     Nominations

1. Nominations for President and Vice President – The nominees of the Green Party of the United States, or its successor organization, for President and Vice President of the United States, shall automatically be the nominees of the Green Party of Washington State for those offices, and shall have their names placed on the Green Party of Washington State’s ballot line.

Process for awarding GPUS Presidential Nominating Convention delegates

Each GPUS presidential candidate or their representative is invited to speak at the Green Party of Washington Spring Gathering (State Party Convention) in the presidential election year.

Ballots and candidate statements will be emailed (or postal mailed to members without email addresses) within one week after the Convention and returned ballots must be sent by email or postal mail no later than 21 days after the close of the convention. Candidates will be awarded Presidential Nominating Convention delegates proportionally using the Gregory method of single transferable vote.

Additional information:

GPWA delegates/alternates pledge to vote proportionally as above on the first ballot and may vote as they choose on subsequent ballots.

GPWA Presidential Nominating Convention delegates and alternates are usually elected at the Spring Gathering in the election year, with those who will be able to raise the money to attend the combined Annual National Meeting (Th-Fri) and Presidential Nominating Convention (Sat-Sun) putting themselves forward as candidates. The 2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention will take place July 9-12, 2020 at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.

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GPWA Current Issues on our website from the Media Committee!

Please see our Current Issues webpage at https://greenpartywashington.org/current-issues/ 

We encourage you to use this webpage as a resource and 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. 

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Interested in getting involved with our Tech Team or helping with Social Media? Please email to let us know!

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:

1. Develop with GPWA committees and working groups a task list for their volunteers
2. Remind people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
3. Assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to help them be successful
4. 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 being a 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 to request being appointed to a GPUS committee.

---

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Views expressed in Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the Green Party of Washington State. Please note that letters may be edited for content, grammar and length. Letters should be signed by the person submitting the letter.

Hi everyone,

     I just wanted to say I really appreciate all the letters to the editor that have been coming in. Please keep them coming! I received this from [name removed] and initially was unsure whether to print it or not. Although I can certainly understand their frustration regarding receiving a bill like this, my understanding is that it represents income which would have been generated for road maintenance that is currently collected from gas taxes. Electric vehicles are not paying those taxes, and so I understood this fee is to replace road use taxes. So even though EV drivers are definitely doing the right thing for the environment, they are still impacting the roads. I think this is a good discussion.  How do we now pay for that road maintenance in a fair and equitable manner as we all move to EV that are much better for the environment? Please send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions. -Kathryn

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Dear Green Party of Washington State,

We were STUNNED and MORTIFIED to open the annual registration bill for our 2015, Chevy Spark this week. $338.00 bill.

The State of WA is charging us an EXTRA $225.00, compared to the gas engine vehicles!!!

This is WRONG, we should be paying the same or LESS for doing the RIGHT THING, giving up our gas vehicles.

Governor Jay Inslee “pitches” how he’s for electric vehicles but really…….NOT.

– [name removed]

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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 1^st and 3^rd 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

Volume 2, Issue 5 – September 2019

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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.

---

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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

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*** SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR ANNUAL FALL GATHERING. IT IS BEING PLANNED FOR SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9^TH, 2019 AND WILL BE IN THE SEATTLE AREA. WATCH FOR FUTURE E-BLASTS WITH DETAILS! ***

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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.

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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

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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

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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!

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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 2^nd 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 1^st 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 26^th 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!

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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:

1. Develop with GPWA committees and working groups a task list for their volunteers
2. Remind people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
3. Assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to help them be successful
4. 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.

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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

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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

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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 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

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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

Volume 2, Issue 4 – July 2019

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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.

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OUR NEWSLETTER NEEDS A NAME!

Please email us your recommendations for a name for our bi-Monthly Newsletter, and our State Coordinating Council will choose the best one!

We have one suggestion so far: “A Splash of Green!”

Any others out there? Send us an e-mail with your suggestion!

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Presidential Candidate Dario Hunter visits Seattle

Green Party presidential candidate Dario Hunter recently visited Seattle on his west coast #BuildingBridges tour. Several activists from the Green Party of Seattle were able to attend and meet this highly talented and articulate candidate, whose platform includes protecting civil rights and workers rights, providing a quality public education — with a genuine voice for communities — and securing a healthy environment for future generations.

