[This announcement is taken directly from the global federation of Greens.]

“The COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference will take place from 31 October to 12 November 2021 in Glasgow, UK. The Global Greens will be sending up to ten delegates* to observe negotiations, represent the Global Greens and report back to our network of member organisations. Global Greens delegates will be considered Non-Governmental Observers for the purpose of the Conference.

If you are interested in being a Global Greens Delegate then we invite you review the below guidelines and then submit your application. The deadline for submissions is the 31st July 2021.

The application process for Global Greens delegates to COP26 has been designed to ensure that:

• The diversity of our member organisations is equitably represented, with at least two delegates selected from each of the four Global Greens Federations. 
• A minimum of 50% of delegates will identify as women or non-binary; 
• There is a balance between delegates who already have international negotiation experience, as well as those with demonstrated commitment to climate campaigning within their communities.

Responses to the five qualifying questions will be each graded out of five by the Review Panel, which will be composed of individuals from the Global Greens Coordination and the COP26 Working Group. The panel will grade responses without reference to the demographic details to minimise the impact of unconscious bias on the process.

After the Review Panel selects its preferred candidates, we may contact your regional Federation for further information, such as your history of involvement in Federation activities.

Unfortunately, the Global Greens can only provide minimal  support for the travel and accommodation costs for delegates attending COP26. For outstanding candidates who will be unable to fund their own travel, the Global Greens will endeavour to raise funds to support their trip. However, people applying to be a delegate should do so expecting to fund their own travel, accommodation, and other costs.

Further, the language of the Conference is English and the Global Greens is not able to pay for interpreters, so applicants should be comfortable working in English in a conference environment.”

More from the Global Greens…

• Green Party of the United States to Hold Annual National Meeting Online, July 15-18 2021
• Schedule of Events for Media Available Now

The Green Party’s 2021 Annual National Meeting (ANM) will occur online to respect public health recommendations regarding non-necessary travel and large gatherings as the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• What: Green Party of the United States 2021 Annual National Meeting
• When: Thursday, July 15 to Sunday, July 18, 2021
• Where: Online, with portions broadcast live to GP.org and social media platforms
• Theme: “Dismantling Oppression, Building Solidarity: A Green Party For Everyone”
• 2021 Green Annual National Meeting Page
• Media Credentialing Application

The gathering will occur over Zoom and other communications platforms from July 15 to July 18. The Green Party has designed the 2021 ANM with an exceptional focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training for party organizers. A team of dedicated trainers has been retained, including the consulting organization Frailty Myths. Public portions of the ANM program, including Keynote Speaker Kali Akuno, will be streamed live at https://www.gp.org/live.

The Green Party will broadcast portions of the workshops and guest speakers for free on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Twitch for the public.

Additional media opportunities will include a press conference with national Green Party leaders hosted on a dedicated Zoom videoconference.

Online workshops and panels will be offered to convention registrants throughout the meeting. Please register on the media credentialing page if you are interested in covering program events and news conferences.

Please note: sessions requiring sensitivity and confidentiality necessary for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work will not be open for press coverage.

Schedule of Press Events

Media Must Be Credentialed in Advance to Receive Zoom Information

Time Zone: U.S. Eastern Time

Details for all events are subject to change. A final advisory with updates and speaker details will be published the week of the convention.

Thursday, July 15, 9:00am  

Press Conference welcoming media to the Green Party’s 2021 Annual National Meeting, featuring party officials and convention organizers.

Thursday, July 15, 9:00pm (estimated)

Panel Discussion following a screening of Surviving Pulse: Life after a Mass Shooting, with the producer and participants from the film.

Saturday, July 17, 8:00pm

Keynote Speaker: Kali Akuno, co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jackson and co-editor of Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi

Additional Information:

• 2021 Annual National Meeting Schedule Overview (In Formation)
• 2020 Annual National Meeting and Presidential Nominating Convention Archive
• Green New Deal

Green Party of the United States

www.gp.org

202-804-2758

Newsroom | Twitter: @GreenPartyUS

Green Party Platform

Green New Deal

Green candidate database and campaign information

Ballot Access

Facebook page

YouTube

Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States

Green Papers

The Green Party of Washington supports the efforts being coordinated by representatives of the Lummi Nation and others to return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her home waters of the Salish Sea.

