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Greenstar Newsletter from GPPA
 The Green Star is the official
newsletter of the Green Party of Pennsylvania.
May 2023
Green Party Will Appeal to Gen Z in
PA
By Jeremy R. Griffin, GPPA
Co-Chair
 I recognize why the youth haven't been
active in our political process recently. Gen Z does not see itself
among the candidates of the two corporate parties. Political jargon is
foreign to them, and public officials are constantly unveiled as
selfish scammers. That doesn’t even mention that the most important
political issue -- which is climate change -- is barely spoken about
in detail during debates between Dems and Repubs. In fact, fixing
irreversible climate damage seems like an astronomical feat,
especially through means of a long political process.
The good news is that the Green Party of
Pennsylvania is the alternative that Gen Z can utilize and even
occupy. Young people not only have the morals but also the motivation
to make revolutionary change in our current representative democratic
system. They are the ones who will feel the impacts of the climate
policies made today. These are the policies that will affect life for
them on Mother Earth for years to come.
I believe the Green Party would be a
great fit for Gen Z because of our candidates, especially when
compared to the other political parties in the country. Unlike the
others, the Green Party actually runs 100% legit grassroots
campaigns... READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
Campaign Updates
Edited by Chris Robinson
GREEN STAR has heard that some Green Party members are considering
a run for local office in November 2023 and 2024. For others, NOW is
the time to make up your mind, organize your campaign committee, and
request authorization from your county Green Party. The best way to
get on the ballot this year will be to gather signatures on your
nomination papers outside polling places during the May 18 Primary
Election.
Below are the three candidates who have already contacted
GREEN STAR at [email protected].
2023 Election
Tara Yaney for
Re-Election to Edgewood Borough
Council
Allegheny
County
Tara told GREEN STAR, “I would
encourage anyone who wants to roll their sleeves up and address
community needs to run for a local office. It took me a little while
to figure out how I could be useful while in office. As you learn more
and more about how your particular municipal systems work you find
places where the Green perspective is very important, and really
resonates with many people who you'll be working with. You can bring
good change to your areas.”
Michael Bagdes-Canning
for Re-Election to Mayor of Cherry Valley
Borough
Butler
County
Michael told GREEN STAR, “The
people of northern Butler County are routinely neglected. I’ve lived
in Cherry Valley for 41 years and during that time, there has been one
constant. We have bled jobs and young people. Our towns and boroughs
are shells of what they used to be. Our infrastructure is inferior and
getting worse. We have trouble attracting people to fill essential
roles in our community, people to serve in local government,
volunteers for fire departments and EMTs, and many other positions. My
goals as mayor for the upcoming term are to push for upgrades in our
internet access and to build community.”
2024
Election
Richard Maopolski for PA Representative District
113
Lackawanna
County
Team Report
Edited by Patrick O. McNally
 Communication Team by Chris Robinson
and David Ochmanowicz Jr.
During the first quarter of 2023, the GPPA Communications Team has
published three issues of GREEN STAR and five news releases. We thank
Jocolyn Bowser-Bostick, Tina Olson and Beth Scroggin for their draft
news releases. If you would like to write about your organizing or
about our Ten Key Values, please send your draft to [email protected]
Please
join the Communication Team right here
 Finance Team by Tre Schumacher and
Riley Mahon
The GPPA Finance Team’s goals for 2023 include hosting two
in-person fundraisers and conducting six phone banks to urge Greens to
become monthly sustainers. The Finance Team is also currently hosting
meetings to debate whether GPPA should become a dues-paying
organization and if so, what would a dues system look like. The
Finance Team does not meet on a regular basis, but rather on an ad hoc
basis. If you would like to participate on the Finance Team by
debating a dues-paying system, fundraising, organizing a phone banking
drive, or assisting in duties such as managing merchandise, drafting
the annual budget, bookkeeping, or compliance and reporting,
Signup
Here Become a monthly sustainer of the
Green Party of Pennsylvania today! Please
visit
National Green News
Edited by David Ochmanowicz Jr
Putting Out the Planetary Fire: Earth Day to May
Day
 One of the reasons I helped
launch the call for a Green
New Deal in 2010 was the recognition that the transition to a
clean, renewable energy future must be paired with an economic bill of
rights to ensure a decent living for all. By linking Earth Day to May
Day, we highlight the need to connect with movements for labor and
immigrant rights.