If you missed his talk, here’s our live stream video to watch and share. You can also check out his website and Facebook page for more info!

Under Green Party rules, presidential campaigns need 100 signatures of party members to qualify for recognition. If you support Dario’s run for the Green Party nomination, please indicate so on this official Green Party form. (You may sign for up to 4 candidates.)

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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 Southwest Washington

Visit the GPSWWA Facebook page or contact Bob Cone to find out more about chapter meetings.

Green Party of Snohomish County

Snohomish County has changed their monthly meeting to a Zoom meeting, usually held on the 1^st Monday of the month. This meeting is followed by a movie night later in the month. Their June movie was Big Pharma: Market Failure shown at the Everett 1st Presbyterian Church — a great place to have a movie, but not very many people. 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 the Mid-Columbia

This chapter generally meets on the 3^rd Thursday of the month. Their July meeting will be held at a local member’s home. Check out their Facebook page Green Party of the Mid-Columbia or their discussion group at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia for details on upcoming meetings.

Green Party of South Puget Sound

GPSPS will be holding a local Candidate Forum and Picnic on July 13, 2019 and their regular monthly meeting on July 17th. 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 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!

Green Party of Seattle

The Transit Riders Union has made endorsements in several key Seattle City Council district races. Visit their website or Facebook page to learn more about these candidates and how to support their campaigns.

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Upcoming Events

TOWN HALL SEATTLE HOSTS 24-HOUR LIVE READING OF THE MUELLER REPORT

On July 19, more than 100 local actors, journalists, politicians, and community leaders will take over Town Hall’s Forum stage for a complete reading of the Mueller Report. Members of the Seattle theater community (Brian Faker; Sarah Harlett; Carl Sander) are partnering with Town Hall for a continuous, marathon reading of the entire 448-page Mueller report. It will take more than 100 readers a total of 24 hours (July 19, 8pm – July 20, 8pm) to present the report as-is, redactions and footnotes included. When asked to comment on the decision to present the un-editorialized report, Harlett noted: “This is not meant to be a dramatization of the report’s findings. We wish to bring the power of the human voice to an essential document that provides invaluable information about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the response of President Trump to that interference and the investigations it set in motion.” The reading is non-partisan, non- dramatized and is not intended as a commentary on Robert Mueller, his team, the report, or its findings.

The reading will take place in Town Hall’s newly renovated Forum space (formerly known as Downstairs). All members of the public are invited to attend. No registration is required, admission is free for all, and guests can come and go as they see fit throughout the 24-hour period. Donations will be accepted at the door, and all profits will be donated to the Seattle chapter of the ACLU. Voter registration will also be available onsite throughout the reading.

More about this event can be found here.

Remember to Be Seen Being Green!

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

GPWA IS LOOKING FOR A FEW VOLUNTEERS FOR 2019 TO HELP MOVE US INTO THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE IN A STRONGER POSITION WITHIN OUR STATE AND TO HELP GREEN CANDIDATES WIN SOME POTENTIAL OFFICES.

Campaign Committee – Research Coordinator

The GPWA Campaign Committee is looking for a Research Coordinator!

The 2019 and 2020 election seasons are upon us and the Campaign Committee is preparing to make good use of them – despite massive efforts of the corporate parties and the media to get in our way.

Our goal is to have a Research Coordinator develop a system that can be passed onto volunteers at the local level, to become a resource for each chapter in evaluating potential Green opportunities for local candidates.

If you are interested in helping with Campaign Committee research or working with a campaign research group, please contact Jody Grage.

GPWA Volunteer Coordinator

GPWA is 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:

1. Develop with GPWA committees and working groups goals and objectives for their group of volunteers
2. Educate people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
3. Assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to help them be successful
4. 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.

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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!

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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 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

Volume 2, Issue 3 – May 2019

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Welcome to your new Green Party of Washington State bi-monthly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

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SPRING GATHERING 2019 REPORT

The day started with a warm welcome from Mary Ellen Knoop, our State Coordinating Council Co-Facilitator. Margot Faubion from Green Party of Southwest Washington then reviewed recent updates to the Green Party website and solicited ideas and suggestions for further improvements.

Claude Ginsburg from GP of Seattle gave a presentation and led a discussion regarding work that the Campaign Committee had done with hopes of banding together Greens from around the state to volunteer and support 1 or 2 campaigns in order to better help them get elected in 2019 and 2020.

