A Green Dream on April 29, 2002
by starlene rankin

What's in a green dream?
what does being green really mean?
it's a color, of course!
one of many gorgeous colors

how did a color get to be so political?
now we have a green party
and people who call themselves greens
greens are activists
they organize
they empower
they take to the streets and demand change
and they work to bring earth & people centered politics
to the government
by working on, running in
electoral campaigns
everything from school boards
to park boards to city councils
to statehouses, to halls of the nation's capital

it's a nice balance of,
working, in coalitions,
doing local community organizing
and being role models for other americans
(lower case americans includes all residents the usa,
not those just deemed citizens by the government)
by participating in our democracy as electoral activists

though it wasn't taught to me in school, i've learned a lot
about democracy over the years
and it's pretty apparent that as long as people aren't
involved in their community decision making process,
aka government,
then things just are not going to be a good as they could be

so, green and democracy go hand in hand
wow, this color really gets around!

it's been green around my neighborhood a lot lately
the leaves on the trees have made another appearance
the flowers are popping out of the ground
it's that green time of year!
and what a joy to watch the plants emerge
and what a joy to watch the happy and busy birds
flying around and chirping their songs
and to see my neighbors walking with their dogs and riding their bikes

and what a relief too!
there's so much violence going on around the world right now
i can go outside and touch the ground with my feet
i can take a deep breath and close my eyes
i can allow a moment where thinking stops
and connection begins
to what's really real

and my fear melts away
and my courage is renewed
and i remember why i am green
and how much i love this freakin' planet

a little old color
one of many beautiful colors

what else does green mean?

my dream the other day
had cooperatives in it
food coops to be exact
there are all kinds of coops
that humans have created to
deal with the economic part of life!

i live in a housing cooperative
we have about 30 people right now
eventually we'll have 50
we pool our money
to pay for the house
and other expenses
and we live in community
which means we have community space,
community meals,
and a democratic decision making process
for dealing with taking care of the house
and our personal and community needs

i feel very at home here and safe here
i haven't always felt at home and safe in places i've lived
i know a lot of people don't feel that way about the places they live in
right now
and it doesn't have to be that way

i guess it's not just about where you live,
but about how you live where you're living
and that's what coops offer,
a place to live where you can relax
where you can be alone when you need to be
where another person is only a yell away when you really need somebody
a place where you can afford the rent
and can save on utilities because more people are sharing the cost
a place where resources are shared which saves money, time
and decreases the need to take more of our planet and turn it into
stuff
(1 toaster, 1 lawn mower, 1 hammer, etc., for 30 people instead of 1 of each in 20-30 houses)

housing cooperatives are a great way to live
and cooperatives are also a great way to run a business
but
i have to go now
so more about all of that later

keep connected to what's real!

om nama shivaya,
starlene
chicago, il, usa
a green dream is published on the
dotgreen weblog
www.thegreenalliance.org/dotgreen