Who is Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut?

Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut is the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) Nation name for last remaining Southern Resident Orca to be held in captivity. She is also known as “Tokitae” or by her Seaquarium slave name “Lolita”.

In August of 1970, over 50 young orcas were violently stolen from the Salish Sea and sold to aquariums.

Large pods of orcas were once rounded up in the waters of Washington State and their young ones kidnapped. Several died during capture and transport. In 1971 whaling was outlawed in the US. Only one of our resident L pod orcas remains alive in captivity. Her name is Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut.

The Captive.

For over 50 years, Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been held at the Miami Seaquarium, in the world’s smallest orca tank. There, in the state of Florida she is subjected to cruel and unnatural conditions, including relentless sun and heat, extreme social isolation, and exposure to dangerous hurricanes. She has not seen another orca in captivity since the 1980’s, as she is the sole survivor of the 45 orcas captured from the Southern Salish Sea in 1970.

Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut has been sentenced to a life of unjust captivity and deprivation. We as Greens, call for a compassionate release. The Green Party wants her extradited from the state of Florida and brought back to her home waters. The Lummi Nation feels it is their sacred obligation to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut home. Orcas pods have distinct cultures and dialects. Tokitae still calls out in her native L pod language. Her mother is still alive. Bring her back home to her family.

Green Solidarity.

We, the Green Party of Washington State, in representing ourselves, our memberships, and our constituencies, support the effort to bring Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut [Southern Resident Orca] home. We call upon the Governors of Washington, Oregon, and California, and the Premier of British Columbia, the lands of which border the Salish Sea home of the Southern Resident Orcas, to sign a joint Proclamation that acknowledges the unique and iconic orca population here and the significant spiritual and cultural value for the people of the region, with protected legal rights to freedom from captivity.

Therefore, The Green Party of Washington State joins the Lummi Nation and others urging the Governors and Premier of our Southern Resident Orca territories to:

• Support and endorse the efforts being coordinated by representatives of the Lummi Nation to return Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut to her Salish Sea home.

• Call upon Miami Seaquarium, Festival Fun Parks (DBA Palace Entertainment), Parques Reunidos and EQT to agree to negotiate the terms and conditions for Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s release from Miami Seaquarium and safe return to her natal waters; and

• Work with representatives of the Lummi Nation and other relevant entities to secure any state permits that might be required for the return and rehabilitation of Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut and her reunion with her human and Orca family.

From Lead GPSEA organizer Andre:

Hello Washingtonian Greens! For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Andre and I’m a volunteer with the Green Party of Seattle as well as the lead organizer of the Seattle March for Medicare for All, which is happening in cities across the country July 24th!

I’m really excited that the Green Parties of Washington and Seattle have partnered with the march and are already organizing with the Seattle planning team. We are all hoping to get everyone involved with the march as both participants and as leaders so here are a few ways you can get started:

1. Mark your calendar and RSVP for the Seattle March for Medicare for All on July 24th!
2. Join the “ByThePeople” Slack workspace to connect with other march organizers. You will be placed into a channel called #m4m4a-all-organizers. Once you are in, join #m4m4a-seattle to connect with the Seattle team (invite link)
3. Join the Seattle team for our weekly planning meetings to, Fridays at 6pm (invite link)
4. Join the all organizers weekly meetings on Sundays at 9am to help promote all marches across the country (invite link)

These meetings will be held weekly between now and July 24th. Everyone is welcome in the Slack and at any of the meetings so feel free to invite anyone who would like to get involved! I hope to see you there!

Health Care Is a Human Right Steering Committee is presenting a teach-in on Medicare for All and State-based Universal Healthcare on June 15, 2021:

Please join us to hear Stephanie Kang, Health Policy Director for Rep. Pramila Jayapal, explain the Medicare for All proposal and health care gains we could win in the next big Congressional package. We will also get a report on the new Washington State Universal Health Care Commission and other health care gains made in the 2021 legislative session.