We watched/listened to 3 different Workshop/Webinars during the day that can all be found at GPUS.org under the Coordinated Campaign Committee (CCC) page: gpus.org/committees/coordinated-campaign/ccc-webinars. The GPUS CCC actually has quite a variety of Webinars available for GP members to view in order to help candidates run their campaigns effectively. Below are the links to the ones that we watched and discussed.

• The Highest Office in the Land
• Election Debriefing from GPUS
• Electoral Politics as a Means of Building the Green Party

We also shared a “Costco” lunch of sandwiches, salads, chips, veggies and fruit before commencing our business meeting.

Mary Ellen did a quick review of the work done by the State Coordinating Council (SCC) over the past year.

There was a lot of discussion of our one bylaws amendment presented by Claude Ginsburg. Although the proposed amendment did get a majority of votes, 62%; it needed 70% and therefore it did not pass.

We nominated members for the 2019 SCC and National GPUS Delegates and Alternates. If you are a member you should have received your ballot with candidate bios in a separate e-mail. Those ballots need to be returned by May 18, 2019 either on-line or postmarked by that date and mailed.

Jody Grage led the final workshop — Electoral Politics as a Means of Building the Green Party.

Finally, we ended the day discussing Jody’s thoughts on “Volunteer Economy”.

All in all, it was a great day of learning and camaraderie. If you were not able to be there, we missed you and we hope that you can make the next one!

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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 Southwest Washington

Contact Margot Faubion to find out more about where and when future meetings will be held. You can email her at Margot@greenpartywashington.org

Snohomish County Green Party

Snohomish County has changed their monthly meeting to a Zoom meeting, usually held on the 1^st Monday of the month. This meeting will be followed by a movie night later in the month. Our May movie will be on Monday, May 20^th at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201 from 5:30PM-8PM. We will be showing Fahrenheit 11/9.  For more info please contact Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

Their chapter meets usually on the 3^rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library. Check out their Facebook group at Green Party Friends of the Mid-Columbia to find out more details regarding upcoming meetings.

The Green Party of South Puget Sound

Please contact Noah Martin for information on activities of this local chapter at noahtimmartin@gmail.com. You may also check out their Facebook group at facebook.com/groups/gpsps

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Upcoming Events

Snohomish County Green Party Movie Night! Monday, May 20^th Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA from 5:30 PM-8PM.

Get to know your Olympic Peninsula Green Party! Thursday May 30th, 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM at the FinnRiver Farm & Cidery, 124 Center Rd, Chimacum. Food and drink available. Come early to order refreshments and pizza!  For more info: Jody Grage, GPWA Chapter Coordinator – jody@greenpartywashington.org

Meet the Green Party of Kittitas County! Thursday June 6th, 6:30-8:30 PM at The 1891 Bistro, 807 N Walnut St on the Central Washington campus in Ellensburg.  For more info: Sarah Syverson – SarahSyverson413@gmail.com

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

GPWA IS LOOKING FOR A FEW VOLUNTEERS FOR 2019 TO HELP MOVE US INTO THE 2020 ELECTION CYCLE IN A STRONGER POSITION WITHIN OUR STATE AND TO HELP GREEN CANDIDATES WIN SOME POTENTIAL OFFICES.

Campaign Committee – Research Coordinator

The GPWA Campaign Committee is looking for a Research Coordinator!

The 2019 and 2020 election seasons are upon us and the Campaign Committee is preparing to make good use of them – despite massive efforts of the corporate parties and the media to get in our way.

Our goal is to have a Research Coordinator develop a system that can be passed onto volunteers at the local level and who can then become a resource for each local in evaluating potential green opportunities for local candidates.

If you are interested in being the GPWA Campaign Committee Research Coordinator or working with a Campaign Research working group, please contact Jody Grage at jody@greenpartywashington.org.

GPWA Volunteer Coordinator

GPWA is 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:

1. Develop with GPWA committees and working groups goals and objectives for their group of volunteers
2. Educate people in the GPWA database of the needs and opportunities to serve in the Green Party of Washington
3. assist the committees and work groups in finding the human resources to help them be successful
4. 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 contact Jody Grage at jody@greenpartywashington.org.

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GPWA WEBSITE UPDATE!

