Greenpeace

[Rasputin]

Greenpeace is an international environmental organization founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971. It is known for its campaigns to stop atmospheric and underground nuclear testing and campaigning against whaling. In later years, the focus of the organization turned to other environmental issues, including bottom trawling, global warming, ancient forest destruction, nuclear power, and genetic engineering.


Greenpeace has national and regional offices in 41 countries worldwide, all of which are affiliated to the Amsterdam-based Greenpeace International.

The global organization receives its income through the individual contributions of an estimated 2.8 million financial supporters, as well as from grants from charitable foundations, but does not accept funding from governments or corporations.

Greenpeace is a global environmental organisation, consisting of Greenpeace International (Stichting Greenpeace Council) in Amsterdam, and 27 national and regional offices around the world, providing a presence in 41 countries. These national and regional offices are largely autonomous in carrying out jointly agreed global campaign strategies within the local context they operate in, and in seeking the necessary financial support from donors to fund this work.National and regional offices support a network of volunteer-run local groups.

Local groups participate in campaigns in their area, and mobilise for larger protests and activities elsewhere. Millions of supporters who are not organised into local groups support Greenpeace by making financial donations and participating in campaigns as citizens and consumers.

Current priorities

Below is a list of Greenpeace's current priorities, as of March 2007:

Stopping catastrophic climate change (global warming),

Preserving the oceans (including stopping whaling),

Saving ancient forests,

Peace and nuclear disarmament,

Promoting sustainable agriculture (and opposing GE),

Eliminating toxic chemicals

The origins of Greenpeace lie in the formation of the Don't Make A Wave Committee by an assortment of Canadian and expatriate American peace activists in Vancouver in 1970.

Taking its name from a slogan used during protests against United States nuclear testing in late 1969, the Committee came together with the objective of stopping a U.S. nuclear bomb test codenamed Cannikin beneath the Aleutian island of Amchitka, Alaska. The first ship expedition was called the Greenpeace I; the second expedition was nicknamed Greenpeace Too!.The test was not prevented, but the creation of the committee laid the groundwork for Greenpeace's later activities.