All human beings deserve a say in the decisions that affect their lives. The Green Party believes in increasing public participation at every level of government, increasing accountability of our elected representatives and business leaders, and encouraging citizen participation in decisions that affect our lives.

American traditions of civic vitality, voluntary action, and community responsibility are something to be proud of. The Green Party believes in relearning these traditions and making our world better from the grassroots up.

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All people should have the opportunity to benefit equally from public resources afforded us by society and the environment.

The Green Party believes in the idea of confronting inequality, providing fair treatment under the law, and requiring fair and transparent practices in business.

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Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are merely a part of nature, rather than separate from (or superior to) nature, or they will eventually fail.

Greens believe in energy efficiency and renewable generation, sustainable agriculture, harnessing appropriate technology to "do more with less," and protecting the rights of non-human species.

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It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society's current wasteful patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments. We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.

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Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

The Green Party is based in support of restructuring social, political and economic institutions toward a greater social good and away from a system that is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few -- to a fairly regulated, more democratic system.

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Naturally, it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a healthy standard of living for all people while still maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity and paying a "living wage" and avoiding the necessity of working two jobs to maintain a household.

The Green Party believes in local economic growth balanced with environmental concern, a living wage standard, public participation in planning, and enhancement of our "quality of life". We support socially responsible independently owned and operated companies, as well as cooperatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.

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We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

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Diversity builds strength into any system, by providing flexibility. We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.

The Green Party is based in assuring that our leadership is as diverse as our population, and in ensuring that the principle of diversity is applied to our treatment of all systems: economic diversity, community diversity, and biodiversity.

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We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being, but not at the expense of ecological balance and social harmony.

The Green Party is based on joining with like-minded people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

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Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. Rampant consumerism is not sustainable ñ and will cost our descendants dearly. We seek to protect and renew valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or "unmaking" all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economy that do not depend on continual expansion for survival. Increasing population is not a solution to economic problems. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

The Green Party is based on smart, scientific, long-term thinking and policies.

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