We are continuing to update the GPWA website. Members may now renew their memberships and choose to pay their dues annually or make a monthly donation to GPWA. You can see the new changes here: https://www.gp-wa.org/membership_gpwa.

And we now have a “members” page for info pertinent to our members. From there we also have a link to our local chapters. From this link you can view your chapter’s page and join or renew your membership to your chapter. This will make it much easier for local chapters to maintain memberships without having to deal with a lot of paperwork. Currently we have a Snohomish County Chapter page and are looking to add pages for the other local chapters soon.

The media content committee is also working on updating our Website to be more current and user friendly. If you’d like help with this project and be a part of the media content committee you can e-mail Margot Faubion at Margot@greenpartywashington.org.

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OUR NEWSLETTER NEEDS A NAME!

Please send any recommendations for a name for our bi-Monthly Newsletter to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com and we’ll have the SCC choose the best suggestion!

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GPUS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help them to achieve their goals. Members don’t have to be an elected delegate to the National Committee to serve on many of these committees. You can go to gpus.org/committees to find out more about all these and see where you might be able to lend your talents.

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Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members:

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

Local Chapter Reps:

Margot Faubion – GP SWWA

Noah Martin – GP South Puget Sound

Liam Turnmire – GP Spokane County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Council! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

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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.

We hope to publish this newsletter every other month on the odd months

Send your Newsletter submissions to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com

Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA  98127

#WeAreGreen

Volume 2, Issue 2 – March 2019

Upcoming Events

Spring Gathering of Greens

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum & Hall

20722- 67^th Ave NE, Arlington, WA  98223

(see below for more info!)

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Welcome to your new Green Party of Washington State bi-monthly newsletter. If you have information to submit for the Newsletter, please send it to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

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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 government!

Green Party of SW Washington

GP-SWWA held its annual reorganization meeting in Vancouver on January 19th. Contact Margot Faubion to find out more about where and when future meetings will be held. You can email her at Margot@greenpartywashington.org.

Snohomish County Green Party

Come join us at our Monthly Meetings the first Monday of each month at the Everett Public Library. 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA  98201. 6PM-8PM. Our last meeting was snowed out, but we did get a chance to tinker with having a Zoom meeting which we may be doing more of in the future. For more info you can contact Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

Green Party of the Mid-Columbia

This chapter meets usually on the 3^rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library. You can contact Maricela Sanchez at Maricela.sgr@gmail.com for more information.

Green Party of South Puget Sound

GPSPS recently held its reorganization meetings. Please contact Noah Martin for information on this local chapter at noahtimmartin@gmail.com.

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SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR UPCOMING

SPRING GATHERING OF GREENS!!

WHEN – SATURDAY, APRIL 27^TH, 2019

TIME – WE HAVE THE HALL FROM 9 AM TO 9 PM, TIMES & AGENDA TO COME SOON

PLACE – STILLAGUAMISH VALLEY PIONEER HALL, 20722 67^TH AVE. NE, ARLINGTON, WA 98223

REGISTRATION WILL INCLUDE LUNCH, SO IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO REGISTER IN ADVANCE!

WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE SEVERAL WORKING SESSIONS DESIGNED TO BUILD THE PARTY IN WASHINGTON! PLENTY OF PARKING AND WE HOPE TO HAVE A SHUTTLE FROM SMOKEY POINT TRANSIT CENTER.

More info to come soon!

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GPWA VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Campaign Committee – Research Coordinator

The GPWA Campaign Committee is looking for a Research Coordinator!

The 2019 and 2020 election seasons are upon us and the Campaign Committee is preparing to make good use of them – despite massive efforts of the corporate parties and the media to get in our way.

Our goal is to have a Research Coordinator develop a system that can be passed onto volunteers at the local level and which will then become a resource for each local chapter in evaluating potential green opportunities for local candidates.

If you are interested in being the GPWA Campaign Committee Research Coordinator or working with a Campaign Research working group, please contact Jody Grage at jody@greenpartywashington.org.

GPWA Volunteer Coordinator     

Stay tuned… We will be announcing a new Volunteer Coordinator opportunity in our next newsletter!

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GPWA WEB PAGE UPDATE!

We recently made updates to our GPWA website. Members may now renew their memberships and choose to pay their dues annually or make a monthly donation to the GP of WA. You can see the new changes here http://www.gp-wa.org/membership.

