The Call for a Green Constitutional Convention

The Green Movement needs a framework and a set of guiding principles upon which we can all agree.

Reprinted in it’s entirety and unedited with permission of Max Gladwell

As Patriots of the Green Revolution, we’re calling for a Constitutional Convention for sustainability. We’re calling for a gathering not unlike the origins of the greatest nation the world has ever known, The United States of America. We’re calling for the founding of a new Green Nation that has no borders, a nation that exists to serve all of humankind for all time. This is a call to declare our green independence and to draft the Green Constitution.

While you may disagree that The United States is the greatest nation the world has ever known, it’s tough to argue with the incredible circumstances that lead to its founding. Please know that this is not a statement of nationalistic pride or reverence but rather an acknowledgment of the principles upon which The United States was founded, namely freedom, democracy, and capitalism.

The founding fathers were entrepreneurs. Their start-up venture? A new nation they called The United States of America, which has been entrusted to the People (shareholders) of that nation ever since. And though the most prominent of our founders were atheists or agnostics, many felt they had experienced a miracle in defeating the British and establishing a new nation with a radical new set of ideals. It was quite miraculous indeed that great men like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson happened to live at the same time in the same place and for the same cause. It truly was the cause of freedom and the self-evident truth that all men and women are created equal.

In the end, the American Revolution and our Declaration of Independence produced little more than a single document. It paved the way for the United States Constitution, which provides the framework and principles upon which our nation is built. It is an eternal document, grounded in centuries of reason and enlightenment. It is also a living document that is entrusted to a select few for its faithful preservation and interpretation. The founders set forth the principle of equality. Though it may not have been immediately enforced or realized, the power of that truth in principle carried the nation forward.

We see tremendous parallels, both historic and philosophical, with the current green movement. We’re fighting the tyranny of air pollution, water pollution, and the unchecked consumption of our natural resources. We’re the Patriots, and we’re challenging the Loyalists. As with the American Revolution, we count among these Loyalists our family, friends, and neighbors. They are people we know, people we love, and people with whom we must coexist. But we’re confident in the righteousness of our cause, as we fight for our independence as well as theirs. It is the fight for the freedom to breathe clean air, to drink clean water, and to eat healthy food. And it is going to require a revolution-a bloodless coup of reasoned policy and radical innovation. It’s going to require that great men and women come together, as our forefathers did, to establish the framework and principles for a Green Constitution and a new Green Nation. Except that the struggle we face is not limited to a single people or region. It is global and so it should be for the Green Nation.

As it stands, we’ve formed the green colonies. We’ve built a green army and so many green militias. Our leaders are in place, having been nominated, appointed, and elected. The time has now come to declare our independence, to establish a Green Constitutional Convention, and to frame the Constitution for a sustainable world. The truths set forth in this document will not be realized overnight. It took more than a decade from declaring independence to drafting the Constitution. It took centuries’ more for the abolition of slavery, for a woman’s right to vote, and for civil rights. But the basic principles and ideals were set forth and ratified on those fateful days in 1776 and 1787 respectively. We must now do the same for the Green Nation in 2009 (MG01).

As lofty and idealistic as this rhetoric might sound, we are calling for the green leaders-the leaders in thought, business, and politics-to come together and draft such a document. The world of green has become a free-for-all with very little meaning or truth, let alone results. At the very least, we need guiding, universal principles.

So we ask for your feedback in writing the Green Declaration of Independence and for nominating delegates for the Green Continental Congress. We ask for your input on the principles that a timeless and enduring Green Constitution should set forth. And we ask for suggestions on where the first meeting of the Green Constitutional Convention should convene.

What city or place should be our Philadelphia in the birth of the Green Nation?

Max Gladwell (MG) is the nexus of social media and green living. We cover these trends in ways that are relevant to how you live. Very simply, our mission is to provide practical information about how these new technologies can contribute to a better quality of life for you and those around you.

photo credit: Caveman 92223 (Out playing biker! Woohoo!)

Related posts:

1. Our Call for a Green Constitutional Convention (Podcast)
2. Is It Time to Declare Our Green Independence?
3. Live From The Convention Floor – Sarah Palin Quotes