Greenpeace Essay, Research Paper
Greenpeace History The year 1996 is a year of celebration for greenpeace. They are
celebrating their 25th year anniversary. Everything startde in 1969; Members were part of
the ??Don?t make a wave?? committee in vancouver. This committee was founded by Jim
Bohlen. He was a forty-three year old American and was a composite-materials
researcher. Another founder of the committee was Irving Stowe; he was a Philadelphia
lawyer. A jew who had joined the Quaker religion. Paul Cote, a canadian lawyer in his
mid twenties who had just gotten out of shool when he joined the committee. During this
year, the United States had chosen to test its nuclear arsenal in Amchtka, which is a small
island off the west cost of alaska. This was a home for many animals including eagles,
falcons, endangered sea otters,etc… These three men decided to produce means to end
nuclear testing in Amchitka.Next they decided to sail a boat they?d name it Greenpeace
because they wanted the earth to be green and yhey wanted peace. It was Bill Darnell
who came upwith that name. Suddenly, more peaple joined the commitee to stop nuclear
testing in Amchitka, including Terry Simmons, a cultural geographer. Bohlen and Stowe
were attracting journalist, columnist, writer, anyone who had somthing to do in the media.
It took them two years to get them ready for their journey towards justice for a land.
Bohlen and cote were in charge of fiding a boat. Meanwhile, Stowe took care of fiding the
money. He used contacts from the United States; he was a very serious man and did
everything possible to get the money they needed, he even organized a benefit concert
which made seventeen thousand dollars. The first boat they found Phylis Cormack was
first seen as old and used that wasn?t going to be capable of sailing to Amchitka, so they
weren?t sure of using this boat; it would carry twelve crew members and the trip would
last six weeks. During this year the ??Don?t Make a Wave?? committee changed their
name to Greenpeace foundation. The day of the Greenpeace departu! re to Amchitka, it
was allover the news , everybody wanted a story on it. During their voyage they ran
through some complications and the day they were suppose to be in Amchitka they were
miles away from it.In that year, Greenpeace I (the Philys Cormack) and the Greenpeace
two (the Edgewater Fortune) finally sailed toward Amchitka. During their voyage, they
stayed with the cree Indians who described to them the legend of ??( UNESCO Courrier,
1994:p38 ). From then they were looked upon as the Rainbow Warriors since their goal
was to help the environment from unfortunate diasters. Unfortunately, their first voyage
was defeated but the American government announced the ending of nuclear tests, whaling
fleets, protection for seals, etc…. In 1972, Greenpeace III was sent ( the Vega ) to sail to
Moruroa Atoll in France Polynesia to stop french atmospheric nuclear tests. On board of
this boat David Mctaggart, a Canadian founder of Greenpeace. The french Marine?s
reaction to the greenpeace boat was very aggresive so the Vega turned back to were it
came from. But that wasn?t the end, in 1973 , David Mctaggart went back but was
severely beaten by the French Marine. Word got around fast and it was all the madia it
gave a bad reputation to the French government. In 1975, France announced the of
atmospheric blasting but transfers the testing underground. This was Greenpeace?s first
victory.Greenpeace was expanding all around the world : Canada, Australia, England,
Scotland, U.S.A ,Europe, Danmark, Germany, U.S.S.R, Spain, Japan, Mexico,
Antartica, etc… I will write some of their past realisations: In 1977; three Toronto
Greenpeacers invaded by canoe the ungarded Bruce Nuclear Power Station on Lake
Huron to expose the reactors vulnerability to attack. In 1979; Canadian Greenpeacers
parachute into the world?s largest nuclear power plant constuction site at Darlington,
Ontario as part of a mass ocupation with other antinuclear groups. In 1980; the Rainbow
Warrior boat is seized and held for several months by the Spanish government for
interferring with illegal Spanish whaling operations.Five months later, the shipand crew
mae a daring night time escape pursued by the Spanish Navy. In 1982; two Canadian
Greenpeacers activists spend three days on top of a 650ft Ontario Hydro smoke-attack at
Nanticoke,puting on sale of electricity to the U.S wich increased acid rain in Ontario. The
biggest and foremost concern of Greenpeace is the environment. They risk their lives just
to ensure the security of the planet we live in. This is non-violent. They hold no attachment
to governments, have no connection with any political parties; and they have a non profit
organisation. Greenpeace Foundation never takes any money from any group, including
government loans. They are simply an organisation that seeks for protection of the
environment and is favorable to any reaserch of solutions that may protect and assure a
peacefull futur for the next generation to come. They always welcome public opinions and
comments. Greenpeace Structure Greenpeace started out with a few people wanting to
make a statement on nuclear testing and look where it has brought them today.
Greenpeace International now constitutes of forty-three in thirty countries. They have
developed into a universal organisation. They campaign throughout the world on the most
hazardous issues. Greenpeace gathers public protest work with experts from all over the
world, they operate with scientific, economic and political research. They have people
from the media that work with them in order to get their ideas and plans to the world and
for everyone to acknowledge what is happening out there. They recommend publicly,
stategies and solutions to help prevent environmental conflict. Who makes the decisions?
Greenpeace International heads in Amsterdam is the council who makes the decisions for
the institutions. Each Greenpeace office designates a delegate to the Council. They meet
once a year to make the decisions for the futur and have an overview of what is
happening. Greenpeace and their forests Greenpeace has dedicated a lot of time to
protect forests. They see forests as being a home for a most plants and animals. Forests
are providers for man. They provide wood, medicine, regulation of climate, sources of
food, nutrients, etc.. Greenpeace?s wayof thinking is ??forests sustain us, but but we are
not sustaining them.??( www.Greenpeace.org). The only thing man does to forests them,
so Greenpeace is doing something about it. The industries are the one?s doing the most
harm to forests. Hundreds of forests have been destroyed for the sake of industries. To
Greenpeace, the only one who should be dealing with forest is nature itself. They feel that
its the consumers duty and responsibility to lower their negative habits towards forests by
maximising the use of recycled and ecological forests products. However, this causes a
problem for industries because this how they earn their money. Governments and other
institutionsare aware of the damage caused to forests and are trying to change what can be
done. The foundation is trying to show what can be done. The foundation is trying to show
what can be done to improve the harm that is done to forests: 1. Peaple should