About Us
Southwest Colorado Green Party was founded in 2000 as a local Dolores and Montezuma County affiliate to the Colorado and National Green Party. We have taken a leadership role in promoting grassroots democracy by sponsoring informational forums and panel discussions on important political, social, and environmental issues. Three Green party members have been elected to public office in Montezuma County. A registered Green currently sits on the Cortez City Council.
The Green Party of Colorado was established in 1992 by political activists to serve as a vehicle for progressive ideas and issues. Party members began to draft a political platform as a living document, including planks on health, energy, environment, restructuring employment, indigenous peoples, non-violence, social justice, technology, and transportation. Broad mission statements are offered for each of these topical areas, as are short and long-range goals for the advancement of these positions. These objectives are updated as needed, according to the bylaws of the party.
The Green party of Colorado became a Qualified Political Organization in 1994, when it allowed voters for the first time to register with the party. In 1995, the Green Party participated in a coalition of other minor political parties to reform ballot access laws in Colorado. The coalition succeeded in influencing changes in laws regarding candidate petition requirements, and also attained the right of minor political parties to place presidential and vice presidential candidates on the state ballot via a registration fee, as the major parties are allowed to do. This effort continued as the Voter Task Force evaluating alternative voting methods, led to the passage of HB 08-1378, which allows Colorado municipalities and special districts to use Instant Runoff Voting.
Locally, the Southwest Colorado Greens sponsor the annual High School Forum for candidates and public office holders. This event, open to all area High Schools, gives students up-close contact with the people in their government and the political process. The ongoing Cans For Youth project recycles aluminum cans and donates the money to area programs supporting youth. A subscription to Orion magazine has been donated to the Cortez Library every year since 2002. The winter solstice party and summer picnic are social gatherings to which the community is invited. We have also, sponsored specific issue forums on a wide range of subjects.
The Southwest Colorado Greens hold a general meeting on the third Wednesday of every month from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Our meeting location is at Cliffrose High Desert Gardens, 27885 Hwy 160, one mile east of Cortez. Visitors are welcome at all meetings.
Meeting notices are posted on this website, in local newspapers, and by email. If you would like to be included on the email list, let us know at swcogreens@mail.com Notices are kept to a minimum to reduce email glut, and sent “blind carbon copy” to protect privacy. Our mailing list is not shared with anyone, even like-minded groups.
Click the links for additional information about the national Green Party, gp.org, the Green Party of Colorado coloradogreens.org. Read about the 10 Key Values of the Green Party.
Latest Posting:
March/April 2009
Southwest Colorado Greens on Barack Obama
(As published in the Four Corners Free Press and the Cortez Journal)
SW CO Greens see Barack Obama’s presidency as a hopeful sign after two dismal terms of George W. Bush promoting arrogance, greed, and aggression. The possibility of mending international relationships, and having a government at home serving the common good rather than the elite, appears real.
We do not, however, see the Democratic Party as suddenly transforming itself. The track record is of an opposition party whose response to Bush policies was passive to the point of collusion. It hardly suggests that the Democrats, without a dynamic leader, have the will to take a new direction, particularly as corporate interests and influence did not leave with Bush.
President Obama’s election was a fortuitous aligning of elements at election time: a solid candidate, a faltering economy, a stumbling opponent, the Iraq war, and an unpopular incumbent. It is still profoundly encouraging that, in the United States, in a democratic election, there were considerations greater than our history of slavery and racial tension.
But the significance of the election may be less than it appears. Of the 52% of voters who went with Obama, some portion of them just want things to get back to normal. If that means unsustainable, consumer driven, unregulated capitalism, supported by a militaristic foreign policy, “change” will not happen. The commitment to create a new era of American responsibility and leadership cannot be borne by one person. Sustaining the momentum of Obama’s message will require mass dedication and effort, from all of us, over time.
As the economy is revived, limits on corporate and stockholder power must be put into place. It is not acceptable for our elected leaders to need huge amounts of campaign money, and then be expected to impartially regulate the sources of their largest contributions. As we extricate ourselves (too slowly!) from Iraq, a new doctrine for the use of military force must be determined. Afghanistan cannot simply become our new military, financial, and moral quagmire. As we address the environment, new standards for both personal, and institutional behavior must be established. As we look for our individual direction, short term gain must defer to a future common good.
There is a new ear in the White House which may be receptive. But with many trying to be heard, now is not the time for Greens to become complacent and “see how it goes.” It is the time to renew our efforts, and use the influence we can build on a local level, to affect the larger stage.
The Greens role is to continue to push for policies consistent with the 10 Key Values of the Green Party. These values include Grassroots Democracy, Decentralization, Social Justice, Community Based Economics, and Future Focus. They are more relevant than ever.