Greenpeace
In 1971, motivated by their
vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from
Vancouver, Canada, in an old fishing boat. These activists, the founders of
Greenpeace, believed a few individuals could make a difference.
Their mission was to «bear
witness» to US underground nuclear testing at Amchitka, a tiny island off the
West Coast of Alaska, which is one of the world's most earthquake-prone
regions. Amchitka was the last refuge for 3000 endangered sea otters, and home
to bald eagles, peregrine falcons and other wildlife.
Even though their old boat,
was intercepted before it got to Amchitka, the journey sparked a flurry of
public interest. The US still detonated the bomb, but the voice of reason had
been heard. Nuclear testing on Amchitka ended that same year, and the island
was later declared a bird sanctuary.
Today, Greenpeace is an
international ecological organization that has 2.8 million supporters
worldwide, and national as well as regional offices in 41 countries. Its
headquarters are based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Greenpeace is a non-profit
organization and nongovernmental. It unites people of different colours living
in different continents and speaking different languages. The common mission of
this organization is preserving life on the earth in its full variety.
Greenpeace does not accept
donations from governments, corporations or political parties but relies on
contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace does
not support any political party. Nevertheless, its members carry on a dialogue
with all political forces and struggle for approving and passing laws for the
welfare of our environment.
As a global organization,
Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's
biodiversity and environment. It campaigns to stop climate change, save the
oceans, stop whaling, say no to genetic engineering, stop the nuclear threat,
eliminate toxic chemicals.
The goal of Greenpeace is to
expose environmental criminals, and to challenge government and corporations
when they fail to live up to their mandate to safeguard our environment and our
future.
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