Tuesday January 5th
6:00PM to 7:30PM

@ The Gallery in Downtown Melbourne, 701 East New Haven Avenue, Melbourne FL 32901
Just east of the Henegar Center, upstairs above Vapor.

The monthly social and planning meeting for the Green Party of Brevard County. Come out get involved and meet other local Greens. We will be discussing party planning, strategy and issues with a chance to have some fun and get to know your fellow Greens.

This Month’s Agenda

County Party Status
We are currently petitioning the state party to be recognized officially as a county Green party. So far the process is moving forward smoothly and should be approved before the meeting.

Phone bank and yearly meeting
Plans are now to have our first big annual member meeting in February. We need to get as many Greens as we can out for this. We will be phone banking to call all the registered Greens in Brevard and invite them to attend and get involved. Think about what we should say in our call script and bring your ideas to the meeting.

Fundraising
We will be discussing fundraising opportunities for January and February.

Outreach and Registration
We will be talking about tabling outreach and voter registration drives.
Start Time: 6:00 pm
Date: 1/5/2010
End Time: 7:30 pm

Michelle Paccione, BTBTN Chair and Brevard Sheriff Jack Parker

The members of Brevard’s local chapter of the National Organization of Women pulled of a great event this Saturday October 24th. The first annual Brevard, Take Back the Night march for domestic violence awareness was a huge success!

The Green Party of Brevard was happy to be a part of this event. We tabled before the march, informing the public on our stance on women’s rights and gender equality. Many of our members were also involved in the planning and staging of the event, including the design of the flyers and programs.

We are proud to have been part of this great event that brought to the public focus an important and often overlooked issue and hope to be involved next year, too.

SOS 350

On Saturday the 24th a few of the local Greens met to take part in the 350.org International Day of Climate Action. Our action was small compared to some others, but we added our voice to the international collective call to limit CO2 emissions and turn back catastrophic climate change.

We met before dawn Saturday on the beach, each of us bringing with us a variety of items from our local environments. Shells, rocks, vines, palm fronds and flowers were among what we brought. We quickly got to work making our “350″ out of the stuff we brought and the abundance of seaweed on the beach. Before we knew it we we’re don and waiting for sunrise.

@ The Gallery in Downtown Melbourne, 701 East New Haven Avenue
Just east of the Henegar Center, upstairs above Vapor.
Start Time: 18:00
Date: 2009-11-03
End Time: 19:30

This upcoming weekend the Green Party of Brevard will be taking part in the 350.org International Day of Climate Action, posting a photo of our action online with thousands of other concerned people all over the planet. This is a day where people all over the world will make a simple demonstration supporting the need to reduce the CO2 in out atmosphere to below 350 parts per million.

Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. If we don’t make changes soon, global climate changes will wipe out not only our beaches and coast, but most of Florida! Out trees, plants animals, everything will be underwater.

The Green Party of Florida will be participating by meeting on the beach at dawn on Saturday the 24th (details below) to create as big a 350 “SOS” as we can. We will create the message out of the very things that climate change threatens, the trees, plants, animals and land around us. Bring whatever you can from around your own home; leaves, rocks, shells, flowers, fallen fruit, tree trimmings, anything like that. We will use it all to make as large a 350 as we can to meet the morning sun on this day of international action!

Details:

Green Party of Brevard “350 SOS”
part of the 350.org International Day of Climate Action

Oct 24th @ 6:30 AM
(be prompt, we need to be ready by dawn at 7:10)

We’ll meet at the Sea Scape Motel
1745 Highway A1A North
Indialantic, FL 32903

Planning date: Oct 23rd @ 6:30PM
We will also be getting together the evening before at the Sea Scape Motel to collect items off the beach to use. If you can, you’re welcome an encouraged to come help out.

For details or questions contact Ray Myers at rmyers@brevardgreens.com or 321.960.5904

Start Time: 6:30 AM
Date: 2009-10-24

@ The Gallery in Downtown Melbourne, 701 East New Haven Avenue
Just east of the Henegar Center, upstairs above Vapor.

