Know 10 Facts about Greenpeace India Organization

Know 10 Facts about Greenpeace India Organization

Following are the facts about Greenpeace Organization

1-
Greenpeace is an independent, campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.

Today, Greenpeace is a global organization that gives priority to campaigns that can be addressed on a global scale. Based in Amsterdam, Greenpeace has 2.8 million supporters worldwide, and national / regional offices in more than 55 countries.
2-
How Greenpeace started?
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.

The founders of Greenpeace believed a few individuals could make a difference. Their mission was to "bear witness" to the USA's underground nuclear testing at Amchitka in one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions.

A tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska, 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, the Phyllis Cormack, was intercepted before she got to Amchitka, the journey sparked a flurry of public interest. The US still detonated their 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.

3-
Who founded Greenpeace?

There's an old joke around the organization that in any bar in Vancouver, Canada, you can find at least one person who claims to have founded Greenpeace. In truth, many talented folks contributed to the creation of Greenpeace. Bill Darnell coined the name when someone flashed him a peace sign and he said "let's make that a green peace!"

Bob Hunter created the concept of the "Media Mind Bomb" -reaching the public consciousness through dramatic, camera-ready opposition to environmental crimes. Jim Bohlen, Paul Cote, and Irving Stowe were the founders of the "Don't Make a Wave Committee," which organized the first Greenpeace action: a voyage to Amchitka Island in the Aleutians to try to stop a nuclear weapons test. David Mc. Taggart convinced a half dozen loosely connected early groups to put aside their differences and join in a single worldwide organization, creating Greenpeace International in 1979.

4-
What is Greenpeace Mission, Goal?
Greenpeace's goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity. Greenpeace campaigns are geared towards a sustainable planet.

5-
Why is Greenpeace Opposed to genetic engineering?
Greenpeace opposes all releases of genetically Engineered organisms into the environment. Such organisms are being released without adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.

This genetic pollution is a major threat because genetically engineered organisms cannot be recalled once released into the environment. Governments are attempting to address this threat by international regulations such as the Bio Safety Protocol.

Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied the right to know about genetically engineered ingredients in the food chain, and the right to avoid them.

Greenpeace advocates immediate interim measures such as labelling of genetically engineered ingredients, and the segregation of genetically engineered crops from conventional ones.

While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential to increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it is no justification to turn the environment into a genetic experiment.

Biological diversity must be protected and respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival.

Greenpeace also opposes all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on their genes.

Life is not an industrial commodity. When we force lifeforms and our world's food supply to conform to human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at our own peril.

6-
Nuclear power isn’t it a solution for climate change?
Nuclear power creates poisonous waste, fuels the nuclear arms race, and threatens the health and wellbeing of communities thousands of miles away.

It's also not a solution to greenhouse warming. Creating nuclear fuel is a hugely energy-intensive task. When you sum up the CO2 emitted by the mining, milling, processing, and transport of nuclear fuels, there’s no significant savings on carbon output. This was why the framers of the Kyoto protocol rejected efforts by the nuclear power industry to allow carbon credits for nuclear power. You'll still see this fallacy trumpeted in advertising by the nuclear industry, but you won't find a reputable climate scientist who is convinced by the ads. (British Nuclear Fuels spends more on advertising than Greenpeace's entire annual budget, by the way!)

7-
Greenpeace and Funding –
To maintain absolute independence Greenpeace does not accept money from companies, governments or political parties.
Greenpeace depends on donations from supporters to carry out nonviolent campaigns to protect environment

8-
Greenpeace India formation –
Greenpeace India was founded in 2001.
Greenpeace India came into existence in 1995. Annie Leonard who at that time was working with Greenpeace International came to India to check the scope for starting Greenpeace in India. With help from Nirmala and other grass root activists she started Greenpeace India in New Delhi.

They are Indian citizens not outsiders but the Minority who dares to speak and act
By January 2015, Greenpeace India as a legally registered society had come a long way since 2001/2002, with offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Patna, Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai. We have an Indian board of governors made up of notable Indian citizens and an Indian Senior Management Team (SMT) who led an organization of 350 (approx.)

