Greenpeace: Inspiring Action

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Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over 41 countries and headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Greenpeace states its goal as to "ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity". Greenpeace uses direct action, lobbying and research to achieve its goals. The global organization states that it does not accept funding from governments, corporations or political parties, relying on individual supporters and foundation grants.

Greenpeace evolved from the peace movement and anti-nuclear protests in Vancouver, British Columbia in the early 1970s. On September 15, 1971, the newly found Don't Make a Wave Committee sent a chartered ship, Phyllis Cormack, renamed Greenpeace for the protest, from Vancouver to oppose United States testing of nuclear devices in Amchitka, Alaska, launching the first campaign of the organization and prompting the Don't Make a Wave Committee to adopt the name Greenpeace. In a few years Greenpeace spread to several countries and started to campaign on other environmental issues such as commercial whaling and toxic waste. In the late 1970s the different regional Greenpeace groups formed Greenpeace International to oversee the goals and operations of the regional organizations globally. Greenpeace received international attention during the 80's when the French intelligence agency bombed the flagship of Greenpeace, killing one. In the following years Greenpeace evolved into one of the largest environmental organizations in the world.

Today Greenpeace focuses on world wide issues such as global warming, deforestation, overfishing and nuclear power. Greenpeace is known for its direct actions and has been described as the most visible environmental organization in the world. Campaigns of Greenpeace have raised environmental issues to public knowledge and influenced both the private and the public sector but Greenpeace has also been a source of controversy. Its motives and methods have received criticism and the organizations direct actions have sparked legal actions against Greenpeace activists.