New Forum For Greens On The Internet

www.greenchange.com Shows Green Is A Way Of Life
By Pat LaMarche, Maine Green Independent Party

As Marnie Glickman, executive director of Green Change puts it, “We are finding new ways to have fun being Green, be creative being Green, and providing a place for others with values that are Green.” Green Change is a new organization and cyber meeting place for folks all across the country that share Green values. The address is www.greenchange.com.

People with Green values want to make a difference, but can’t always volunteer for the party or candidate campaigns; Green Change is an alternative. Glickman, a former co-chair of the Green Party of the United States, is a new mom. She said, “When my daughter is older, I will run for office. Until then, I want to help encourage people with Green values to act on them.” Glickman believes that political action is generated not just in political campaigns or party activities but also in “Green poetry, music, writing, parenting, business, humanitarian efforts and even Green recipes.”

Green Change builds a more vibrant Green culture that will fuel the Green political movement. It’s not that a person only writes Green poetry; it’s thank goodness for Green poetry. It’s not that a person only has an organic farm; it”s thank goodness for organic farming. It”s not that an employer pays a living wage and provides heath benefits; it’s thank goodness for living wages and health benefits. And it’s not just that a person runs for office as a Green; it’s thank goodness for green candidates.

Although hundreds of thousands of people live essentially a Green culture, many are disconnected from the rest of the Green community. If the connection can be made between these individuals and their communities, growth will occur exponentially.

Sam Smith, political writer and a Green Change board member, explained the desired mingling of politics with lifestyle. “People only get involved in politics in large numbers when it becomes more than politics, when it is more than a logical, thoughtful and well constructed process, when it is more even than a ideology. They get involved when politics becomes a normal, convivial, exciting and satisfying part of their social existence.”

Green Change is not just a “meeting of the minds” for Green Party members, but also is meant to encourage new people to join. According to comscore.com, an online think tank that measures global Internet usage, approximately 152 million Americans use the Internet regularly. That is 152 million potentially like-minded souls who can be included and feel like participation in the Green cultural movement is doable.

Glickman believes a pervasive need exists, especially disenfranchised or disconnected folks, to have a cultural resting, reconnection and recuperation place for all aspects of their Green identity. Green Change endeavors to meet that need.

Green Change needs participation. Glickman is asking for “your poetry, your cartoons, your photographs, your fiction and your non-fiction. We need your music, your ballads and your protest songs. We need stories about your actions, your candidates, stories about folks in your area making a difference. We need your tales of Green culture, about anyone and everyone who does Green things, whether they call them that or not.” Glickman adds chuckling, “Oh, yeah, and we need your recipes.”

Most importantly, Green Change is a political organization that believes “all politics is local. With the Internet we are all next-door neighbors and with Green Change we never need to feel alone in our beliefs and cultural identity again.” Or as Sam Smith puts it, “we need each other, we need sources of courage, and we need the music and the art to carry use through until the laws and policies make sense.”

Marnie Glickman with her daughter Calliope Ruskin, is one of the founders of Green Change.