Register here in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

How We Can Advance Universal Health Care in Congress & in WA State

Despite President Biden’s administration making clear it does not support Medicare for All at this time, real possibilities are emerging to advance universal, equitable, and affordable health care, both federally and in Washington state.

The potential of the next budget reconciliation bill in Congress. There will be at least one budget reconciliation package put forward this summer. A top priority of Speaker Pelosi, Congressional progressives, and the advocacy community is to include Medicare negotiation of drug prices which will generate huge savings. Progressives are also advocating to use the savings to expand Medicare to provide hearing, vision, dental benefits, and an out-of-pocket cap, and lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60. These improvements will build Medicare’s popularity and the demand for Medicare for All.

Washington’s New Universal Health Care Commission is a big deal.  Governor Inslee signed SB 5399 and WA state will have a permanent, funded UHC Commission by July 25th. The UHC Commission is tasked with figuring out the preliminary nuts and bolts of a universal health care system for WA. It has a trigger to apply for the relevant financial waivers within 60 days of their becoming available.

Thanks to the leadership of Sen. Emily Randall and her House and Senate colleagues and the strength of grassroots advocates. Washingtonians could benefit from universal health care coverage sooner than  Congress will be able to pass a national Medicare for All plan. But this will require the enactment of key provisions of Rep. Ro Khanna’s federal State Based Universal Health Care Act of 2021.

— Quote from  “Washington Quietly Passed One of the Strongest Universal Health Care Laws in the Country,” The Stranger.

Greens say any just resolution to the Israel-Palestine death-spiral will almost certainly include:

• Israel ending its occupation and colonization of all Palestinian lands and dismantling the illegal West Bank Barrier that began construction in the 2000s
• Recognizing the fundamental rights of Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality
• Respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194
• One secular, democratic state for Palestinians and Israelis on the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan as the national home of both peoples, with Jerusalem as its capital

When someone like President Biden proposes a “two-state solution”, it’s a con. It’s lip-service to distract you from the military arms and political protection they provide Israel to allow it to operate with impunity. What kind of “two-state solution” could be brokered under those circumstances?

We are the only political party in the US who can call out this brutal assault on the Palestinian people by the state of Israel. Palestinians are trapped in an apartheid-like system and should have a right to exist. Because we do not take corporate money and are not invested in war Greens can say this. Pro Palestine does not equal Anti-Semetic.

As a U.S. political party, it’s not for us to impose anything on everyday Palestinians and Israelis. We have a responsibility to respect the right of both peoples to self-determination.

But we have an even more urgent responsibility to immediately halt the stream of U.S. weapons to the state of Israel and stop using our veto in the UN Security Council to provide Israel a pass to wage death and destruction with zero accountability to the international community.

This is all in our platform. It’s no secret: we’ve stood by these positions for years. Our party and candidates have made a real and lasting peace in the Middle East a priority because it’s the right thing and because we are not corrupted by the corporate cash of Wall Street and war profiteers.

We don’t belong to the arms dealers and their lobbyists. We belong to you. That means we rely on you for the funds and resources needed to keep running competitive candidates to win local office and the issues that matter.

Lessons learned from Pulitzer Prize winning journalist [Huffington Post, The Intercept], Ryan Grim’s book, We’ve Got People.

“The states who implemented marriage equality early played a crucial role in creating pressure on the federal system. This is our history & legacy as progressive activists. That’s why I study it.” says Tina Shannon, podcast host and Rustbelt Progressive.

Chapter 7: Triple Rainbow of We’ve Got People describes how coordinated efforts from activists came together to push recalcitrant neolib Dems in the right direction for LGBTQ+ community marriage rights.

This is an informative listen about how activists move society forward. It examples how political actions coming from different arenas with the same goal can suddenly gel to change the political landscape. We see you Medicare for All.

Signature gathering has begun on Initiative to the Legislature #1362. There will be petition bins in various locations around the state. Get yours. Find out more from our allies at Whole Washington and Red Berets Medicare For All.

