The first national Green Politics gathering was held in July 1987 at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA, with the theme “Building the Green Movement—A National Conference for a New Politics.” The conference brochure stated, “We invite all Greens and activists in kindred social change movements to participate in this educational conference. We are not gathering to make decisions for the Green movement. Our purpose is education. It will be a chance for Greens and activists in kindred movements from across the land to meet, share perspectives, and learn from each other—and take what we learn back to our communities to put into practice.” Over 600 people attended most of the conference, but some estimates that included all short-time attendees put the total closer to 1500.

Featured speakers included Charlene Spretnak, Detroit-based social activist and feminist Grace Lee Boggs, Murray Bookchin of the Institute for Social Ecology, Wisconsin Green co-founder Walt Bresette, New Hampshire Green and Clamshell Alliance organizer Guy Chichester, California Green Danny Moses from Sierra Club Books, Maine Green Party co-founder John Rensenbrink, and eco- feminist Ynestra King. Workshops included a well-attended session on Independent Political Action. Other noted Greens in attendance included Dee Berry, Kathy Christensen, Greta Gaard, Gerald Goldfarb, Howie Hawkins, Phil Hill, Myra Levy, Roberto Mendoza, Lorna Salzman, Brian Tokar, and Nancy Vogl. Among the activists from other movements was the celebrated author Grace Paley.

 

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• First Stirrings of a Green Political Party in the United States
• Green Politics: The Global Promise
• Early Outreach to the Bioregional Movement
• The Founding of U.S. Greens – St. Paul, MN, August 1984
• Creation of the Ten Key Values
• National Clearinghouse
• Early Debates About Green Issues
• First National Green Gathering – Amherst, MA, 1987
• Strategy & Policy Approaches in Key Areas (SPAKA)
• Greening the West Gathering – near San Francisco, 1988
• Second National Green Gathering – Eugene, OR, 1989
• Early State Party Ballot Qualification Efforts and Candidacies
• Third National Green Gathering – Estes Park, CO, 1990
• Green Party Organizing Committee – Boston, 1991
• Fourth National Green Gathering – Elkins, WV, 1991
• Green Politics Network – 1992
• Fifth National Green Gathering – Minneapolis, 1992
• Electoral Success in 1992 and Post-Election Conferences in Santa Monica and at Bowdoin College, February 1993
• 1995 – A Watershed Year for Green Party Development: The Third Parties ’96 Conference, and the Nader Factor
• National Green Gathering ’95 – Albuquerque, NM 36
• First Green Presidential Nominating Convention – UCLA, 1996; Nader’s 1996 Campaign for President as the Green Party Candidate
• Association of State Green Parties (ASGP) – 1996
• 2000 Presidential Candidate Outreach
• Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention 2000 and Nader 2000
• The Boston Proposal – October 2000
• Founding of the Green Party of the United States – July 2001
• National Committee Status Granted to the Green Party of the United States by the Federal Election Commission, 2001