Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent, non-profit, global organization, seeking the preservation of the environment and the promotion of peace,

and it is one of the most famous NGOs that is interested in global environmental problems. The history of Greenpeace, value and purpose of Greenpeace, along with the influence and interaction to or with governments, corporations and the public are impressive considering the groups short history. Greenpeace is a public interest group; interest groups that seek to institute certain public policies that benefit all or most people in this country. It is not only a national group; There are many local groups as well as offices in 41 countries around the globe. Greenpeace possesses offices in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The group possesses approximately 300 million supporters, encouraged to take action in their daily lives. The history of Greenpeace dates back to the 1960s. The U.S. had a plan to test nuclear weapons underground in Amchitka, which is a small volcanic island in western Alaska. However, as earthquake occurred in 1964, concerns arose that the U.S. should not continue the experiment, that it may cause tsunamis or earthquakes. In 1969 about 7,000 people blocked the border between the U.S. and the Canada, carrying picket signs with Dont Make a Wave, written on them. Major opponents toward the experiments included Irving and Dorothy Stowe and Jim Bohlen. Together they raised the money required for the campaign to attain a ship they used to resist the U.S. nuclear test. This is recognized as the beginning of Greenpeace. Despite the protests, the U.S. continued and strengthened the experiments after they found out that no disasters occurred after the experiments. The name was changed from Dont Make a Wave Committee to the Greenpeace Foundation in 1972. However, there are several different views about who founded the Greenpeace because the early stage of the foundation was long and relatively unorganized. The way Greenpeace started is similar to how many grassroots movements started. No single founder is given credit for starting the group. In 1979, international Greenpeace was founded, and the head office is now located in Amsterdam. Now, Greenpeace has grown in to independent, global organization, seeking to preserve the environment and the promotion of peace. The purpose of Greenpeace is to preserve biodiversity, terminate the danger of nuclear weapons, and resist the pollution of oceans and soil. To achieve their goals, they urge energy innovation in order to deal with climate change, which is one of the biggest threats that Earth confronts. They encourage inventing new substitutes for risky and harmful chemicals that is included in many products. For instance, in 2012, Greenpeace developed their Detox Campaign, warning outdoor companies not to use substitutes for toxic chemical compound like PFCs that contaminate the environment. PFCs are known to be one of the green house gases that trigger greenhouse effect along with CO2 and CH4. They protect and preserve the forests and oceans and the residing animals and plants. For example they oppose the overfishing of tuna. Greenpeace opposes genetically modified food and advocates the movement in support of sustainable agriculture. While solving environmental problems, local offices cooperate to find out effective solution for these and other problems. However, in order to sustain independency, Greenpeace do not receive

donation from the government or corporations. Thus, personal donators and independent foundation are the only source of Greenpeace funding. Instead, in order to achieve their goal, they carry out investigations, lobbying, and quiet diplomacy. In order to stimulate positive changes, they carry out several methods based on their slogans, Positive Change through Action and Non- violent Direct Action. They value, and carry out five major actions; investigating, documenting, exposing, acting, and lobbying. They investigate. For instance, they investigate and open to public every brutality that damaged the environment, such as logging in Indonesia or industrial pollution in China. In 2010, Greenpeace investigated coal ashes that could diffuse up to fifteen thousand kilometers, windblown. This investigation attracted leaders attention and also led to demanded changes in government. They also document. They document environmental disasters to prevent them from being forgotten or covering up. Greenpeace exposes environmental problems. They revealed the relationship between Nestls Kit-Kat and palm oil, which was a contributing factor to Indonesias deforestation. People demanded change, and finally achieved it. Greenpeace had reveal toxicity in laptops from Apple and HP and attained the same result in 2006. Greenpeace also acts. They participated in attempts to ban commercial whaling in 1983. In order to spread their message and get attention from the public, they have tried public stunts. In July of 2009, members of Greenpeace hung a banner on Mount Rushmore National Memorial. They hoped President Obama to make the US be the leader on global warming prevention. Lastly, they also lobby for the government to change. Total Lobbying Expenditures was $43,041 in 2012 and $78,487 in 2010. The amount of lobbying expenditure tends to dwindle since it reached its peak in 2010. Issues include clean air and water, consumer product safety, hazardous and solid waste, homeland security, environment, and so on. Agencies that Greenpeace appealed include US Senate, US House of Representatives, White House, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Environmental Protection Agency Department of State, Energy, Interior and so on. As a result of lobbying activity intended for Coca-Cola in China, it made every vending machine for the 2008 Beijing Olympics to use environment-friendly coolants. Greenpeace also led Europe to ban some genetically modified food by lobbying. They have also led new law legislation passed that bans several kinds of phthalates that are included in kids toys in July of 2008. Greenpeace encouraged the public to participate in a letter writing campaign. Through these and other actions, Greenpeace is posing significant change to public, corporation, and even government policies through various actions and efforts. To spread their idea, Greenpeace convey their message of saving the Earth through creative advertisements, publication, and propaganda. For instance, one of the advertisements shows a picture of dead white polar bears floating instead of ice in the North Pole where glaciers should have floating. Also in 1994, Greenpeace published claims in a newspaper that in a nuclear facility in Kazakhstan that thousands of people suffered from diseases related to radiation and would last for generations. One piece of propaganda they used was that Volkswagen is emitting excessive CO2, opposing limitations and rules to CO2 emissions, so that we should rebel. While Green peaces effort was quite successful, about two million members from Greenpeace are leaving, due to the criticism and opposition from Patrick Moore, who was

one of the early members of Greenpeace. Some people argue that Greenpeace hampers the development of capitalism and science, requiring almost impossible and radical changes for 21st century-industry. They also criticize that what Greenpeace desires relies solely on theory. For instance, James, from the Telegraph contended that Greenpeace, criticizing Volkswagen for its CO2 emission is unreasonable, because CO2s threat solely depends on the theory. Also, James argued that it is somewhat inevitable to produce CO2, because what they are producing is not an organic ice-cream, and companies all strive for interest, not only for themselves but also they are also legally bonded to shareholders. Many people claim that campaigns in the U.S. were not as successful as they were in Europe. Greenpeace is a non-profit, independent organization that hopes to sustain the standard of the environment by various approaches and has been for approximately 50 years. They have spread their ideas and led environment-friendly changes to governments, companies, and the public. Even though there are some criticisms that Greenpeace is not scientific or puts harsh standards that hamper the development of industry, they are still striving to save earth from each corner around the world.

Reference Delingpole, James. (July 27th, 2011). Greenpeace: give me a child until he is seven. The Telegraph. Retrieved June 15, 2013, from http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100098864/greenpeace-give-me-a-childuntil-he-is-seven/ undefined. (). About Greenpeace. Greenpeace International. Retrieved June 14, 2013, from http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/
David A. Fhrenthold. (July 8th, 2009). Greenpeace Activists Arrested After Draping Banner on Mount Rushmore. The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2013, from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/200907-08/news/36873526_1_greenpeace-activists-banner-patty-rooney