Greater Milwaukee Green Party

History of the Greens

The Green party originated in Germany in the 1970s. All political parties were given color names to represent their foundations. The Greens dealt with environmental issues such as nuclear threats and energy policy, the acid rain destruction of the Black Forest, traffic congestion, and many other concerns. Coming out of the movement era, the Greens knew they had to form a political party in order to deal with the issues plaguing their society.

The Green movement was based on four key values: Ecological Wisdom, Social Responsibility, Grassroots Democracy and Nonviolence. These issues are still the focus today for Green parties around the world. The Green party in Germany first got elected to office in the state of Hesse and the national Bundestag in the early 1980s. After the Greens made headway in Germany, similar movements began to sprout all over the world—raising the need for a Green movement in the United States.

The Wisconsin Greens started in the northern part of the state and dealt with issues concerning nuclear waste and the Navy’s ELF underground antenna. The first official group was the Lake Superior Greens, which included Walt Bresette, a Chippewa activist. The Upper Great Lakes Greens Network got together in different areas of the state to support local issues. In 1988 the Wisconsin Greens formed and started working on local issues. They organized to protect Native Americans during their spear fishing season at the boat landings, and demanded water testing for toxins and other pollutants.

The Milwaukee Greens formed the same year, and by the mid-1990s were holding Earth Day celebrations. They worked with inner city churches and community centers to provide tutoring, and created gardens in these neighborhoods to promote organic horticulture. They fought for a cleanup of toxic waste sites where kids played and forced the DNR to take action.

The Greater Milwaukee Green Party has a great foundation to build on because of the history of activism by Greens over the past 30 years.

The Four Pillars

The Greater Milwaukee Green Party has four main pillars that form the foundation of our beliefs. They are Grassroots Democracy, Nonviolence, Social and Economic Justice, and Ecological Wisdom. These four principles represent our deepest concerns as a political party.

Grassroots Democracy means that all human beings have a right to decide the issues that affect their lives. We feel that the best way to defend this right is to involve citizens to participate at all levels of government, thus insuring that our public representatives are true to the people that elect them. We also work to create new political organizations and coalitions that encourage citizen activism and participatory democracy.

Nonviolence means we work toward creating alternatives to the violence in our society and culture. We work toward the elimination of weapons of mass destruction, while being conscious of other governments’ intentions. We understand and recognize the need for self-defense and defense of others, while promoting nonviolent methods to oppose polices with which we disagree. We promote and take action to achieve lasting personal, community, and global peace.

Social and Economic Justice are two issues, interlocked in many ways. We recognize that it is essential for people to reap the benefits of resources available, while maintaining a sustainable economy. We work to eliminate racism, sexism, and other oppressive barriers within our organizations and throughout society. We believe all citizens have the right to a decent standard of living, which demands a living wage to create dignity and value in one’s work.

Ecological Wisdom is critical for future generations and for the planet. We believe humans are part of nature, not a separate entity. We believe in living within our resources. We support renewable energy sources, and demand an end to destructive and short-sighted energy policies. We support organic agricultural practices that replenish the soil and use no chemicals. We aim to create a life that is in balance with earth’s natural ecosystems.