The monthly social and planning meeting for the Green Party of Brevard County. Come out get involved and meet other local Greens. We will be discussing party planning, strategy and issues with a chance to have some fun and get to know your fellow Greens.
Start Time: 20:00
Date: 2009/10/06
End Time: 21:30

This Month’s Agenda

October 24th, 350.org day of action
Take Back The Night
Palm Bay Municipal Community Garden
Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Palm Bay
Outreach Ideas
Petitioning for County Party
Review of County Bylaws

The information for the event is listed below. If you plan to attend RSVP. However, even if you don’t get in, there will be demonstrations going on outside to get involved with.

What: Healthcare Town Hall Meeting

When: Wednesday, September 2, 2009
6:30 – 8:30pm

Where: Holiday Inn Suntree/Viera
8298 N Wickham Road
Melbourne, FL 32940

Come Prepared to Listen and Voice Your Opinions on Healthcare Reform

Presentations by:

• U.S. Rep. Bill Posey, serving Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

• Dennis Smith, former Director of the federal Center for Medicaid and State Operation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For seven years Mr. Smith ran the Medicaid health care program which provides coverage for over 50 million Americans.

• Panel of representatives from local health care providers, medical practitioners and the business community.

The town hall meeting will include remarks from the panel,
as well as time for Questions & Answers from the audience.

RSVP Online at http://www.posey.house.gov/rsvp/

RSVP by Phone: 321-632-1776

Also at www.posey.house.gov/issues you can find a copy of H.R. 3200 and background materials
on the bill that you may want to review before the town hall meeting.

Tuesday September 1st
6:00PM to 8:00PM

@ The Gallery in Downtown Melbourne, 701 East New Haven Avenue
Just east of the Henegar Center, upstairs above Vapor.

The monthly social and planning meeting for the Green Party of Brevard County. Come out get involved and meet other local Greens. We will be discussing party planning, strategy and issues with a chance to have some fun and get to know your fellow Greens.

This Month’s Agenda

Bill Posey’s Healthcare Town Hall Meetings on Wednesday Sept 3rd.
Tabling at the Wellness Center’s Green Fair – Sept 19th in Palm Bay
Approval of Bylaws
Vote to petition the Green Party of Florida to be officially recognized as a county party.

Green Zoning

Palm Bay’s zoning laws make green local living and sustainability difficult if not impossible. Regulations prohibit community gardens on the properties where they would do the most good. They also prevent citizens from keeping small unobtrusive agricultural animals, like chickens, bees and small goats on their property.

Suburban Sprawl

Palm Bay has been developed for years with no clear plan for a sustainable future. Now that the growth boom is over the situation has become more critical than ever. Citizens need to fight to take their city back from the developers and say no to new housing developments that we can’t sustain. We need responsible business development and increased density to better support infrastructure and public transit.

Code Enforcement Abuse

Code enforcement is not simply another revenue stream for the city and it shouldn’t be treated as such. Antagonistic methods of notification and enforcement only create conflict with city citizens and hurt those of us who are already in tough situations. A sensible amount of time to correct violations and a better notification processes would go a long way towards making this process more equitable for all.

GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect their lives and not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature. We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.

NON-VIOLENCE

It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current 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.

DECENTRALIZATION

Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

COMMUNITY-BASED ECONOMICS AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE

We recognize it is essential to create a vibrant and sustainable economic system, one that can create jobs and provide a decent standard of living for all people while maintaining a healthy ecological balance. A successful economic system will offer meaningful work with dignity, while paying a “living wage” which reflects the real value of a person’s work. Local communities must look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers’ rights; broad citizen participation in planning; and enhancement of our “quality of life.” We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that distribute resources and control to more people through democratic participation.

FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY

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.

RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

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. We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well-being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. 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.

When we refer to Green Party Key Values, we means these values as adopted by the Green Party of Florida, and as represented nationally by the Green Party in the United States of America.

In June of 2000 C.E., Delegates of Green Parties in the USA (including delegates from the Green Party of Florida) met for the National Green Party Convention organized by the Association of State Green Parties (now the Green Party of the United States).

As part of their platform, those delegates ratified the above statements about the Key Values of the Greens, along with the following concluding statement:

“Our overall goal is not merely to survive, but to share lives that are truly worth living. We believe the quality of our individual lives is enriched by the quality of all of our lives. We encourage everyone to see the dignity and intrinsic worth in all of life, and to take the time to understand and appreciate themselves, their community and the magnificent beauty of this world.”