The media content committee is also working on updating our Website to be more user friendly, adding the ability of members to join their local chapters from our GPWA website, and building a “member’s only” section. Stay tuned for details on that update. If you’d like help with this project and be a part of the media content committee you can e-mail Margot Faubion at Margot@greenpartywashington.org.

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GPUS News

There are several Green Party National Committees that should have a representative from the Green Party of WA and currently need a WA Liaison. Complete information about each committee can be found at the links provided below.

PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SUPPORT COMMITTEE – – https://gpus.org/committees/presidential-campaign-support/

The Mission of the Presidential Campaign Support Committee includes-

– prepare and administer an exploratory/outreach plan to potential candidates seeking the GPUS Presidential nomination

– represent the GPUS in coordinating communication with candidates seeking the GPUS Presidential nomination

– voting membership of the committee consists of Green Party members from the various state parties and caucuses approved to serve by their state party or caucus.

– Each state party and caucus may have as many voting members on the committee as delegates to the Nat. Comm., or as many as three voting members, whichever is greater

– meets via Conference calls: once a month and then twice a month as the election gets closer

BALLOT ACCESS COMMITTEE (BAC) – STATE LIAISON – https://gpus.org/committees/ballot-access/

– works to assist Greens in achieving ballot access through petitioning and other initiatives, lobbying initiatives, and legal initiatives.

-works in conjunction with state and local parties, Green candidates, outside organizations, and other GPUS committees and in coalition with national and regional ballot access and works to expand the Ten Key Values of the Green Party.

Voting Membership: Up to three members from each state party or various caucus. Must be approved to serve by their state party or caucus.

Conference calls: First and Third Thursdays 8:00 pm ET

COORDINATED CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE (CCC) – STATE LIAISON – https://gpus.org/committees/coordinated-campaign/

– a standing committee of the GPUS that cooperates with state and local chapters in the support of federal, state, and local Green Party electoral campaigns

– CURRENT WORK: Training for candidates and campaigns, financial support to candidates. In person campaign-school trainings in collaboration with state Green Parties.

– Membership: 10 elected voting members.

The GPUS CCC works with a pool of CCC Associates; these include one liaison from each affiliated state party not already represented on the CCC. State Liaisons may participate in CCC discussions and meetings as needed but are not regular voting members.

YOU CAN BE A NATIONAL CHAMPION FOR THE GREEN PARTY OF THE US AND REPRESENT THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. CONTACT THE GPWA STATE COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR MORE INFO:

–>> Email us: hello@greenpartywashington.org

There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help achieve their goals.  Members do not have to be elected delegates to the National Committee to serve on many of these GPUS committees. You can go to https://gpus.org/committees/ to find out more about all these opportunities and see where you might be able to lend your talents!

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Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members:

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

Maricela Sanchez – Secretary, GP Mid-Columbia

Jody Grage – Member at Large, GP Seattle

Margot Faubion – Member at Large, GP SWWA

Local Chapter Reps:

Noah Martin – GP South Puget Sound

Liam Turnmire – GP Spokane County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Committee! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of each month.

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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

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The End!

But wait! No, it’s not! Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com.

There’s plenty of room for more!

We hope to publish this newsletter every other month on the Odd Months

Green Party of Washington State, PO Box 70493, Seattle, WA  98127

#WeAreGreen

Welcome to your new Green Party of Washington Newsletter! We’re still working on an easy way for people to submit news for the Newsletter. For now you can send it to GPWANewsletter@gmail.com

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Report from the Fall Gathering 2018

Saturday, November 10th 
2018 GPWA Fall Gathering Review
by Mary Ellen Knoop

Our first Fall Gathering in several years went well.  It was held at The Pasta Company in Ellensburg, WA.  Although the attendance was less than we had hoped, there was representation from most of the state and it was well worth the time to be there and show our support for the impressive growth of the Green Party in Eastern Washington.  The restaurant itself was crowded; it is obviously a popular place in Ellensburg but the room was perfect for our size group with good food, great service and they even had a good film screen for us to use.

