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