The Medicare for All March will be in July and will occur in multiple cities across the country. In Washington we ultimately want Medicare for All, but are also working for State Single Payer to help turn the tide nationally.

More info on the march soon. We expect Greens to show for this. It’s in our Platform. There is a virtual Livestream event in the works for our out of area, homebound, and disabled comrades that will coincide with the physical march in July.

Want to garden and also help your community?

From our community Pea Patch folx:

The Seattle Giving Garden Network (SGGN.org) was started about 10 years ago by a group of giving gardener volunteers who wanted to network with other gardeners. Those initial volunteers held a ‘Jazz for Food’ concert to raise funds for SGGN. This network has provided seeds and starts to Giving Gardeners in addition to small grants for improvements to your p-patches.

Over the years that initial group has moved on to other responsibilities or other cities leaving all the responsibilities on the shoulders of one volunteer: Dianne Garcia.
Now Dianne is leaving for other responsibilities, she is about to become a grandmother.

This is an invitation for you to participate in keeping SGGN alive and well. Here are ways to participate in SGGN and keep it going.
Send email to SGGN.org and express your interest.

Choose one or many of the following opportunities. All these activities are established and your responsibility would be to continue it and provide your unique contribution.
– Liaison with the seed producing companies to obtain free seed packets and distribute the seed packets to Seattle Giving Gardeners. Reach out and connect with the seed growers! This is a Fall and Winter activity.
– Establish relationships with the Seattle Food Banks and learn what their clients really want in the way of fresh produce. Communicate this to the Seattle Giving Gardeners.
– Interface with Seattle Neighborhood Department that collects and distributes information about contributions made by all the giving gardeners to the food banks over the year. Know more about our city and how it works and get to know the individuals involved.
– Help organize a yearly meeting with all the Seattle Giving Gardeners to share the seed packets and information about what each garden is growing.  Last year it was via Zoom, in the past it has been a gathering with either a dinner (provided by Whole Foods) or a coffee and pastry gathering. This is an opportunity to use your social skills to bring people together.
– Maintain the SGGN.org website and allow gardeners to post photos OR create and maintain a Facebook page OR some other nifty tech way of sharing what gardeners are doing. Tech creativity and commitment appreciated.
– Interface with the national Seed Campaign platform to represent SGGN in their November fundraiser.  This is where SGGN gets funds for the Sprouts Project and funds for small grants to giving gardeners. This is the fundraising activity.
– Interface with GROW, the fiscal organization that holds the SGGN funds: https://www.grownorthwest.org/copy-of-our-work<https://protect2.fireeye.com/v1/url?k=701b13d6-2f802ade-701b3b66-86e696e30194-8ad39cd71c95ad79&q=1&e=ce67aa60-0255-4504-87cb-c9ce38f0c415&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.grownorthwest.org%2Fcopy-of-our-work>. This is an opportunity to review and sign off on small grants for Seattle Giving Gardeners. Do you have a financial background and an interest in paying the bills?
– Coordinate all the above activities! Do you have organization skills to bring all these different activities together into an orchestrated whole?

I want to acknowledge Dianne Garcia who has been wearing all these hats for SGGN over the last few years.  As you can see, it will take many volunteers to fill her shoes. Thanks to Dianne for all her good work and commitment over the years. And congratulations to her on her new role as grandmother!

Now, what would you like to contribute? All these tasks will disappear without new volunteers coming forward. Truly SGGN will disappear without new volunteers filling these responsibilities.

Send an email to: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> to let us know what you would like to do. Please send it by June 15th and we will schedule
a  Zoom meeting for all who are interested.

Please share this note with all gardeners interested in supporting the Seattle Giving Garden Network.
Kit from Ballard Sprouts

Restorative Justice in Action with Margaret Elisabeth, Co-Chair Green Party USA.

A healing discussion about confronting discrimination in the Green Party and the next steps we need to take for the sake of justice.May 22, 2021 09:00 PM Eastern Time, 06:00 PM Pacific TimeRegister here: https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZYud-GvrT8sG9IEjEnqgckO…