2. Who is? Who is? Greenpeace was formed in 1971, when a handful of activists hired a battered boat and sailed into the US atomic test zone of Amchitka, Alaska, to protest against nuclear testing. Canadian ecologist Bill Darnell came up with the dynamic combination of words to bind together the group's concern for the planet and opposition to nuclear arms. In the words of Bob Hunter, "Somebody flashed two fingers as we were leaving the church basement and said "Peace!" Bill said "Let's make it a Green Peace. And we all went, Ommmmmmmm." Jim Bohlen's son Paul, having trouble making the two words fit on a button, linked them together into the committee's new name: Greenpeace.
3. The committee's founders were Dorothy and Irving Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe, and Bob Hunter. It's first directors were Stowe, Bohlen, and a student named Paul Cote. The founders of Greenpeace, Dorothy and Irving Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe, and Bob Hunter, were all concerned with nuclear testing and the effects of war on the environment, and decided to band together to protest the practice by launching an old fishing boat, the Phyllis Cormack, to intervene to bring an end to U.S. underground nuclear testing at Amchitka, a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska. The area was prone to earthquakes, and the founders of the organization believed the testing could be devastating to the environment. Though the Phyllis Cormack was intercepted before it arrived at its destination—and failed in its mission to stop the test—public interest was raised.
4. Greenpeace International Greenpeace International's main legal entity is "Stichting Greenpeace Council" (SGC). It is a Dutch Stichting -a Foundation-type entity- based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Articles of Association (bylaws) specify its purpose and provide the framework for Greenpeace's internal governance and political decision-making process. The entity is registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. Greenpeace International is in charge of protecting the Greenpeace trademark, and providing global quality control on the use of it. This protects the public from any misleading or fraudulent use of the Greenpeace name by unauthorised third parties, and safeguards the integrity of our campaign work and fundraising reputation. Today Greenpeace has 45 offices worldwide; 2.9 million members; records about $8 million in contributions each year and, in 2007, garnered $40 million in total support and revenue.
5. Funds and financial structureGreenpeace does not solicit or accept funding from governments, corporations or political parties. Greenpeace International is funded by the National/Regional Offices through the incremental annual contribution system. Its annual operating budget consists of the following elements: All global campaign work that happens directly under the managerial auspices of Greenpeace International, plus associated staff costs, communication and operational activities, including management of the Greenpeace ships; National / Regional office development budget, including grants to new, priority and developing offices; The global Greenpeace IT service: hosting services and developing internet tools and software for Greenpeace offices worldwide A budget for international support to national/regional offices' fundraising work; A modest budget for direct supporter interface work through the internet; and for fundraising from major donors and foundations in countries where Greenpeace does not have an established presence; Organizational and administrative costs. Greenpeace’s International accounts are subject to annual auditing by independent public accountants, whose examination complies with International Standards of Auditing.
6. The mission and the objectives of Greenpeace: Catalyzing an energy revolution to address the number one threat facing our planet: climate change. Defending our oceans by challenging wasteful and destructive fishing, and creating a global network of marine reserves.Protecting the world’s ancient forests and the animals, plants and people that depend on them. Working for disarmament and peace by tackling the causes of conflict and calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. Creating a toxic free future with safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in today's products and manufacturing. Campaining for sustainable agriculture by rejecting genetically engineered organisms, protecting biodiversity and encouraging socially responsible farming.
7. Amazon : case studyThere is no single solution to save the Amazon Rainforest. A wide range of sustainable and effective initiatives are needed to prevent the continuing destruction of the Amazon whilst simultaneously improving the quality of life for more than 20 million people living in the region. Outlined below are a few alternatives to logging that are either being already adopted or that have the potential to provide communities living in the forest with a sustainable means of income. Rubber tapping Rubber tapping has been a traditional way of life for many people living in the Amazon forest since the start of the century. It is not damaging to the forest as it does not require the tree to be cut down in order for the latex to be extracted. As many as 63,000 families now earn their living from rubber tapping in extractive reserves in the Amazon forest. These reserves cover up to one percent of the Amazon forest and were established by the Brazilian Government to allow the rubber tappers to maintain their traditional way of life. To date only 5,000 tonnes of rubber is extracted from the Amazon to supply 1.4 percent of the national market for rubber in Brazil. The National Council of Rubber Tappers is trying to address this imbalance.
8. Palm Fruits and Palm Hearts The fruits of the Acai Palm found in the Amazon, are traditionally used to make a type of wine that is rich in minerals. A single palm tree produces up to 20kg of fruit per year. The fruits produce a tasty, dark violet coloured wine, which is the most financially viable non-wood forest product from the Amazon's delta. In 1995 almost 106,000 tones of wine was produced at a value of US$40 million. Although the palm tree has to be felled in order to extract the palm hearts, the relative ease of replanting the trees in the middle of the forest and their rapid regeneration make this a far preferable and sustainable alternative to large-scale logging. The biggest importers of palm hearts from the Amazon are France, Canada, the US, Spain, Japan, Holland and Belgium.
9. Fruits and Nuts The growing attraction towards new products from the Amazon, including vitamins, minerals, exotic fruits, nuts and spices are providing growing opportunities to market these products nationally and internationally. Over 48 native fruits in the Amazon have been identified with the potential for sale on the international market. The camu-camu fruit for example contains a higher concentration of vitamin C than any other fruit known in the world and is imported tothe US for the production of vitamin tablets. Cupuaçu is another fruit with a unique tropical taste that is expected to enter the world market in the coming years. In addition, many indigenous tribes in the Amazon collect Brazil nuts as their main source of income.
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11. Over two-thirds of all mass-produced pharmaceutical drugs are derived from medicinal plants.
12. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 80 percent of the world's population use plants to treat a wide ranging spectrum of illnesses from hypertension to syphillus.
13. Natural extracts from the Pacific Yew in the rainforests of North America, for example, have proven effective against cancer and is just one example of a natural occurring remedy in the world's rainforests (Sucuuba, Carapanauba etc).
14. The potential of the Amazon has only just begun to be realised. At present, close to 650 species of plants, with pharmaceutical properties and economic value, have been discovered in the Amazon. There are countless more.
16. There is huge potential to utilise the existing fish stocks in the Amazon in a more sustainable way. One economic alternative would be to set up community based fisheries operated in a sustainable and ecological way.
19. Manchester City Football Club is one of the greenest sporting stadiums in the world.
20. Before it was converted to a sporting complex, the land was home to dirty, heavy industry with a colliery, gas works, coal-fired power station and steel works - and was heavily contaminated with cyanide. In 2002, the site hosted the Commonwealth Games. Today, it's an exemplar of the green renaissance starting to run through the UK's sporting institutions.