In a year’s time, Greenpeace India launched its first campaign. Malini Morzaria, the toxics campaigner from Greenpeace International led this campaign. It was a campaign against toxic waste trade imports to stop making India a dumping ground for the toxic waste from western industries developed countries. The campaign asked the Indian government to sign and ratify the Basel Convention and to ban the movement of hazardous toxic waste from developed industrialized to developing countries.

9-
Registration –
Year 2002 -
the Greenpeace India society (GPIS) in Chennai – successfully applied for and was granted FCRA status. Both the trust and the society are registered charitable organizations

10-
Fought for the following issues and problems
1.
to stop western companies using India as a dumping ground for toxic waste (1995)

2.
1998
hot air balloon protest near the Taj Mahal
floated a hot air balloon saying ‘Nuclear disarmament now’, over the monument.

3.
the campaigns against toxic ship breaking in Gujarat

4.
2006-
successful campaign to send the toxic warship Clemenceau back to France (they can deal with their own poisons)

5.
campaign to save the turtles of Orissa
Olive Ridley turtle protests

6.
The Ban the Bulb campaign
Over 2 ½ lakh people signed up to support the campaign and 3 years later celebrated success with the announcement of the Bachat Lamp Yojana program in 2009.

7.
2010-
Mayapuri radiation case Cobalt60 Investigation, exposure
Greenpeace radiation experts Stan Vincent and Jan Vande Putte survey the Mayapuri scrap market in Delhi. Radiation from a Cobalt 60 source killed one person and injured six persons in the western Delhi metal scrap market of Mayapuri. The cobalt 60 was sourced to pencils from a gamma irradiator machine that was sold by Delhi University to scrap dealers. The International Atomic Energy Agency has termed it as a Level 4 accident.

8.
Campaign for Nuclear Liability Cause –
key demand of Greenpeace in the Monsoon parliament of 2010 – that of complete supplier liability i.e. if you build it and it goes wrong, then it’s your responsibility.

9.
The Safe Food campaign
GM Free Baigan Bharta

10.
Delhi solar rooftop campaign

11.
solar generation

12-
Greenpeace India published an expose of the pesticides in our tea – persuading companies like Unilever, Girnar, Tata, Wagh Bakri and more to commit to non-pesticides management – making our food and chai safer for all of us.

13.
Save Mahan Campaign –
Over 14,190 lives and livelihoods are dependent on the Mahan forests, Madhya Pradesh. Their culture, community and lives are intertwined with the forests that the corporations threaten to destroy. Displacement from their natural habitat is going to be devastating for the indigenous community.
in January 2015 the MHA ordered the offloading of an Indian citizen – Priya Pillai, the lead campaigner for the Mahan struggle from her flight.
The High Court of Delhi ordered the MHA to unfreeze the donations, declaring the MHA’s actions as arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional. In a separate case the High Court then ordered the MHA to expunge the lookout circulator issued against Priya Pillai ruling that disagreeing with the government does not make you anti-national – and that you cannot muzzle dissent in a democracy.

In May 2015 the Delhi high court granted a lifeline to Greenpeace India ordering the MHA to unfreeze two domestic accounts as interim relief until the case can be properly considered in September.

In September, the day before the court case to review the freezing of Greenpeace India’s domestic accounts and FCRA registration, the MHA arbitrarily cancelled Greenpeace India’s FCRA registration

14.
On July 20, 2014, Greenpeace India set up 100 kW solar-based micro grid in Dharnai, Bihar costing 3 crores, that provides 24×7 electricity to 450 homes and 50 commercial operations

14.
Names of few more campaigns –
Airtel diesel campaign, the Oily Moily spoof, the solar innovation challenge, Living Soils in Bihar, lots more work on GM and Nuclear power especially at Jaitapur, the Arctic 30 solidarity events, the hugely successful E-waste campaigns, the ocean defenders work against overfishing, the water for farmer’s work, dam’s protests, Coal Curse - the documentary, campaigns to save the Ganga, the Delhi Toxicity campaign

Reality views by sm –

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Tags – Greenpeace India Facts History