Statement of the Ecology Caucus.

• Author: Salzman, Lorna
• Position: Election 2004: Green Analyses

As members of the Ecology Caucus of the national Green Party of the US, we believe US Greens have grounds for optimism. Among the known particulars are:

* A growing number of established state Green Parties, including 23 with ballot lines;

* A strong challenge to the Democrat/Republican power structure by Ralph Nader;

* The steady movement of Democrats to the extreme right;

* New campus Green organizations in formation across the country.

These have the potential momentum we need to shed the tag of "third party" and encourage many to regard the Greens as the "second-party-in-waiting." Our "outsider" status means we can promote policies without diluting our message or our principles.

However, we see a problem. The perception of many, and that of our caucus, is that the US Greens lack a central message that, by its vigorous content and persuasiveness, can help us move from a marginalized also-ran or gadfly to a major, viable and competitive American political party. Until this message is expressed clearly we will be showered with the "spoiler" epithet in every election campaign.

We believe that the original meaning of the word Green, pertaining to Nature, ecology and the environment, needs to be restored and the identification of our party with these concepts made unambiguous. It was for this reason that we formed the Ecology Caucus.

The word "Green" is perceived worldwide as synonymous with a commitment to protect and preserve the natural world, its resources, species, biotic communities and ecosystems. Certainly this is true regarding Green parties in other countries, where Greens are often the lone voice for the environment heard in foreign parliaments and the media. Since the 1980s in Western Europe and the 1970s in New Zealand, Greens have assumed the leadership on issues such as genetic engineering, Mad Cow Disease, nuclear power and climate change as well as on a wide range of social and economic themes, most of which derive their significance from the diverse ecological crises facing the planet.

We of the Ecology Caucus recognize that this potent issue of environmental activism based on ecological principles rings a bell with a majority of Americans, especially those alienated by the two major parties and specifically by the Democratic Party, which has put a price ceiling on a safe and healthful environment and which essentially reflects the views of the Republican party.

Unless and until the US Green Party endorses Ecology as its central tenet and philosophy we will remain a small voice in a wilderness of political strife and a small movement that could well collapse due to stratification and division.

This in no way denies that other issues--those of economic and social justice, the communities and movements of color, union workers, gays and lesbians, the traditional liberals, the Left or peace activists--are important; indeed these lay the groundwork for a livable world. They form the social components of that broad ecological paradigm...