Montana Green Party

The Environment - Recycling is an action that has manifold benefits for our environment as well as our economy. It reduces the need to extract new raw materials, it protects and conserves resources, and it reduces the need to commit precious land to waste disposal. We support curbside pick up of recyclable materials and encourage the use of reusable and recyclable materials and home composting of plant and other biodegradable materials. We want Montana's air and water to be clean and pure. We oppose chemical treatment of water beyond that which is absolutely required to make it safe for drinking.

Energy - The Montana Green Party promotes the use and development of renewable energy sources: solar, biomass, hydrogen and wind power.

Education - The primary duty of a democracy is to educate its children so that they have the tools and resources to make the decisions that will shape the future. The Montana Green Party strongly believes that education is the strongest bulwark against crime, poverty and oppression. Education is an investment in our people, our communities, and our shared future. Our schools should be a haven for children. They should be places where people are free to grow and to learn.

Social Justice - We are opposed to discrimination based on sex, race, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or any other category intended to label and divide people. The Montana Green Party supports the right of workers to unionize and engage in collective bargaining and strikes. We support affirmative action programs to foster and promote diversity in schools and workplaces, to end institutional racism, and to ensure that the rightful aspirations of all Americans can be realized.

We support the recognition and inclusion in our communities of non-traditional families. Every woman has a right to make choices about her body, including the choice to terminate a pregnancy. Family planning decisions are often difficult and complex, and must be left to the people involved, their physicians and counselors, not the state.

The Montana Green Party is appalled by the cuts that have been made to our social services. Social services should be made more accessible, we maintain that everyone's basic needs must be taken into account and provided for in some fashion.

Legislative and Government Reform - We believe that government needs to be open to diverse voices; the "two-party system of denial and blame" benefits mainly the wealthy and powerful through the access they can easily buy. The Montana Green Party proposes amending the State Constitution to replace single-member districts with a proportional representation system that will allow significant minority-party candidates a chance to represent their constituencies.

International Relations - America must work with the international community, the United Nations, and non-governmental organizations around the world to ensure peace and security throughout the world. The Montana Green Party supports diplomacy and non-violence as the means of dealing with international problems. Violence and oppression only breeds hatred and more violence. Dialogue, diplomacy and a realization of our interdependence is the only road to real and lasting peace.

Consumer Protection - We favor legislation mandating full-disclosure labeling of food, medicines, cosmetics, and other potentially dangerous or contaminated products. The Montana Green Party supports national "country of origin" labeling. Consumer protection regulations must have real power, real enforcement, and real penalties if they are going to work to protect the citizens of our state.