We had a wonderful presentation by FairVote WA where they clarified Ranked Choice Voting beautifully.  They are more than willing to send at least one of their members to any group and share their slide presentation.  Great for a local chapter GP meeting!  Boot Camp was great too with plenty of information to help new chapters get organized.  We were also able to hear from Stoney Bird on things he and his campaign team learned from his campaign for Congress in CD 2.  The rest of the program was interesting and informative as well, including the Women’s Caucus plans to lobby for public funding of all campaigns in 2019.

I was surprised that with the day being so beautiful, more didn’t attend; OK, maybe that was why more didn’t attend.  We had about 17 people in attendance.  The location, being central, was to me a perfect choice, easily accessible to everyone.  The State Coordinating Committee really appreciated and enjoyed hearing from those who did attend on how we can grow the Green Party and help to best get our Green Party candidates elected.  Thank you to everyone who shared the day with us and to the Fall Gathering Committee for making it happen.

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Come meet other Greens and find out how you can help promote the presence of Green Values in your community and your government!

GREEN PARTY OF SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON
2019 Annual Membership Meeting

Join us to build a movement right here in SW Washington to put people and planet over profit. This is the Annual Membership Meeting where members elect Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer. We need everyone to come and share their enthusiasm and ideas.

Non-members may attend, but they cannot vote unless they join. Membership forms will be available. Please RSVP if you’re planning on attending.

Saturday, January 19, 2019
2 PM-4PM
Cascade Park Community Library
600 NE 136th Ave.
Vancouver, WA

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The Snohomish County Green Party had a Winter Coat Exchange on Black Friday. We were surprised at how many homeless people showed up and traded their worn out coats for donated newer coats. What we discovered though is that the supply of warm coats was not near enough to meet the needs of our homeless population. We also realized that there was a huge need for warm hats, gloves and socks! We’re hoping to be better prepared next year!

Come join us at our Monthly Meeting the first Monday of each month at the Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave, Everett, WA 98201. 6PM-8PM.

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The Green Party of the Mid-Columbia has been Planning for upcoming social events in Walla Walla and Yakima to recruit members. They are also actively working to find local boards, commissions and agencies that have empty seats. Their goal is to place their Green Party members on these boards in order to have a green presence in their community.

Javier Madrigal is applying to the Benton Clean Air Agency and Maricela Sanchez currently serves on the Historic Prosser Downtown Association. Their chapter meets usually on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Richland Library.

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The Green Party of South Puget Sound was very busy in December fighting for Safe Sleep in Olympia.

Thank you to everyone who showed up to support safe sleep in our community. We packed the courtroom and accomplished our goal of making our presence felt without any arrests or incidents. The judge even commented and thanked us for our participation. Thank you also to Lizzie Carp and Luke from DSA for co-organizing.

The court ruled AGAINST the plaintiffs’ motion for an injunction against the City of Olympia, stating that Olympia has a right to its legislative response to this emergency without court interference. What this means is that the City can continue to address this crisis with its limited means, including mitigation sites. The lawsuit will continue, probably to trial, but for now progress will not be stopped.

In one of the more compassionate and human actions I have seen in our so-called “justice” system, the court also ruled IN FAVOR of the motion to intervene by Phoenix Rae Tendw, making her party to the suit against the plaintiffs’ claims of nuisance.

What we need to do now is continue to build mutual aid networks, finding solutions as a community wherever we can. We must also continue to pressure the County, State, and surrounding cities to step up and face this regional emergency in partnership with Olympia, instead of pointing fingers and hiding from the consequences of inaction. So far, they have fallen short. For years now, the City of Olympia and surrounding communities have been struggling with the reverberations of a failed economic system: a housing crisis based in artificial housing shortages and stagnant wages. We have all been buffeted by precarity.

In this context, Olympia’s underhoused community has struggled with courage and dignity against impossible odds to secure their basic rights to survival. They have told their stories and occupied public space to mark their continued existence and humanity. The organizations and individuals that gathered today stand with these brave, persistent neighbors.

In its response and through multiple administrations, the government and the ruling class have not treated this crisis with the seriousness it deserves. This is why we find ourselves where we are today: inundated with more displaced people, unable to find solutions within the narrow, market-friendly paradigm in which our government operates. This insufficiency must end.

We must also urge the court to identify these plaintiffs so that unhoused people and their allies can take the necessary precautions to avoid and protect themselves against these neighbors who openly wish them harm, exposure, and possible death. The unconscionable words spoken by these plaintiffs’ attorney to block even the most basic first step for stability is now public record: the court even noted the charged political language in their statement, based on discrimination and myths like the “magnet city” hypothesis.

