There is a connection between democracy and caring for the land and its people. Hawai‘i's history reflects, and in many ways magnifies, the global trend of the declining power of democratic institutions and increasing environmental destruction. The corruption and injustice of Free Trade policies and the continued privatizing of our common heritage have taken their toll on our land and democracy.

Hawai‘i's landscape is a reflection of an economic and ecological assault that has made these islands the endangered species capital of the world.

The egregious and brutal history of European colonialism is still expressing itself in Hawai‘i's economic policies and political institutions. Many of the issues of the plantation era of Hawaiian history have not gone away. For all practical purposes many of Hawai‘i's laws are being dictated to us by an oligarchy of corporate, developer, and military interests.

The corporate mantra of the “highest and best use” of the land has legitimized profit making at the expense of our commonwealth. Global imperialism continues to rear its ugly head: the world’s wealth is pillaged with no concern for the communities that provide their resources and, in the process, are destroyed.

The health of Hawai‘i's land, and the communities that depend on it, are an expression of Hawai‘i's governmental policies, which must aim to meet the needs and concerns of all the people. Policies that serve the concerns of only a wealthy few undermine the foundation of our democracy, the health of our islands, and the viability of our future.

The people of Hawai‘i are weary of corruption, exploitation, and injustice. The land and the waters of these islands are weary of abuse. The Green Party of Hawai‘i (GPH) stands against these destructive trends. We stand for rational policies that empower our citizens and sustain the islands' natural environments.

A greener present and future can be ours.