We won’t stop fossil fuel companies from threatening life on the
planet absent an overhaul of our political and economic system. We
need to put People, Planet, and Peace over Profit. Even Pope Francis
has pointed out that the mentality that allows humans to exploit our
natural resources beyond the point of sustainability is the same
mentality that powers economic exploitation, racial injustice, sexism,
and the military-industrial complex... READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
WV Mountain Party: 2023 Legislative Session Report
Cards
In order to demonstrate differences relative to our party’s
legislative priorities, we used our party’s Ten Key Values as our
guide for bill inclusion. The West Virginia Mountain Party has
developed its first ever scoring system for the State Legislature.
Report cards were made for each legislator based on legislation voted
on during the regular 2023 legislative session. Our aim is to
highlight the varying degree of failure that persists among individual
legislators and across the entire State Capitol... READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
Politicians Are Failing to Prevent Climate
Collapse
 To be clear, while many politicians and even climate
activists like to congratulate themselves for things such as the
recent federal IRA (Inflation Reduction Action) or the four-year old
CLCPA climate law in NY, they both fall far short of what is needed.
And promises and goals made by politicians are usually more hot air
than actual action. There is no sense that our governments are acting
as if they are responding to a climate emergency... READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
Global Green News
Edited by Hal Brown
Green Party of Ireland Welcomes Call for Greater
Biodiversity Protection
The Citizens Assembly’s final report on
biodiversity loss called for encouraging the public to switch to a
more plant-based diet . . . . This call has been welcomed by the Irish
Green Party who have worked to ensure that the Citizens Assembly was
included in the Programme for Government as a crucial means for the
public to have their voice heard on this vital issue. The report made
159 recommendations to protect biodiversity in Ireland... READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
New Zealand Green Party Sharpens Its
Weapons
 Every three years, New Zealand holds general elections. The
2023 general election will take place on October 14. . . [T]he Green
Party has released its initial list of candidates for the 2023
election, which will now inform the membership voting process. “With
more Green MPs, we can set the direction of the next government and
take faster climate action, protect nature and rebalance wealth so
everyone has what they need to support their families,” said Green
co-leader James Shaw.
READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
European Green Parties: next to head EU
list?
 Green Party leaders from
across Europe have gathered to kick off preparations for the 2024
European Parliament election campaign. By adopting a timetable and a
method for the 2024 European elections in early April, the Greens are
speeding up the process to turn the page on a common Nupes (New
Ecological and Social Peoples Union) list.
European
Green Party co-chairs Mélanie Vogel and Thomas Waitz say the
Spitzenkandidaten [German for “lead candidate”] process remains the
most powerful democratic tool available to Green Parties to give
European citizens a direct voice in choosing the next Commission
President.
READ THE FULL STORY
HERE
GPPA Meeting Dates for 2023
All State Web Conferences will begin promptly at
noon.
Saturday
and Sunday, June 10 and 11, location to be
announced.
Saturday and Sunday,
September 9 and 10, location to be announced.
Sunday, November 12, via
Zoom.
GPPA Communications
Team
Issue Credits
Editors: Hal Brown, Patrick O. McNally and Chris
Robinson
Contributors: Michael Bagdes-Canning, Jeremy R. Griffin,
Riley Mahon, Tre Schumacher and Tara Yaney
Layout: Hal Brown, Sherri Miller, and David Ochmanowicz
Jr.
Graphic Arts: Kevin Richardson
Everything we do is based on our
Four Pillars and Ten Key
Values. If you
find that you share these ideals, come and join the
movement.
You can support the
Green Party in many ways;
however, a monthly sustaining donation helps to fund a solid
infrastructure to help local chapters coordinate candidates and
provide resources to make their campaigns successful.
As little as $3 per month can have a significant
impact!
Sustaining
Donation Single
Donation Purchase
Green Merchandise
Join
us and help bring
about a future where people and planet are valued over profits. We
have a new, tiered membership structure that allows you to determine
your level of commitment and support. And if you want to get more
directly involved, consider joining
an action team Work with other committed progressives and activists in
activities such as planning events, developing media content, or
helping with campaigns.
The GREEN STAR is an official
publication of the Green Party of Pennsylvania Communications Team *
2023.
Green Party of Pennsylvania
http://www.gpofpa.org/
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