We believe that everyone in this community has a strong stake in the outcome of this case, not just the wealthiest individuals. In whichever way we can, in every space we can occupy, we should offer the testimony of workers, tenants, and especially unhoused people themselves to shed light on the actual circumstances facing the City of Olympia and its community.

In solidarity,
Noah Martin

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Did you know that there are many ways you can help the Green Party at a national level? There are many committees of GPUS that need people to help them to achieve their goals. And a person doesn’t have to be an elected delegate to the National Committee to serve on many of these committees. You can go to https://gpus.org/committees/ to find out more about all these and see where you might be able to lend your talents.

A new standing committee has just been formed that is currently in the process of looking for members.

Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC)  will provide educational materials to Green Party members and Green Party candidates, draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems, propose platform amendments when deemed necessary to support Green monetary policy, endorse organizations that advocate banking and monetary reform that agree with the Green Party policy and values, and promote actions advocating banking and monetary reform (established 12/12/2018). Here is more information about that committee.

The Green Party has approved the mission statement for a new standing committee, the Banking and Monetary Reform Committee (BMRC). We are inviting state parties and caucuses to appoint new members to the committee. Members from at least 5 states or caucuses are required for the committee to be recognized formally as a standing committee.

An understanding of our national monetary and banking systems, as well as the monetary history that gave rise to our present institutions, is critical for representatives and voters in a democracy. The present debt-based monetary system is the major contributor to adverse economic conditions, the increasing wealth disparity, and systemic paralysis in responding to climate change. However, this debt-based monetary system is not included in the curriculum of high schools and undergraduate studies at colleges and universities.

As part of its mission statement the new committee plans to provide educational materials to members and candidates of the Green Party. These educational materials will include informational material about our current monetary system and the Green Party platform on the monetary reform necessary for long term funding of programs in the Green Party’s comprehensive plan for the future. This monetary transformation will enable all citizens to have access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education, without our governments and people being ensnared by debt.

The Banking and Monetary Reform Committee will also draft Green Party position statements and press releases with respect to pending or new legislation or events affecting banking and monetary systems.

Greens who would like to assist in this effort will be able to join the BMRC by requesting their state parties or caucuses to approve them as members of the committee. Authorized officers of the state party or caucus must inform the temporary co-chairs of the committee and the GPUS secretary of the appointment. The name and email address of the representative should be sent to BMRC@gp.org and also to the GPUS secretary, Jody Grage, secretary@gp.org.

Rita Jacobs
Howard Switzer
Temporary Co-chairs, BMRC

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Green Party of Washington Coordinating Committee Local Chapter Reps 

Alice Whittington – GP of Seattle
Liam Turnmire – GP of Spokane
Scott Thompson – Whatcom County GP
Maricela Sanchez – GP of the Mid-Columbia
Margot Faubion – GP of SW Washington
Noah Martin – GP of South Puget Sound
Kathryn Lewandowsky – GP of Snohomish County

Don’t see your chapter represented? Give us a holler. Our goal is to have an elected representative from each local on the State Coordinating Committee! We have a conference call at 7 PM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month.

Together we can accomplish so much more!
Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you!

The End! But wait! No it’s not! Send in your pictures, stories and ideas to Kathryn at GPWANewsletter@gmail.com There’s plenty of room for more!

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Galloping Greens (Temporary nickname)
January 2019 Bimonthly Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue I

Green Party of WA State Coordinating Council

Elected Members at large:
Scott Thompson – Treasurer, GP of Whatcom County
Deputy Treasurer – Vacant
Maricela Sanchez -Secretary, GP of Mid-Columbia
Mary Ellen Knoop – Co-facilitator
Kathryn Lewandowsky – Cofacilitator, GP of Sno Co
Jody Grage – Member at Large
Margot Faubion – GP of SW WA
Noah Martin – GP of SPS
Alice Whittington – GP of Seattle
Liam Turnmire – GP of Spokane

We’re looking for a Volunteer Coordinator
Approx. 6 hrs/wk
Basic Database skills
For more information contact Jody@greenpartywashington.org

Find us on social media at:

https://twitter.com/GreenPartyWA
https://www.facebook.com/GreenPartyWA/