a question about greenpeace

Greenpeace's Campaign Strategies

Gilles-Philippe Pagé

Greenpeace's history began in 1971. A group of ecologists opposed to the war in Vietnam contested US nuclear testing in the north Pacific. They decided simply to position themselves in the middle of the testing zone. In September they left Vancouver, heading to Amchitka, an Alaskan island. The first trip did not achieve its main objectives, for the little fishing boat did not even make it to the test site. However, its broadcasts regularly made the news and garnered amazing public support, demonstrating the use of media to raise awareness. The first trip was inspired by the Quaker ideology of bearing witness: You are responsible for opposing your neighbor if you know he is doing something that could harm the community. Even if you cannot intervene directly, you cannot let the community ignore it.

When the US government stopped nuclear testing in the area, Greenpeace started to look for a new cause. This disorganized group of adrenaline-addicted activists embarked on a campaign to save the whales. Using Zodiac inflatables, they put themselves between the whales and the harpoons, generating images too sensational not to broadcast and creating new public pressure.

Today Greenpeace represents more than 2.8 million members, with a presence in 40 countries,1 addressing such issues as climate change, genetically modified organisms, and trade. It owns a research station in Antarctica and three "media warships" around the globe, denouncing governments and industries that threaten the environment. Here I want to appraise Greenpeace's three campaign strategies: (a) direct action, (b) political lobbying, and (c) public education and awareness....

http://www.peacemagazine.org/archive/v20n3p13.htm

Rainbow Warrior and French bombing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace